12/26/09

Internet mobile : appelez-moi Bouygues Bing Telecom

 La filiale mobile du groupe Bouygues
propose à ses clients une première
 version mobile sur-mesure
du moteur Bing.com
de Microsoft en français.

Publié sur ITespresso.fr
par  Philippe Guerrier
 
Bouygues Telecom poursuit
son partenariat stratégique avec
Microsoft en intégrant
Bing.com dans son portail mobile.

Après avoir proposé MSN Search à
ses dix millions de clients
via Internet mobile, Bouygues Telecom
intègre désormais le nouvel outil
de recherche de Microsoft.

La firme de Redmond avait
inauguré Bing.com sur le Web
dans le courant du
printemps 2009.

C'est la première version mobile
de Bing.com que l'on voit
apparaître en France.

Microsoft a développé
une version spécifique de
son moteur pour l'opérateur basée
sur la technologie de Bing Mobile.

Elle agrège des résultats
des recherches entre le portail mobile
de Bouygues Telecom,
le moteur Gallery et le Web.

La filiale mobile de Bouygues Telecom
a toujours entretenu des relations
particulières avec Microsoft
dans le cadre de
déploiement de
services Internet mobile.

Ainsi, dès juin 2006, l'opérateur avait
adopté en premier la version mobile
de Windows Live Messenger
(messagerie instantanée),
un produit qui
avait démarré fort à l'époque.

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Link here

--
J-L K

12/25/09

Kenya widow opens arms to abandoned child

Agnes Awori already had 11 children to care for
when she decided to take in a newborn baby
left in a plastic bag on a railway track
near her home last year.
She named him Moses.
(Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times)


Living in a Nairobi slum, she adds
a newborn found in a plastic bag
to her brood of four children
and seven orphans.
The problem of abandoned infants
is significant in Africa, activists say.

      Follow Robyn Dixon on Facebook


Agnes Awori is hurrying to the market,
early afternoon.

She sees a cluster of perhaps
two dozen people on the railway track.

Probably the usual thing,
she thinks: someone killed by a train.

The 53-year-old widow, who lives
in the Kibera slum outside Nairobi,
doesn't have time to waste: She has
11 children to support -- four of her own,
the rest her dead sister's.

But she can't resist the twinge
of curiosity tugging her to the tracks.

Turns out it isn't a body,
just a plastic shopping bag.

It's been lying there
at least four hours, someone tells her.

It moves.

"It was a human being," Awori says.

"He was just dumped there,
with his umbilical cord.
He was naked, as he'd just been born."

Awori's heart sings. She will save this baby.

As she gently picks him up and
cuddles him, the women in the crowd
laugh at her. She carries him away,
a stream of ridicule
and laughter pealing in her ears.

"Some said, 'Don't you have work to do?'

Others said, 'You can't leave
your work for that.

You can just sell that child for 10 shillings.'

"I didn't care," she says.

"It hurts my heart to see
a human being thrown away."

She calls the baby Moses.

Child abandonment is disturbingly
common in urban townships
and slums in many cities across Africa.

One of Awori's neighbors rescued
a baby girl from a pit latrine.

Awori says unwanted infants
are often dumped in the river
next to the slum.

Many of the babies don't survive.

There are no statistics on
child abandonment in Kenya
or South Africa: Some infant corpses
are probably never found.

But anecdotal evidence
from charities involved
in child rescue suggests it is common.

"It doesn't happen sometimes.
It happens a lot," says
Tahiyya Hassim of New BeginningZ,
a child rescue charity she set up
eight years ago in Pretoria,
South Africa, after
 a car accident left her
wondering what she had
contributed during her life.

In March 2008, Hassim established
an anonymous drop-off point
in Pretoria called the Wall of Hope
where mothers could
abandon babies without repercussions.

"Before I put the wall, it was a case
of the police phoning me
on a weekly basis, saying,

'We have found another
dead baby in a dustbin or
a park or a toilet,' " Hassim says.

Since then, 17 babies have
been abandoned at the wall.

The number of dead infants found
in the area by police has declined,
says Hassim, who has interviewed
many young women about
why they left children to die.

"They are often so desperate
they don't have any alternative,"
she says.

"A lot of the girls we spoke to
said how horrible the treatment
was that they got from
social workers at state clinics.

The social workers tell them,
'You made the baby, now deal with it.'

"Often girls have been raped
by relatives like brothers or fathers."

