9/4/09

Andrew Young to Be Honored for Commitment to Africa

America.gov (Washington, DC)

Charles W. Corey

Ambassador Andrew Young will be awarded

a lifetime achievement award at the Corporate Council

on Africa's seventh biennial U.S.-Africa Business

Summit, to be held in Washington September 29 to October 1.

Established in 1993, the Corporate Council

on Africa (CCA) works to strengthen and

facilitate commercial relationships between

the United States and the African continent.

CCA works closely with governments,

multilateral groups and businesses

to improve the African continent's trade

and investment climate, and to raise

the profile of Africa in the U.S. business community.

Beginning in 1981 he served two terms

as mayor of Atlanta, bringing in billions of dollars

in new private investment.

In 1996, he also served as co-chairman of

the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.

Young was appointed by President Bill Clinton

in 1994 to serve as chairman of the $100 million

Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund,

whose objective is to stimulate the creation

and expansion of small and medium-sized

indigenous businesses throughout southern Africa.

The fund was also founded on the initiative

of then-South African President Nelson Mandela.

In his role as fund chairman, Young helped establish

the Eerste River Medical Centre in Cape Town,

alleviating demand on overcrowded hospitals.

ALSO AN AWARD-WINNING

TELEVISION PRODUCER

In June 2009, Young won three Emmy awards

for Andrew Young Presents, a series of

documentaries that appeared in the United States

and in Central and Eastern Africa as well.

One of the Emmy awards was for

"Walking With Guns," which focused on

youth violence.

The documentary also told the inspiring story

of Wheelchair Charities, a New York organization

that helps thousands of paraplegic and

quadriplegic patients,

many of them gunshot victims.

Young's commitment to education and global service

is evident at Georgia State University's

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies,

which was created to carry on the legacy

of Young's ideals through programs

he believes will "level the playing field"

for the world's poor.

The scholars and researchers at the school

operate on the principle that the key

to ending poverty is building strong

national economies.

They, like Young, who occasionally teaches

at the school, work to bring economic well-being

to developing nations in Africa.

The school works in more than 30 countries
around the globe, as well as at home, in the areas
of health care, environment, taxation, aging,
education, child care and diversity.

Programs at the school include the Mandela
Scholars program, a planned student exchange
program between the Andrew Young School
and the University of Pretoria in South Africa,
and an ongoing program on taxation in Russia.

Responding to the CCA announcement,

Young said, "I am most appreciative to the

Corporate Council on Africa for this award.

Since 1993 GoodWorks International

and the Council have partnered to promote

development, investment and trade

on the African continent.

I am looking forward to continuing

to work with CCA in this effort."

CCA will also present a business leadership

award and business excellence awards

in agribusiness, infrastructure,

financing and natural resources.

Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Africa: G20 Finance Ministers Meet to Assess Economic Recovery

America.gov (Washington, DC)

Merle David Kellerhals Jr.

Washington — U.S. Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner says a meeting
of the Group of 20 finance ministers in London
is an opportunity to assess what is working and
what is still needed to pull the global economy
out of one of the deepest recessions in decades.

The Group of 20 finance ministers and

central bank governors are meeting

September 4-5 in London in preparation for

the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, September 24-25.

The G20, which was formed in 1999, includes

19 of the world's largest national economies

and the European Union.

The Pittsburgh Summit is a follow-up to a similar

meeting held in London last April and

an earlier summit held in Washington in November 2008.

Also participating in G20 summits are

the managing director of the International

Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank president,

and the chairmen of the IMF's Financial

Committee and Development Committee.

The G20 countries represent about 90 percent

of the global gross national product and nearly

80 percent of world trade.

They also include two-thirds of the world's population.

"Our emphasis is going to be on trying to make

sure that everyone understands that our basic

imperative is to make sure we have

the foundation in place for a self-sustaining

recovery led by private demand,

and that's going to require more work,"

Geithner told journalists.

In April, finance ministers and central bank governors

reached a consensus on a framework

of international financial reforms,

though making those reforms a reality is based

on legislating at the national level

to make them operational, Geithner said.

This, Geithner said, is a critical part of making

the global financial system more stable and

reducing the risk that in the future another crisis

could occur with a failure of large, individual

financial institutions, which could threaten

the overall stability of the financial system.

"That's not something that we can accept.

And a critical part of preventing that in

the future is to know that the system will require

more conservative, carefully designed,

comprehensive standards for capital and

liquidity management for these

major institutions," he said.

