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[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:05:09 | null | 2016-08-21T13:03:20 | This picture was found in the Echo archive among a number dated January 25, 2001, but unlike many of the others in the batch it had no details written on it at all. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fhaverhill-echo-archive-photo-1-7528973.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7528972.1471349024!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill Echo archive photo | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | This picture was found in the Echo archive among a number dated January 25, 2001, but unlike many of the others in the batch it had no details written on it at all.
It is clearly taken next to a residential area, but where that is and why this group of people, who are presumably live in the houses in the background, have gone out into the snow to stand and be photographed is not clear.
If you can provide any information for this photo - perhaps you are in it - then please email steve.barton@haverhillecho.com. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/haverhill-echo-archive-photo-1-7528973 | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/987813bcaa47edf66eda06f1fb581022071d45d1b1a0453ed1dde93386681660.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-28T08:49:53 | null | 2016-08-28T09:15:26 | The 545, a brand new band showcase, is taking place at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on Friday, September 2. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Flocal-bands-take-centre-stage-in-bury-st-edmunds-1-7531439.json | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/local-bands-take-centre-stage-in-bury-st-edmunds-1-7531439 | en | null | Local bands take centre stage in Bury St Edmunds | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | The 545, a brand new band showcase, is taking place at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on Friday, September 2.
It features five of the area’s most exciting up-and- coming bands and will also celebrate the launch of the 2017 BurySOUND music competition.
Winners of BurySOUND 2016, Suburban Minds play anthemic indie-rock with soulful lyrics, layered guitars and huge drums. They have a new single ‘Leave It There’ available now.
Siah also participated in BurySOUND 2016. This local four-piece pop/punk band have recently signed to R*E*P*E*A*T Records.
Gaffa Tape Sandy are an exciting three piece punk band from Bury St Edmunds and their debut single ‘Smart Dressed Guy’ has just been released.
Hailing from Cambridge, The Abstracts are a four-piece Indie/Rock outfit with an EP available: ‘All Roads Lead To Everywhere’.
The Staycations have been garnering support from the likes of Huw Stephens from BBC Radio 1, while CLASH Magazine declared: “They make the sort of chiming indie pop that summer was invented for.”
Application forms for BurySOUND 2017 will be available on the night.
The first band starts at 7pm. Tickets are £5.
For more information, or to book, callthe box office on 01284 758000, or visit www.theapex.co.uk. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/local-bands-take-centre-stage-in-bury-st-edmunds-1-7531439 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/767fe2595be44d34e3db154b7edbf3cd090829fac5ef62a09cc41cce52d7d6f8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:44 | null | 2016-08-19T11:56:41 | Neighbours have described hearing terrible screams and seeing a dog being dragged from the house in a dog attack which has claimed the life of three-year-old Dexter Neal in Halstead. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fhalstead-dog-attack-neighbours-describe-sorrow-at-three-year-old-s-death-after-witnessing-tragic-scenes-1-7535139.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7535132.1471612735!/image/image.jpg | en | null | HALSTEAD DOG ATTACK: Neighbours describe sorrow at three-year-old’s death after witnessing tragic scenes | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Neighbours have described hearing terrible screams and seeing a dog being dragged from the house in a dog attack which has claimed the life of three-year-old Dexter Neal in Halstead.
Phyllis Younger, 82, who lives on Parker Way where the dog attack took place, said: “I heard screaming and thought maybe it was children having some fun and then I thought it is quite a lot of screaming.
Dexter Neal, 3, died after being attacked by a dog. ANL-160819-141222001
“I wondered if it was teenagers having a fight.
“Then it went quiet and after 10 minutes the police turned up and people were in the street.
“I was awake in the middle of the night, and all I could think about was those screams.
“I can’t believe something like that happened in the road. I didn’t know the couple, they only moved here recently.”
The scene at a house in Halstead Essex where a 3 year old boy was killed by a dog.See Masons copy MNBITE: The boy who died after being bitten by a dog was three-years-old, police have confirmed. He was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, Cambs., where he died from his injuries. An Essex Police spokesman said: "The boy, who is aged 3, was taken to hospital where he sadly died from his injuries. . ANL-160819-114850001
Lisa Smith, 43, who lives opposite, said: “The family were very private, they had not been here long.
“They kept themselves to themselves. The dad I would see coming and going but the others I would not recognise if I passed them.
“We are always out in the back garden and I have children.
“I just feel really sorry for them. I didn’t ever see a dog there.
Police forensics at a house in Halsted where a 3 year old boy was killed by a dog. See Masons copy MNBITE: The boy who died after being bitten by a dog was three-years-old, police have confirmed. He was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, Cambs., where he died from his injuries. An Essex Police spokesman said: "The boy, who is aged 3, was taken to hospital where he sadly died from his injuries. . ANL-160819-114732001
“It’s just awful.”
Scott Howell, 19, who called the police after realising what had happened, said: “They have only had the dog about a week because we heard it barking.
“It was a very big dog with short white fur. It looked like a pitbull.
“I heard this terrible screaming and thought it was kids playing in the garden, but then I thought this is going on a bit too long.
The scene at a house in Halstead Essex where a 3 year old boy was killed by a dog. See Masons copy MNBITE: The boy who died after being bitten by a dog was three-years-old, police have confirmed. He was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, Cambs., where he died from his injuries. An Essex Police spokesman said: "The boy, who is aged 3, was taken to hospital where he sadly died from his injuries. . ANL-160819-114747001
“I went to my parents’ bedroom window facing the house and that is when I saw the man dragging the dog out.”
“That is when I thought I need to call the police. As I was describing what was happening to the police I saw a woman come out of the house and she was holding a child in her arms.
“She quickly went back in the house. I could hear the man counting ‘one two three four’ like they were doing CPR.”
