Author: b_igi_adm1n

Yahoo is deepening its integration with Facebook’s online social network.
The latest bond announced late Tuesday will enable Facebook users to share more of their activities on Yahoo’s websites, including which stories they are reading.

Yahoo has now announced that it would be extending the feature to 26 other parts of Yahoo’s site, including U.S.-based entertainment experiences omg!, Yahoo! TV, Yahoo! Movies, and Yahoo! Games.

By opting-in to the new feature, people can easily let their Facebook friends know what they’re reading on Yahoo

By tying more of its services to Facebook’s popularity, Yahoo is hoping to give people more reasons to visit and stick around its website. Yahoo ultimately wants to sell more online advertising.

That’s an area where Facebook has been gaining ground as its website has emerged as a top Internet hangout.

As Facebook has become more influential, Yahoo has been struggling to remain relevant among Web surfers and online advertisers.

It’s been a daunting challenge so far. Yahoo has gone through three different CEOs in the past four years while its revenue and stock price have drooped.

The difficulties have prompted a board review that will culminate in a sale of all or part of the company.

Yahoo has been pleased with the results of Facebook-sharing so far. Traffic to Yahoo’s news section from Facebook has tripled since that sharing feature was introduced, according to the company, which is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Apparently, a relatively small percentage of Yahoo’s 700 million users want their online social circles to know what they’re reading on the Web.

Yahoo says about 12 million people have opted to share their tastes in news stories so far.

The feature is particularly popular among young adults ranging from 18 to 24 years old, according to Yahoo.

Facebook sharing still isn’t available on two of Yahoo’s most popular sections, finance and sports. The company says those sections will be linked to Facebook early next year.

Tens of thousands of tourists and Christian pilgrims have packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations, bringing holiday cheer to the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

With turnout at its highest in more than a decade on Saturday, proud Palestinian officials said they were praying the celebrations would bring them closer to their dream of independence.

Bethlehem, like the rest of the West Bank, fell onto hard times after the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation broke out in late 2000. As the fighting has subsided in recent years, the tourists have returned in large numbers.

By late night, the Israeli military, which controls movement in and out of town, said some 100,000 visitors, including foreigners and Arab Christians from Israel, had reached Bethlehem, up from 70,000 the previous year.

Thousands of Palestinians from inside West Bank also converged on the town.

“It’s wonderful to be where Jesus was born,” said Irma Goldsmith, 68, of Suffolk, Virginia. “I watch Christmas in Bethlehem each year on TV, but to be here in person is different. To be in the spot where our saviour was born is amazing.”

After nightfall, a packed Manger Square, along with a 50-foot-tall (15-metre-tall) Christmas tree, was awash in Christmas lights.

Festivities were to culminate with Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.

Among the visitors were a surprisingly large number of veiled Muslim women with their families.

“We love to share this holiday with our Christian brothers,” said Amal Ayash, 46, who came to Manger Square with her three daughters, all of them covered in veils.

Israel turned Bethlehem over to Palestinian civil control a few days before Christmas in 1995, and since then, residents have been celebrating the holiday regardless of their religion.

Pilgrims from around the world also wandered the streets, singing Christmas carols and visiting churches.

John Houston, 58, from Long Beach, California said: “It makes me feel really good to see what I have been learning from the time I was a kid in Sunday school until today.”

Houston said he was surprised by Bethlehem’s appearance, which is a far cry from the pastoral village of biblical times. Today, it is a sprawling town of cement apartment blocs and narrow streets.

Located on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is surrounded on three sides by a barrier Israel built to stop Palestinian militants from attacking last decade.

Palestinians say the barrier has damaged their economy by constricting movement in and out of town. Twenty-two per cent of Bethlehem residents are unemployed, the Palestinian Authority says.

Most visitors entering Bethlehem, including the top Roman Catholic official in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, had to cross through an Israeli-controlled checkpoint to reach town.

In his homily, he referred to the Arab Spring, imploring Arab leaders to have “wisdom, insight and a spirit of selflessness toward their countrymen” and praying for reconciliation in Syria, Egypt, Iraq and North Africa.

He also noted the Palestinian campaign to join the United Nations, and complained that the UN was “less than united” in its support for the now-stalled initiative. He also criticised the international community for pushing the Palestinians to “re-engage in a failed peace process”.