"I think one of the most important things

we've done in this crisis is to bring

the major economies of the world together,

including the major emerging economies like China,

India, and to get the world to commit to

a very aggressive approach to arrest the crisis,"

Geithner told reporters.

President Obama and his administration

are considering a requirement that banks,

especially those deemed too large to fail,

maintain larger capital levels,

but doing so requires an extraordinary

balance of competing regulations and requirements.

"This is of course a critical part -- it's not

the only part, but a critical part -- of making

the financial system more stable in the future

and reducing the risk that we face

in the future," Geithner said.

"This is not something we can

take a long time to do."

He said one critical challenge facing

the G20 economies is developing

an exit strategy.

After a self-sustaining recovery is in place,

the nations will need to reverse and dial back

extraordinary actions taken to end the crisis,

such as the huge stimulus measures taken

by the U.S. government and Federal Reserve

System to protect and strengthen the U.S. economy.

"That is going to require a very careful strategy

of coordination across countries, making sure

that across the monetary policy, fiscal policy

and financial measures we've taken,

we're finding the right balance between -- and

it's a difficult balance," Geithner added.

Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

West Africa: Ecowas Plans Extra-Ordinary Summit in Abuja

Concord Times (Freetown)

Sahr Morris Jr

Freetown — ECOWAS Heads of State and

government are to meet on Saturday, 5th September 2009

in Abuja in an extra-ordinary summit to hold talks

on Niger which has been embroiled in a constitutional crisis.

The summit will consider the report of the

ad-hoc ministerial committee which was set up

by the Mediation and Security Council at

its last meeting on Monday,

August 24, 2009 in Abuja.

Specifically, the ad-hoc ministerial committee

was commissioned to gather all relevant information

that may assist in arriving at an accurate assessment

of the political situation in Niger;

hold consultations with the President of Niger,

government officials, civil society groups,

the media, traditional leaders and other

relevant political stakeholders in the country

as well as draw up a report and a set

of recommendations based on

the observations made during the mission.

The ad-hoc ministerial committee's report

is expected to include the status of political activists

who were detained for their opposition

to the actions of President Mamadou Tandja.

The Mediation and Security has since

called for their release.

The extra-ordinary summit is yet another

effort by ECOWAS leaders to have

the Nigerien authorities to respect the 2001

ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol

on Democracy and Good Governance

as well as the country's Constitution.

Link here

--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Uganda: MP's Want Agriculture Ministry Split

The Monitor (Kampala)

Emmanuel Gyezaho

Lawmakers on Wednesday made a passionate call

for the splitting of the Ministry of Agriculture

to improve efficiency of the government's management

of a sector that employs at least

70 per cent of the country's population.

Mwenge North MP Tom Butiime led the calls

for a splitting of the ministry and argued that

there was evidence to show that

the NRM regime was not committed to transforming

a sector that remains predominantly subsistence.

"There is no focus on agriculture in this country.

Since 1986, there have been eight ministers

of agriculture," said Mr Butiime. "That means

in these last 23 years [of NRM rule] every

two and a half years there's a new minister.

How can you therefore talk of focus?"

Mr Butiime added: "Let this message be

transmitted to the appointing authority: treat Agriculture

as you treat Works, Defence, and Finance.

This is the most important ministry in the country."

Ngora MP Francis Epetait (FDC) threw

his weight behind the idea and said: "The departments

of livestock and fisheries continue to be ignored.

We should have this ministry split."

Uganda's Agriculture Ministry is manned by

four ministers: Ms Hope Mwesigye (Cabinet Minister),

Mr Henry Bagiire (State for Agriculture),

Mr Bright Rwamirama (Animal Industry) and

Mr Fred Mukisa (Fisheries).

Several MPs were critical of the percentage share

of the national budget devoted to the sector,

with calls apparent for increased funding.

The Agriculture budget this financial year stands

at Shs330 billion or 4.1 per cent of the

national budget.

"Neglecting a sector that employs 70 per cent

of the population is irresponsible,"

said Ibanda MP Guma Gumisiriza.

"We must discuss this point very seriously

rather than lament.

We are the ones who apportion money and if

we are serious on our part, we can say no

and call our chairman [President Museveni]," he added.

Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Germany's ThyssenKrupp sees more job cuts after reducing work force by 11,000 in 9 months

By: GEORGE FREY

Associated Press 

 FRANKFURT — German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp AG

said Friday it expects to lay off more workers after

shedding 11,000 jobs in the first nine months of

its fiscal year as it pursues cost-saving plans.

The company, however, stressed that it was

pressing ahead with new plants in the U.S. and Brazil.