“The whole while the woman was crying her eyes out sitting in front of the house.”
He said the couple who lived in the house had been there for about a year.
Another neighbour, who didn’t wish to be named, said: “My first knowledge of it was seeing the air ambulance trying to land then when I went to the kitchen a short while after, they were running up Parker Way.
“I didn’t see much other than the paramedics trying to resuscitate him. It is all so very tragic and sad for all concerned.
“I could see the paramedics resuscitating him in the front garden of the property but they were behind a blanket screen.
“It was then I realised it was a more serious incident.”
Meanwhile, a man who lives close by, said he saw a woman run to a local shop following the attack to pick up a defibrillator - a machine that delivers an electric current to heart.
The man, who didn’t wish to be named, said the woman was shouting that the boy was not breathing.
He added: “Later on the air ambulance landed on the field at the back. Every one came out to see what was going on.
“Two paramedics came through with the child. They screamed for everyone to get out of the way.
“They were doing CPR as they were moving him. Sadly it was too late.
“They covered him with a blanket. It wasn’t a sight I wanted to see anyway.” | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/halstead-dog-attack-neighbours-describe-sorrow-at-three-year-old-s-death-after-witnessing-tragic-scenes-1-7535139 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/0e63faca5499abc6af340d16eddbb474ab4c48d5d014be2be942f73a3640f90f.json |
[
"Zach Ward",
"Zach.Ward Dissexpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-30T12:50:12 | null | 2016-08-30T12:18:27 | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be attending this Sunday’s Burston Strike School Rally, it has been confirmed. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Flabour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-set-to-attend-burston-strike-school-rally-1-7550494.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7550493.1472555887!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn set to attend Burston Strike School Rally | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be attending this Sunday’s Burston Strike School Rally, it has been confirmed.
Mr Corbyn, MP for Islington North, will replace Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who was due to appear at the annual event, which commemorates the longest-running strike in history.
Jeremy Corbyn is a lifelong supporter of the Burston Strike School, and his presence at the rally last year gave the attendance a significant boost
A regular in recent years, his increased profile last year while competing to become Labour leader saw the rally’s attendance in 2015 swell to 3,000, and is a late addition to this year’s event.
A spokesperson for the rally said: “The organisers of the Strike School Rally unfortunately have to report that the shadow chancellor John McDonnell MP will no longer be one of the speakers at the event this year.
“John is a hugely popular figure and many people will be greatly disappointed to hear that he will not be in attendance.
“Jeremy Corbyn is a lifelong supporter of the Burston Strike School, and his presence at the rally last year gave the attendance a significant boost.”
The day’s proceedings will kick off 10.45am, with a number of bands, poets, and speakers set to attend.
Musical entertainment on the day will be provided by Steve White and the Protest Family, Red Flags, the NASUWT Brass Band, and the Banner Theatre 1st May Band, while performance poet Attilla the Stockbroker is due to perform, as well as renowned poet, humourist and musician John Hegley.
Suffolk Punches will also lead the march around the ‘candlestick’, which follows the route of the children’s original demonstration.
For more information visit www.burstonstrikeschool.co.uk | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/labour-leader-jeremy-corbyn-set-to-attend-burston-strike-school-rally-1-7550494 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/7dae58422c1a2c988b4178e88b0bcfde60342ab3725cffc16a665ceeb209c7f6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:44 | null | 2016-08-26T09:36:17 | A man a who burgled a workshop at Clare and attempted to commit a second break-in nearby has been jailed. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fjail-term-for-clare-burglary-culprit-1-7545616.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7546362.1472215252!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Jail term for Clare burglary culprit | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | A man a who burgled a workshop at Clare and attempted to commit a second break-in nearby has been jailed.
Police were able to link Marc Nicholls, 34, to the burglary in Stoke Road after discovering traces of his DNA on a screwdriver abandoned at the scene.
Prosecuting, Richard Wood, yesterday told Ipswich Crown Court that Nicholls had stolen a generator after breaking into Wayne Clerkin Motor Repairs on the evening of February 25.
On the same evening Nicholls had attempted to raid an outbuilding at Clare Park Lake and Golf Course but was disturbed by the owners and fled empty handed, said Mr Wood.
Nicholls, of Hawke Road, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to two burglaries, one charge of theft and one charge of attempted burglary.
He had been due to stand trial but changed his pleas to guilty before a jury had been sworn in.
The court heard that Nicholls DNA was also found on a pickaxe used to smash open a door at the Fakeover beauty salon on the Station Road Industrial Estate at Elmswell in February and on a discarded cigarette at Woodbridge where a £800 outboard motor was stolen.
Jailing him for a total of 20 months, Mr Recorder Ian Evans said that with a string of previous convictions, including 58 for theft and burglary, an immediate prison sentence was the only realistic option open to the court. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/jail-term-for-clare-burglary-culprit-1-7545616 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/91694da8c2235633a4bcaca1862353c2bd18b420b76e7c3b16fefea096b58b40.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T12:50:10 | null | 2016-08-30T12:23:08 | One of Norfolk and Suffolk’s Assistant Chief Constables has said that she can “no longer make a difference” or “support frontline.” | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fcrime%2Fassistant-chief-constable-says-she-can-no-longer-make-a-difference-to-a-police-force-in-which-my-values-no-longer-fit-1-7550505.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7550504.1472557162!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Assistant Chief Constable says she can “no longer make a difference” to a police force in which “my values no longer fit” | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | One of Norfolk and Suffolk’s Assistant Chief Constables has said that she can “no longer make a difference” or “support frontline.”
ACC Sarah Hamlin took to twitter this morning, Tuesday August 30, to say that after 30 years on the force she is retiring after becoming “resigned to the fact that my values no longer fit the org. I can’t make a difference, support frontline.”