She recently created a second
drop-off point, but faces opposition
from the government's Department
of Social Development,
responsible for child welfare,
which told her she was
encouraging women
to abandon their children.

"We are just trying to prevent
children from dying in the street,"
Hassim says.

Sixteen months after she rescued
the baby on the train tracks,
Awori sits in her one-room shack.

She rocks constantly,
Moses dozing peacefully in her arms.

Thirteen people live behind
the red curtain in the doorway
of Awori's shack.

Moses is the youngest.
The oldest child is 15.

The room is divided in two
by a blue drape.

Behind it lies the bed where
the widow sleeps with
the smaller children.

The bigger ones
sleep with her neighbors.

A rusted bicycle frame is
suspended under the roof,
holding a bundle of firewood
for cooking.

In one corner, she has pinned
some cardboard religious
paintings, like a shrine.

A daughter, Elizabeth, cuts
Swiss chard into thin strips
for sale at their vegetable stall.

They have fewer customers
since election violence in
late 2007 and early 2008,
many of their best ones
having moved away.

Awori relies on credit from
shopkeepers to feed the family.

She makes about 200 shillings
(about $2.65) a day and
has accumulated about
10,000 shillings (about $132)
in rent and food debts
in the last two years.
She keeps sinking further into debt.

"I am just praying that
God will open his
own way for me," she says.

Awori says that when
her children get older, she'll
work hard and repay
the shopkeepers and
landlord, in installments.

"I'm happy in my life,"
she says, still rocking Moses.

"I'll bring him up well,
like these other orphans.
Everyone has
their own talents in life."

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Link here

--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda

12/24/09

The Top Five Natural Gas Companies to Watch

By Kent Moors, Ph.D., Contributing Writer,
Money Morning

I've briefed Wall Street before.
This time, however, the 57th floor conference room
is packed.
Some heavy hitters invited me
to explain why natural gas is the upcoming energy play.

By the size of the crowd, it seems the word is getting around.

The last time interest was this high, natural gas
contracts on the New York Mercantile
Exchange (NYMEX) were racing past $14 and
the dominant players were making a fortune.

We're about to see them try it again.
Exxon Mobil Corp.'s (NYSE: XOM) recent acquisition
of shale gas producer XTO Energy Inc. (NYSE: XTO),
for example, is only the first
of several moves we're about
to see as the sector shakes itself out again.

This time, however, average investors
can move early and reap the benefits.
 
In a matter of days, gas contracts
have jumped more than 25%, approaching $6.

That's sparked an interest in production.
But there's a supply glut right now, so prices
can't go much higher.

Not in the near term, anyway.
And that means the largest producers
won't necessarily provide the heftiest returns.

For investors, the real money's in
operationally efficient companies, like the ones
I'm about to show you.

They boast prime field locations, too.
And they keep extraction costs low.

In the long term, of course,
the fundamentals for natural gas
are spectacular.

Demand Will Be Higher Than Analysts Expect

The Department of Energy projects a 15% rise in U.S.
demand over the next two decades.

But it will be higher than that. More power production
from gas generation (instead of coal)
and widening industrial applications
should push the increase closer to 20% to 22%.

It gets better, though.

Unlike crude oil, we have enough
gas reserves to cover all of our needs
for at least the next century.

And natural gas demand is
increasing much faster in
other parts of the world.

That gives U.S. producers
of liquefied natural gas
more export potential.

So how can investors
profit from natural gas now?

Here's what I told the fund managers
and high-net-worth analysts in New York…

    * U.S. demand is returning and natural gas
is becoming the fuel of choice.
But a tighter market means cheaper production
will be nudging more
expensive operations out of the picture.

    * Smaller producers - ones that can provide
constant volume at cheaper rates - will be
the smart investment moves. Lean, hungry,
niche operations are the ones who will make money.
  
 * Unconventional production, especially shale gas,
is providing more volume at lower prices
than fast-maturing free-standing gas fields.

    * Pipeline developments in the U.S. will be
leveling off major regional price differences
and improving the bottom line
prospects of well-focused companies.

Now, people who attend my Wall Street briefings
are usually making seven figures or more a year.

These "market gurus" are supposed to be
on top of the movers and make the correct calls.

But that's usually not the case, especially
in the energy market. That's why they call me in.

(It doesn't hurt, of course, that my data banks regularly
follow 523 publically traded North American oil
and gas producers, along with hundreds
of overseas service providers and companies.

As the energy sector heats up,
several new ones are added each week.)