ThyssenKrupp, which had 199,000 employees worldwide

at the end of the last fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2008,

has moved to reduce costs as the global downturn

cut sharply into demand for steel.

The Duesseldorf-based company, Germany's biggest

steelmaker, said it still expects further job losses

but declined to say how many.

Most of the cuts so far came outside Germany.

In addition, some 46,000 people have been

affected by shorter working hours as a result

of the economic crisis, 30,000 of them in Germany.

Employers' use of shorter work hours has been

credited with saving thousands of jobs

in Germany over recent months.

CEO Ekkehard Schulz said ThyssenKrupp's supervisory

board decided Friday to implement a new

restructuring program on Oct. 1 that should save

about euro500 million ($710 million) annually

in administrative costs.

Schulz said there would be savings in both fixed

and personnel costs, but did not elaborate.

That comes on top of the company's existing

cost-saving plan, which aims for savings

of more than euro1 billion in the current fiscal year.

Lower demand for machinery and cars in particular

during the downturn forced ThyssenKrupp

to cut its steel production.

The company reiterated it expects a pretax loss

for the full fiscal year "in the upper

three-digit million euro range."

Schulz told a news conference that

ThyssenKrupp's new steel facility near Mobile,

Alabama, would start producing in the spring

of next year at a reduced capacity and

initially would be supplied with

raw material from Germany.

ThyssenKrupp has not specified when

the stainless steel segment of the plant will

start production, and Schulz said managers

recommended that it stick to a flexible startup schedule.

Still, Schulz said that the company sees a

good chance of being the market leader

for stainless steel products in the

North American NAFTA region once

the economic downturn passes.

ThyssenKrupp also plans to start production

in mid-2010 at a new facility in Sepetiba, Brazil,

with a second furnace and converter being

added in 2011.

Schulz said the company could adapt

its plans to future market developments quickly.

He added ThyssenKrupp's board had approved

an increased investment by Brazilian ore producer

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce's in the joint-venture

company with Thyssen that will operate

the Brazilian plant, Companhia Siderurgica do Atlantico.

Vale will raise its stake in the operating company

to 26.8 percent from 10 percent,

an investment of euro965 million.

The step "reinforces the value of our investment

and strengthens our industrial concept," Schulz said.

ThyssenKrupp's shares closed down

about half a percent at euro22.85 ($32.59).

___

On the Net:

http://www.thyssenkrupp.com


Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Rwanda leading the way in jointly tackling TB and HIV

L to R): Dr Jorge Sampaio, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Stop TB, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Dr Anita, Asiimwe, Executive Secretary of the National AIDS Control Comission during a visit to the Centre Medical Social de Kiryogo near Kigali, Rwanda on 1 September 2009. Credit: UNAIDS/L.Rusanganw

Dr Jorge Sampaio, the UN Secretary General's

Special Envoy to Stop TB and UNAIDS Executive

Director Michel Sidibé together witnessed,

first-hand, delivery of integrated HIV and

TB services during a visit to

the Socio-Medical Centre in Biryogo.

"It is gratifying to be at this clinic, which has

intensified TB case finding in people living

with HIV through TB screening and transferring

confirmed cases to a TB clinic.

In addition patients who enrol at the health

centre with tuberculosis are also tested for HIV

and those found to be HIV positive are

given integrated care and support.

It is a programme that reflects Rwanda's

impressive progress nationwide on coordinating

TB and HIV services," said Dr Jorge Sampaio,

the UN Secretary-General's Special

Envoy to Stop TB.

Mr Sidibé highlighted the progress Rwanda

has made in improving the outcome of TB

and HIV co-infection through better collaboration

and the use of innovative diagnostic technology

and underlined the UN's commitment

to effectively tackling the dual epidemics.

"I am pleased to see that Rwanda is leading

Africa and the world in taking an integrated

approach to dealing with the interlinked epidemics

of TB and HIV.

Rwanda's bold leadership is achieving

impressive results that show the rest

of Africa what can be achieved," said

UNAIDS Executive

Director Michel Sidibé

Mr Sidibé emphasize that tackling TB

and HIV jointly is a priority for UNAIDS and,

as stated in the UNAIDS Outcome

Framework 2009-2011, it is one of

the nine key areas for achieving results with

the final goal being that no person living

with HIV should die of TB.

Dr Sampaio and Mr Sidibé proceeded

to another joint visit to Rwanda's National

Reference Laboratory in Kigali,

where they saw evidence of the country's

major investment in laboratory services.

