IGIHE

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  • UN to Visit DR Congo ‘Massacre’ Site

    UN to Visit DR Congo ‘Massacre’ Site

    A UN team is due to visit the site of alleged mass killings in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    The move comes after the UN mission in the country (Monusco) told the BBC its reconnaissance flight had discovered three villages burnt to the ground.

    It says it believed more than 70 people had been summarily executed in late January and early February.

    A UN force has increased its presence in the area after the defeat of the M23 rebel group last November.

    {{‘Spreading terror’}}

    “We were able to carry out a reconnaissance flight in the afternoon, and we were able to observe from the air that three villages had been burnt,” Monusco’s Ray Torres told the BBC on Thursday.

    “We were not able to send yet any of our staff to the locations to verify, but we will be doing that tomorrow. ”

    The UN mission said the killings were mainly committed in North Kivu province to spread terror. Most of the victims were killed with machetes, it added.

    More than 40 armed groups are known to operate in the region, and at least four of them are believed to pose a significant threat.

    Eastern DR Congo has suffered from two decades of violence linked to ethnic rivalries and competition for the control of the area’s mineral resources, leaving an estimated five million people dead.

    The unrest began when some of the ethnic Hutu militants accused of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda fled into DR Congo.

    BBC

  • Virginia Gay Marriage Ban Overturned

    Virginia Gay Marriage Ban Overturned

    A US federal judge in Virginia has ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

    It is the first time that a southern state has had a voter-approved prohibition on gay marriage overturned.

    The ruling will not apply pending a possible appeal. Same-sex marriages are legal in 17 US states, most of them in the north-east, and Washington DC.

    Such unions have been approved either through legislation, court rulings or voter referendums.

    {{‘Adding momentum’}}

    The ruling by Judge Arenda Wright Allen in Norfolk followed a legal challenge on same-sex marriage by a gay couple.

    The judge agreed with them that the ban infringes on their constitutional rights and their fundamental freedom to marry.

  • Indonesia Volcano erupts,100,000 Evacuated, Airports Closed

    Indonesia Volcano erupts,100,000 Evacuated, Airports Closed

    {{A volcano erupted late on Thursday night on the heavily populated Indonesian island of Java, sending a huge plume of ash and sand 17 km (10 miles) into the air and forcing the closure of three airports.}}

    Mount Kelud is 140 km south of Indonesia’s second biggest city Surabaya, a major industrial centre.

    The cloud from the eruption was seen as far as 9 km to the west, and forced the shutdown of airports at Surabaya and the cities of Yogyakarta and Solo.

    “Areas to the west of Mount Kelud, including central Java, Yogyakarta, Cilacap, Magelang, Temanggung and Boyolali are still experiencing showers of ash because last night the biggest eruption … threw sand and ash 17 km into the air to the west,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said by telephone.

    Cilacap is home to a major oil refinery, but there was no immediate word on whether its operations had been affected. Its refineries supply about a third of the country’s fuel needs.

    The agency later said the cloud was dissipating and that the volcano was no longer erupting.

    Nugroho said the agency was still trying to confirm reports that two people had died.

    “We don’t have data yet on how many people have been evacuated in total. We can say 200,000 people were affected. We received reports of deaths but we have not verified them yet,” he said.

    The eruption caused minimal damage to buildings, Sutopo said, but had left 3 to 5 cm (1 1/2 to 2 inches) of ash and sand on roads.

    An estimated 200,000 people live within a 10 km radius of Mt Kelud, one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world’s fourth most populous country.

    At least 11 people were killed earlier this month in the north of the island of Sumatra when Mount Sinabung erupted. The volcano has been spewing lava and ash for months, forcing thousands to flee the area and destroying crops.

    President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wrote in a message on Twitter that he planned to visit the area near Kelud.