But while I'm quite content to invoice
the Wall Street gaggle for my services,
I never give these overpriced prima donnas
investment advice.

They serve merely to drive
the current herd mentality in the Big Apple,
often adding to the problems.

They also burn out too quickly,
replaced by another crew of
even younger, less-experienced hot shots.

How young?

One of them actually rode into
my briefing on a skateboard!

These guys are not the real driving force
in the market.

That role is occupied by
millions of individual investors - the real
soul of the free market.

That's why I making my recommendations
here, for people like you...

The Top 5 Natural Gas Companies

Applying the four points above, these are
the top five natural gas producers to watch.

They have all moved up sharply
in recent trading and are
primed for further advances:

    * Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK):
Up 16%, December 8-18.

    * Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN): Up 9%.

    * EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: EOG): Up 8.5%.

    * Newfield Exploration Co. (NYSE: NFX): Up 19%.

    * Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC): Up 18%.

All of these companies are focused.
They're well managed. They have efficient,
cost-effective operations.

They're well located. And they're
of moderate size.

They also share another
interesting characteristic: They're all
primarily shale gas producers.

Devon and EOG are leaders in
the Barnett Shale (Texas), Newfield
in the Woodford Shale (Oklahoma),
Range in the Marcellus, where Chesapeake,
already a major shale gas producer
in the southwestern U.S.,
is now the largest lease holder.

And there are other producers
coming up right behind them.

As the Exxon acquisition of XTO indicates,
majors are looking to add companies
having developed shale gas production.

That will put the aforementioned
five in play as M&A targets.

[Editor's Note : Dr. Kent Moors, now
a regular contributor to Money Morning,
is the executive managing partner
of Risk Management Associates International LLP,
a full-service global management consulting
and executive training firm.

He is an internationally recognized expert
in global risk management, oil/natural gas policy
and finance, cross-border capital flows,
emerging market economic
and fiscal development, political,
financial and market risk assessment,
as well as new techniques
in energy risk management.

Dr. Moors has been an advisor to
the highest levels of the U.S., Russian, Kazakh,
Bahamian, Iraqi and Kurdish governments,
to the governors of several U.S. states
and the premiers of two Canadian provinces,
a consultant to private companies,
financial institutions and law firms
in 25 countries and has appeared
more than 1,400 times as
a featured television and
radio commentator in North America,
Europe and Russia.

He has appeared on ABC, BBC, Bloomberg TV,
CBS, CNN, NBC,Russian RTV,
and regularly on Fox Business Network.]
 

Link here

--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda

United, we stand

May the good Lord guide you safely
to Rwanda and Congo, so that, together
with the great people of those Nations,
you can help in building our region
into one Region.

"The Great Lakes Basin"

Which should be made up of almost
every variety of the human family.

Where there should be as before
God and the Law

No Muganda, no Acholi,
no Munyamulenge, no Muluba
no Mututsi, no Muhutu, no Muhima
no Mwiru, no Catholic, no Moslem,
no Protestant, no Pagan, no Rich,
no Poor, no Black, no White

But

One great people equal Rights
and
common Destiny
for all in the Region

May the Lord give you the unashamed courage
to believe in the highest and best ideals
of our People and enough
passionate patience to make them come true

With my Love and Prayers


Moses Kiwe Sebunya

Ambassador

--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda

Sandralina

Nigeria offers volunteers for health sector

Permanent Secretaries Eugene Munyakayanza (R)
and Agnes Binagwaho( L)
sharing a light moment with Nigeria's Ambassador to Rwanda,
Fidelis Ayogu (C) yesterday. (Photo J Mbanda
)

BY JAMES KARUHANGA

KIGALI - The Nigerian government through its
Health Technical Support Progamme,
Technical Aid Corps (TAC) will send
to Rwanda 63 medical experts
to work as volunteers in Rwanda.

The first batch of 32 medical experts was
received yesterday by officials from
the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs.

The Nurses and Doctors are part of
Nigeria's Technical Aid Corps (TAC),
a volunteering programme set up
by the Nigerian government in 1987.

The last batch of 31 medics is expected
in country in January and the group
hopes to windup its tour of duty in 2011.

Speaking during the occasion to receive them,
Nigeria's Ambassador to Rwanda
with residence in Kampala, Fidelis Ayogu
underscored his country's commitment
to assist fellow African nations.

"We are now saying that the best thing
for us is to go Africa, professionals are scarce
in all countries, even in the US.

