Igihe

Author: b_igi_adm1n

  • Robert Mugabe’s Convoy Hits Van, One dead

    In Zimbabwe one person reportedly died and 15 others were seriously injured in a crash involving President Robert Mugabe’s motorcade on Sunday. This is the third such accident in two weeks.

    A car thought to have been leading the motorcade in the president’s convoy hit a commuter bus on the Robert Mugabe highway outside the president’s home town of Zvimba.

    Zimbabwe Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said Sunday’s accident happened because the bus failed to make way for the president’s vehicles quickly enough.

    Mugabe’s convoy involves an escort of around 10 vehicles including the presidential limousine, motorcycles and army vehicles.

    Bvudzijena said the bus driver had failed to heed the siren and beacon of the escort vehicle, leading to a head-on collision between the minibus and a police car.

    “One passenger in the commuter bus died on the spot while 15 passengers from both vehicles were injured in the accident,” Mr Bvudzijena told the AFP news agency.

    Police VIP protection spokesman Martin Mbokochena criticised what he called “some unruly elements in society who want to disturb”.

    Two weeks ago, a motorbike in the presidential cavalcade hit and killed a homeless man during another visit to the president’s home town.

    A member of the presidential guard died and seven others were hurt in a separate leg of the same trip, when a truck in the motorcade overturned after one of its tyres burst.

  • U.S. Man Has 29 Degrees

    deg.jpg
    71-year-old Michael Nicholson of Kalamazoo(above) has earned 29 degrees and is now pursuing his 30th.

    Nicholson’s first degree was a bachelor’s in religious education from William Tyndale College in Michigan in 1963.

    Five degrees later, he was pursuing his doctorate in education from Western Michigan University in 1978.

    “I just stayed in school and took menial jobs to pay for the education and just made a point of getting more degrees and eventually I retired so that I could go full-time to school,” Nicholson said.

    “It’s stimulation to go to the class, look at the material that’s required and meet the teacher and students. It makes life interesting for me,” he said. “Otherwise, things would be pretty dull.”

    Nicholson has one bachelor’s degree, two associate’s degrees, 22 master’s degrees, three specialist degrees and one doctoral degree.

    Most of the degrees are related to education such as educational leadership, library science and school psychology, but other degrees include home economics, health education and law enforcement.

    Nicholson is currently working on a master’s degree in criminal justice.

    “I would like to get to 33 or 34. I’m almost there,” he said. “When I complete that, I’ll feel like I’ve completed my basic education. After that, if I’m still alive — that would take me to 80 or 81 — I would then be free to pursue any type of degree.”

    Nicholson’s early interest in education came from the encouragement of his parents, who wanted him to be well-educated. His Canadian father was forced to drop out of school after the third grade to work and his mother graduated from high school.

    “We were motivated to continue with our educations and go as far as we could go,” he said of himself and his siblings. “She [his mother] wanted something better for us than simply working at a factory, so she kept doing the necessary for us to continue.”

    While pursuing the doctorate, he met Western Michigan University Professor Tom Carey when Nicholson was working as a parking lot attendant writing tickets for the university. He wrote Carey three tickets in one day and the two have now known each other for 35 years.

    “I’ve had 18,000 students in class and I’ve never heard of anybody like this,” Carey told ABCNews.com. “He’s the ultimate life-long learner. I marvel at his tenacity to go to school.”

    Nicholson has earned all of his degrees; none of them have been honorary or awarded degrees. Though Carey was never Nicholson’s professor, the two meet at least once a year for Nicholson to give Carey an updated resume, which he shows students in his classes.

    “He’s intrinsically motivated. It’s unique, but it almost sounds bizarre,” Carey said. “Some people collect animals and he collects tassels.”

    And collect tassels he does. Nicholson has been to 28 of his 29 graduation ceremonies.

    What does he enjoy about the graduation ceremonies? “Just the pomp and circumstance. … I could do without the speeches,” he said with a laugh.
    “Eventually, it became getting as many as I could,” he said. “There’s the excitement of graduation, but the overall objective was to get the degree.”
    He has earned degrees from a dozen schools in places including Michigan, Texas, Indiana and Canada, and he always goes to class.

    “I would not take an Internet class. That’s far too difficult,” Nicholson said. “I’m not one of those all-A students.”

    He still works on a typewriter and his wife Sharon Nicholson helps him type up his assignments. His wife is highly educated in her own right, with seven degrees of her own.

    “She helps me with my homework all the time,” he said. “I cannot function on a computer, so she has to do it.”

    When asked what advice he would give to recent graduates, Nicholson paused before saying, “Don’t quit too soon. Keep up with your aspirations. A lot of people tend to throw in the towel and have to come back to it later.

    Don’t give up on your aspirations too soon.”