Rwanda has been tackling a

thorny issue -- the difficulty of diagnosing TB

among people living with HIV.

TB diagnosis requires visualization under

a microscope of the bacteria that

cause the disease, obtained via

sputum samples.

Among people living with HIV,

often few bacteria are present in

the sputum and they are therefore

not detectable through conventional diagnosis,

even if the person has serious TB disease.

Consequently the diagnosis is often missed.

The sensitivity of a TB diagnosis can be

improved by incubating the samples

to multiply the TB bacteria; but this process

can take weeks or even months

using conventional methods.

To increase speed and accuracy of

TB diagnosis, fast liquid culture (MGIT) will

be introduced and rolled out soon in Rwanda.

The National Reference Laboratory is also

studying more efficient microscopes and

staining techniques to improve

speed of TB diagnosis.

Since 2004 Rwanda has had the capacity

to test for drug-resistant TB.

The National Reference Laboratory and

the other main laboratories in the country

are also currently developing their capacity

to diagnose cases of XDR-TB (although

none have been detected in Rwanda to date).

Dr Sampaio and Mr Sidibé congratulated

the laboratory staff on their excellent work

and recognized the key role they play

in reducing deaths from TB among

people living with HIV.

They highlighted the need for much greater

investment in strengthening laboratory

services and committed to advocating

for increased investment in research

for a faster, simpler and

more accurate TB test.

Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

9/3/09

Chad: Escaping from the Oil Trap

Africa Briefing N°65

This briefing is currently only available in French.

 

Since 2003 the exploitation of oil has contributed

greatly to the deterioration of governance in Chad

and to a succession of rebellions and political crises.

The financial windfall – in 2007, 53 million barrels

earning the government $1.2 billion – has increased

corruption, stoked domestic dissent and led t

o rebellions supported by neighbouring Sudan.

The revenues have also allowed President Idriss Déby

to reject political dialogue with his opponents and

to respond to the threat from Sudan by overarming

his military forces. The hope aroused by the

discovery of oil has given way to

generalised disenchantment.

To escape this vicious circle and establish

the conditions needed for durable stability,

the government must work to establish a national

consensus on the management of oil revenues.

Its principal external partners – France, the U.S.

and China – must condition their support

for the regime on such a consensus.

Chad's petroleum project was bedevilled by numerous
controversies that almost blocked its realisation.
Beginning in 2000, however, the involvement of
the World Bank allowed the project to move forward.

It was an apparent role model for development,
because the mechanisms for managing oil revenues
seemed to guarantee an effective fight
against poverty. These mechanisms specified
that the revenues were to be dedicated primarily
to improving the lives of Chad's present
and future population.

In 2004, less than a year after the exploitation of

oil began, the closing of the nation's political space

for the benefit of President Déby aggravated

dissension within the Chadian power structure

and increased tension throughout the country.

This situation led to several attempted coup d'état

by close collaborators of the president,

who subsequently joined the rebellion

fighting the government.

Weakened by the armed opposition supported

by Sudan, Déby decided in January 2006

to modify the initial system of management of

oil revenues in order to make

more funds available to buy arms.

In reaction, the World Bank suspended

its programs.

Far from forcing the government to backtrack,

this motivated it to put in place regulations

that removed any oversight by the bank

of the management of oil revenues.

The rivalry among Western countries and China

over Chad's petroleum resources has limited

the bank's room to manoeuvre.

The increase in oil prices in 2007 generated

enough resources for the regime to undertake

large public works projects.

Advertised as a way to modernise the country

through oil revenues, these projects led

in 2008 to a budget deficit that is likely

to persist.

Moreover, the opaque awarding of public

works contracts increased cronyism

and corruption.

The government also gradually reduced

the role of the committee that had been

established to involve civil society in the management

of oil revenues, the Committee of Control

and Supervision of Oil Revenues

(CCSRP in French).

By changing the membership of the CCSRP

in 2008, the government limited its ability

to control the use of the revenues.

In sum, oil has become a means for the regime

to strengthen its armed forces, reward its cronies

and co-opt members of the political class.

This has further limited political space for

the opposition and helped keep the country

in a state of political paralysis that has

stoked the antagonism between the regime

and its opponents.

As a result, there is recurrent political instability

that is likely to ruin all efforts to use oil

for the benefit of the country and

its enduring stability.

For the people who have not seen their lives

improve and who are subjected to

increased corruption, oil is far from a blessing.