    {agencies}

  • German, French Growth Above Forecasts in Last Months of 2013

    German, French Growth Above Forecasts in Last Months of 2013

    {{Economic growth in Germany and France, the euro zone’s two largest economies, marginally exceeded expectations in the fourth quarter and offered hope of a more robust 2014.}}

    The euro zone number is due at 1000 GMT and forecast to show quarterly growth of 0.2%. Given the performance of its biggest constituent parts, that could be exceeded.

    German growth accelerated to 0.4% on the quarter thanks to a rise in exports and capital investment, up from 0.3% in the previous three months.

    The French economy expanded by 0.3% and statistics office INSEE revised up the third quarter figure to flat from -0.1%.

    That meant France grew 0.3% over the course of last year, more than the government’s estimate of 0.1%.

    The German Statistics Office saw “mixed signals” from the domestic economy, which has driven growth throughout most of the year, with public expenditure stable and private consumption slightly below the level of the previous quarter.

    “Capital investment developed positively,” the Statistics Office said. “However a strong reduction in inventories put the brakes on economic growth.”

    The German Economy Ministry said on Wednesday it expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.8% in 2014 – more than four times faster than in 2013 as a whole.

    “The rise in capital investment is very positive and signals that the German economy is starting the new year well,” said Johannes Mayr, an economist at Bayern LB.

    The European Central Bank kept policy steady earlier this month with President Mario Draghi declaring more information was needed before deciding on any action.

    He cited fresh ECB staff forecasts which will be ready for the March policy meeting and the fourth quarter GDP numbers.

    Spain has already reported fourth quarter growth of 0.3%, its second successive quarter of expansion.

    The government now expects growth this year of close to 1%, compared with an official forecast of 0.7%.

    The Dutch economy grew by a solid 0.7% on the quarter.

    The French government expects growth will accelerate this year to at least 0.9%, driven by a rebound in corporate investment.

    President Francois Hollande’s unpopular government was able to claim the first quarterly net creation of jobs since the start of 2012, recorded by non-farm payroll data from INSEE on Friday.

    Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici nonetheless described the economy’s strength as “unsatisfactory” and said faster growth was needed to create more jobs with unemployment at nearly 11%.

    After hiking taxes during his first year in office, President Francois Hollande last month offered to phase out 30 billion euros ($41 billion) in payroll tax in exchange for commitments from businesses to hire and invest in France. ($1 = 0.7317 euros).

    {A worker collects items to pack into boxes at Amazon’s logistics centre in Graben near Augsburg December 16, 2013}

    {reuters}

  • EAX Introduces Trading Platform to Kenya Grain Traders

    EAX Introduces Trading Platform to Kenya Grain Traders

    {{East Africa Exchange in partnership with the Eastern Africa Grain Council hosted a stakeholder engagement meeting entitled “Building Trade” in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday, 13th February 2014, that took place at the Stanley Sarova Hotel at 8:00a.m}}.

    The meeting It brought together all the leading grain traders so that the newly established regional commodity exchange could be introduced to the Kenyan market.

    During the half day session, EAX executives shared electronic trading knowledge, including presentations on auctions, spot trading, forwards and futures as well as demonstrations on how to trade using the globally recognized and widely used NASDAQ OMX X-Stream electronic trading platform.

    EAX aims to establish itself as the preferred marketplace for commodity trading in the region. One of its core business principles is to promote trade competitiveness and transparency and facilitate access to wider markets for East African farmers and traders.

    The meeting will be opened by EAGC Executive Director, Mr. Gerald Masila. Other speakers and presenters include: EAGC Chairman, Mr. Judah Arap Bett; EAX Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Paul Kukubo; and EAX Senior Advisor, Mr. Rod Gravelet-Blondin (former head of SAFEX).

    In addition to grain traders and buyers, government officials and other agricultural and financial industry stakeholders were invited to take part in this introductory event.

    The session was the first of several meetings which will take place across the East African region in an effort to build capacity in the industry by introducing world class and proven trading technology that will increase cross border trading activity while uplifting the integrity of East African commodities.

