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  • Satellite Radio Says Prime Minister Zenawi Dead

    Ethiopian Satellite Radio and Television (ESAT) just reported in its tonight news that Ethiopian Prime Minsiter Meles Zenawi has died at 57.

    The radio cited its sources from the International Crisis Group (ICG) and diplomatic community.

    During Rwanda’s 15th Anniversary of Liberation Day – Kigali, 4 July 2009, President Meles Zenawi was decorated with some of Rwanda’s top Medals of honour Including; “Uruti” National Liberation Medal and “Umurinzi” Campaign Against Genocide Medal.
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    Minister Bereket Simon also head of Government Communication Affairs Office (GCAO) said July 19th that Prime Minister Meles was “in very good health and he will be back in his office in a very short period of time.”

    About Zenawi

    Meles Zenawi Asres was born on 8 May 1955 in Adewa, Tigray and has been the Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 1995.

    He was President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples’ Liberation Front(TPLF), and he is head of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

    He graduated from the General Wingate high school in Addis Ababa, then studied medicine at Addis Ababa University (at the time known as Haile Selassie University) for two years before interrupting his studies in 1975 to join the TPLF.

    Meles Zenawi acquired an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the Open University of the United Kingdom in 1995 and an MSc. (Masters of Science) in Economics from the Erasmus University of the Netherlands in 2004.

    In July 2002 Meles received an honorary doctoral degree in political science from the Hannam University in South Korea,

  • Rwandan Diaspora Youth To Work Towards Bright Future

    The Ministry of Foreign affairs and cooperation together with MINEDEC, MYICT, MINADEF, NURC and ITORERO have organized ITORERO for Rwandan Youth living abroad aged between 18-35 years.

    More than 258 Rwanda Youth living abroad will participate in this Itorero witch will start on 30th July and end 11 August 2012 at Gako Military Academy themed-‘working towards a bright future’.

    Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi officially opened ITORERO. High profile Government Officials had a free interaction with the youth, sharing the life story of the country, its achievements and all discussions will focus on sensitizing the youth to actively participate in the socio-economic development of their mother-land Rwanda.

    The Director General of the Rwanda Community Abroad, a directorate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Parfait Gahanyi, said that young people are the most educated and enjoy the best levels of all social benefits in Rwanda.

    “This is a good opportunity for the youth to meet, share the achievements of the county an learn how to contribute in building their country”, said Gahanyi.

  • Kenya Risks Losing Flower Investors to Uganda

    Flower Investors are increasingly focusing on relocating to Uganda where they say the cost of doing business is much lower and favourable as opposed to Kenya where they have been operating.

    Kenya Media reports that the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) is worried of the costs of doing business in Kenya, even when the sector’s export returns continue to plunge due to the financial crisis in the Eurozone.

    KFC is also alarmed by rigid tax legislation, declining revenues, climate change and political instability in Kenya.

    “Investors are adopting a wait and see attitude,” says KFC Chief Executive Officer, Jane Ngige. Some have shown an interest in Uganda because it is presently looking more attractive than Kenya.”

    Details from KFC indicate that the sector registered a steady growth of about 10 per cent between 1995 and 2008 in tonnage, but presently there is a 1.7% slowdown.

    “The reasons for this are several but a reduction in investment due to the Kenyan currency (shilling) remaining stronger than the pound and euro increases input costs, fuel, airfreight, fertilisers, chemicals and labour wages,” says Richard Fox, Director of Finlays Horticulture.

  • Scientists Reveal How CO2 is Sucked Deep into Ocean

    Scientists announced Sunday that they had unravelled a mechanism by which Earth-warming carbon is sucked deep into the Southern Ocean to be safely locked away –a process that may itself be threatened by climate change.

    Wind, eddies and currents work together to create carbon-sucking funnels, said the research team from Britain and Australia in a discovery that adds to the toolkit of scientists attempting climate warming predictions.

    About a quarter of the carbon dioxide on Earth is stored away in its oceans — some 40% of that in the Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica.

    At a depth of about 1,000 metres (3,200 feet), carbon can be locked away for hundreds to thousands of years, yet scientists had never been sure exactly how it gets there after dissolving into surface waters.

    They had suspected the wind was the main force at play, pooling up surface water in some areas and forcing it down into the ocean depths.

    Using 10 years of data obtained from small, deep-sea robotic probes, the researchers found that in addition to the wind, eddies — big whirlpool-like phenomena about 100 km in diameter on average, also played a part.