Given the current situation, the following

measures should be taken to extricate

Chad and its external partners from the petroleum trap:

  • The government should include the question of
  • how to use oil revenues in the domestic dialogue
  • started under the accord of 13 August 2007.
  • It should organise a round table including
  • the political opposition, civil society
  • and representatives of the oil-producing regions.
  • The principal recommendations of the
  • round table should be included
  • in the follow-up mechanisms for the accord.

  • The government should strengthen internal
  • control and oversight mechanisms of oil revenues.
  • The CCSRP's regulations should be revised
  • to stipulate that its members will meet full time,
  • like other independent state bodies,
  • such as the Supreme Court or
  • High Council for Communication.
  • This change is needed to improve
  • the CCSRP's efficiency and
  • technical proficiency.

  • The ethics and justice ministries should
  • systematically apply its recommendations
  • and investigate problems it brings to light.

  • The government should regularise its procedures,
  • so that the great majority of government
  • contracts are let on the basis
  • of competitive bids and not by bilateral agreement.
  • Such a change is indispensable for fighting
  • corruption and for eliminating the opaque
  • awarding of contracts as a source
  • of unjustified enrichment.
  • There should also be an audit of the
  • various public works now being built.

  • The government should ensure an improvement
  • in the technical abilities of civil servants.
  • Petroleum revenues should be used
  • to establish a program supported
  • by civil society to train them
  • on a continuing and regular basis.

  • To replace the International Consultative
  • Group (GIC in French), whose mandate
  • expired in June 2009, an independent,
  • multidisciplinary body composed of
  • representatives of Chadian and international
  • civil society should be created and receive
  • financial support from the World Bank.
  • Its role would be to undertake studies,
  • make recommendations and
  • give technical support to the CCSRP.

  • France, the U.S. and China should collectively
  • support an inclusive Chadian national
  • dialogue in order to create the conditions
  • likely to lead to enduring stability.
  • They should make their support for
  • Déby contingent on the proposed
  • reforms and measures cited above.
  • The three countries, but in particular
  • China, which is present in both the Chadian
  • and Sudanese oil sectors, should also
  • weigh in more heavily in favour of stabilising
  • relations between N'Djamena and
  • Khartoum and of halting support by each country
  • for rebels in the other country
Link here

--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Japan wants to create his energy into space

  AFP / HO
Satellites, as here, the Japanese module "Ibuki",
which measures the effect of greenhouse
gas emissions, already use solar energy.


The Ministry of Economy of Japan announced on
Tuesday 1 September, a group of sixteen companies,
including trucks and Mitsubishi Electric Ihi, participating
for four years in an ambitious research program
aimed to create a powerhouse in space.
 
The research group is responsible for developing
a technology to transmit electricity without wires,
in the form of microwaves.
If the results are satisfactory, Japan plans to put
into orbit a satellite test, covered with solar panels,
which generate one gigawatt of electricity,
enough to power about 300 000 households.

The budget of the operation amounted
to 21 billion dollars.

Outside the atmosphere, which filters a
significant portion of solar radiation, solar panels
have an efficiency much higher than that obtained
on the ground.
They are not dependent on weather conditions.
On several occasions, NASA was also interested
in generating electricity in space,
without any project to succeed.

Le Monde.fr


AFP/HO
Les satellites, comme ici le module japonais "Ibuki",
qui mesure l'effet des gaz à effet de serre,
utilisent déjà l'énergie solaire.

Le Japon veut créer son énergie dans l'espace

Le ministère de l'économie japonais a annoncé,

mardi 1er septembre, qu'un groupe de seize entreprises,

dont les poids lourds Mitsubishi Electric et Ihi,

participeront durant quatre ans à un ambitieux

programme de recherche ayant pour objectif

de créer une centrale électrique dans l'espace.

Le groupe de recherche est chargé de développer
une technologie permettant de transmettre
de l'électricité sans câbles, sous la forme
de micro-ondes.
Si les résultats sont satisfaisants, le Japon
projette de mettre en orbite un satellite de test,
couvert de panneaux solaires, qui générerait
un gigawatt d'électricité, soit de quoi alimenter
près de 300 000 foyers.

Le budget de l'opération s'élève
à 21 milliards de dollars.

Hors de l'atmosphère terrestre, qui filtre

une partie importante du rayonnement solaire,

les panneaux photovoltaïque ont un rendement

bien supérieur à celui obtenu au sol.

Ils ne sont pas non plus tributaires

des conditions climatiques.

A plusieurs reprises, la NASA s'est également

intéressée à la production d'électricité

dans l'espace, sans

qu'aucun projet aboutisse.