She added: “And so I wish colleagues & friends all the best. Let’s hope #policing can recover & that officers & staff welfare is prioritised.”
She said she is now looking forward to spending time with family and friends. Playing golf and kayaking.
Police forces across the country have faced repeated budget cuts in recent years with many senior officers voicing concerns that the ‘Thin Blue Line’ has become too thin.
More on this story shortly. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/crime/assistant-chief-constable-says-she-can-no-longer-make-a-difference-to-a-police-force-in-which-my-values-no-longer-fit-1-7550505 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/eecf60be0fb832dc99614337611934d484df2a26d12ce706fd0d626ef4816b19.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:09 | null | 2016-08-26T11:41:50 | It is only to be expected for a bank holiday weekend, but the Met Office has today issued a heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fwarning-of-up-to-50mm-of-bank-holiday-rain-across-the-east-1-7546004.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7546003.1472208465!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Warning of up to 50mm of bank holiday rain across the east | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | It is only to be expected for a bank holiday weekend, but the Met Office has today issued a heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday.
The yellow ‘be aware’ warning is valid from 11am on Saturday to 9am on Sunday for all the eastern and central counties though the Met Office says ‘ there remains a lot of uncertainty in where the heaviest and most prolonged thundery showers will occur’.
The heaviest showers could bring 25mm to 50mm in the worst hit areas.
The warning says: “Thundery showers are likely to move northwards into some southern parts of England during Saturday morning, becoming more widespread and heavy over central UK through the course of Saturday and overnight into Sunday morning.
“Please be aware of the risk of local disruption to transport and outdoor activities. In particular, be aware of the potential for some spray and standing water on roads, and the possibility of road closures.”
The rain is expected to move away east on Sunday morning.
For the latest details visit www.metoffice.gov.uk
For live flood alerts and warnings visit https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk
It is the second year running that the east has been subject to heavy rain warnings on August Bank Holiday weekend. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/warning-of-up-to-50mm-of-bank-holiday-rain-across-the-east-1-7546004 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/f229a6ce3d92918509fdee74437483084d827c8ff3c8ff0a4fec8acd4ebf4e37.json |
[
"Russell Claydon",
"Russell.Claydon Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T12:52:14 | null | 2016-08-22T10:37:36 | Halstead Town overcame the odds to beat a side two divisions higher than them in the FA Cup on Saturday but while Soham Town Rangers also progressed, Bury Town and Long Melford both went out. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Fweekend-football-round-up-mid-week-fixtures-halstead-town-provide-fa-cup-shock-1-7537692.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7537690.1471858645!/image/image.jpg | en | null | WEEKEND FOOTBALL ROUND-UP + MID-WEEK FIXTURES: Halstead Town provide FA Cup shock | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Halstead Town overcame the odds to beat a side two divisions higher than them in the FA Cup on Saturday but while Soham Town Rangers also progressed, Bury Town and Long Melford both went out.
Thurlow Nunn League First Division outfit Halstead pulled off one of the results of the day in the Emirates FA Cup preliminary round on Saturday, coming away from Ryman League Division One North side Thurrock with a 3-2 victory.
Tom Cook’s stunning long-range curling effort gave The Humbugs an early lead before they were in dreamland at 2-0 up inside 15 minutes when Joe O’Hare’s effort from effort from near the halfway line caught the wind and sailed in.
Halstead managed to hold out until half-time and extended their lead to three when, against the run of play, substitute Charlie Pleace nodded in Jordan Hutching’s cross.
The visitors’ defence was finally breached in the 70th minute when Pete Davies put through his own net, and after some great goalkeeping from Joe Fowler, it was not until five minutes from time that Thurrock got it back to 3-2, but Halstead held out for a memorable victory.
The north Essex side’s reward is a derby date at Ryman Premier AFC Sudbury in the first qualifying round a week on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the FA Cup, Soham Town Rangers recorded their first win of the season to seal their progress with a 4-1 home victory over Harrowby United.
Robbie Mason gave the hosts a 1-0 half-time lead with a 13th minute strike before a 56th minute equaliser was soon cancelled out by second-half goals from Kieran Bailey, Billy Harris and Jordan Gent. Soham will travel to Rushall Olympic in the next round.
Bury Town’s 2016/17 FA Cup ended at the first hurdle at Ram Meadow though, losing 3-0 to Spalding United.
The hosts had been the dominant side in the first half but lost both Ollie Canfer (head injury) and Josh Mayhew (hamstring) before the break.
In the second half they conceded three unanswered goals, with Bradley Wells striking twice as well as Andrew Wright’s 85th effort.
Long Melford also exited the competition after being well beaten in a 2-0 defeat at Stoneylands by fellow Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division side Saffron Walden Town, who they had beaten at the same venue just five days earlier.
In the Ryman League Premier Division, newly-promoted AFC Sudbury are up to fourth after the opening three games following their 1-0 win at Merstham, which was sealed when Liam Wales scored the game’s only goal in the 86th minute.
Needham Market, in eigth, continued their unbeaten start with their first three point haul, winning 2-1 at Kingstonian thanks to coming from behind with second-half goals from summer signings Jack Curtis and Reece Dobson.
In the Thurlow Nunn League, Mildenhall Town continue to be the early pacesetters in the Premier Division after recording their fourth straight victory, winning 5-1 at Fakenham Town on Saturday.
Jacob Brown, Matthew Green, Stephen Spriggs, Daniel Brown and Ross Munro were all on target for The Hall.
In the First Division there were first wins for Debebham LC and Cornard United, while Needham Market Reserves were thrashed 12-2 at league newboys Coggeshall Town.