    In line with its regional objectives, EAX is partnering with EAGC to conduct a similar event targeting traders in Kampala, Uganda later this month. EAX is also in partnership with regional banks notably, Equity Bank, KCB, Access to Finance and TradeMark East Africa as well as other institutions with a similar mission to increase trade, improve agricultural value chains and facilitate greater access to financial services.

  • Ex-Canadian Peacekeeper in Rwanda Commits Suicide

    Ex-Canadian Peacekeeper in Rwanda Commits Suicide

    {{Reports from Canada indicate that another Canadian soldier has died in an apparent suicide. }}

    According to Canadian media reports, the number of similar deaths has reached nine since November.

    Common about the victims is that they had previously served in foreign missions including Rwanda, Somalia and Afghanistan.

    The Department of National Defence (DND) confirmed late Wednesday the death of Warrant Officer Martin Mercier, who was based at the 5 Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, N.B.

    Mercier’s body was found by police on Monday at his off-base home, in Fredericton, N.B., but the DND was unable to specify the date and time of his death.

    The RCMP is investigating.

    Mercier joined the Canadian Forces in 1985 and served in Somalia, Rwanda and Afghanistan, a statement from the DND said.

    The department did not explicitly state Mercier’s death was suicide but provided the statement in response to an inquiry by QMI Agency.

    The Canadian government has been under fire for what advocates say is its unsatisfactory handling of soldiers’ mental health needs.

    QMI AGENCY

  • 3 Journalists Detained in Niger

    3 Journalists Detained in Niger

    {{Police in Niger have detained three journalists from the Anfani private radio station as well as a union leader who criticized President Mahamadou Issfouou on air, the station’s director-general told Reporters.}}

    Niger police arrested Anfani’s editor in chief Abdoul-Razak Idrissa, and two journalists, Haoua Maigari and Moussa Hassane on Wednesday.

    “They are being held in detention and I think this is linked to an interview they conducted with a union leader from the education sector,” Gremah Boukar, director-general of Anfani, told Reuters.

    The union leader, Ismael Salifou, has also been detained.

    Police sources, who asked not to be identified, said the union leader is accused of making insulting remarks about the president and inciting ethnic hatred during the interview broadcast on January 22.

    The journalists are being held as his accomplices, the police sources said.

    Political tensions have risen in Niger since August, after a reshaping of Issoufou’s ruling coalition that saw National Assembly leader Hama Amadou enter the opposition.

    Since late January, six journalists, two politicians and a member of civil society have been briefly detained on charges including slander, inciting ethnic hatred and plotting against state security. They have all subsequently been released.

    “Niger is witnessing a decline in freedom of the press. We will fight until our comrade Ismael Salifou is freed,” Salou Yacouba, spokesman for the national association of education workers, told journalists.

    Niger decriminalized slander in June 2010.

    {reuters}

  • Venezuela Seeks Protest Leader’s Arrest

    Venezuela Seeks Protest Leader’s Arrest

    {{Venezuelan authorities sought on Thursday to arrest an opposition leader who has been organizing street protests that led to three deaths in the worst unrest since President Nicolas Maduro’s disputed election victory last year.}}

    A judge’s arrest warrant, published in local media, said the 42-year-old hardline politician was wanted on charges ranging from instigating crime to murder and terrorism.

    Members of his Popular Will party acknowledged there was a warrant for Lopez’s arrest but would not say where he was.

    Lopez, who lives in the wealthy Chacao district of Caracas where he was once mayor, accuses Maduro’s government of making him a scapegoat for state-led violence against protesters.

    Almost a year after the death of socialist leader Hugo Chavez, the bloodshed on Wednesday in the capital Caracas was the latest demonstration of the OPEC nation’s deep polarization and the mutual mistrust between both political camps.

