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Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • Ugandan Woman Commits Suicide in US Over Deportation

    {{A 23-year-old Ugandan woman facing deportation committed suicide at a Sterling Heights park in unusual incident that caused a pre-dawn hazardous materials emergency Monday, police said.}}

    The woman’s body was found inside a car spotted by a Sterling Heights patrol officer at approximately 4:45 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of Delia Park, on 18 Mile Road, according to Oakland Press website.

    As the officer approached the 2006 Ford Focus, he noticed that several signs stating “Contact 911 HAZMAT” were on the vehicle, including the license plate and windows. The patrolman smelled a strong odor emanating from the car.

    Sterling Heights police Lt. Luke Riley said the woman was unresponsive in the driver’s seat, with a bucket of unknown liquid and containers of muriatic acid near her.

    The Sterling Heights Fire Department’s HAZMAT team responded, opened the vehicle and determined the woman was dead. Officials also summoned the Macomb County HAZMAT team to contain the toxic liquids and clean the vehicle before it was hauled away.

    “There was no residences in the immediate area that were in any type of danger at all,” Riley said.

    The patrolman who spotted the vehicle and the woman’s body inside was taken to a local clinic for examination because of his exposure to the “extremely toxic” fumes, Riley said. The officer did not complain of any ill effects and appeared to be doing OK.

    No suicide note was found in the car but investigators recovered one in her home. Detectives spoke with her family members who reported she may have been despondent over her pending deportation, which was under appeal.

    Riley said police have not delved into the deportation case but added that the woman, who was single with no children, resided with her mother and siblings in Sterling Heights. The family home is not far from Delia Park, located east of Dequindre Road.

    Riley said he did not know how long the 23-year-old woman had been in the United States, but that she had earned a college degree in the U.S.

    Police did not divulge the woman’s name. An autopsy was expected to be performed by the Macomb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

    {agencies}

  • Denmark Warns of Aid Cut to Uganda

    {{The Danish Government has warned it may cut development assistance to Uganda if urgent measures are not taken to block the theft of public resources.}}

    Development Cooperation Minister Christian Bach said in an interview on Friday that the fraud in the Office of the Uganda’s Prime Minister was a clear signal that “this is not the right country to invest in”.

    He added: “Uganda is simply signalling that some African governments cannot handle money entrusted to them, and this [is] going to make it difficult for us [as] ministers in Europe to move forward with budget support. I believe it will make it difficult for the State to deliver services to its people.”

    The Danish minister was in Uganda to appraise projects financed by his government and hold discussions with government officials, including Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, about what he called “the serious” ramifications of the OPM fraud on the country’s ties with donors.

    A forensic audit by Auditor General John Muwanga revealed that more than Shs60 billion was misappropriated, but donors speak of only $13 million (Shs33.8b) – an unexplained disparity.

    NMG

  • US Issues Travel Warning to Citizens Over Kenya Polls Petition

    {{The US government has issued a travel advisory to its citizens over the presidential election petitions filed against Uhuru Kenyatta.}}

    In the advisory, the Barak Obama led administration tells its citizens to avoid gatherings and demonstrations as the ruling on the petitions is likely to be issued on Easter weekend.

    “The decision may be announced during the Easter holiday weekend, a time when many people go out of town. There could be a strong public reaction to the announcement; therefore, the U.S. Embassy strongly urges all U.S. citizens to avoid gatherings, demonstrations, downtown business areas, slums, and large crowds of any kind,” the advisory stated.

    The US warned that gatherings intended to be peaceful could turn violent with little or no warning.

    “U.S. citizens are advised to be cautious and monitor local media for the latest information on demonstrations and traffic disruptions, particularly those who plan to spend the holiday away from home.”

    The advisory was issued on Tuesday as the re-tallying of votes ordered by the Supreme Court that is hearing the petitions, started.

    The Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Willy Mutunga is expected to deliver a ruling on the presidential petitions by Saturday, March 30.

    There are three petitions filed against Kenyatta, one by Prime Minister Raila Odinga who is seeking several declarations among them those that could, if granted, force fresh presidential elections through invalidation of the recent poll.