In the Sky Bet Championship the East Anglian Derby ended honours even at Portman Road as Ipswich Town came from behind with Jonas Knudsen’s strike in first-half injury-time following Cameron Jerome’s opener for Norwich City.
RESULTS:
RYMAN LEAGUE
Premier Division: Kingstonian 1 Needham Market 2, Merstham 0 AFC Sudbury 1.
EMIRATES FA CUP
Preliminary round: Bury Town 0 Spalding Utd 3, Soham Town Rangers 4 Harrowby Utd 1, Thurrock 2 Halstead Town 3.
THURLOW NUNN LEAGUE
Premier Division: Fakenham Town 1 Mildenhall Town 5, Haverhill Rovers 2 Walsham le Willows 3, Hadleigh Utd 0 Ely City 1,
First Division: AFC Sudbury 4 Team Bury 0, Dereham Town 1 Debenham LC 2, Diss Town 2 Braintree Town 1, Leiston 1 Cornard Utd 4, Needham Market 2 Coggeshall Town 12, Stowmarket Town 2 Haverhill Borough 2.
MID WEEK FIXTURES
RYMAN LEAGUE
Premier Division: Tuesday. AFC Sudbury v Wingate & Finchley, Needham Market v Canvey Island.
THURLOW NUNN LEAGUE
Premier Division: Tuesday. Haverhill Rovers v Long Melford, Newmarket Town v Thetford Town.
First Division: Tuesday. Braintree Town v Stowmarket Town.
Wednesday. Cornard Utd v Coggeshall Town.
Friday. Needham Market v Leiston. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/football/weekend-football-round-up-mid-week-fixtures-halstead-town-provide-fa-cup-shock-1-7537692 | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/b5e2937273c651642d396d0c2e832e40a707afaaa1b2fc6fd1d77780ef2304a2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:27 | null | 2016-08-25T10:00:00 | A mum of three from Haverhill is shaving off her hair to raise money Macmillan Cancer Support after her dad underwent treatment for cancer. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fhaverhill-mum-to-shave-off-her-hair-after-dad-s-cancer-battle-1-7540198.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7540197.1471963289!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill mum to shave off her hair after dad’s cancer battle | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | A mum of three from Haverhill is shaving off her hair to raise money Macmillan Cancer Support after her dad underwent treatment for cancer.
Jacqueline Ager, 47, of Cambridge Close, was inspired to shave off her locks on Father’s Day after realising how lucky she was that her dad Roy had made it through after nine years of cancer treatment.
She will be saying goodbye to her tresses on Sunday afternoon at the live music event at the Queens Head.
She said: “It’s been a tough few years because once my dad would beat the cancer the doctors would then find it had spread to somewhere else. However he has kept fighting all this time and we are incredibly grateful that he is still here with us.”
He hair will be donated to the LIttle Princess Trust. To support her see www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jacqueline-Ager | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/haverhill-mum-to-shave-off-her-hair-after-dad-s-cancer-battle-1-7540198 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/826a652ae93f0001d80975740caed981c103bd44e1e794ba8f763715e77c5217.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:05:30 | null | 2016-08-19T15:04:31 | A trio of students will be busking, running a bake sale and entertaining residents in three Haverhill care homes in the next week as part of a youth skills project that also raises money for charity. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fhaverhill-students-head-out-to-entertain-while-raising-money-for-charity-1-7535640.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7535639.1471615461!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill students head out to entertain while raising money for charity | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | A trio of students will be busking, running a bake sale and entertaining residents in three Haverhill care homes in the next week as part of a youth skills project that also raises money for charity.
The three 17-year-olds, Sam Biederman, Irna Bridle and Nidhuna Sabu, all from the Haverhill area, are participating in NCS – the national citizen service, a four week long government funded program for young people aged 15–17.
The program aims to build life skills, learn employability skills and make a positive change within your local community.
Using these acquired skills participants must create a social action project, whereby they must plan, fund-raise and carry out the project they have designed.
The trio’s project will target the youth and the older generation, while raising money for the YMCA.
On Saturday, August 20 they will be travelling to Cambridge to busk in order to raise money for the charity.
Following this, on Wednesday, August 24 and Thursday 25 between 11am and 1pm outside the Haverhill Library in Camps Road they will be running a bake sale and children’s book donation giveaway.
Children will be able to donate their books to pass along to others or to the YMCA charity, alongside picking up a new book for free or in return for a donation with all proceeds going to YMCA.
This work aims to offer young children the inspiration from literature and encourage reading.
The trio will then be going into three care homes, Cleves Place, The Meadows and Cambridge Care Home, on August 24, 25 and 26 to serve teas, coffees and cakes and play board games before Irna gives a ukulele and voice performance. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/haverhill-students-head-out-to-entertain-while-raising-money-for-charity-1-7535640 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/2e5bf4549465e70c587de575731df433476870073c7e884e26217483e819801e.json |
[
"Damien Lucas",
"Damien.Lucas Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:10:37 | null | 2016-08-20T06:00:00 | Video game escapism in its purest form. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Flifestyle-leisure%2Fconsole-corner-no-man-s-sky-review-1-7528920.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7528918.1471347532!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Console Corner: No Man’s Sky review | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Video game escapism in its purest form.
No Man’s Sky in undeniably a work of art, but have you got time to look around the whole gallery?
No Man’s Sky launched last week after much hype and billed as quite literally the biggest video game ever made.
The self-perpetuating game, which promises to be potentially endless, was four years in the making by a tiny team in game production terms. And you can tell as it will instantly take your breath away.
Make no mistake there has never been anything like this before. As you fly ever deeper into the universe, new planets and solar systems roll silently into view – some will have been seen before, others discovered for the very first time. And you have 18 quintillion of them to choose from...
