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Israel’s civilian air traffic was halted for several minutes on Wednesday morning after an unidentified flying object was spotted inside Israeli air space, Israel’s army radio said.

Air force jets were briefly scrambled and Israeli air space was closed, it said, without saying what caused the scare. The closure was lifted several minutes later.

Closing Israeli air space was an “exceptional” measure which demonstrated the level of tension in Israel after the air force shot down an unidentified and unarmed drone which had entered the country’s airspace on Saturday from the Mediterranean.

Fresh details about the weekend incident emerged on Wednesday with both army radio and the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily saying the air force had only managed to shoot down the drone on the second attempt.

Both reports said that the first missile fired by the F-16 jet missed the drone which was eventually brought by a Panther missile, the military’s most advanced air-to-air projectile.

Senior air force sources quoted by Yediot played down the incident saying it was not unreasonable given the drone’s small size.

“This is not a failure, no other army in the world with Israel’s aerial defence systems could prevent the infiltration of such aircraft.”

The military had no immediate comment on Wednesday’s false alarm, nor did they comment on the report suggesting the F-16 had only downed the drone on a second attempt.

At the time, the military described the operation as a “success” but did not go into details about how the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was intercepted.

Military officials are investigating where the drone came from, with suspicions it was operated by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia.
In July 2006, Israel shot down another unarmed drone operated by Hezbollah over the Jewish state’s territorial waters.

A year earlier, in April 2005, another pilotless Hezbollah aircraft succeeded in overflying part of northern Israel without being downed.

Amnesty International has asked Democratic Republic of Congo to put an end to the fighting in the east of the country where several local and foreign armed groups are committing abuses.

“The DRC government must take urgent steps to stop the violence in the east of the country and hold to account all who have committed human rights abuses, the London-based watchdog said, as the DRC prepares to host a major gathering of Francophone leaders” Amnesty stated.

Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Africa Director told AFP that “Human rights abuses continue unabated and with total impunity,”
“We are urging member states of International Organisation of Francophonie to ensure that the numerous violations of the values and principles stated in the Francophone Charter and the Bamako Declaration are condemned in the strongest possible terms,” He added.

An Amnesty International delegation has recently returned from eastern DRC, where delegates documented cases of rape, summary killings, forced recruitment of civilians including children, looting and illegal taxation by different armed groups.

“The organisation should use all existing mechanisms to ensure that the Congolese authorities fulfil their obligations as a member state of Francophonie.”

Audrey says the leaders of Francophone nations are assembling in a country where there are daily reports of egregious abuses.They cannot ignore the context in which this major summit is taking place.”

“They have a responsibility to engage with the Congolese authorities and demand action to stop the violence and hold perpetrators to account,” said Audrey Gaughran.

Since conflict began between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in April 2012, over 226,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in North Kivu province while about 60,000 have crossed the border to seek refuge in Uganda and Rwanda, the statement said.

Amnesty International says it is also concerned about the increase of ethnic-related violence.

Between May and September 2012, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Nyatura and Raia Mutomboki armed groups in Masisi territory specifically targeted civilians who belonged or who were believed to belong to certain ethnic groups.

“Impunity for breaches of international law has become entrenched in the DRC.”

The Prime Minister Dr.Habumuremyi Pierre Damien October 9, joined the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) in the launch of the Family Campaign in Ruhango.

The 2012 Family Campaign focuses on Sustaining Families through the Promotion of Rwandan Cultural Values.

The annual celebration aims at addressing issues affecting the Rwandan family and promotes the need to build strong families as a solid foundation to national development and stability.

Priority issues for this year include well being of Rwandans, improving relationships among family members and promotion of child rights and positive parenting.

The Prime Minister reminded that the family is the essential, the core for every development, including intellectual and cultural adding that it is the cornerstone for the well being.

“Let’s stand together and fight against conflicts in family that have resulted in death for the past days, home based violence, indiscipline and lack of polite manners from children and other immoral acts” The premier urged.

He warned against drunkenness and drugs among the things which result in most cases as source of family abuse.

The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) calls for applications for funding by the Rwanda Innovation Endowment Fund.

The Rwanda Innovation Endowment Fund is an initiative of the Government of Rwanda in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the ONE UN.

It was established in April 2012 with the vision to transform Rwanda’s currently agriculture based economy to a knowledge based economy by year 2020 and to use science, technology and ICT as a key enabler of this transformation.

The Fund’s initial three funding priority focus areas include, agriculture, information communication technologies, and manufacturing.

Dr. Marie-Christine Gasingirwa, Director-General of Science Technology and Research said, “RIEF will offer entrepreneurs and researchers who have innovative, market oriented products, services, or processes that they want to develop and commercialize, an opportunity to secure funding.”

Applications that demonstrate innovation and marketability, as well as a strong potential to contribute to the economic and social transformation in Rwanda will receive up to $50,000.

Mr. Soteri Gatera, Head of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Development Cluster at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (UNECA SRO/EA) ,

“the fact that Rwanda is among the first African countries to develop such a fund to support its innovators demonstrates its belief that investment in research and development in innovation is a national priority for development.”

The Ministry of Education is working closely with the Private Sector Federation, Business Development Centers, Higher Learning Institutions, Youth Associations, and the media to reach out to potential applicants in Rwanda and Rwandans living in the Diaspora.

The Minister of Local Government, James Musoni, has called on local leaders not to ignore contingencies when planning for their districts.

Musoni made the call at the opening of a weeklong training for Mayors in Gashora, Bugesera district.

Musoni said not planning for contingencies can affect the implementation of other development projects.

The objective of the training is to empower local leaders with skills and capacities to enable them improve their performance and speed up the realisation of the country’s socio-economic transformation.