  • Kenya Vote Recount Begins

    {{In Kenya, the re-tallying of votes cast in 22 polling stations during the March 4 presidential polls has begun, as ordered by the Supreme Court on Monday.}}

    Tallying officers were sworn in this morning and they have begun the task of verifying the votes at the Kenyatta International Conference Center.

    Police have been dispatched to the KICC to ensure security, and members of the press have been barred from the tallying venue.

    The Supreme Court orders the re-tallying exercise to verify that the number of votes cast at the polling centers did not exceed the number of registered voters, as claimed by CORD leader Raila Odinga.

    The results of the tallying exercise must be filed with in the court registry by by Wednesday 4pm.

  • China’s Leader Seeks Relationship of Equals in Africa

    {{China’s new president told Africans on Monday he wanted a relationship of equals that would help the continent develop, responding to concerns that Beijing is only interested in shipping out its raw materials.}}

    On the first stop on an African tour that will include a BRICS summit of major emerging economies, Xi Jinping told Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete that China’s involvement in Africa would help the continent grow richer.

    “China sincerely hopes to see faster development in African countries and a better life for African people,” Xi said in a speech laying out China’s policy on Africa, delivered at a conference center in Dar es Salaam built with Chinese money.

    Renewing an offer of $20 billion of loans to Africa between 2013 and 2015, Xi pledged to “help African countries turn resource endowment into development strength and achieve independent and sustainable development”.

    Africans broadly see China as a healthy counterbalance to Western influence but, as ties mature, there are growing calls from policymakers and economists for a more balanced trade deal.

    “China will continue to offer, as always, necessary assistance to Africa with no political strings attached,” Xi said to applause. “We get on well and treat each others as equals.”

    But gratitude for that aid is increasingly tinged with resentment about the way Chinese companies operate in Africa where industrial complexes staffed exclusively by Chinese workers have occasionally provoked riots by locals looking for work.

    Countering concerns that Africa is not benefitting from developing skills or technology from Chinese investment, Xi said China would train 30,000 African professionals, offer 18,000 scholarships to African students and “increase technology transfer and experience”.

    {{All-Weather Friends}}

    “The Sino-Tanzania relationship has endured a lot,” said Tanzania’s Kikwete, whose nation built close ties with China in the early years after independence from the British in 1964. “Now we have become all-weather friends.”

    China built a railway linking Tanzania and Zambia in the 1960s and early 1970s.

    The two leaders witnessed the signing of trade and other deals, including plans to co-develop a new port and industrial zone complex, a loan for communications infrastructure and an interest free loan to the government.

    No details were given on the size of the loans or the industrial projects.

    Xi’s next stop is South Africa for a BRICS summit on Tuesday and Wednesday where he could endorse plans for a joint foreign exchange reserves pool and an infrastructure bank.

    Those proposals respond to frustrations among emerging markets at having to rely on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which are seen as reflecting the interests of the United States and other industrialized nations.

    Nigeria’s central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, wrote in the Financial Times this month that the trade imbalance between China and Africa was “the essence of colonialism” and cautioned the continent was vulnerable to a new form of imperialism.

    China is keen not to be perceived as an imperial master.

    “The legacy of (the) West is the feeling that Africa should thank them, and that Africa should recognize that it is not as good as the West,” Zhong Jianhua, China’s special envoy to Africa, said before Xi’s trip. “That is not acceptable.”

    Lu Shaye, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s African affairs department, said it was the West which was only interested in African resources, not China.

    “What have Western countries done for Africa in the 50 years since independence? Nothing. All they have done is criticize China and that is unfair,” he told a Hong Kong television station, in remarks carried on the ministry’s website.

    Xi’s African tour ends in Republic of Congo, from where China imported 5.4 billion tonnes of oil last year, just 2 percent of its total oil imports, but potentially the source of a lot more.