Each has its own set of flora, fauna and inhabitants. By exploring, players gain information about the planets that they can submit to The Atlas, a universal database that can be shared with other players of the game and for which they are rewarded in currency each time.
Each planet is a work of art you could spend hours studying, analysing and dissecting. These works of art are housed in an endless gallery and for art connoisseurs it will be Manna from heaven.
However, most people’s playing time will be finite.... unless you’re at university and can afford to miss the odd class here and there to squeeze in just one more exploration of a peculiar alien planet.
And that is where one of the game’s key sticking points comes in. As much as No Man’s Sky takes us to Infinity and leaves us wondering what waits beyond, there is also an almost irresistible itch which you can’t scratch because you can never truly “complete” this game in the traditional sense.
But that is very much a personal take on NMS, many people might enjoy jumping on for a couple of hours here and there, discovering lots of different things and logging it to the Atlas, if anything it could be cathartic but many people like a beginning, a middle and an end to their games.
No Mans Sky is undeniably a work of art
The care, thought, time and brilliance that has gone into this utterly original video game is mindblowing and deserves to be experienced by PlayStation gamers.
It is the purest form of video game escapism we have ever seen and should be celebrated as such.
But it will more likely go down as a cult classic than the blockbuster success it’s craft deserves. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/lifestyle-leisure/console-corner-no-man-s-sky-review-1-7528920 | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/4c5288a187d8e19284c21bda791b9a3e232398ce19fe118907c772a1c15d1f22.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:11:06 | null | 2016-08-11T14:41:06 | Sudbury Dramatic Society have had cancel their November Quay Theatre production of Heartbreak House due to unforeseen circumstances. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Fopen-auditions-for-new-sudbury-dramatic-society-play-1-7511885.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7511882.1470318157!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Open auditions for new Sudbury Dramatic Society play | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Sudbury Dramatic Society have had cancel their November Quay Theatre production of Heartbreak House due to unforeseen circumstances.
However, SDS director Belinda Hasler will be directing Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, originally scheduled for March 2017, from the November 1 to 5 at The Quay.
Belinda is looking for a cast of two men and three women and will be holding Open Auditions for Gaslight at The Quay Theatre on Monday, August 15 at 7.30pm.
Rehearsals will start very soon after the play is cast.
Gaslight is a classic Victorian thriller which was first produced in 1938. Jack Manningham is slowly, deliberately driving his wife, Bella, insane.
Help arrives in the form of a former detective, Rough, who believes Manningham to be a thief and murderer.
Aided by Bella, Rough proves Manningham’s true identity and finally Bella achieves a few moments of sweet revenge.
As well as the main parts there are parts for a flirty Maid with a spring her step who lightens the sombre mood of the play, and the smaller part of the motherly housekeeper worried about her mistress.
Anyone interested is welcome to audition but on being cast will be required to join Sudbury Dramatic Society.
Scripts are available from the Quay Box Office for short term loan along with more details about the audition pieces. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/open-auditions-for-new-sudbury-dramatic-society-play-1-7511885 | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/05fa85088921f914f5f2cf5991ad4ff68771d8b23928e51dbbd59ffde9ee2751.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:10 | null | 2016-08-26T13:27:52 | Haverhill Cricket Club’s bid to avoid relegation from Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship Division One was boosted at the weekend with a 10-run victory at Coggeshall. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fcricket%2Fvital-victory-a-massive-boost-for-survival-bid-1-7543944.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7543943.1472128103!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Vital victory a massive boost for survival bid | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Haverhill Cricket Club’s bid to avoid relegation from Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship Division One was boosted at the weekend with a 10-run victory at Coggeshall.
Chris Palmer hit 67 and David Humphrey 56 as Haverhill scored 237 for the loss of five wickets.
Palmer took three wickets for 25 as Coggeshall were dismissed for 227, Haverhill collecting 20 points from the game.
Haverhill are now sixth from bottom, 30 points clear of second-bottom Hadleigh, with three games left.
Haverhill are home to Worlington on Saturday. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/vital-victory-a-massive-boost-for-survival-bid-1-7543944 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/ff526ee2c09db8661c0206e8ba76f5e2eef2d927fa38ea5da3199fbd12404f9f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:08 | null | 2016-08-13T09:00:00 | Little Wratting’s Lucy Holder admits she is still on cloud nine after helping England Under-18 Girls to bag a bronze medal at the EuroHockey U18 Championships in Ireland, writes Russell Claydon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fother-sport%2Fholder-plays-her-part-as-england-u18-win-bronze-1-7522371.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7522368.1470918318!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Holder plays her part as England U18 win bronze | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Little Wratting’s Lucy Holder admits she is still on cloud nine after helping England Under-18 Girls to bag a bronze medal at the EuroHockey U18 Championships in Ireland, writes Russell Claydon.
Holder made up for lost time, having missed out on being picked for the championships last year, playing from the start in the three pool B matches before the semi-final and third-place play-off in Cork at the end of last month.
England began with a 3-0 victory over Ireland before suffering a painful 6-1 defeat to Germany.
But they bounced back with a 4-2 victory over Russia to progress to the semi-final with powerhouses Netherlands, who won 3-0.
There was a nail-biting third-place play-off with Belgium where their opponents equalised late on to send the match into a penalty shootout, with England holding their nerve to emerge 3-2 victors.
On winning a medal, Holder said: “It felt such a relief as we had been working so hard all year round.
“I was in the U18s squad last year but I did not get selected (for the Euros) so it meant so much for me.
“It was an unbelievable feeling and one I will remember forever.”
Her parents Tim and Helen Holder travelled over to Cork to cheer on the 18-year-old, who was playing for Cambridge City last season but is off to university in Birmingham ahead of the new campaign.