The patriarch lamented the Israeli barrier enveloping Bethlehem – “let us tear down the walls of our hearts in order to tear down the walls of concrete” – and prayed for peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.

With peace talks at a standstill, the Palestinians are seeking membership as a state in the United Nations and recently gained admission to UNESCO, the UN cultural agency.

“We are celebrating this Christmas hoping that in the near future we’ll get our right to self-determination, our right to establish our own democratic, secular Palestinian state on the Palestinian land. That is why this Christmas is unique,” said Mayor Victor Batarseh, who is Christian.

Late Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a meeting of Christian leaders that he is committed to reaching peace with Israel, despite a three-year standstill in negotiations.

Today, only about one-third of Bethlehem’s residents are Christian, reflecting a broader exodus of Christians from the Middle East in recent decades.

AP

While speaking to worshipers at the Christmas eve, Pope Benedict XVI decried of the commercialization of Christmas day.

Sending his message across to the estimated 1.3 billion Roman Catholics from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Pope called upon humanity to remember those who are poor, sick or far away from home.

The 84 year old pope urged that celebration of Christmas should be beyond the superficial gleam and commercialism of the season and rediscover the real meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ.

At the start of a Christmas Eve service, he was wheeled up the central aisle of St Peter’s Basilica standing on a mobile platform which he has been using since October.

The Vatican says it is to conserve his strength, allow more people to see him and guard against attacks such as one on Christmas Eve, 2009, when a woman lunged at him and knocked him to the ground. He is believed to suffer from arthritis in the legs.

But he seemed to be in good shape during the solemn service in Christendom’s largest church as choirs sang, cantors chanted and organ music filled the centuries-old basilica.

Benedict, wearing resplendent gold and white vestments, urged his listeners to find peace in the symbol of the powerless Christ child in a world continually threatened by violence.

“Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God’s humility, which in turn calls us for humility and simplicity,” he said in his sermon to about 10,000 people in the basilica.

“Let us strip away our fixation on what is material, on what can be measured and grasped. Let us allow ourselves to be made simple by the God who reveals himself to the simple of heart,” he said.

The pope, who earlier placed a “candle of peace” on the windowsill of his apartments as the life-size nativity scene in St Peter’s Square was inaugurated, called for an end to violence, for oppressors to put down their “rods” and for all to become peacemakers.

“God has appeared as a child. It is in this guise that he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace,” he said.

“At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks, we cry out to the Lord.” he said.

“We suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: manifest your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph in this world of ours.”

On Christmas Day, the pope will deliver his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing from the central loge of St Peter’s Basilica.
He continues his Christmas and New Year’s celebrations on Dec 31 with a year-end Mass of thanksgiving known by its Latin name Te Deum.

On January 1 he marks the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, on January 6 he marks the Epiphany and on January 8 will baptise several newborns in the Sistine Chapel.

He is due to visit Mexico and Cuba in March.

ENDS

A local church Pastor James Gasana of Church of hope, Samuduha Kicukiro District has put clarity of emerging arguments that tends to bend the meaning of celebrating Christmas.

Christmas or Christmas Day literally Christ’s mass is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious or cultural holiday by all Christians around the world.

The precise day of Jesus’s birth, which historians place between 7 and 2 BC, is unknown. In the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church first placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted also in the East.

The original date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the celebration for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia, where it is a public holiday.

As of 2011, there is a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the older Julian calendar.

Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of the world is January 7 and January 19.

For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia, Ukraine and Macedonia celebrate Christmas, both as a Christian feast and as a public holiday.

“we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our savior, we Christians believe that Jesus Christ was born, what is important to us that Jesus Christ was born to us, it does not matter to me the actual date, because I don’t worship the date anyway I only worship the Lord so the date should not get control over me,” Pastor Gasana James of Church of Hope, has said.

In a cell phone interview with Igihe.com, Gasana said some people have spent lots of energy debating on the actual date other than knowing the importance, reason and the mighty of the one who was born on that date.

“The fact is that HE was born, all of them who debate about the date believe HE was born which is a huge success to all of us who believe in HIM, Had HE not born we would not have a reason to celebrate,” Gasana added.

” This is a time to look back in 2011 and say thank you lord. It is also the time to look forward and say lord I need your favor, blessings, protection, and guidance in 2012,” He noted.