    {Reuters}

  • Tanzanian Lawyer Jumps to Death from Nairobi Hospital

    A Tanzanian Lawyer cum businessman Mr. Nyaga Mawalla has reportedly committed suicide at the Nairobi Hospital in Kenya.

    Mawalla had been admitted at the hospital before he jumped to his death from the first floor ward on Saturday, police and the hospital officials said.

    It is not clear what caused him to commit suicide but Kenya police said they are investigating the incident.

    “We are informed he is a lawyer based in Arusha but we are yet to get more details on what may have led to the incident,” said Nairobi head of police Benson Kibue.

    Officials said his firm handles corporate legal services to dozens of local and international tourists, real estate and mining companies.

    standard

  • TZ Athletics Team Primed for Tough 2km Sprint in Freezing Poland

    Tanzania national athletics team arrived in Warsaw, Poland yesterday for the 40th World Cross-Country championship set for tomorrow.

    Led by head coach John Bayo, the four-team underwent a light training in Warsaw ahead of a special opening ceremony to be held in Bydgoszcz this morning.

    Tanzania will field four athletes in the event. The runners are Dickson Marwa, Doto Ikangaa, Damian Chopa and Faustin Tiva.

    Team coach Bayo told The Citizen on Saturday by phone from Warsaw that his runners were physically and tactically ready to compete against the world’s best.

    Tomorrow, the world’s best distance runners will need not only superior stamina to win medals at the global championship, but will also have to demonstrate excellent technique and acrobatic skills to maintain their balance on the challenging course.

    Like in 2010, the event will take place in the Forest Park of Culture and Leisure, Poland’s largest city park, situated on the edge of the city of Bydgoszcz in northern Poland.

    The course is an undulating 2km loop on grassy terrain which can get muddy and slippery after rain.

    Kenya and Ethiopia are the most successful countries in the history of the world cross-country championships, winning 119 of the 158 available team titles.

    The two countries have met 120 times where both have fielded full teams, with Kenya beating Ethiopia 78-42.

    However, that will count for nothing when they parade their athletes at the Myslecinek Park arena for the eagerly awaited championship.

    Kenya will parade a squad of 24 athletes with only three returning to the city after their show in 2010. They are Chebet, Faith Chepng’etich, the world junior champion, and Margaret Wangare.

    African runners should have it tougher than at flat grass courses in the past years. But they also showed their abilities in snow and mud in the history of the event.

    Entry lists are confirming in total 456 runners from 47 countries and regions for the four races.

    NMG

  • Chinese President in Tanzania

    {{Xi Jinping, China’s new president, has arrived into Tanzania at the start of a three-nation Africa tour that underscores Beijing’s growing presence in the resource-rich continent.}}

    Xi flew into the east African nation’s economic capital Dar es Salaam from Russia, the opening stage of his first foreign trip since being anointed president 10 days ago, on Sunday,

    The president is set to give a keynote speech on Monday covering relations with Africa and sign some 20 trade, development and cultural accords, before heading to Durban, South Africa to join an emerging economies summit.

    He will wrap up the African tour with a visit to Congo.

    “China-Africa cooperation is comprehensive,” Xi said ahead of the trip, adding that Beijing valued “friendly relationships with all African countries, no matter whether they are big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor”.

    “No matter whether it is rich or poor in resources, China treats it equally and actively carries out pragmatic cooperation that benefits both sides.”

  • Rwanda, Uganda Ahead of Kenya in race For Investors

    {{Delays in resolving contract disputes and protracted cross-border trade procedures have eroded Kenya’s attractiveness as an investment destination, causing it to drop 12 places in the World Bank’s global list of economic competitiveness.}}

    The latest edition of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report ranks East Africa’s largest economy as the world’s 121st most competitive country this year down from position 109 in 2012.

    It also has Kenya comparing unfavourably with neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, ranked in positions 52 and 120 respectively.

    Kenya’s ranking last year was also three places lower than the 2011 position, reflecting a steady decline in the country’s competitiveness in the past three years and weakening its position in the race for foreign direct investments.

