IGIHE

Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • President Uhuru Criticised for New Media Law

    President Uhuru Criticised for New Media Law

    Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has been criticised for signing into law legislation giving the state the power to decide what journalists report.

    The criticism came during the official opening of the International Press Institute 43rd world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday.

    In her formal report to the congress on the state of press freedom worldwide, IPI executive director Alison Bethel McKenzie told delegates of increasing attacks on journalists.

    “Kenya is another concern. President Kenyatta has signed legislation … the Information and Communication Act … that we believe would lead to state control of news and information during emergencies, plus give the government the power to perform functions currently executed by the country’s Media Council.”

    She said IPI had protested the new measures by the Kenya government and acknowledged that local journalists had moved to the courts to fight for their freedom.
    “Kenyan journalists are not about to have their rights trampled on.

    They’ve filed legal challenges against the Information and Communication Act on the grounds that it is unconstitutional,” Ms McKenzie said.

  • Sudan Defence Minister gives Darfur Rebels Last Chance

    Sudan Defence Minister gives Darfur Rebels Last Chance

    {{Sudanese defence minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein has called on rebel groups in Darfur to seek a negotiated peaceful solution, warning that a summer military campaign would crush rebellion in the restive region.}}

    Hussein, who addressed a public meeting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Darfur capital El-Fasher on Friday, said the government welcomes rebel groups who wish to join the peace process, adding the government made the necessary arrangements to end rebellion in the region.

    “Rebels have to join peace before they be militarily crushed,” he said.

    He further praised the RSF militias, saying they set a good humanitarian example in dealing with hostages and citizens, and provided services for the needy population in the region.

    The director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), Mohamed Atta, for his part, disclosed they had dispatched other RSF units to South Kordofan state to fight against the SPLM-N rebels and maintain security in the state.

    The SRF militia, which operates under the command of NISS, is formed August last year to fight rebel groups in Darfur region, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile states following joint attacks by Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels in North and South Kordofan in April 2013.

    NISS ACCUSED OF PLOTTING

    Meanwhile Sudanese rebel alliance, the Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF), announced in a statement issued by its top military commander, Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu, that they had obtained “certain information” that the NISS is undertaking a plan in coordination with the military intelligence, the Popular Defence Forces (PDF), aiming to mobilise tribal militias to fight against its forces in Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains, North Kordofan and Darfur.

    He added that those militias, which include forces recruited from outside Sudan, will target civilians to displace them from rebel areas. But, the government will cover these attacks, describing it as tribal clashes.

    The statement added this task was assigned to a force stationed in Al-Fayed village in Rashad district in the Nuba Mountains, pointing the force is commanded by Brig. Gen. Abdel-Samad Babiker, Lt. Col. Mohamed Al-Fatih Ahmed, and Maj. Gen. Mohamed Al-Rabie’.

    The force is also supported by a battalion of Mujahideen (holy fighters) from Khartoum and a battalion of the paramilitary PDF, according to the statement.

    The rebels said the militias backed by aerial bombardment, shelled Toumi and Al-Mansour areas in South Kordofan and burned several villages, including Toumi, Al-Mansoura, Tarawa, Kluro, Tendimen, Taglbo and Teri, in order to force villagers to move to government-controlled areas.

    Al-Hilu called upon rights groups and human rights activists to condemn the scorched earth policy carried out by the government and expose regime’s repressive policies against defenceless citizens.

    The commander of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, for his part, denied that his force had committed war crimes or human rights abuses in the region, accusing rebel groups of seeking to tarnish their image.

    He said the RSF is innocent of these criminal practices, underscoring they arrested groups of outlaws who attacked civilians north of the town of Mellit while they were chasing remnants of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) following an attack on the town last month.

    In March, the African Union and United Nations joint special representative and joint chief mediator for Darfur, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, openly accused the RDF of attacking civilians.

    In his address at the Um Jaras peace Chambas condemned the RSF attacks, saying they were the main cause of displacement of thousands of villagers.

    The SLM-MM carried out attacks in South and North Darfur states, triggering reprisal attacks by government militias on villages suspected of support to the rebels. These attacks coincided with tribal clashes in the North Darfur state.

    The violence displaced over 215,000 civilians in the state.