The former Culford School pupil said, despite the defeat, the Holland game, aside from Belgium, was their standout display.
“Even though we lost the other highlight was Holland,” she said.
“They are the best there is and we played the best we have ever played and were really unfortunate to lose 3-0.” | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/other-sport/holder-plays-her-part-as-england-u18-win-bronze-1-7522371 | en | 2016-08-13T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/d5473cb916b096392d93c2a91adeb9ed4a6b44b6a1e53cc34e7f6e02aba5ca5c.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:01:35 | null | 2016-08-17T10:55:30 | Haverhill Rovers goalless draw at Hadleigh United last night (Tuesday) means they have remained undefeated in their first three games of the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Fdraws-maintain-haverhill-rovers-unbeaten-start-1-7530539.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7530538.1471427723!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Draws maintain Haverhill Rovers unbeaten start | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Haverhill Rovers goalless draw at Hadleigh United last night (Tuesday) means they have remained undefeated in their first three games of the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division.
The stalemate followed Rovers’ 1-1 draw at Gorleston Saturday, in which they fell behind to a Liam Brown goal after eight minutes, but just 12 minutes later Danny Hill capitalised on an error by home ‘keeper George Parkin to lay the ball on for Ben Bradley to fire home his first goal in a Rovers shirt.
In a game of few chances at Hadleigh, the nearest either side came to breaking the deadlock came in added time when the host’s full-back Dan Knight hit a 20-yard shot which struck the crossbar with Rovers ‘keeper Charlie Turner beaten.
The two draws mean Ben Cowling’s side now have five points from their first three league games ahead of home matches on Saturday against Walsham-le-Willows (3pm) and on Tuesday against Long Melford (7.45pm). | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/football/draws-maintain-haverhill-rovers-unbeaten-start-1-7530539 | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/a8d2ef20b916d7f2f8ba2c4ca76d2c70235e14ac1d53171836c33c1df3a2a559.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T12:59:36 | null | 2016-08-18T08:30:31 | Having created history at Haverhill Cricket Club, Anthony Phillips is remaining focused on helping them retain their Division One status for 2017. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fcricket%2Fhaverhill-should-be-looking-up-not-down-1-7530701.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7530700.1471432105!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill should be ‘looking up, not down’ | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Having created history at Haverhill Cricket Club, Anthony Phillips is remaining focused on helping them retain their Division One status for 2017.
With regular captain Adam Dellar on holiday, the 21-year-old skippered the side for the first time in their 70 run defeat to Braintree on Saturday.
The result may have been disappointing for Phillips, but he achieved a club milestone in taking a hat-trick, something never before pulled off by someone on debut as skipper in a Division One match - probably in any match.
In fact, in Haverhill’s five seasons in the top division of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship only once to our knowledge has a player completed a hat-trick - Raj Singh doing so in July 2011 during a one wicket victory over Exning.
The hat-trick though, could not overshadow the disappointment of the defeat, which leaves Haverhill fourth from bottom and 27 points ahead of Hadleigh, who are one off the foot of the table, with just four games to play.
Off spinner Phillips said: “Personal achievements come second when it comes to team competitions and matches like that. That was a must-win game for us.
“I really wanted to do it (captain the side). It was an honour to lead out the boys in Division One as I’ve been there since I was a kid and these are the kind of things you live for.”
Haverhill head to Coggeshall on Saturday (1pm) knowing that a victory could well secure their place in the division - although various permutations could result in three teams instead of two being relegated, should the Division One champions not win their play-off for promotion and a Suffolk or Essex side drop out of the East Anglian Premier League.
The importance of the trip to Coggeshall is not lost on Phillips, who will pass the captaincy role back to Dellar, who returns to the side, while middle-order batsman Jamie Boulton and opening bowler Will Bailey are also back in the side after missing the Braintree defeat.
Phillips said: “We are not taking our foot off the gas, by no means, but if we get another win I would think we are safe.
They (Coggeshall) are 18 points ahead of us. It will be a very tight game and definitely a winnable game.
“I think we have got the ability to stay up. Hadleigh are 27 points behind us. They’ve got to win two games to overtake us without us taking many bonus points.
“I am pretty confident. I don’t think we should be looking down, I think we should be looking up.”
Having been moved up to open the batting this year, Phillips’ personal form with the willow has been a revelation.
He has so far scored 491 runs at an average of 32.73, with four half centuries and three other scores of 40 or above and is currently 14th on the aggregate run scoring list - four of the top five are overseas players.
In his previous Division One season in 2013, Phillips mustered a mere 94 runs in 11 innings at an average of just 8.55 runs and in Division Two last year, during which he was also the wicket keeper, he scored 362 runs in 17 knocks at an average of 27.85.
“There is so much potential in this team,” he added.
“Josh Ruthven (18), for instance, bowled seven overs for 11 runs on Saturday, six of those runs came from thick edges through slip and gully.
“He bowled superbly for me.” | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/haverhill-should-be-looking-up-not-down-1-7530701 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/ae6b2c807f4ededce5fbd0b2248cd9b1628c40506d45d226eee7602b46b66e81.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:08:12 | null | 2016-08-26T10:25:41 | A Haverhill man who lashed out with a glass inside a pub has been handed a suspended prison sentence. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fman-who-lashed-out-with-a-glass-in-pub-receives-suspended-jail-sentence-1-7545743.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7488522.1472203524!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Man who lashed out with a glass in pub receives suspended jail sentence | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | A Haverhill man who lashed out with a glass inside a pub has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
Peter Germain, 57, had denied unlawfully wounding Richard Thurley but following a trial in July was found guilty by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court.
On Thursday, Germain, of Constable Road, returned to the same court to be sentenced.
