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Reports emerging from Libyas six month conflict indicate that President Muammar Gadaffis son Seif al Islam has been arrested and is under detention.

Seif- al- Islam and his father Muammar Gadaffi are wanted by the International Criminal Court.

However, unconfirmed reports also indicate that Col. Gadaffi has been arrested.

Ibrahim Dabbashi, the Libyian ambassador to UN has announced that he is willing to work with national transitional council. NATO has also announced that they are willing to work with the new government under the opposition forces.

Libyan rebels have entered the capital Tripoli and are within two miles of the city center. Hundreds of rebels in tripolis green square have triggered massive Jubilations.

Communication from reporters embedded with the Libyan rebels announced that rebels met little resistance late Sunday as Gadhafi’s defenders appeared to melt away.

Meanwhile the state broadcast headquarters have also been seized and rebels are reportedly seizing several parts of the capital Tripoli.
Several command centers belonging to Gadaffi defenders have also been seized by the rebels.

Heavy bombardment by NATO airstrikes continue to pound several targets against the Gadaffi defence line.

Internet has also been reconnected for the first time in six months.

The number of participants in this year’s CIO 100 award is expected to rise, following entry of Rwanda and Ethiopia in the competition, which is currently going on.

The CIO 100 Awards were introduced last year and seek to celebrate 100 organisations that have used information technology in innovative ways to deliver business value.

The survey is based on how the companies were able to create competitive advantage, optimising business processes, enabling growth or improving relationships with customers, the CIO director, Mr Harry Hare said.

The number of companies to be surveyed this year is expected to increase to about 500 due to new entrants from the two countries, up from 350 last year which were drawn from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The increase in the number of participants is also due to introduction of new awards that include Leadership, Green Edge, Security and CIO of the Year Award, recognising the best CEO in embracing IT.

With the entry of Rwanda this year, Mr Hare said, the number of government departments participating in the survey are expected to rise significantly, since the country is ahead of the rest in embracing IT technology due to its small size.

Last year the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) participated in the survey and received awards due to their levels in automating operations and relations with customers. Some parts of the story were first published at the Daily Nation.

Since Sunday, getting space on any public transport buses in the country has been a challenge as students return to school for their third term.

Huge bags and heavy metallic suitcases decorated most bus stops, trading centers and bus terminals in both the provinces and Kigali city main bus terminal at Nyabugogo.

On the eastern province route, Kayonza main bus terminal was over crowded by students and other regular travelers all competing for space on connecting buses. The regular taxis (twegerane) charged extra frw500 to any destination.

A journey that cost 1000frw on Friday had reached 1500frw. This abnormal hike left many students stranded who also get charged extra for language was ranging between 500frw and 1000frw excluding passenger seat cost.

Some schools especially gahini secondary school where students are mandated to report at school with their parents or guardians on the first day, the transport cost is very high at the beginning of the schooling period in case a parent has more than one child at the school and travelling from distant locations.

According to an official announcement from the ministry of education, all schools are required to begin classroom lectures (Monday) today- August 22, 2011. The communiqué also requests all boarding school students to have reached school on Sunday August 21, 2011.

It is also indicated in the communiqué that students who shall not arrive at their schools to attend lectures on Monday shall be punished and above all shall be required to report to school with their guardians or parents.

A YORK Fairtrade business based in USA is looking to expand by selling handcrafts from women in the country.

Amy Trumpeter one of the business owners got inspired to start the intiative of supporting local handcrafts when she visited Kigali recently after studying the 1994 genocide from a religious and historical perspective.

She joined a volunteering project organised through Global Volunteer Network with partner charity FVA (Faith Victory Assosciation) supporting women who were victims of gender-based violence.

She said: “During my time in Rwanda, I met an amazing woman called Habiba. She was pregnant during the genocide, but lost her baby because there was no access to healthcare, and she needed a midwife.”

Habiba now does beading to try to survive, yet the slow pace of tourist trade in Rwanda means she struggles to sell her work in her own country.

