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  • Whitney Houston Daughter to Inherit US$20million

    The family of the late Whitney Houston is battling over a $20 million inheritance to the singers daughter.

    Houston’s 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was slated to receive the money in a trust set up before the singer’s death just before the Grammy Awards broadcast in February.

    But now Whitney’s mother, the singer Cissy Houston, and Marion Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and business manager, have filed a petition as executors of the Houston estate against Brown in Georgia state court.

    Cissy Houston wants to restrict the inheritance payments to Brown, calling Brown ” a highly visible target for those who would exert undue influence over her inheritance and/or seek to benefit from respondent’s resources and celebrity.”

    Court documents say that the schedule of distributions of Brown’s inheritance aren’t in keeping with Whitney’s “intent to provide long-term financial security and protection for her child.”

    Media reports say Cissy Houston is worried that the money will make Brown a target for financial predators or tempt her into a dangerous lifestyle.

    While the Houston family has its own particular problems (and there have been many), wealthy families frequently confront the same question: how to leave millions to your kid without ruining her life?

  • Rwandair Expecting New Planes

    National Carrier Rwandair will recieve two new planes on Monday adding to its fleet with two new aircrafts from Bombardier Aerospace of Canada.

    Following a handover ceremony held at Bombardier’s Mirabel, Québec facility, on Friday, CRJ900 NextGen regional jets will touch ground in Rwanda at Kigali International Airport.

    John Mirenge, Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir,says, “This means a lot to us. It is an addition of two brand new aircrafts that have been added to our existing fleet of five, making it seven in total.”

    “This will give us more capacity in terms of seats that we can offer to our customers and it opens up capacities for us to extend our reach into further destinations within the African continent.”

  • Rwandair Expecting New Planes

    National Carrier Rwandair will recieve two new planes on Monday adding to its fleet with two new aircrafts from Bombardier Aerospace of Canada.

    Following a handover ceremony held at Bombardier’s Mirabel, Québec facility, on Friday, CRJ900 NextGen regional jets will touch ground in Rwanda at Kigali International Airport.

    John Mirenge, Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir,says, “This means a lot to us. It is an addition of two brand new aircrafts that have been added to our existing fleet of five, making it seven in total.”

    “This will give us more capacity in terms of seats that we can offer to our customers and it opens up capacities for us to extend our reach into further destinations within the African continent.”

  • UNFPA Sued For Allowing Supply of Substandard Condoms

    A Ugandan businessman has dragged the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to court for allowing the importation of millions of substandard condoms currently in circulation.

    The Government of Uganda is also co-accused.

    Mr. Joseph Sseremba served the Ugandan Attorney General and UNFPA with a notice of intention to sue and demanded that condoms manufactured by five Asian companies be recalled within 45 days from the date he filed the notice (August 17).

    Sseremba named Indus Medicare from India and Karex Industries from Malaysia to have supplied the condoms. Other companies are Guilin Latex Factory, Qingdao Double Butterfly Group and Tianjin Human care Latex Corporation; all from China.

    In the notice, Sseremba said many of the condoms in circulation are substandard and do not meet the acceptable quality level set by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

    He said the condoms have a bad odour, do not have a manufacturer’s name for traceability, while others are improperly labelled and packaged.

    “The consumer packages do not contain information in at least one of the official languages of the country of destination, if possible supplemented by pictorial representations of the major steps involved in proper condom use,” the notice reads.

    Sseremba alleges that the inner boxes of the substandard condoms containing 114 pieces were not constructed of board plasticised on their in-surface and are not of sufficient strength and rigidity to retain their shape through every stage of distribution as required.

  • UNFPA Sued For Allowing Supply of Substandard Condoms

    A Ugandan businessman has dragged the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to court for allowing the importation of millions of substandard condoms currently in circulation.

    The Government of Uganda is also co-accused.

    Mr. Joseph Sseremba served the Ugandan Attorney General and UNFPA with a notice of intention to sue and demanded that condoms manufactured by five Asian companies be recalled within 45 days from the date he filed the notice (August 17).

    Sseremba named Indus Medicare from India and Karex Industries from Malaysia to have supplied the condoms. Other companies are Guilin Latex Factory, Qingdao Double Butterfly Group and Tianjin Human care Latex Corporation; all from China.

    In the notice, Sseremba said many of the condoms in circulation are substandard and do not meet the acceptable quality level set by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

    He said the condoms have a bad odour, do not have a manufacturer’s name for traceability, while others are improperly labelled and packaged.

    “The consumer packages do not contain information in at least one of the official languages of the country of destination, if possible supplemented by pictorial representations of the major steps involved in proper condom use,” the notice reads.