During an incident at The Woolpack in Haverhill on October 24 last year, Mr Thurley suffered an abrasion to his eye and cuts to his ear which required stitches after being struck in the face with a glass by Germain.
Mr Recorder Ian Evans sentenced Germain to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months.
Recorder Evans said the assault had been a “massive over-reaction” by Germain to a slight movement in his direction by Mr Thurley. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/man-who-lashed-out-with-a-glass-in-pub-receives-suspended-jail-sentence-1-7545743 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/c18b813318764f54b456f47c3f36cfe82d7ed3d8f995080009a8fe833314b281.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:42 | null | 2016-08-25T17:24:24 | THURLOW NUNN LEAGUE | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Fborough-see-late-leveller-cost-them-a-win-at-stow-1-7543929.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7543928.1472127879!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Borough see late leveller cost them a win at Stow | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | THURLOW NUNN LEAGUE
FIRST DIVISION
Stowmarket Town 2
Haverhill Borough 2
by Gary Brown at
Greens Meadow
Haverhill Borough were unable to hold on to an early second-half lead as Stowmarket equalised two minutes from time in a physical encounter on Saturday.
Stowmarket started the better of the two sides and took an early lead when Sam Mead cut inside and shot past Graham Smith.
Borough gradually began to get a foothold in the game and after Jarid Robson had two chances blocked in open play, he then scored his first for the club after half an hour. From a deep corner, Casey Phillips rose high above his defender and headed back across the goal for Robson to nod the ball in.
Borough took the lead 10 minutes into the second half. From a quick break, Ryan Phillips broke down the right and crossed, and as the ball broke loose in the Stowmarket penalty area Matt Staines fired home.
Robson continued to be a thorn in the Stowmarket defence, but as time progressed Borough were forced on the back foot as they kicked into a strengthening wind.
Smith was forced into a save from Duane Wright and Danny Cunningham’s free-kick across the six-yard box just needed a touch to convert.
But Borough were unable to hold on, and with two minutes left, a long clearance was headed up in the air by Casey Phillips. The ball then blew back over his head in the strong wind before Stowmarket substitute Ryan Rampley reached it a split second before Smith and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper to ensure both teams shared the points. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/football/borough-see-late-leveller-cost-them-a-win-at-stow-1-7543929 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/5eb9309a53807d7645b2a100277646e74820151031fde7efb9dffc953e543be1.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T12:53:15 | null | 2016-08-18T16:03:38 | Haverhill Rovers will look to preserve their unbeaten start to the league campaign when they play two games inside four days. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Fhaverhill-rovers-hosting-a-whole-club-day-1-7530699.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7530698.1471431901!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill Rovers hosting a Whole Club Day | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Haverhill Rovers will look to preserve their unbeaten start to the league campaign when they play two games inside four days.
So far this season Rovers have defeated Stanway Rovers 3-1 at the New Croft and returned from tricky away trips to Gorleston and Hadleigh United with 1-1 and 0-0 draws, respectively.
Manager Ben Cowling next prepares his charges to face Walsham-le-Willows at home on Saturday (3pm), followed by another fixture at the New Croft on Tuesday (7.45pm), when Long Melford are the visitors.
Walsham have yet to earn a point from two league games so far, going down 2-0 at Mildenhall and 3-2 at Stanway Rovers.
By contrast, Long Melford have yet to taste defeat after three league games.
After goalless draws with both Stanway and Wivenhoe Town, they defeated previously unbeaten Saffron Walden Town 3-2 on Tuesday thanks to a hat-trick from new signing, David Lorimer.
Rovers match with Walsham on Saturday has been made into a Whole Club Day, bringing together the senior, boys and girls team on the same day.
The day starts with the Walsham match, at which players of all age sections and their families are invited to attend.
Everyone is then invited to take part in a fund-raising Race Night, which starts at 6.30pm and has free entry, with a licenced bar and tea bar being open. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/football/haverhill-rovers-hosting-a-whole-club-day-1-7530699 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/218dd97da850a435b8f6610fef79c6e187b768145f6d5bdcc840b96ffb107151.json |
[
"Chris Ingham",
"Cjr.Ingham Btinternet.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:08:24 | null | 2016-08-26T10:46:22 | Chris Ingham previews the best jazz gigs around the region this week. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Fjazz-matters-weekly-preview-for-the-east-august-26-september-2-1-7545808.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.5440471.1472204765!/image/image.jpg | en | null | JAZZ MATTERS: Weekly preview for the east (August 26-September 2) | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Chris Ingham previews the best jazz gigs around the region this week.
Friday, August 26
ART THEMEN QUARTET: (Hunter Club, Bury, 8pm, £12. Details: www.headhunterslive.org) A fantastically exciting, playful and inventive saxophonist, Art Themen has been a beloved character of the British jazz scene for over 50 years, in bands led by Alexis Korner and Stan Tracey among many others, and remains as brilliant and inimitable as ever. With Chris Ingham (piano), Rev. Andrew Brown (bass) and George Double (drums).
DEREK NASH SAX APPEAL: (Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, 8pm, £18. Details: www.fleecejazz.org.uk) Legendary band led by Nash for over 30 years featuring a 5-piece saxophone section (Derek Nash, Bob McKay, Scott Garland, Brandon Allen, Vasilis Xenopoulos) plus Pete Adams (keys), Phil Scragg (bass) and Mike Bradley (drums).
Sunday, August 28:
SARAH MOULE: (The Apex Lounge, Bury, 11.30am, £9.50. Details: www.theapex.co.uk) The August edition of the Apex’s Sunday Songbook brunchtime sessions. For six years the featured singer with the John Wilson Orchestra, Sarah Moule is one of Britain’s great interpreters, with Chris Ingham (piano), Owen Morgan (bass) and George Double (drums).