“I loved her beaded pens so much, and was amazed by her courage and determination, so I decided to support her,” said Amy.

Amy, who moved to York in September and lives Holgate, spent just £20 on the beads and equipment at the local market to help Habiba continue her business and promised to sell the pens back in the UK.

Amy said: “If I can sell just ten pens this month, this will pay for her children to go to school for a term, and help her to buy food and clothing.”

Habiba now sends about 30 pens a month and Amy sells crafts, including hand-woven baskets, earrings and wood carvings, for about 65 other Rwandan families through her business, Kigali Crafts.

She sells the items through York retailers including the ethical ONE Boutique, Bolsita Bags and The Gift Gallery, as well as online and at craft fairs.

Amy also holds fundraising events for the community and has joined up with fellow Fairtrade businessman Jeremy Piercy, of Shared Earth, who has set up Walk Against Crime to help give young people in Kenya a future.

Amy is helping set up a Karoake Against Crime fundraising event on October 22, and is currently looking for a DJ and caterer to help with the event.

The founder and the CEO of ‘IGIHE’ Ltd Meilleur Murindabigwi scooped the only award given to young entrepreneurs in Rwanda.

The award dubbed Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers (CYRWA) is under patronage of Imbuto Foundation led by TheFirst Lady Jeannette Kagame.

It was initiated to encourage young Rwandans that have achieved a recognizable hardworking and succeeded in their innovations serving the society.

“I was excited receiving the award, it’s a sign of recognition for what IGIHE.com has done serving the society. It is a big honour,” Murindabigwi said.

“It is a prestigious award to see Imbuto Foundation recognizing me. It is an award given every after two years and seven entrepreneurs among hundreds and hundreds of entrepreneurs,” he added.

Murindabigwi said that the award had an impact directly on his company and his personal profile.

He said it also gave him a fresh beginning adding that it empowers him to embark on new projects in pipeline and very focused to the future to have a better destiny.

The 27 year old, scooped the award for his efforts to start an online news website IGIHE.com, the most visited local website publishing news in three languages; Kinyarwanda, English and French.

IGIHE Ltd begun its roots in 2008 when Murindabigwi started gathering others to share vision and the first article about technology was published on June 30, 2009 written by Innocent Mutabazi who is now a businessman in Mozambique.

According to Murindabigwi, IGIHE Ltd started with a bigger vision than a news website to give a broad range of IT related services.

Murindabigwi is a final year student of a business IT at the National University of Rwanda with a passion of information gathering and publishing.

Several others were also awarded on the basis of their positive and life changing actions and achievements in the past two years.

Rwandans living in Kampala Uganda, are mourning the death of Manasseh Haajje-Gashegu, an educationist who played a huge role in the liberation struggles both Rwanda and Uganda.

Gashegu, 88, a Ugandan of Rwandan origin succumbed to heart failure at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala .

Tarsis Karugarama, the Rwandan Minister for Justice said the country had lost an important person who was part of the nucleus that formed the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), a Tutsi-led rebel group that fought to liberate Rwanda in the 1990s.

“He was a committed person who devoted not only his time in the RPA struggle but also contributed ideas and financial support,” Karugarama said.

Joan Gakwenzire, President Yoweri Museveni’s senior presidential adviser on poverty, said: “During the bush war, his home became a refuge for Museveni’s supporters.”

At the time of his death, he had headed and taught in over 10 schools and institutions of higher learning in Uganda, including Mengo SS, Bishop SS Mukono, Kitunga High School, Buwalasi Teachers College and Namutumba Teacher’s College.

Counting five months from now, MTN a leading telecommunication company in the country is challenging developers through its application competition which will be held in 21 countries in which MTN operates.

This is aimed at having developers come up with applications meant to improve performance in the ever growing demand for smart-phones and tabs.

There will be five monthly winners and an overall winner, the first prize for monthly winners is a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the second prize a Samsung Galaxy S2. While the prize for the overall winner is a trip to the Mobile World Congress next year.