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

9/2/09

SAfrica urges review of white refugee case

(AFP)

CAPE TOWN — South Africa will seek a review of

a decision granting one of its white citizens asylum

in Canada, which the ruling party has said is racist,

the deputy foreign minister told parliament Thursday.

Sue van der Merwe said the decision to grant

refugee status to someone on the basis that

he was persecuted by blacks "shows a lack

of familiarisation with the facts and reality

of South African society."

"While we have incredibly good bilateral relations

with the Canadian government we will be pursuing

this matter and following diplomatic procedure

in order to express with the Canadian government

our views on this matter."

A decision by Canada's immigration board

to grant the Cape Town born Brandon Huntley,

31, refugee status has caused

a race debate in South Africa.

Huntley told The Star newspaper Wednesday

that he had won asylum because he fears that

he could face violent persecution for being white,

a claim the ruling African National Congress (ANC)

dismissed as "sensational".

"We find the claim by Huntley to have been attacked

seven times by Africans due his skin colour...

sensational and alarming," the ANC said

in a statement.

"Canada's reasoning for granting Huntley

a refugee status can only serve

to perpetuate racism," it added.

Huntley claims he was attacked seven times,

including three stabbings, by blacks who

called him a "white dog" and a "settler"

during attempted robberies and muggings.

But he said he never reported the crimes

to police, nor had he approached

the government about the attacks.

"I refuse to talk to the government,"

he told the paper.

He refused to discuss the details of his case,

saying he feared his family still living

in South Africa could face reprisals,

but claimed he had highlighted the problems

of modern South Africa.

"I've opened people's eyes," Huntley

told The Star.

Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board

said privacy laws prevented them

from commenting on the case.

"We cannot comment on refugee claims.

This type of claim is heard in private,"

spokesman Stephane Malepart told AFP.

South Africa's main Jewish group also

raised concerns about the decision, pointing out

that all South Africans suffer from

the nation's alarming crime rate,

with an average of 50 murders a day.

"If anything black South Africans are more

vulnerable to crime due to the sad historical

reality of higher poverty levels

in their communities," said Zev Krengel,

head of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.

Link here

--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

8/31/09

CALIFORNIA, thousands of evacuees face the fire

Los Angeles, le 30 août (Reuters)

The fire continues to spread north of Los Angeles,
threatening thousands of homes and
key infrastructures of communication.

Two firefighters died fighting against the flames.

Fierce wildfires continued to spread, Monday,
August 31, north of Los Angeles.
A thick cloud of smoke was visible Monday
morning over the Angeles National Forest,
north of a densely populated area
about thirty miles north of Los Angeles.

The fires have intensified since last Sunday
and the fire "extending from all sides,"
authorities said.
The fire was controlled within 5%.

Thousands of evacuees

Nearly 10,000 people were evacuated
to the threat of flames.
About 18 buildings were destroyed and
the fires still threatened more
than 10,000 homes and 2,500 other buildings,
including 500 commercial buildings.

The residential areas of La Canada Flintridge,
La Crescenta and Glendale, where some
neighborhoods have been evacuated
in recent days, seemed out of danger
Sunday night and hundreds of people
were able to return home.

One home threatened the communications
center at Mount Wilson that the dissemination
of the main television channels in Los Angeles,
two thirds of FM radios and radio transmissions
of several police and firefighters.

The fire also threatened at this place
a solar observatory centenarian who was
long the largest telescope in the world,
and has led to major discoveries in astronomy.

Two firefighters killed

Two firefighters were killed Sunday after
their vehicle as they fought the fire that
has raged Wednesday in northern Los Angeles,
California (west), officials said Monday, August 31.
The vehicle the two victims, who were part
of the Fire Service of Los Angeles County,
left the road for an unknown reason
and crashed down below, south of
the town of Acton, about fifty miles north
of Los Angeles,
said Mike Bryant, a spokesman for the firefighters.

The two firefighters, whose identity and age
were not disclosed, died while conducting
"an intense battle against the flames," he added.

17,000 hectares destroyed

Some 2,500 firefighters were battling against
the flames while helicopters carrying water and
a DC-10 aircraft took turns on the ground,
and a thick smoke, visible for miles,
flooded the sky of Los Angeles and
the valleys San Fernando and
San Bernardino, north of the megalopolis.

The flames have already destroyed over
34,000 hectares of vegetation and
firefighters expect to see the influence
of fire doubled overnight.