We don't have them in abundance
but we have to sacrifice.

They will be here for two years and,
it's a government to government affair,"
Ayogu said.

While welcoming the group to Rwanda,
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health,
 Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, noted that
the earlier group of medical volunteers
from Nigeria had been exemplary,
and guaranteed them utmost hospitality.

"Let me assure you Mr. High Commissioner
that they were perfect ambassadors,
not only perfect ambassadors for Nigeria
but perfect ambassadors for Africa,
and perfect ambassadors
for the health sector," Binagwaho said.

Nigerian Nurses and Doctors
first started volunteering
in Rwanda, in 2000.

Binagwaho said that this year,
government wants the team to focus
on the education sector,
especially training Rwandan nurses.

Funded by the Nigerian government,
TAC currently operates
in 20 African
and Caribbean Pacific countries.

Link here

Ends



--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda

Queen welcomes Rwanda to C’wealth

BY EDMUND KAGIRE

KIGALI - The Queen of England,
Her Majesty Elizabeth II,
who is the head of the Commonwealth,
has congratulated Rwanda upon
its admission into the grouping
that comprises mainly former British colonies.

In a congratulatory message to
President Paul Kagame and
the people of Rwanda,
Queen Elizabeth said that Rwanda
has made significant progress
in the last 15 years, and
the admission to the Commonwealth
is reflection of what
the Rwandan people
have achieved during this period.

"I send the people of Rwanda congratulations
on the occasion of their accession
to the Commonwealth
.

Rwanda has made much progress since
the terrible events of 1994, and
its accession to the Commonwealth
is an indication of this
."

"Both Rwanda and the Commonwealth
will gain greatly from
this new relationship, and I welcome
Rwanda as the 54th Member State
."
the Queen's message reads.

Rwanda was unanimously admitted into
the Commonwealth as a 54th Member
on the 29th of November by
the Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
held in Trinidad and Tobago.

Following an assessment by
the Commonwealth Secretariat, Rwanda's admission
merited on grounds of having
good democratic processes such
as free and fair elections,
the rule of law and
independence of the judiciary.

Rwanda was equally commended
for good governance, protection
of human rights, freedom of
expression and having
a transparent system in place.

Rwanda's was backed by some
of the prominent members of the group
including Britain, Australia, Canada,
India, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya,
Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago.

Rwanda became the second member
of the commonwealth without
any historical British colonial links
after Mozambique.

The Commonwealth accounts for
a population of more than
two billion and $2.8 trillion in annual trade.

Its main focus is promoting trade,
education and good governance
among its member countries.

Ends

Link here

--
J-L K

12/23/09

MTN Uganda goes to court over interconnection rates

IDG News Service

 Edris Kisambira, The Industry Standard
 
 
Uganda's largest mobile telephone operator,
Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN) has taken
the industry regulator, Uganda Communications
Commission (UCC), to court over plans
to fix interconnection rates.

In April this year, the UCC announced that
it would come in to regulate interconnection fees
that players in the mobile telecom sector pay
when they carry each other's call traffic.

A fixed interconnection rate is
international practice, which
the Ugandan market had yet to adopt.

Today, every one of the five players in
the Uganda market charges
a high interconnection fee to maximize profit.

In the suit, which was filed at
the Kampala High Court, MTN wants
a declaration that UCC has
no legal authority to fix
telephone interconnection rates
among telephone operators.

MTN Uganda wants a permanent injunction
restraining the management of UCC
from fixing the interconnection rates.

MTN claims that on Dec. 7, the UCC fixed
telephone interconnection rates at
US$ 0.066 for mobile and fixed termination
near end; $0.063 for fixed termination far end;
$0.013 for transit; $0.007 for SMS termination;
and wholesale leased line charges
 at a retail rate of less 20 percent.

"By law fixing telephone interconnection rates
between telephone operators is a matter
of negotiations and agreement and
as such UCC's decision shall have effect
of re-writing the said agreement contrary
to the law and public policy,"
the complaint reads in part.

The move to regulate interconnection charges
was informed by a consultation study
on interconnection, retail costs and pricing
that was undertaken by
PricewaterhouseCoopers London
on behalf of the UCC early in the year.

New mobile competitors coming into
the Uganda market have in the past
been critical of the existing policy
of leaving the issue of interconnection
to the players themselves.

The new interconnection regime aims
to provide users with the widest
possible choices of quality service
at the most competitive prices
and gives policy makers and regulators
opportunities to foster and
enhance universal service/access initiatives.