    (ST)

  • UN Probes North Korea Dealings with Uganda

    UN Probes North Korea Dealings with Uganda

    {North Korean minister pauses for a photograph with Uganda Police officers after a Martial arts training}

    {{The United Nations Security Council has opened investigations into alleged collaboration between Uganda and North Korea which is under UN sanctions.}}

    The UN investigations follow the signing of an agreement between Internal Affairs ministers of Uganda and North Korea.

    According to a Security Council document reference number S/2014/147 of March 6, 2014, a UN panel of experts want Ugandan authorities to furnish them with information about the details of the training North Korea is providing to the Uganda Police Force.

    “In January 2014, the panel requested further information on the exact nature of the training provided, particularly to the Ugandan Police Special Force,” the document reads in part.

    North Korean military officers are training the Ugandan police and Uganda Peoples Defence Forces especially in marine skills, martial arts, medical, construction and criminal investigation.

    The UN resolutions 1874 of 2009 and 1718 of 2006 stops North Korea from exporting arms, providing military training and military equipment to any UN member state.

    The investigations seek to establish whether North Korea’s provision of training to Uganda’s armed forces does not violate the UN sanctions.

    NMG

  • Uganda Increases Coffee Exports

    Uganda Increases Coffee Exports

    {{Uganda’s coffee exports in March rose by 11.9% year-on-year to 348,423 60-kg bags, helped by end-of-season stockpile clearance, a source at the state agency said on Friday.}}

    “We’re soon moving into a new season… perhaps most exporters wanted to clear out their stores so they have more room to accommodate the new crop,” said a source at the state-run Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).

    Harvest season is now at the tail end in central and eastern Uganda regions while south and south west are about to start harvest.

    UCDA said March exports fetched $38.9 million vs $38 million earned in the same month a year ago.

    {reuters}

  • Dar-es-salaam: Plane Skids off Runway, 3 Injured

    Dar-es-salaam: Plane Skids off Runway, 3 Injured

    {{Three passengers were slightly injured during evacuation following a mishap involving a Kenya Airways plane in Tanzania.}}

    The KQ482 Embraer 190 aircraft with was travelling from Nairobi to Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania with 49 passengers and six crew.

    In a statement sent to newsrooms, Kenya Airways Managing Director Titus Naikuni said all passengers and crew were evacuated.

    “The aircraft reportedly had a runway excursion in heavy rain. All passengers and crew were evacuated and we can confirm that three passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation and have been transferred to hospital for further observation.”

    He said a probe into the incident was underway.

    “Kenya Airways wishes to confirm that we are cooperating fully with government investigative agencies in Tanzania and Kenya on this matter.”

    {capitalfm}

  • Kenyan Woman Jailed in US Over Marriage Fraud

    Kenyan Woman Jailed in US Over Marriage Fraud

    {{A US federal court has sentenced a Kenyan woman to one year in prison and a three year probation for her role in an inter-state fake marriage scheme.}}

    Margaret Kimani of Worcester, Massachusetts, appeared before U S District Judge John Woodcock in Bangor, Maine, for the sentencing on Tuesday.

    She had been found guilty of what the judge described as “one of the most sophisticated marriage frauds in the country” in December last year.

    Ms Kimani, 30, was one of 28 defendants convicted in the state of Maine for being part of a scam which saw American citizens getting paid to marry immigrants so they could easily obtain permanent residency status, popularly known as a green card.

    “The key idea was to achieve citizenship more easily,” said Maine’s US Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II at a press conference after the sentencing.

    Court documents seen by Africa Review indicate that the defendant entered the United States on a visitor’s visa which expired in 2003.

    “She married an American man on Dec 30, 2003, nearly two years after her visitor’s visa expired in order to gain US citizenship more easily,” a prosecutor’s affidavit filed with the court states.

    However, the judge heard, when the man backed out of the scheme, she filed a petition under the Violence Against Women Act, alleging abuse by her spouse.

    “Kimani had been awarded lawful permanent residency in March 2010 based on the false information that her husband sexually, physically and emotionally abused her,” the prosecutor told the jury.

    Court documents show that she was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2012 and was arrested 13 months later when she returned from a visit to Kenya. She has been held without bail since her arrest on Sept. 5, 2013, at JFK International Airport in New York City.

    A jury found her guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the US government in December 2013.

    On Tuesday, tough talking US government officials sent a warning to would-be perpetrators.