Interested developers are advised to come up with creations that deal with any facet of life in Africa and the Middle East – from solving some of the regions’ most pressing challenges, to lifestyle and entertainment, or even social networking.

However, all apps must be built for the Android operating system, and be in English

MTN’s events and promotion coordinator, Alain Numa, encouraged Rwandans to take part in competition in large numbers since it might promote the country’s image of having the most developers.

His colleague Robert Rwakabogo in charge of marketing noted that majority of developers were excited with the competition since it brought their ideas together and would eventually solve some of the cell phone software challenges they’re facing.

Francine Gatarayiha who represented the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) hailed the competition adding that it would improve communication in the country adding that RDB was willing to equip Rwandans with latest telecommunication technology.

Those willing to contest will send their applications through MTN website www.mtnplay.com/appcomp or email the two [email protected], [email protected].

The 21countries MTN is present include, Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Irani, Liberia, Nigeria, Afrika y’Epfo, Sudani, Swaziland, Siriya, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.

Igihe.com has reliably learnt that Zimbabwean police have issued an arrest warrant against Rwandan genocide suspect, Protais Mpiranya, bowing to international pressure following allegations that the country had offered sanctuary to the mass murderer.

The United States government has offered a reward of US$5 million to anyone who “furnishes information leading to the arrest or conviction, in any country” of Mpiranya, a former commander of presidential guard, accused of partaking in an operation to exterminate Tutsis.

Jeanbosco Siboyintore, the Acting head of Rwanda’s Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit (GFTU) told Igihe.com, “in the recent African Prosecutor’s meeting, we requested all African governments to help us and hunt these people and for the case of Zimbamwe; ICTR together with our government had requested to hunt for this man.”

“They had delayed and even denied the allegations saying he was not in their country but since they have started hunting for him, I think the results from the investigation will be successful ,” he pointed out.

He added that according to the 13 high profile genociders who are on the hunting list, 4 of them have been arrested.

They include Jean Uwiyindi who were in Uganda, Ildephonse Nizeyimana also caught from Uganda, Bernard Munyagishari (Congo) and also Grégoire Ndahimana (Congo).

Among others still on the hunting list of the high profile genociders include; Augustin Bizimana, who held the office of Minister of Defense in the Interim Government of 8 April 1994, Felecien Kabuga who was an influential businessman, who used his wealth to outfit the Interahamwe and other seven of them.

Zimbabwean police announced on Radio Zimbabwe last Saturday that they were searching for Mpiranya. Radio Zimbabwe is a local station that broadcasts in the vernacular Shona and Ndebele languages.

Zimbabwean Police had previously denied claims that Mpiranya was in Zimbabwe.

Chinembiri told radio listeners that Mpiranya uses several names that include James Kakule and Patrick Sambo.

The international media has also reported that the genocide suspect has other aliases including Yahaya Mohamed, Hirwa Protais Alain, Alain Protais Muhire and Mambo Mapendo Augustin.

In the radio broadcast, constable Chinembiri said any person with information on Mpiranya should immediately contact the Criminal Investigations Department, homicide section (CID-Homicide) or the nearest police station.

Three detectives identified as Maida, Muzenago and Chiremba were said to be working on the case.

Independent verifications with the Zimbabwean Police CID homicide this week proved that indeed Mpiranya was on the run.

In February last year, Belgium said the Zimbabwean government was sheltering the fugitive who was said to be operating businesses in Harare.

Some accounts alleged that the Rwandan solider stayed in Norton a few kilometres outside Harare, after arriving in the country in 2001.

Among Mpiranya’s crimes are allegations that at the start of the genocide he “tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted and killed” Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyi-mana.

The presidential guards, of which he was a member, are also accused of taking into custody 10 Belgian peacekeepers on United Nations duty who had been guarding her house, who were later killed.

He has been charged in absentia with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Additional reporting: financialgazette