    “You add the effect of these eddies and the effect of the wind and the effect of prominent currents in the Southern Ocean, you add these three effects, it makes … 1,000 km-wide funnels that bring the carbon from the sea surface to the interior,” study author Jean-Baptiste Sallee said.

    The team had also used temperature, salinity and pressure data collected from ship-based observations since the 1990s.

    “This is a very efficient process to bring carbon from the surface to the interior. We found in the Southern Ocean there are five such funnels,” said Sallee.

    The team also found that the eddies counterbalanced a different effect of strong winds — that of releasing stored carbon by violent mixing of the sea.

    “This does seem to be good news, but the thing is what will be the impact of climate change on the eddies? Will they stop, will they intensify? We have no idea,” said Sallee.

    A changing climate could theoretically affect the nature and effect of the Southern Ocean eddies by changing ocean currents, intensifying winds or creating stark temperature spikes.

    The findings mean that eddies must be taken into account in future climate models, said Sallee. They are not currently.

    The study focused on the part of the Southern Ocean south of 35 degree south latitude.

    The team could not say whether the same funnelling process would be at play in other seas, but Sallee said the Southern Ocean was “one of the most energetic places on Earth”, and the effect of eddies would likely be larger there than anywhere else.

    There is also another carbon capturing process, not covered by this study, of CO2-producing micro organisms that live near the ocean surface sinking to the sea floor and settling there when they die.

  • Ebola Pushes Kampala into Panic

    Uganda Capital, Kampala is currently in panic following confirmation that a woman who died at Mulago hospital a few days ago was suffering from Ebola.

    The woman had travelled from Kibale district where 14 people died from Ebola on Saturday. she was a health worker who had been handling the Ebola patients.

    The Government of Uganda has immidiately banned any physical contact among citizens.

    Schools in Uganda are reportedly closing in response to the Ebola news that has caused panic.

    Clare Muhumuza 40, was admited at uganda’s largest hospital Mulago and died within a few hours. She was the clinical officer treating the patients at Kagadi Hospital.

    “She came to Mulago very sick and by morning she was dead. She suffered multiple organ failure,” said a senior doctor in Mulago.

    Foruteen Ugandans had been reported dead on Saturday when the deadly viral disease was reported in Kibale located 200km west of the Ugandan capital.

    Mulago health workers admited they were in fear saying they had handled Muhumuza without protection in ignorance.

    Currently Suzan Nabulya, a sister to the late Muhumuza, who was tending to her before she died, has been admitted at Kagadi Hospital while Muhumuza’s four month old baby, Milca Ninsima, has died.

    Uganda and Rwanda are experiencing increased crossboarder inteructions on a daily basis through business and other forms of engagements.
    Understanding Ebola

    Cause: Ebola is caused by a virus belonging to a family called filovirus. There are five distinct types of the virus namely Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Côte d’Ivoire, Ebola Bundibugyo and Ebola Reston.

    Transmission: The disease is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, fluids or bodies of infected persons.

    Family members and health workers handling the patients can become infected easily if they do not wear protective facilities such as gloves and masks. Ebola is not air borne.

    Symptoms: The average incubation period is 21 days. The disease is characterised by sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

    This is often followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

    Treatment: No specific treatment or vaccine is yet available for Ebola haemorrhagic fever.

    There is neither a cure nor a vaccine for Ebola. The patients are given symptomatic treatment to reduce pain and prevent dehydration.

    Several potential vaccines and drugs are being tested but it could take years before any is available.

    How to protect yourself

    Isolate suspected cases from other patients

    Wear gloves, goggles and masks while handling patients

    Patients’ clothing should be disinfected with household bleach such as JIK

    Areas contaminated with patient’s fluids should be disinfected with household bleach such as JIK

    Avoid touching the bodies of those who have died of Ebola

    People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried

  • How to Talk to Teenagers on Sex Education

    For the past two months, Angelica a mother of two has always had battles with her two adolescent kids due to their actions and she claims she finds no courage to talk to her own kids who are threatening to get even worse.

    And the kids say they are waiting for their mother to talk to them about how to handle it.

    You don’t want to talk about sex.your kids don’t want to talk about sex; here is how to talk about sex.

    Talking about sex is without doubt one of the most important conversation you will ever have with your kids.

    It’s also one of the most difficult. You need to talk with them early and often about why it’s important for them to wait to have sex.but if you are like most of the parents you are not sure how,here are some tips.