    And the admittedly competitive Nicholson has no plans to give up on his own aspirations, hinting that he has his eye on a few more degrees in the next few years.

    “He likes going to school and doesn’t want responsibility,” Carey said. “This is what Mike lives for. He’s about 70 and he’s not going to stop. It wouldn’t surprise me if at one point he tried law school or something else.”

  • Mushikiwabo in Kinshasa Over Crisis in Kivu

    Rwanda’s Foreign affairs Minister Louise Mishikiwabo arrived Tuesday 19 June morning in Kinshasa the capital of DRCongo to discuss the current security situation in troubled KIVU province of Eastern DRC.

    “I am officially in the DRC for a meeting of security and diplomatic institutions will on the support of Rwanda in resolving the crisis in the East,” she told Congolese Media after meeting with President Joseph Kabila.

    Mushikiwabo and her DRC counterpart Raymond Tshibanda (pictured below) met today in Kinshasa, on the sidelines of security situation in eastern DRC.Local Congolese Media reported early today.
    raymond.jpg
    The two ministers discussed in front of their experts on defense and security.
    The Congolese Head of State, Joseph Kabila, received Mushikiwabo today (Tuesday) morning.

    Minister Mishikiwabo said, “the opinion must be educated and understood that Rwanda has long worked for the pacification of the Great Lakes Region,” she said while responding to questions on accusations against Rwanda for alleged support to Rebels.

    She expressed Rwanda’s willingness to assist the DRC in its stabilization work.

    Earlier the spokesperson for the Congolese government, Lambert Mende Omalanga, had accused Rwanda of “used in the preparation of a conspiracy that is evolving into a pattern of breaches of the peace between two countries in the Great Lakes region.”

    Mushikiwabo had also responded describing the allegations by DRC’s Mende, as very unfortunate. “It is regrettable that DRC has chosen to make allegations in the media shortly before we were to sign the joint verification taskforce report, whose purpose is to sift through allegations and separate fact from fiction.”

  • Mexico,Panama,Greece Appoint Permanent Observers to AU

    Mexico, Greece and Panama have appointed their First Permanent observers to the African Union Commission.

    The diplomats have already presented their credentials to the Chairperson of African Union Commission (AUC), Dr. Jean Ping in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The permanent observers include; H.E. Nicolas Protonotarios of Greece, H.E. Rodrigo Chiari of Panama and H.E. Juan Alfredo Miranda Ortiz of Mexico.

    Dr. Ping observed that many of the Greeks who fled to Africa during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949) chose to settle in Africa and today constitute an important segment of the successful business community in many African countries.

    He Added that Panama is interested in developing its relations with the African Union and AU Member States for several reasons, especially the fact that 15% of its population is comprised of people of African descent and that African culture is present in its society through food, music and other areas.

    The new Permanent Observer briefed the Chairperson on Panama’s economy, which is heavily dependent on international trade.

    He stated that Panama has the second largest Free Trade Zone in the world after Hong Kong and the biggest in the Western Hemisphere.

    With a growth rate of 8 to 10% per annum, Panama’s economy is the fastest growing economy in Central America, despite the country’s small population of 3.3 million inhabitants.

    Welcoming Ambassador Miranda, the Chairperson stated that the African Union is pleased to establish formal diplomatic relations with Mexico and commended Mexico for hosting the 7th Summit of the G-20, which is scheduled to take place in Los Cabos, Mexico, from 18-19 June 2012.

    The Chairperson described Mexico as an emerging world power and invited Mexican entrepreneurs to invest in Africa.

    “Africa is a market of over one billion inhabitants and we should work together to strengthen our ties of cooperation, especially in the areas of culture, trade and investment,” Dr. Ping stated.

    The Chairperson briefed the Ambassadors on recent developments in Somalia, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Sudan/South Sudan, and thanked the Mexican Government for its expression of support for the AU’s peacekeeping efforts.

  • Africa’s Growth Outlook is Good

    In the past, when the global economy weakened, sub-Saharan Africa fared very badly. Not so in recent years.

    While the global economy spluttered last year, the region notched up five per cent growth, with some low-income countries growing even faster.

    Even in the depths of the global economic recession in 2009, most countries in the region carried on growing.

    So, what is different now? And what are the chances that the region’s solid growth performance will continue even if the world economy runs into further problems – for example, if euro zone financial problems intensify or oil prices surge again?

    My assessment is that, despite these global risks, the outlook for sub-Saharan Africa remains positive.

    Consider first what has happened since the eruption of the global financial crisis nearly four years ago.

    While output in many advanced economies has yet to return to pre-crisis levels, growth in sub-Saharan Africa has stayed within sight of the boom period of 2004-08, when low income countries’ growth averaged 6%.

    However, some middle income countries in the region – including South Africa – have been more severely affected by global problems, reflecting their closer integration into the world economy.