    Three people were shot dead after pro- and anti-government marches in Caracas. Maduro said another person was in critical condition, and he blamed “small fascist groups” that he said infiltrated the opposition protest.

    {reuters}

  • U.N. Warns of ‘Systematic’ Somali Arms Diversion

    U.N. Warns of ‘Systematic’ Somali Arms Diversion

    {{A confidential U.N. monitors’ report warns of “systematic abuses” by Somalia’s government, which the monitors say has allowed the diversion of weapons that Somali authorities purchased after the U.N. Security Council eased an arms embargo on Mogadishu last year.}}

    Some of the arms believed to have been diverted were earmarked for a leader of the al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group al Shabaab, the monitors said in their report.

    In its 14-page report to the Security Council’s sanctions committee, the U.N. Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group recommends either restoring the full arms embargo or at least tightening notification and reporting requirements related to arms deliveries.

    “The Monitoring Group has identified a number of issues and concerns over current management of weapons and ammunition stockpiles by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), which point to high-level and systematic abuses in weapons and ammunition management and distribution,” the report said.

    The panel of independent experts tracks compliance with the U.N. Somalia-Eritrea sanctions regime.

    The 15-nation council’s decision to ease Somalia’s decades-old arms embargo last March was a controversial one, although Washington supported the Somali government’s appeals for restrictions to be relaxed to enable it to better arm its security forces to fight al Shabaab.

    The new report details difficulties the monitors have had in getting access to weapons stockpiles in Somalia and information about its growing arsenal.

    It says the government cancelled several inspections of armories that the monitors and U.N. officials had planned to undertake.

    {reuters}

  • President Kagame Says Rwanda Moving Towards Prosperity

    President Kagame Says Rwanda Moving Towards Prosperity

    {{President Paul Kagame began his three day visit in California with a keynote speech at Los Angeles World Affairs Council.}}

    Addressing leaders in private and public sector of Los Angeles, President Kagame spoke on Rwanda’s journey of recovery in the past twenty years:

    “20 years ago we sanked to the very bottom, observers considered Rwanda a failed state and predicted it would remain so. For people of Rwanda, that was not an option. We had to move upwards and do it together. It’s about restoring life, hope and dignity of our people.”

    President Kagame added that reconstruction is an ongoing journey with challenges Rwanda is determined to overcome:

    “The progress we have achieved is testament that we can reach further goals. We have moved beyond mere survival, we are more determined than ever to pursue our efforts towards prosperous and dignified future for all Rwandans.”

    Stressing Rwanda’s commitment to draw from its own context to provide solutions to its challenges, President Kagame shared the example of Gacaca:

    “In ten years, Gacaca tried 2 million cases for less than one billion dollars. The UN funded International Criminal Tribunal tried 60 cases in 19 years at cost of 2 billion dollars.”

    The keynote speech was followed by an interactive session where topics discussed included Rwanda’s vision for the future and peace and security in the region.

    Speaking on priorities for Rwanda future, President Kagame pointed to prosperity, stability and peace and security:

    “When we look around the world, in some places prosperity has been taken for granted. The question is why shouldn’t this be possible for others. We believe it is possible for Rwanda and Africa.”

    President Kagame concluded by emphasizing the importance of regional integration and continental cooperation:

    “I don’t think of Rwanda out of the African context. Rwanda is not and cannot be an island. I wish for the rest of Africa what I wish for my country.”

    President Kagame began the day with a tour of the Shoah Foundation where fifty thousand testimonies of genocide survivors are preserved including testimonies of survivors of the Genocide Against the Tutsi.

    Prior to addressing the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, President Kagame held an interactive session with over forty high school students.

    President Kagame will continue his tour of California in San Francisco where he will be addressing the Wisdom 2.0 conference on the socio-economic transformation of Rwanda.

    The conference will bring together over two thousand leaders in fields including technology to politics,media and private sector to discuss the role of technology in transforming lives.