    {{Deportation}}

    “America’s legal immigration system is not for sale and we will move aggressively against those who willfully compromise the integrity of that system simply to enrich themselves,” said Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, whose office headed the investigation that led to the prosecutions.

    And during a press conference outside the courthouse Tuesday, the prosecutor warned that the US government would be ruthless on scammers.

    “ If you commit marriage fraud, there isn’t going to be a honeymoon,” said US Attorney Delahanty.

    The sentencing of Margaret Kimani brings to a close a joint investigation which identified over 40 sham marriages between US citizens and nationals from Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Cameroon.

    The court heard that the scheme was hatched by a man named James Mbugua, 53, and his friend Rashid Kakande, 41.

    “ Immigrants seeking an American spouse would pay Mr Kakande or Mr Mbugua between $1,000 and $1,500.

    Spouses who provided false information, such as joint bank accounts, rent receipts and utility bills to show that the couple was living together, and attended interviews with immigration officials received further payments,” said Mr Delahanty.

    Assistant US Attorney Gail Malone, who prosecuted all of the cases, said at the press conference that Kakande and Mbugua targeted the state of Maine “because there is no waiting period for marriage in the state as is the case in many other states.”

    In addition to prison time, Judge Woodcock sentenced Margaret Kimani to three years of supervised release.

    Ms Kimani, who is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and has a daughter who is a US citizen, is expected to be deported upon completion of her jail term.

    NMG

  • Uganda Says its Troops Won’t Leave South Sudan

    Uganda Says its Troops Won’t Leave South Sudan

    {{Uganda Says its troops (UPDF) will not leave south Sudan where they have been fighting alongside the South Sudan forces in defence against mutineering forces.}}

    “We do not need to be stampeded out of South Sudan without a mechanism to maintain order,” said Maj Gen David Muhoozi, the commander of Uganda’s Land Forces.

    Gen Muhoozi said , “You cannot talk in the middle of chaos.”

    The US, Norway and Ethiopia are among the countries that have questioned Uganda’s continued presence in South Sudan and have called for them to leave, warning their partisan presence in the country risks spiraling the fighting into a regional conflict.

    Ugandan troops deployed in South Sudan five months ago and helped stabilise President Salva Kiir’s government then shaken by an army mutiny that saw hundreds of SPLA soldiers breaking ranks to join a rebel group led by Dr Riek Machar, the country’s former vice president.

    {Maj Gen David Muhoozi, the commander of Uganda’s Land Forces}

  • World Economic Activity Strengthening–IMF

    World Economic Activity Strengthening–IMF

    {{The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday lowered its global economic growth forecasts for this year and the next, saying the world economic activity is strengthening, but it remains weak and uneven as slow-burn risks linger.}}

    In its updated economic outlook, the Washington-based institution expected the global economy to expand by 3.6 percent in 2014 and 3.9 percent in 2015, both of which were slashed 0.1 percentage point from January predictions but up from 3 percent in 2013.

    “Global activity strengthened during the second half of 2013 and is expected to improve further in 2014-15,” the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook (WEO), warning that downside risks continue to dominate the outlook, despite some pickup in advanced economies, like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

    “The recovery which was starting to take hold in October is becoming not only stronger, but also broader” as “various brakes which limited growth are being slowly loosened,” said IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard at a news conference held here. (AFP)

    The IMF expected growth in advanced economies to be the same with its forecast in January, at 2.2 percent and 2.3 percent for this year and the next, respectively.

    Growth in emerging markets was projected to increase from 4.7 percent in 2013 to 4.9 percent in 2014 and 5.3 percent in 2015, but both were slightly revised down from the last forecasts.

    Even with the downgrade, emerging market and developing economies continue to contribute more than two-thirds of global growth, said the IMF.

    The Fund kept its forecast for China unchanged at 7.5 percent in 2014 and 7.3 percent in 2015. “In some countries, such as China, lower growth may be in part a desirable by-product of more balanced growth.

    But in others there is clearly scope for a number of structural reforms which could help increase the underlying growth rate,” Blanchard noted.

    Tension in Ukraine has added geopolitical risk, but for the moment it hasn’t had global macroeconomic implications, said the report. The IMF cut Russia’s growth forecast by 0.6 percentage point to 1.3 percent this year.