    Since the global crisis began, only emerging Asia has outpaced the growth of sub-Saharan Africa among the world’s major regions—and the IMF expects a broadly similar outcome in 2012, with sub-Saharan Africa growing by about 5 ½%.

    Despite strong adverse shocks in recent years linked to political strife, repeated droughts, and the global crisis, Kenya still fared quite well, recording robust growth rates of 5.8% in 2010 and 4.4 % in 2011.

    Moreover, fiscal discipline has been maintained even with strong spending pressures, public debt levels remain sustainable, financial inclusion has made remarkable progress, and recent inflationary pressures are being addressed through a tightening of monetary policy.

    These developments testify not only to the resilience of Kenya’s private-sector led economy, but also that economic reforms implemented with the support of the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility have started paying real dividends.

    This is a very welcome change from sub-Saharan Africa’s low growth and economic crises in the 1980s and 1990s.

    Clearly, many factors lie behind this increased resilience. The region is, by and large, more stable politically; commodity prices have moved in favour of many of its exporters; and, crucially, most governments have pursued prudent economic policies and growth-supporting reforms.

    In particular, economic policies in the last decade have been directed firmly toward economic stability and market liberalisation.

    Inflation has been generally tamed, foreign reserves have risen, and debt burdens have been reduced – thanks, in part, to debt relief.

    As a result, investment levels have risen steadily, banking systems are playing an expanded role in attracting savings and providing loans, and the adoption of new technologies is boosting labour productivity.

    Robust economic policies also served sub-Saharan Africa well when the global crisis hit. Because inflation was low, and government fiscal positions were generally sound, countries were able to take measures to offset the sudden drop in demand for their exports.

    Strong domestic deposit bases largely insulated African banking systems from global financial stresses.

    As long as growth remains robust, governments should focus on improving their fiscal positions and build up sufficient cushions to be able to respond in the event of further global shocks.

    Gudmundsson is the IMF Resident Representative, Nairobi Kenya

  • Deal To fix World’s Environment Problems

    protest.jpg
    Negotiators neared a deal on fixing the world’s environment problems and easing entrenched poverty ahead of a UN summit on sustainable development starting on Wednesday, conference host Brazil said.

    Around 50,000 activists, business executives and policymakers are attending the 10-day forum.

    However, activists feared the outcome would be a bland compromise which would fall drearily short of reviving the spirit of the Earth Summit 20 years ago.

    “We are in the final phase of negotiations. There is a very positive mood to find formulas to enable the outcome that we want,” said chief Brazilian delegate Luiz Alberto Figueiredo.

    “We are absolutely convinced that the text will be closed tonight.”

    On the table in Rio is a 50-page draft that would identify the world’s many environment ills, from climate change to desertification and overfishing, and spell out how the community of nations plans to tackle them.

    Called “The Future We Want,” the communique would be endorsed on Friday after a three-day summit expected to draw around 100 heads of state and government.

    Months of work have been invested in the document.

    Nations and regional blocs have haggled especially over how to promote the green economy, funds to help sustainable development in poor countries and defining “Sustainable Development Goals” that would succeed the UN’s Millennium Development Goals after they expire in 2015.

    Green activists and campaigners on poverty eradication said the text was already un-ambitious before negotiations stepped up a gear last Wednesday, and some predicted a serving of fudge was on the menu.

    “What we are seeing in Rio are incredibly weak negotiations which do not produce the results required to lift people out of poverty and stop environmental degradation,” said Kit Vaughan of CARE International, a humanitarian organisation.

    “Rio+20 is creating a black hole of low ambition and little substance.”
    In a message to the conference, 40 figures, including former heads of state and Nobel laureates, said the scientific evidence of environmental over-reach “is unequivocal.”

    “We are on the threshold of a future with unprecedented environmental risks,” they said.

    “The combined effects of climate change, resource scarcity, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem resilience at a time of increased demand poses a real threat to humanity’s welfare.

    “Such a future generates unacceptable risks that will undermine the resilience of the planet and its inhabitants.”

    Signatories included Nobel chemistry laureate Yuan-Tseh Lee, Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Monica Vieira Teixeira and Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Norwegian prime minister who in the 1980s issued a landmark report on sustainable development.

    The Conference on Sustainable Development is the 20-year follow-up to the Earth Summit, where UN members launched offensives to roll back climate change, desertification and species loss and work to root out poverty.

    Many experts quietly feel that these side events are far more effective in practical terms than the political declaration expected on Friday.

    Corporations attending a business forum have announced scores of promises to do more to promote sustainability, though these pledges have also run into criticism that they amount to greenwash.

    A “counter-summit” is being held in central Rio, some 40 km from the sprawling convention centre which has been declared United Nations territory for the occasion.