    Use teachable moments; many everyday occurrences offer a natural way to ease into the conversation. Maybe it’s a scene from a movie or TV show, perhaps a song lyric or new story.

    use these or anything else that seems appropriate as conversation starters, and do it subtly. Dole out bite-size bits don’t try to cover the whole subject in one sitting.

    It’s overwhelming and uncomfortable for your child and you; so toss out small bits of information and opinion at a time little by little your kids will get the big picture.

    And will so appreciate not getting the big parental lecture.

    Keep things light; talking about sex can be pretty heavy so lighten up, may be use a little humour. Not to underplay the seriousness of the subject. But to disarm your child’s anxieties (and yours) don’t feel you have to make direct eye contact either. That can increase the discomfort.

    Don’t preach. Share; let your child know how you felt when you were their age. So they know you understand what they are going through. And don’t just talk, ask questions. This absolutely needs to be a two-way discussion.

    Because kids really understand better when they are talked with, not at. Believe it or not kids actually do want to know how you feel about sex and how you want them to behave.

  • Miss Eastern Province Crowned

    St. Agnes hall in Rwamagana District was the place to be this Saturday 28 th July 2012. I must say there was plenty to see. The event being held was the Miss Rwanda 2012 pre-selection – Eastern Province.

    The stage was beautifully adorned with the Rwandan traditional imigongo combined with a cascading array of commonly used Rwandan traditional wall decorations all cleverly set to give rise to the newly constructed runway and to further cinch the running theme of unifying Rwandan beauty and culture.

    To add variety to the décor was the Kigali Live band musical instruments well set on the right side of the stage and a wall projection off to the left side of stage. For a stage that was almost non-existent this transformation was clearly breathtaking.

    The event started off with a beautiful inspiring speech from the Guest of Honour: the Director of Good Governance in the Eastern Province and was immediately followed by a performance from a local group Umucyo.

    These elderly women graced the stage with their elegant dance executed effortlessly and with the right doses of energy befitting women of that age. Their dance seemed to say welcome to the Eastern Province and get ready to receive our beautiful girls yet to grace the stage.

    The moment we were all waiting for soon arrived and the contestants began to walk onto stage as they were called out one by one by the beautiful Anita Pendo the MC of the day.

    Their walk was graceful, composed, calm and most importantly their faces were lit up by smiles that seemed to say ‘yes here we are the Eastern Province ladies born and bred and ready to take on the world’.

    The catwalk was then followed by the most important part of the show: an insight of what beauty with a purpose truly means.

    The contestants were taken through a series of questions by the three judges (Faustin Kagame, Claude Ndayishimiye and Jolie Murenzi) and the audience had a glimpse of how the contestants think, speak and express themselves.

    Needless to say that the contestants carried themselves well and gave the judges for the first time since the pre-selections started a hard time deciding who is the fairest of them all.

    The event saw five girls chosen to go on to the finals where after the top three were selected. The top five included Akineza Carmen, Umunyana Didine, Muberarugo Diane, Karangwa Tega Fidelis, and Umutesi Mubera Liliane.

    The five battled it out to cinch positions in the top three and after a final judges’ deliberation, the verdict was in.

    The 2nd runner up was Akineza Carmen, the 1st runner up was Karangwa Tega Fidelis and the Miss Eastern Province was Umutesi Mubera Liliane.

    With three provinces done and two more to go, we can only hold our breath and wait excitedly for the final showdown on September 1st 2012.

    The Northern Province pre-selections are set for August 5th 2012 in Musanze and thereafter Kigali City on the 12th August 2012.

  • Juba, Khartoum Might Return to War

    Pro Khartoum Government media has reported that Indirect negotiations between Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement –North (SPLM-N) might collapse any time and return to war.

    The two sides continue to trade accusations over their commitment to end the one-year political and humanitarian crisis.

    In implementation of an African Union road map and a UN resolution 2046, the mediators convened delegations from the government and the SPLM-N rebels to engage indirect talks over humanitarian access and political talks in Addis Ababa.

    The SPLM-N rebels who keep sending reassuring signs to their allies of Darfur rebel groups denied political negotiations with Khartoum saying they are in Addis Ababa for consultations with the mediators.

    On the humanitarian track, the government delegation rejected SPLM-N’s demand to be involved in the humanitarian operation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile even, if it is conducted in the rebel held areas.

    The government accuses the rebel group of being interested in the food to feed its fighters.

    Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Addis Ababa, a Sudanese government official who declined to be identified said the indirect talks between the two delegation might collapse at any time due to the wide divergence in view and continued accusations between the two sides.