    The report shows that although Kenya’s performance improved in critical areas such as payment of taxes and starting a business, poor contract enforcement, slow property registration processes and lengthy cross-border trade procedures significantly eroded its overall ranking.

    “The decline in ranking means that we are either deteriorating or other countries are reforming at a faster rate,” Moses Ikiara, the managing director of Kenya Investment Authority, said.

    Dr Ikiara, however, expects the projected strong economic growth and high returns in a number of sectors to be Kenya’s main attractions in the medium term.

    The World Bank ranks 185 economies globally based on their performance in 11 areas of business operations, including employment rules, access to electricity and taxation.

    Tanzania, one of Kenya’s major competitors for investment in East Africa, dropped to position 134 from last year’s 127.

    Kenya’s poor performance was partly contributed by prolonged delays and high cost of processing documents that lowered its cross-border trade score.

    (Read: Congestion at Mombasa port slows down trade in EAC bloc)

    It now takes an average of 26 days to import a [goods] container compared to 24 days a year earlier — a development that pushed Kenya’s cross-border trade ranking down to 148 from 141 a year earlier.

    The cost of importing a [goods] container also rose by 7.3 per cent to $2,350 (Sh199,750) from $2,190 (Sh186,150) in the same period a year earlier.

    Kenyan exporters were not spared the deterioration of the business environment as the cost of shipping out a container rose by 9.7 per cent to $2,255 (Sh191,675) from $2,055 (Sh174,675) the previous year.

    Industry insiders say the delays and rise in costs of international trade are linked to bureaucratic red tape and inadequate capacity at the port of Mombasa to handle fast-growing cargo volumes.

    readmore…http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Kenya-scores-poorly-in-global-investor-confidence-ranking/-/539552/1729374/-/8onmowz/-/index.html

  • Raila-Uhuru petition back in court Monday

    {{ A status conference in the petition filed by Raila Odinga of the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (CORD), challenging the declaration of Uhuru Kenyatta as president-elect will take place on Monday.}}

    Supreme Court Registrar Esther Nyaiyaki told Capital FM News the conference will also address matters pertaining to two other petitions; one by the African Centre for Governance (AFRICOG) and another by voters Dennis Itumbi, Moses Kuria and Florence Sergon seeking a decision on the validity of rejected ballots in determining the final presidential tally.

    “The status conference will kick off at 10 in the morning and the issues which will be addressed are those outlined in the Supreme Court Presidential Election Petition Rules 2013,” she said in an interview on Sunday.

    Rule 10 states: “The court shall, at the pre-trial conference give directions in regard to the joinder, substitution, addition or striking out of any party to the petition,” and therefore Attorney General Githu Muigai’s application to be enjoined as a friend of the court is one of the issues which will be determined on Monday.

    Muigai filed an application to be enjoined as amicus curiae last week and the acceptance of his application would allow him to bring to the attention of the court provisions of the law he may find were overlooked in the course of the hearing of the petitions.

    During the pre-trial conference, the applicants’ lawyers will be required to notify the court how long their submissions will take; how many witnesses they intend to call, if these will include expert witnesses, and the nature of their evidence – whether it will be documentary, audio-visual or both.

    The respondents who include the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), chairman Issack Hassan, President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, will be required to outline similar requirements. “This is done in order so that the court is able to manage its time,” Nyaiyaki explained.

    The petition rules also allow the court to requisition any additional documentation it may require including documents from the IEBC. “The court shall, at the pre-trial, conference notify the commission to furnish it with all the relevant election documents relating to the petition before commencement of the hearing.”

    The court will also frame what the contested and uncontested issues are and it is at its discretion to consolidate the various petitions “allowing for an expeditious disposal of the petition or any outstanding issues,” the rules state.

    Thereafter, the court has two days within which to begin hearing the petitions and according to Article 140 (2) of the Constitution, the Supreme Court has until Saturday March 30 to give a verdict in PM Odinga’s petition given it was filed on Saturday 16. It’s decision cannot be appealed.

    “Within fourteen days after the filing of a petition under clause (1), the Supreme Court shall hear and determine the petition and its decision shall be final.”