  • Police Seize Narcotics, Illicit Brew in Chain Operations

    vcs.jpg
    Surprising Police operations have resulted in the seizure of several litres of illicit brew and narcotics.

    Police in Gasabo district arrested Emmanuel Ntibanyurwa in possession of 23 rolls of cannabis in the bar.

    Meanwhile in another incident, during cordon and search operations Apollinaire Mukansanga, a resident of Kacyiru Sector, in Gasabo district was arrested with 14 kgs of cannabis.

    Police in Ngoma District on Sunday also arrested Jerome Dusabimana 26, after he was found in possession 2 Kilograms of Cannabis.

    35 litres of illicit brew were confiscated at the residence of Christophe Habimana, 35, after he was found selling Kanyanga during a cordon and search operation conducted by Police in Nyarubuye sector, Kirehe district.

    Police spokesperson Superintendent Theos Badege said, “Such collaborations are not good news for criminals because they know that they can be arrested anytime”.

  • NUR Lecturer Found Dead in Toilet Room

    Prof. Esiron Munyanziza attached to the National University of Rwanda was found dead in his toilet room and blood stained on his bedroom floor.

    The Academician died on Monday 18 June in a surprising manner that has left relatives and residents shocked.

    Prof. Munyanziza was a lecturer in the faculty of Agriculture. He had been living with a housemaid only.

    On the fateful day, the housemaid found the academician dead in the toilet room and alerted residents.

    Micomyiza Jean Baptiste in charge of media at the national University of Rwanda told IGIHE that, the Housemaid noticed that Munyanziza had not left the house for work by ten o’clock in the morning.

    That the housemaid knocked on Munyanziza’s bedroom door and there wasn’t any response. He later decided to break the lock and entered only to find blood on the floor and saw the body of the Professor lying in the toilet room. The housemaid later notified residents in the area.

    Goretti Mukambanda a niece to the late professor said that her uncle did not have any prior problem that could have resulted in such a sudden death.

    Mukambanda was preparing to visit the professor when she learnt of his death.

    “I had spoken with uncle Munyanziza on telephone on 17 June about my new baby I had showed to the church. Uncle told me he was pleased with the news and asked me to visit him on Monday. I was preparing to visit him and learnt of his sudden death,” Mukambanda narrated.

    Mukambanda further said that Munyanziza had been suffering from a knee complication.

    She added that a small five-litre can containing urine-like concoction was found in the housemaids room suspecting it could be a local concoction that could have been used to end his life.

    On learning about the death of the academician, Police swiftly sealed off the premises of University staff and began investigations including seizure of the five-litre can containing urine-like concoction.

  • Oxford-Cambridge Club of Nigeria Hails Kagame’s Leadership

    fht.jpg
    President Paul Kagame Monday met with a delegation of members of Nigerian Oxford-Cambridge Club. Their visit was aimed at acquainting themselves with the Leadership of President Kagame.

    The delegation comprises of former students at Oxford and Cambrigde universities in Britain.

    The Oxford-Cambridge Club comprises of over 400 members.

    Akinfela Akoni the leader of the delegation explained that the club members had come to express their satisfaction with President Kagames leadership in Rwanda.

    “We are pleased to be invited at the Gacaca courts closing ceremony. We have learnt a lot from this event and we have learnt how the traditional Gacaca courts helped Rwandans,” Akinfela noted.

  • Gacaca Courts Officially CLosed

    caca.jpg
    On Monday, 18 June, the ‘Gacaca’ or community courts in Rwanda were officially closed. The traditional justice system has been credited for easing tensions and promoting unity and reconciliation among Rwandans especially after the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsi.

    Since being set up in 2001 the tribunals have tried nearly two million people, convicting 65% percent of them.

    President Paul Kagame noted at the closing ceremony held in Kigali Capital, “This event is not simply to mark the closure of the courts, but also to recognise the enduring value of the process”.

    An official statement from the office of the presidency said, “It is a celebration of the restoration of unity and trust among Rwandans, and reaffirmation of our ability to find our own answers to seemingly intractable questions”.

    Some 12,100 grass-roots gacaca courts, inspired by onetime village gatherings in which elders would adjudicate disputes, have tried the vast majority of suspects in the 1994 genocide that killed a million ethnic Tutsis.

    President kagame explained that, “We had three choices: first was the more dangerous path of revenge, or secondly, grant general amnesty, both of which would have led to further anarchy and destruction,” he said.

    “But we chose the third and more difficult course of dealing with the matter decisively and restoring the unity and integrity of the nation.”

    “It received criticism both from within and outside Rwanda, yet those criticizing offered no viable alternatives that could deliver the results we needed.”

    The gacaca were introduced to reduce the backlog of genocide cases that threatened to swamp the country’s traditional court system after the weeks-long genocide. They were also meant to foster national reconciliation.