    The head of Sudanese government delegation Kamal Obeid released Saturday a strong statement criticising press statements by the SPLM-N secretary general Yasir Arman who denied the existence of political talks.

    Kamal also refuted a statement by Arman who said that the government is not serious to end the humanitarian crisis because it wants to links the two tracks.

    The SPLM-N said Khartoum refuses the implementation of the tripartite operation because it wants a political agreement before.

    The head of the Sudanese delegation in his long communiqué said Arman’s statements are “full of fallacies, contradictions and misrepresentation of information aiming only to mislead domestic and global public opinion.”

    The Sudanese delegation told the rebels it refuses they participation in the humanitarian operation because they are in a state of war with the sovereign government.

    Kamal said the rebel group want to get the humanitarian aid to feed its troops who are no longer receive any provisions and supplies. He added that it is the SPLM-N which is not serious about peace and safety of civilians.

    UN Secretary General special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Haile Menkerios, stated two day that the humanitarian talks are suspended by the mediators as there is strong difference between the two parties.

    Menkerios added they prefer for the moment to focus of the political track and then resume the humanitarian talks when some progress are achieved.

    The sources said the Sudanese negotiating team which submitted its proposals to the mediation on Saturday, refused any discussion over power sharing or wealth sharing.

    Khartoum position paper also demanded the rebel group to disarm its fighters and to compete through an electoral process for any political participation.

    Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir relieved Malik Agar, SPLM-N chairman, from his position as governor of Blue Nile state. He was the only governor, not affiliated to the ruling National Congress Party to be elected during April 2010 elections.

    SPLM-N says he should be reinstated in his position.

    Arab League representative in the humanitarian talks Sudan Salah Halimah underscored the need for a speedy agreement on the implementation of the tripartite initiative stressing that the situation on the ground does not permit further delay.

    In Khartoum, a group of Sudanese clerics denounced, during the sermon of last Friday prayer the government for negotiating with the SPLM-N, terming the talks as “humiliation”. They also described the SPLM-N leader as “traitors and agents”.

    The preachers pointed out that SPLM-N leaders are hostile to Islamic Sharia law, and want to spread the secularism in the country.

    The Clerics further said the government has completely surrendered to the USA whenit accepted the resolution 2046 which “considers 11 Sudanese locations as deputed areas”.

    They further said the government is negotiating with a foreign political party implementing South Sudan’s agenda and takes instructions from President Salva Kiir, US administration and Israel.

    The radical Islamist groups who demand the government to adopt an Islamic constitution, consider any rapprochement with the SPLM-N as setback in their efforts for the Islamic state.

    They supported the separation of South Sudan because it was seen as obstacle to their project.

  • Habumuremyi: Accusations Against Rwanda Have No Basis

    Prime Minister Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi has said that Rwanda is not supporting the M23 rebel movement in the democratic republic of Congo.

    Dr. Habumuremyi said the accusations are false and have no basis.

    This was during the just concluded monthly comunity worksn on Saturday where the premeir was in Burera district, Gahunga sector in the Northern Province .

    Dr. Habumuremyi urged all Rwandans to engage in work to limit the damage from disasters.

    He advised Rwandans not to be confused as those who are not happy with the considerable development of Rwanda.

    During community work, Gahunga residents rebuilt a school that was partly destroyed by overflowing from the Volcanoes in April.

    Large amounts of water flows down stream from muhabura volcano threatening lives and property of inhabitants in the area.

  • Getting Slums Out of African Cities

    Millions of Africans live in slums, and the rapid growth of African cities is compounding the problem.

    Africa faces the huge challenge of “improving the lives of slum dwellers, but also preventing the formation of new slums,” says Joan Clos, executive director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

    Africa’s housing ministers, who last met in Rabat, Morocco, in September 2011, are well aware of this challenge.

    Gathered under the auspices of the African Ministers Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD), they outlined new policies for housing and urban development across the continent, in line with the “cities without slums” initiative they originally adopted in 2005.

    Some slum dwellers fear this may be mostly talk. “I am only interested in being removed from here, to live in a more decent environment,” says Mr Rachid Lashab, who lives in the Essekouila slum in Casablanca.

    “I am not interested in the many conferences that our leaders attend.”

    But in Rabat, the ministers at least laid out broad goals.

    These included improving urban planning, making service land (for public buildings) more available, developing industrial, agricultural and crafts towns, and slowing down rural-to-urban migration of people in search of job opportunities.