Sunday night, 18 houses had been destroyed,
mostly in the Angeles Forest.
Two of the three wounded were evacuated
Saturday returned home.
The third was still hospitalized in stable condition.

Since the start of the fire,
four firefighters were also injured.

2,000 homes destroyed in 2007

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
on Sunday visited the fire scene to oversee
operations and ensure that California had
"the resources for that heroic men
and women who fight fires
have the necessary means."

The governor's office said nine other fires
were burning in California this weekend,
raising nearly 6,500 firefighters.
Sunday, Arnold Schwarzenegger declared
a state of emergency in Placer County,
also hit by fire.
The state of emergency was declared Friday
in the counties of Los Angeles
and Monterey, and Saturday in the Mariposa.

California is frequently engulfed in flames.
In 2007, she suffered the worst fires
in its history: 640,000 people were evacuated
and 2,000 homes destroyed.

(Nouvelobs.com with AFP)

Des milliers de personnes évacuées face aux incendies

Le feu continue de s'étendre au nord

de Los Angeles, menaçant plusieurs milliers

d'habitations ainsi que des infrastructures

clefs de communication.

Deux pompiers sont morts en luttant contre les flammes.

 

Un épais nuage de fumée était visible ce lundi matin
au-dessus de la forêt nationale d'Angeles,
au nord d'une zone densément peuplée à
une trentaine de kilomètres au nord de Los Angeles.
Les incendies ont redoublé depuis dimanche
et le feu "s'étend de tous les côtés",
ont indiqué les autorités.
L'incendie n'était maîtrisé qu'à 5%.

Des milliers de personnes évacuées


Près de 10.000 personnes ont dû être évacuées
face à la menace des flammes.
Environ 18 bâtiments ont été détruits
et les feux menaçaient toujours plus
de 10.000 maisons et 2.500 autres édifices,
dont 500 bâtiments commerciaux.
Les zones résidentielles de La Canada Flintridge,
La Crescenta et Glendale, dont certains quartiers
avaient dû être évacués ces derniers jours,
semblaient hors de danger dimanche soir,
et plusieurs centaines de personnes
avaient pu regagner leur domicile.

Un des foyers menaçait le centre de transmissions
du Mont Wilson qui assure la diffusion
des principales chaînes de télévision de Los Angeles,
de deux tiers des radios FM
et les transmissions radio de plusieurs
services de police et de pompiers.

L'incendie menaçait également à cet endroit
un observatoire solaire centenaire qui fut longtemps
le plus grand télescope au monde,
et qui a permis des découvertes majeures en astronomie.

Deux pompiers tués


Deux pompiers ont été tués dimanche dans
leur véhicule alors qu'ils combattaient le feu
qui fait rage depuis mercredi au nord
de Los Angeles (Californie, ouest),
ont annoncé les autorités lundi 31 août.

Le véhicule
des deux victimes, qui faisaient
partie du corps des pompiers du comté
de Los Angeles, a quitté la route
pour une raison encore inconnue et
s'est écrasé en contrebas, au sud
de la ville d'Acton, à une cinquantaine
de kilomètres au nord de Los Angeles,
a déclaré Mike Bryant, un porte-parole des pompiers.

Les deux pompiers, dont l'identité et l'âge
n'ont pas été révélés, sont morts alors
qu'ils menaient "un intense combat
contre les flammes", a-t-il ajouté.

17.000 hectares détruits


Quelque 2.500 pompiers se battaient
contre les flammes, alors que les hélicoptères
porteurs d'eau et un avion DC-10 se relayaient
sur le terrain, et qu'une épaisse fumée,
visible à des kilomètres, envahissait le ciel
de Los Angeles et les vallées de San Fernando
et San Bernardino, au nord de la mégalopole.

Les flammes ont déjà détruit plus de
34.000 hectares de végétation et les pompiers
s'attendaient à voir l'emprise de l'incendie
doubler pendant la nuit.
Dimanche soir, 18 maisons avaient été détruites,
la plupart dans la forêt d'Angeles.
Deux des trois blessés évacués samedi avaient
regagné leur domicile.
Le troisième était toujours hospitalisé,
dans un état stable.

Depuis le début de l'incendie,
quatre pompiers
ont également été blessés.

2000 habitations détruites en 2007


Le gouverneur de Californie Arnold Schwarzenegger
s'est rendu dimanche sur les lieux de l'incendie
pour superviser les opérations et a assuré
que la Californie avait "les ressources pour
que les hommes et femmes héroïques
qui combattent les incendies
disposent des moyens nécessaires".