    Sseremba alleges that the inner boxes of the substandard condoms containing 114 pieces were not constructed of board plasticised on their in-surface and are not of sufficient strength and rigidity to retain their shape through every stage of distribution as required.

  • Exploring Witchcraft in Tanzania

    Around the world a sense of mystery and fear engulfs witchcraft and nowhere is this more evident than in the East African nation of Tanzania.

    Here, faith in this specific form of African tradition can turn deadly.

    People with albinism have been dismembered in western parts of the country because so-called witchdoctors perpetuate a belief that albino body parts bring great wealth.

    From the archives: Scores of albinos in hiding after attacks
    Those suspected of witchcraft are also targeted; an estimated 600 elderly women were killed in 2011 due to the suspicion they were witches, according to the Legal and Human Rights Center in Tanzania.

    In fact, the Pew Forum on Religious and Public life conducted 25,000 face-to-face interviews in 19 African nations and found that among them, Tanzanians hold the strongest belief in witchcraft.

    It says 60% of the Tanzanians interviewed believe that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm, and that many Christians and Muslims incorporate elements of traditional African beliefs into their daily lives.

    Dark arts flourished in Tanzania partly because, compared to its neighbors, it was “less colonized” by European powers, explains Joachim Mwami of Dar Es Salaam University.

    The anthropology professor says for centuries, witchcraft has “served to explain anything inexplicable,” in rural villages like a severely sick child or strange illness.

    Professor Mwami admitted that, “even in my own family, I was advised [as a child] not to visit certain relatives considered to be witches,” even though there was no proof.

    He says without access to education, people are more likely to follow the claims of traditional healers and pass down those beliefs to the next generation.

    Students at Dar Es Salaam University were reluctant to talk about opinions relating to witchcraft. Some explained, even if they don’t personally believe in the practice, their relatives take it seriously.
    Others feel one must believe in the practice for it to have any power over them.

    So even with a university education, some students retain some faith in witchcraft.

    CNN

  • Exploring Witchcraft in Tanzania

    Around the world a sense of mystery and fear engulfs witchcraft and nowhere is this more evident than in the East African nation of Tanzania.

    Here, faith in this specific form of African tradition can turn deadly.

    People with albinism have been dismembered in western parts of the country because so-called witchdoctors perpetuate a belief that albino body parts bring great wealth.

    From the archives: Scores of albinos in hiding after attacks
    Those suspected of witchcraft are also targeted; an estimated 600 elderly women were killed in 2011 due to the suspicion they were witches, according to the Legal and Human Rights Center in Tanzania.

    In fact, the Pew Forum on Religious and Public life conducted 25,000 face-to-face interviews in 19 African nations and found that among them, Tanzanians hold the strongest belief in witchcraft.

    It says 60% of the Tanzanians interviewed believe that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm, and that many Christians and Muslims incorporate elements of traditional African beliefs into their daily lives.

    Dark arts flourished in Tanzania partly because, compared to its neighbors, it was “less colonized” by European powers, explains Joachim Mwami of Dar Es Salaam University.

    The anthropology professor says for centuries, witchcraft has “served to explain anything inexplicable,” in rural villages like a severely sick child or strange illness.

    Professor Mwami admitted that, “even in my own family, I was advised [as a child] not to visit certain relatives considered to be witches,” even though there was no proof.

    He says without access to education, people are more likely to follow the claims of traditional healers and pass down those beliefs to the next generation.

    Students at Dar Es Salaam University were reluctant to talk about opinions relating to witchcraft. Some explained, even if they don’t personally believe in the practice, their relatives take it seriously.
    Others feel one must believe in the practice for it to have any power over them.

    So even with a university education, some students retain some faith in witchcraft.

    CNN

  • What’s Behind Instability in Mali?

    Once hailed as a model of democracy in Africa, a coup and an uprising of Islamist militants in the north threatens to create an arc of instability for the continent.

    The militants have destroyed ancient shrines, once a major draw for Islamic scholars from around the world. They have banned music.
    And reports of human rights abuses grow daily, including the public stoning death of a couple accused of having an affair.

    International leaders, concerned that al Qaeda will capitalize on the chaos and set up a haven there, are considering sending troops to Mali soon to reclaim a large portion of the north from extremists.

    What’s the story behind the instability?

    Mali gained independence from France in 1960. The landlocked West African nation went through growing pains after independence, including droughts, rebellions and years of military dictatorship.

    It held its first democratic elections in 1992, and had a strong democracy for the most part.

