Igihe

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  • Deal To fix World’s Environment Problems

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • KIDUMU Leaves Fans Yearning for More

    Over the weekend, Burundian music artist Kidumu presented at Caddillac nightclub to his Rwandan fans.

    The club was filled to capacity where Kidumu sampled most of his new hits including; Number Moja, Kipenda Roho, Mapenzi among others. Most of these songs have hit East African airwaves.

    Kidumu also sampled other Afro hits that left most of his fans yearning for more.

    The Burundian music heavy weight was assisted by Rwanda’s Tom Close, Masamba Intore, Jean Paul Samputu and Christian Rwirangira(of Tusker Project Fame) .

    Promoter Ahmed Pacifique told IGIHE that Kidumu had travelled to Rwanda to entertain his fans.
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  • Fire Destroys University Van

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    Fire destroyed a van belonging to Kigali Independent University (ULK). The incidence took place at Muhima sector offices.

    The driver of the van had parked the car and gone to find a spare parts. Later the van caught fire before he had returned.

    Police arrived on time at the scene but attempts to put out the fire were futile.
    Dushimirimana Jerome an eyewitness told IGIHE that the fire was so strong that it was impossible to extinguish it.

    However, by press time the ULK officials could not be reached by telephone for comment.

  • Refugee Film Festival Launching tonight at Ishyo Hall

    Today the Refugee Film Festival will be launched at 6.30 pm at the Ishyo Theater Hall in Kacyiru.

    The festival will include the screening of “One Life One Story” short films and “Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars” as well as a panel discussion on pertinent refugee issues today.

    UNHCR and MIDIMAR will deliver an opening address, to be followed by the screening of the short films “One Life One Story”.

    In this series shot on the borders of conflict zones around the Great Lakes region, refugees and internally displaced people talk about being forced from their homes and how that experience has shaped their lives.

    The short films will be followed by the musical documentary “Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars”, which tells the remarkable story of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who formed a band while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea.

    To conclude the first evening, a panel discussion on the issues highlighted in the films will be held.

    The panel will consist of the UNHCR Representative, Ms Neimah WARSAME, the returnee, Hope AZEDA of Mashirika theatre group, the former Mufti of Rwanda, Sheikh Saleh HABIMANA (Rwanda Governance Board), and the journalist and former Rwandan refugee in Zambia, Geraldine MUKAKABEGO.

  • AfDB Injects US$18M to Boost Infrastructure in Africa

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a USD 18 million private equity investment in infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The recipient of the investment is the InfraCo Sub-Saharan Infrastructure Fund (ISSIF), aiming at target capitalization of USD 200 million of equity with a first closing of USD 100 million expected third quarter 2012 to participate in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure projects.

    The ISSIF will catalyze additional funds for infrastructureprojects, which will create employment and bring essential skills and technical knowledge to sub-Saharan Africa.

    Infrastructure requirements in the sub-Saharan market are estimated at USD 94 billion annually over the next decade.

    This considerable deficit severely impedes Africa’s economic development. The power and transport sectors are especially lacking in investment.

    Population growth and increasing urbanization has left many countries with a power shortage.

    The lack of regional transport infrastructure has resulted in vastly greater import/export and transport costs in Africa than in other countries.

    African governments, traditionally the main investors in basic infrastructure, would greatly benefit from private sector investments to fill the gap.

    Hence, the ISSIF represents a key alternative for private-led financing for the infrastructure sector in Africa.

    The ISSIF is sponsored by InfraCo Limited, a donor-financed fund launched by the Private Infrastructure Development Group and EleQtra LP, a group of companies specializing in the development, financing and ownership of greenfield infrastructure projects.

    The ISSIF will provide scarce equity capital for infrastructure projects, create jobs and enhance the transfer of knowledge in Africa.

    These infrastructure investments are crucial to release constraints on long term sustainable growth and private sector development.

    Tas Neside Anvaripour, AfDB’s manager of the infrastructure finance division said: “Buttress by a strong pipeline due to Infraco’s role as a project developer, ISSIF is expected to have immediate access to quality projects and help them to get to bankability stage”.

  • Dirtiest Spots in Hotel Rooms Revealed

    Microbiologists have revealed the dirtiest spots in a hotel room.

    Surpsrisingly it’s the TV remote control gadget and the Bedside switch which were found to be contaminated with higher volumes of germs than any other spot in the hotel rooms.

    So if you want to stay away from germs during your next hotel stay, don’t turn on the TV or lights — new research shows that TV remotes and light switches are among the most contaminated items inhotel rooms.

    Researchers from the University of Houston took bacteria samples from several items in hotel rooms in three regions of the United States.

    While the toilet and the sink were expected to have high levels of bacteria, researchers also found more surprising items with high contamination levels, such as the remote and the switch on the bedside lamp.

    Hotel rooms “don’t have to have it ready for surgery,” said study researcher Jay Neal, a microbiologist at the University of Houston, but there certainly is room for improvement in their cleanliness.

    The amount of bacteria on the remote may not mean that it’s “any dirtier than at home, but there’s a stranger factor” in a hotel room, said Neal, who oversaw the research performed primarily by student Katie Kirsh.

    Housekeepers clean spend about 30 minutes cleaning each room, Kirsh said. If the researchers could pinpoint the most contaminated parts of the room, the cleaning process could be made more effective.

    The highest levels of contamination were found in the maid’s cleaning cart, specifically, on the mop and sponge. That’s a problem because it means that bacteria are being carried from room to room, according to the researchers.

    Such cross-contamination could be reduced, though, by replacing cleaning liquids during housekeeping shifts, they said.

    The lowest levels of bacteria were found on the headboard, curtain rods and bathroom door handle.

    The researchers tested for bacteria in general, and did a separate test for cloriform bacteria, which are found in feces and are more likely to cause illness.
    Both tests showed that bacteria levels in hotel rooms were between 2 to 10 times higher than the levels accepted in hospitals.

    The presence of bacteria’s doesn’t guarantee that people will get sick, but it makes it more likely.

    The study was limited in that it was small — nine hotel rooms were tested in each of three states: Texas, Indiana and North Carolina.

    The research was presented today (June 17) at microbiology researchers’ conference in San Francisco.