    Low inflation headache for advanced economies

    In its latest assessment, the 188-member institution expected the U.S. economy to expand by 2.8 percent this year before strengthening further to 3 percent next year, up from a growth projection of 1.9 percent in 2013.

    In the euro area, growth will turn positive after having contracted for the last two years, with a projected pace of 1.2 percent and 1.5 percent this year and the next, respectively.

    The IMF highlighted risks of persistent low inflation in advanced economies. For the Euro Area where low inflation remains the dominant concern, the Fund said inflation is expected to remain below the European Central Bank’s price stability objective until at least 2016.

    {wirestory}

  • Copper Prices Expected to fall in 2nd Half of 2014

    Copper Prices Expected to fall in 2nd Half of 2014

    {{The global copper market is expected to post a moderate surplus this year, which will result in copper prices remaining under pressure, the fifth instalment of Thomson Reuters’ ‘GFMS Copper Survey 2014’ has found.}}

    The average yearly price was expected to fall below $7,000/t in 2014 for the first time since 2009, with a test of the $6 000/t level deemed likely over the second half, the report states.

    Launched on Tuesday during the CESCO/CRU copper conference in the Chilean capital city Santiago, this year’s study noted how copper prices continued to exhibit a downside bias in 2013, as a sharp acceleration in global mine supply and uncertainties over the global economic recovery dented the red metal’s near-term prospects.

    GFMS said that the copper market was in a largely balanced position in 2013, despite global mine output rising by 8 per cent, its fastest pace in more than a decade.

    Robust demand growth, a tight scrap market and delays in processing concentrate into refined metal limited the size of the market oversupply.

    Further, the stockpiling of refined metal within China over the closing months of 2013 also exacerbated the tightness in cathode availability. This helped place a floor under prices and inflated physical premiums as 2013 progressed.

    On an intra-year basis, prices nevertheless still fell 9 per cent, pressured by the uptrend in global mine output. More recent concerns surrounding slowing Chinese economic growth and the sustainability of the copper financing trade saw prices weaken further to near-four-year lows.

    “Whilst many commodities markets have been on the back foot of late, the copper market has been particularly susceptible to weakness given its heightened exposure to the Chinese market, through both traditional end-use demand as well as finance-related routes.

    With the risks to the copper market skewed to the downside, against a backdrop of rising mine supply and modest market surpluses, prices are likely to remain subdued over the rest of this year,” GFMS senior base metals analyst Rob Smith said.

    {{Rising supply}}

    GFMS said that the copper market was now in the midst of a period of strong supply growth, as miners begin to deliver on investments made during the boom years.

    Thomson Reuters estimated that global mine production grew by 8 per cent last year to 17.8-million tonnes, with Chile and the Democratic Republic of Congo making standout contributions.

    In fact, mine production increased across all regions, boosted by higher productivity at major mines, ramp-ups and commissioning of new projects and expansions.

    Looking ahead, mine output was set for a period of above-trend growth that would lead the copper market into surplus over the medium term, although it should be acknowledged that rising capital costs, easing prices and a shift in mindset amongst mining companies towards one of constraint, could lay the foundations for renewed tightness later in the decade, GFMS noted.

  • Burundi Leaders Warned Against Instigating Violence

    Burundi Leaders Warned Against Instigating Violence

    {{The United Nations warned on Thursday that Burundi leaders who have manipulated young people to stoke violence could face international prosecution if human rights abuses are committed.}}

    Planned constitutional amendments that could allow President Pierre Nkurunziza a third term and change power-sharing arrangements have stirred the worst political crisis in the east African country since a 12-year civil war ended in 2005.

    “In light of Burundi’s past, we trust that the government of Burundi will thoroughly and promptly address the ongoing political violence and restrictions to human rights,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s.

    “Political violence has the potential to spark fear in the population and trigger large-scale violence,” he said.

    The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern at increasing restrictions on civil and political rights in Burundi, following a series of violent acts by the ruling party’s youth wing and police.

    “We are stressing that if no action is taken and serious human rights violations occur, those responsible for manipulating the youth affiliated to political parties and instigating violence would be liable for international prosecution,” Dujarric told reporters.

    He said Ban has recently discussed the crisis with Nkurunziza and other political leaders in the region. Burundi is due to hold elections next year.

    reuters