    That was until March, when a group of soldiers toppled the government, undermining the nation’s growing economy and relative social stability.

    What led to the coup?

    A group of outraged soldiers accused the government of not providing adequate equipment to battle ethnic Tuareg rebels roaming the vast desert in the north.

    On March 22, a riot erupted at a military camp a few miles from the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako. Disgruntled soldiers marched to the palace.

    A few hours later, a soldier appeared on state television and said the military was in control of the nation. The president was nowhere to be found.

    The Tuareg rebels took advantage of the power vacuum and seized some parts of the north. They have always wanted independence, and have staged several rebellions since the 1960s.

    After Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed and Libya plunged into chaos, his weapons became available. The Tuareg — many of whom fought for him — seized them and took up arms against the Malian government.

    How the north end up in the hands of Islamist militants

    After Tuareg rebels seized it, a power struggle erupted with local Islamist radicals. The Islamist extremists toppled the tribe and seized control of two-thirds of northern Mali, an area the size of France.

    Various factions of al Qaeda-linked militants are reportedly in the area, including Ansar Dine.

    The international community is also worried that al Qaeda’s north African wing is expanding into Mali.

    U.S. officials have said that the wing, the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is linked to the deadly Benghazi attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others.

  • What’s Behind Instability in Mali?

    Once hailed as a model of democracy in Africa, a coup and an uprising of Islamist militants in the north threatens to create an arc of instability for the continent.

    The militants have destroyed ancient shrines, once a major draw for Islamic scholars from around the world. They have banned music.
    And reports of human rights abuses grow daily, including the public stoning death of a couple accused of having an affair.

    International leaders, concerned that al Qaeda will capitalize on the chaos and set up a haven there, are considering sending troops to Mali soon to reclaim a large portion of the north from extremists.

    What’s the story behind the instability?

    Mali gained independence from France in 1960. The landlocked West African nation went through growing pains after independence, including droughts, rebellions and years of military dictatorship.

    It held its first democratic elections in 1992, and had a strong democracy for the most part.

    That was until March, when a group of soldiers toppled the government, undermining the nation’s growing economy and relative social stability.

    What led to the coup?

    A group of outraged soldiers accused the government of not providing adequate equipment to battle ethnic Tuareg rebels roaming the vast desert in the north.

    On March 22, a riot erupted at a military camp a few miles from the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako. Disgruntled soldiers marched to the palace.

    A few hours later, a soldier appeared on state television and said the military was in control of the nation. The president was nowhere to be found.

    The Tuareg rebels took advantage of the power vacuum and seized some parts of the north. They have always wanted independence, and have staged several rebellions since the 1960s.

    After Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed and Libya plunged into chaos, his weapons became available. The Tuareg — many of whom fought for him — seized them and took up arms against the Malian government.

    How the north end up in the hands of Islamist militants

    After Tuareg rebels seized it, a power struggle erupted with local Islamist radicals. The Islamist extremists toppled the tribe and seized control of two-thirds of northern Mali, an area the size of France.

    Various factions of al Qaeda-linked militants are reportedly in the area, including Ansar Dine.

    The international community is also worried that al Qaeda’s north African wing is expanding into Mali.

    U.S. officials have said that the wing, the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is linked to the deadly Benghazi attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others.

  • Pope Names first Native American saint

    Pope Benedict XVI will name 17th century Mohawk Kateri Tekakwitha the first Native American saint.

    Another newly named saint is Marianne Cope, a German-born woman who emigrated to the United States as a child, became a nun and went on to devote 30 years of her life helping lepers in Hawaii.

    Their canonization, along with that of five other saints, will be celebrated at a special Mass in St. Peter’s Square Sunday morning.

    “This is a great weekend for America in the Vatican, and it’s really a great weekend for Native Americans. Sainthood is the guarantee that this person is close to God,” said Vatican senior communications adviser Greg Burke.

    “There’s a vast history of people the Catholic Church has made saints over the centuries. Holiness is absolutely a matter of equal opportunity, but this certainly is special because it marks the first time a Native American becomes a saint.”

    Kateri Tekakwitha’s canonization follows what has been judged a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church in the 2006 case of an American boy with a flesh-eating bug.

    Jake Finkbonner was only 5 when he became infected by the bacterium after falling down while playing basketball, CNN affiliate King 5 News in Seattle reported. The infection spread quickly through the tissue of his face, with drugs and surgeries apparently powerless to stop its progress.

    “It was dire,” his mother, Elsa Finkbonner, told the network. “He was air-lifted to children’s hospital, and he was fighting for his life at that point.”