Le bureau du gouverneur a précisé que
neuf autres incendies frappaient la Californie
ce week-end, mobilisant près
de 6.500 pompiers.

Dimanche, Arnold Schwarzenegger a déclaré
l'état d'urgence dans le comté de Placer,
également frappé par les incendies.
L'état d'urgence avait été déclaré vendredi
dans les comtés de Los Angeles et Monterey,
et samedi dans celui de Mariposa.

La Californie est fréquemment la proie des flammes.
En 2007, elle a subi les pires incendies
de son histoire: 640.000 habitants avaient
été évacués et 2.000 habitations détruites.

(Nouvelobs.com avec AFP)

Link here

--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Urgent: LooseLips Needs An Editor!

 Dear Readers,


I hope you are all doing well. My apologies

for the long LooseLips hiatus.

As you know, as of the last issue,

we were looking for a replacement editor.

Although we found one,

she has unfortunately discovered

that her internet connection

(outside Kigali) is not up to the job.

So, we are back to square one!

LooseLips needs a new editor*!

This is a volunteer position,

requiring 2-3 hours every two weeks

plus checking of the accounts

in between to respond to urgent emails.

If you are interested, please reply

to looselipsinRwanda@gmail.com

or kigalinewsletter@gmail.com.

*Please note: if we are unable to find

a new editor, LooseLips - sadly! - will

be discontinued. Although Kigali Life

has served a similar function

for the community, at last check

it had a membership of around

300 whereas LooseLips has

a membership of nearly 1,000!

This is a better advertising service

if you need to get the word out

to a lot of people!!

Don't let it die!

Thanks,
The LooseLips Editor




--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Congo: Norwegians face death sentence

The two Norwegians on trial for alleged murder

and espionage in the Democratic Republic of

Congo on Friday heard the councel

for the prosecution ask for a death sentence

times five for the two.

He had earlier demanded a total of US$ 500 billion

in damages from the Norwegian state.

The two, Tjostolv Moland (28) and Joshua French (27),

were detained and jailed in DR Congo earlier

this summer, charged with killing

their driver/translator on May 5th.

Later they were also charged with espionage

for Norway, and for arms smuggling.

The two Norwegians both deny the accusations,

saying the driver was shot in an ambush

by a group of guerillas while driving through

the jungle, while they themselves

were able to escape.

According to reports, the two say they were

in the process of setting up a private

security company in the region.

A verdict is expected sometime next week.

(NRK)

Rolleiv Solholm

Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66

Johannesburg launches new buses in World Cup build up

 South Africa rolled out out a new rapid bus
network Sunday in its largest city Johannesburg
ahead of next year's Football World Cup,
seeking to shore up its image as a safe destination.

The gleaming red and blue Bus Rapid

Transit (BRT) stations finished in steel and glass

already dot the city and the red and blue buses

are a far cry from the dilapidated mini-buses

that are known for deadly accidents.

"I am looking forward to the system at least

it is safe.

When you take a taxi (mini bus) you never know

if you will reach your destination alive,"

said Teresa Chalatsi from Johannesburg's

famed Soweto township after her first ride.

"This is much faster, cheaper and reliable,

I will be using it from now on."

The BRT service was launched in downtown

Johannesburg despite fierce opposition

from private mini-bus operators,

who had threatened violent protests.

"I was scared at first to come here because

were told by ...

there will be violence but I saw other people

come so I joined.

This is going to save me a lot of money

because I spend more than half of my salary

on transport," Maria Sebegoe a maid, said.

A bus ride from Soweto to central Johannesburg

costs only three rand (.38 dollars/.27 euros)

in the rapid bus system,

a third lower than the rate in private minibuses.

The coaches can carry up to 90 people,

stopping at stations half a kilometre apart.

Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele said

the BRT was "a victory for the transport industry,

the people of South Africa and

the 2010 FIFA World Cup".

The launch for months to ease concerns

of mini-bus operators, who are known

for bloody turf wars and who had threatened

to stage protests to bring Johannesburg

to a grinding halt.

South Africa has one of the world's highest

crime rates and is struggling to clean up its

record before hosting the Football World Cup next year

Link here



--
             J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm:    (250) (0) 78-847-0205 (Mtn Rwanda)
Gsm:    (250) (0) 75-079-9819 (Rwandatel)
Home:  (250) (0) 25-510-4140
    P.O. Box 3867
  Kigali - RWANDA
    East AFRICA
jlkayisa@yahoo.com
http://facebook.com/kayisa
Blog: http://cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID: kayisa66