He also called upon all Christians to pray and work for them to grab their destiny noting that having faith to pray for provision from God and noting is faith without action which is dead referring to holy book, The Bible.

Pastor Bruce Muhoza of Jehova Shalom Church, Kacyiru Gasabo District said on Rwanda Television that Jesus Christ was born to bring salvation to mankind adding that he had a mission to redeem mankind.

Quoting the bible in the book Isaiah 9:6-7, Pastor Muhoza Christmas should be celebrated with intent to understanding who Jesus Christ is and what HE came to on this planet earth.

Apostle Moses Muhumuza of Prayer Palace Church, Remera said that Jesus Christ is the only reason for celebrating this festive season whether Christmas or New Year days quoting the book of Luke 1:26-38 in the bible.

Christmas is a feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide.

Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world’s nations,celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians,and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.

The precise day of Jesus Christ’s birth, which historians place between 7 and 2 BC, is unknown.

In the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church first placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted also in the East.

Theories advanced to explain that choice include that it falls exactly nine months after the Christian celebration of the conception of Jesus, or that it was selected to coincide with either the date of the Roman winter solstice or of some ancient pagan winter festival.

The popular celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian and secular themes and origins.

Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations, including Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.

In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Kris Kringle among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses.

The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

ENDS

Dependable news from Stockhom,Sweden indicates that Swedish police has arrested a Rwandan genocide fugitive.

The suspect identified as Stanislous Mbanenande in his fifties, lived in Gävle, in central Sweden. According to the Swedish police he has both Swedish and Rwandan citizenship.

The suspect was arrested Thursday evening (10pm) at Bromma airport. The suspect is believed to have been returning from Liberia where he is said to have been working with a NGO.

“The remand hearing was expected today to be held in Stockholm,”if there’s time”, according to Wretling. If not, the hearing will be held over Christmas,” Said the chief investigator Anders Wretling.

Wretling said that plenty of work remains to be done in the investigation, which has been going on since April.

The suspect was interrogated shortly after his arrest, and denies all crimes. His lawyer Tomas Nilsson assisted him in a police interrogation today (Friday) afternoon.

“As you surely understand, I can’t tell you what was said, except that my client denied all crimes,” said Nilsson. This was the first time he met with the suspect.

“We’re happy to be able to give a clear signal that Sweden is no safe haven for war criminals,” said Wretling.

Jean Bosco Siboyintore the head of the Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit of Rwanda has confirmed the developmet saying Mbanenande was arrested in partnership between the two countries.

This followed an arrest warrant and indictments issued in a search for the hiding perpetrator.

“We don’t want many of Genocide Fugitives to continuously get a blanket cover from different prosecution,” John Bosco Siboyintore said in an interview with IGIHE.com.

According to Siboyintore, the arrest of Mbanenande was first announced on swidish Television.

He fled the country immidiately after 1994 Genocide. He is accused of organising attacks to exterminate and kill ethnic Tutsis.

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72 MTN subscribers have today won x-mas gifts in the ongoing MTN’s Izihize promotion .The winners recieved their prizes at MTN’s service center in Nyamirambo.

The prizes won include phones of Ideos model, blackberry tourch, Gatego and, Samsung Galaxy. Laptops and Samsung tabs.

Izihize promotion was initiated by MTN to reward its customers during the festive season starting from 30th November and 72 subscribers are rewarded every Friday. The last group of winners will be rewarded on 29th December.

Active subscribers enter the promotion automatically if they use MTN services such as making a call, sending an SMS, buying a caller tune, use internet, sending money by MTN Mobile money, etc.

Yvonne Manzi Makoro, the MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer remarked that the promotion have rewarded 2, 872 winners and 11, 488 people by the end of the promotion.

One of the beneficiaries, Jean Jacques Rutayijana a commercial manager for COGEAR insurance company was given a Samsung tab.

“I’m so overwhelmed, at first I thought it was a joke when they called me yesterday at around 10 AM to tell me the good news, the tab will be so essential to my duties, I feel relieved because carrying my heavy old modeled laptop was a bothersome,” he said with uncontrolled amusement.

Another prize winner Theoneste Hakorimana a cleaner at the city’s Union Trade Centre (UTC), was handed an LG smart phone.

“It has always been my dream to have a phone which I can access internet, but now I don’t find myself being bored because I will be chatting with my friends on Facebook and access news online most likely from Igihe.com,” he noted.

Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni at the Uganda-Rwanda Boarder at Gatuna have this Friday inaugurated the reconstruction of the highway connecting Rwanda to Uganda.

The Road has been dotted with potholes for a long time. The information comes from a statement released by office of the Rwandan President.

President Kagame is expected to spend Xmas with his family in Uganda during the Four-day visit.

The Uganda government is currently involved in the developing, upgrading and maintenance of over 10,800 km of the country’s road network.

This is estimated to cost the Ugandan government a whopping $1.5 billion.

The programme is co-financed by Uganda government, and various development partners including the European Union (EU), the African Development Bank (ADB), the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank, and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

The government of Rwanda and the European Union (EU) earlier signed a contract worth Rwf 27 billion for the rehabilitation of the Kigali-Gatuna highway expected to start in May next year.

Strabag road Construction Company will upgrade the 78km stretch from the main roundabout in Kigali city centre to Gatuna. The parking yard at the border will be upgraded as part of the wider initiative to create a single border post.

The Kigali, Gatuna, Mbarara highway connects different countries from East and Central Africa including Burundi, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda and Strabag International, a construction company secured the tender to rehabilitate the road, according to the State Minister in charge of Transport Dr. Alexis Nzahabwanimana.

The Minister of Finance and economic planning John Rwangombwa has announced that teachers’ salaries will be increased by 10% in the next financial year.

Rwangombwa made the announcement during a joint press conference after the cabinet meeting.

“This will be based on qualification and experience in the teachers’ profession,” Rwangombwa said.

The minister said that the next financial year have been increased by Rwf 59 million so as to cater for such long awaited needs and to cover 2000 teachers expected to join the profession 2012.

It is also intended to widen the ‘One Laptop per child’ program in schools, gir’inka and also acquiring more shares in the cement factory CIMERWA, which was other factor to increase the government budget.

In the same joint press conference, the minister of health Dr Agnes Binagwaho emphasized that organ transplant from dead people would help a lot in Rwandan saving of lives.

These all among the recent cabinet meeting that brought a mixed filling about organ transplant.

Organ transplantation is the removing of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient’s own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient’s damaged or absent organ.

A section of the ministerial decree determines the donation card and the will format for a person to donate his or her body, body parts or organs for research, medical, scientific and educational purposes.

Another section determines procedures for importation and exportation of organs, tissues and products from a body of a dead person for therapeutic or scientific research utilization purposes.

The cabinet also approved a ministerial decree establishing a list of diseases whose medical tests must be undertaken by a person willing to donate or to receive an organ or tissues of human body.

Dr Alex Butera the Ag. CEO of one of the referral hospital King Faisal told the New Times that the ministerial decree will streamline the exercise.

“The decree came in the right time; you have heard of cases of organ trafficking, these decrees clearly state how organs are to be imported and exported,” said Dr. Butera.

He said since the hospital started conducting organ transplants, donor responses have been impressive.

“People in this country are good at donating organs; we have had cases of parents willingly donating organs to children and relatives”.

According to medics, organs that can be transplanted are the heart, kidneys, eyes, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, and thymus. Tissues include bones, cornea, skin, heart valves, and veins.

Worldwide, the kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs, followed closely by the liver and the heart.

ENDS

Provisional statistics from Rwanda Development Board (RDB) indicate that investment registration has reached US $ 598 million surpassing US $ 550m target.

According to John Gara the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the target was attained due to proper packaging of Rwanda’s investment opportunities to potential investors.

“We are happy with the figures registered so far, that surpassed our set targets, we initially thought we were quite ambitious setting it,” Gara said.

He added that the target aimed at recovering lost grounds suffered last year with Investments registration of US$398m.

According to available statistics, Agriculture has topped investors’ attraction list with US$116.3m closely followed by ICT with US$109.6m and US$108.8m in tourism.

This is contrary to last year’s investors’ choice list which construction and hospitality sectors that dominated the list.

The Foreign Director Investments into Rwanda, one the key aspects to the transformation of the country’s economy, stands at 62 percent with over US$371 million, compared to less than 50 percent last year.

At least 47 projects have been listed as FDIs, 73 are local investments with 13 projects designated as joint ventures, bringing to 133 the total number of registered investments expected to generate 8,688 jobs into the economy.

Ends