It also requires network operators
and service providers to perform
their competitive/complementary activities
in an orderly manner and
with due regard to public interest.

Link here

--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda

Gov’t acquires 67 modern ambulances

Prime Minister Bernard Makuza testing one
of the Ambulances Yesterday. (Photo/ J .Mbanda)


BY EDWIN MUSONI


KIGALI - Government yesterday unveiled 67
state-of-the-art ambulances that will
be distributed in all district hospitals across the country.

The ambulances were yesterday unveiled by
the Prime Minister Bernard Makuza in
a function held at the Amahoro National Stadium
where the vans are currently parked awaiting distribution.

Speaking at the function, the Premier said
that the government spent over Rwf 2billion
in purchasing the ambulances.

"There was urgent need for the ambulances and
their arrival will ensure an additional support
to our health sector," said Makuza.

With the already existing ambulances,
each district hospital will now have
at least three ambulances but government
plans are to equip each district hospital
with at least five ambulances.

Makuza told directors of district hospitals to ensure
maintenance and proper handling of
the ambulances and warned that
whoever mishandles the vans will be punished.

The Minister of Health Dr. Richard Sezibera said
that the ministry intends to install
tracking devices within the ambulances
to monitor their locations.

"The software will have the capacity
to freeze the vans whenever it
is parked in illegal places," said Sezibera.

The new ambulances have basic life support systems,
installed oxygen system,
one 4 - wheeled multi- level
ambulance cot with retaining straps.

Ends

Link here






--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda

12/22/09

Never Again by East African Artists

Juliana Kanyomozi with Nabikoowa on UGPulse.com Ugandan Music

Donor budget support increases by 20 percent


Finance Minister John Rwangombwa greets the Head of
Development Cooperation in the German Embassy
and other Development partners after the meeting.
(Photo/ J. Mbanda)


KIGALI - Development partners yesterday hailed government

for maintaining a steady economic growth path and

announced a 21 percent increase in their support

to the country's budget in the 2010/11 fiscal year.

Speaking on behalf of seven development partners after

signing a $335.4 budget support package

for next fiscal year, Dr. Heike Henn, Head of

Development Cooperation at the Germany Embassy

said that the commitment made was a result

of positive development Rwanda had registered.

"The year 2009 has been a year of successful

collaboration between the Government of Rwanda

and the Budget Support Development Partners.

We comment the government for the progress

we have seen throughout the year," he said.

"We have seen Macro-economic stability despite

the difficult environment.

We are seeing good progress regarding

EDPRS implementation for example in

health and education," Henn said

at the ceremony held at MINICOFIN.

She noted that the estimated growth figures

of 2009 and a strong performance of

the agriculture sector "are encouraging"

especially when the world is

facing economic hardships.

Within the new pledged support, the World Bank

contributed $91m, European Commission $80.5m,

United Kingdom $63.1m, African Development Bank

$27.6m, Germany $15.2m, Netherlands $14.4m

and Belgium $4.3m.

Most of the funding will be front-loaded

in the first two quarters of the 2010/11 Financial Year.

Rwanda will also receive additional funding

of $39.3m through Joint Financing Mechanisms,

bringing the total amount to $335.4

from development partners.

The commitment received yesterday means

that the government can now fully programme

all budget support contributions into

the National budget in due time

for the next fiscal year.

The commitment comes five weeks after

conclusion of the Joint Budget Support Review

held in November where development partners

and the government made an overall assessment

in of implementation of EDPRS programs

during the 2009/10 Fiscal year.

The partners also announced their commitment

to fund the 2011/12 and 2012/13

fiscal year budget.

"Budget support directly translates into public spending

on priority areas for economic development

and poverty reduction.

It makes up a significant share of the overall budget

and without it, the implementation of

the EDPRS would be impossible," Henn said.

Finance Minister John Rwangombwa commended

development partners and pledged

to ensure aid effectiveness and accountability.

"Budget support is an aid modality based

on deep mutual trust and depends

on development partner's confidence

in the country's systems," the Minister said.

"By their presence and the pledges made today,

our budget support partners signal that

they believe in the government overall

development plan with the ultimate aim

of reducing and eventually

eradicating poverty," Rwangombwa said.

He noted that the 21 percent increase

in the commitment is a sign of confidence

from the development partners and

Rwandans-assuring the partners that 'every penny'

received goes towards improving

the lives of all Rwandans.

Ends


link here
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