TRACKS: (The Bell Hotel, Clare, 7.30pm, £10. Details: www.jazz-nights.com) An acoustic version of the jazz-rock fusion band formed in the late 1970s which led to the formation of Shakatak featuring current Shakatak members Bill Sharpe (keys) and Roger Odell (drums) with ex-member Keith Winter (guitar) plus Martin Elliot (bass).
ANDY BOWIE QUARTET: (Tram Shed, Cambridge, 8pm, free) Tenor saxophone-playing philosophy professor leads a quartet presenting a connoisseur’s choice from the modern jazz repertoire.
Monday, August 29
JAZZ JAM: (The Fat Cat & Canary, Norwich, 8.30pm, free. Details: www.jazzjam.org.uk) Established and friendly jam session led by guitarist Lee Vasey. All instrumentalists and singers welcome for sitting in.
Thursday, September 1
SOLE BAY JAZZ BAND: (Sports Pavilion, Ditchingham, 8pm) Long established traditional group usually featuring Tim Densham (saxophone/clarinet), Ron Hockett (saxophone/clarinet), Bill Brewer (trombone), Ray Simmons (piano), Tony Jullings (bass), Craig Hipperson (drums) and Alan Cugnoni (guitar).
Friday, September 2-Sunday, SeptEmber 4
JAZZ WEEKENDER: (Norwich. Details: www.norwichjazzclub.co.uk) A three-day, multi-venue extravaganza featuring James Tormé with The Dunnett/Baxter Big Band, Georgia Mancio Quartet (feat. Alan Broadbent), Liane Carroll Trio, Resolution 88, Grupo Lokito, Enrico Tomasso’s ‘Swing Company’, Ant Law Quintet, Dave O’Higgins, Sirkis / Bialas International Quartet, the Julian Siegel Quartet plus workshops and jam sessions.
FOR THE DIARY
Friday, September 9
JAZZ AT THE MOVIES: (Hunter Club, Bury, 8pm, £12. Details: www.headhunterslive.org) Part of their Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2016 tour, popular repertory five-piece fronted by acclaimed chanteuse Joanna Eden and featuring Mark Crooks (clarinet/saxophone).
Saturday, September 24
BARFORD STONEMAN QUINTET: (Hunter Club, Bury, 8pm, £12/£6 U25. Details: www.headhunterslive.org) A collective Hard Bop organ quintet comprising the cream of the UK’s young jazz talent including the winner of Young Jazz Musician 2016 Alex Ridout (trumpet) and local sax hero Harry Greene. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/jazz-matters-weekly-preview-for-the-east-august-26-september-2-1-7545808 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/de20098a706d15f027ac83389c8115456971843cad61b6d0deea21652233aa72.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:09:37 | null | 2016-08-12T09:00:06 | Signals, the debut album by Dale Bennett and the Incidentals doesn’t seem to fit easily into any specific genre of music - but for me that can only be a good thing. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Fhaverhill-band-s-debut-album-is-upbeat-and-stylish-1-7511278.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7511277.1470305290!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill band’s debut album is upbeat and stylish | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Signals, the debut album by Dale Bennett and the Incidentals doesn’t seem to fit easily into any specific genre of music - but for me that can only be a good thing.
Vocalist and keyboard player Dale, from Haverhill, has written the songs himself, but none of them would work as well as they do without the terrific input of The Incidentals, aka lead Guitarist Alex Coombes, Jack Sunaway on bass, Michael Pullman on acoustic guitar and Luke Andrews on drums.
The album, which is released on Saturday, August 13, benefits from the harmonising of not just the vocals, but the blending together of everything that each band member brings to every song.
The upbeat nature of the opening tune, Breaking Out, and the way in which it picks up the tempo just when you think it’s time to relax, sets the tone for the rest of the album’s nine songs.
Dale’s charismatic vocal power is prevalent throughout, but songs like Love You From Afar don’t allow him to dominate, as its balladic style is enhanced by the vocal harmonising between him and the rest of the band - there is even a rap sequence thrown in.
Inbetween Love has a bit of Buble swagger about it and includes a few fantastic riffs, never letting you settle into complacency and always keeping your musical senses intrigued.
Just a Little sweeps you along on a musical wave while the foot tapping intro, strong beats and faster vocals on Keep You Close, provide more evidence that Dale’s songwriting has matured since he released his first album, Make My Own Breaks, as a solo artist in 2013.
Two of his signature tunes from that collection of songs, Goodbye and Stay Away, have been reborn on this album and having once just been centred on vocals and keyboard, now have much more of a band sound.
The band is developing a name for itself and this album shows us why - and that they deserve all the breaks they can get. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/haverhill-band-s-debut-album-is-upbeat-and-stylish-1-7511278 | en | 2016-08-12T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/89023ba24d52b84a89674a13b681edf45ac0f0928e106b8512f8158dfc8ad223.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:09:00 | null | 2016-08-19T13:39:21 | Fresh from their successful Summer season at Aldeburgh and Southwold, Suffolk Summer Theatre visit the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds between September 6 -10 with their fun-filled production of The 39 Steps. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Fjohn-buchan-s-classic-thriller-to-be-staged-at-bury-st-edmunds-theatre-royal-1-7535359.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7535358.1471610351!/image/image.jpg | en | null | John Buchan’s classic thriller to be staged at Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Fresh from their successful Summer season at Aldeburgh and Southwold, Suffolk Summer Theatre visit the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds between September 6 -10 with their fun-filled production of The 39 Steps.
For the first time these two Suffolk based Theatrical institutions join together to present the rippingest of ripping yarns.
Recently returned from the colonies, Richard Hannay is terribly bored.
In need of something entirely pointless to do, he goes to the theatre! From this innocuous beginning, Hannay is plunged into adventure involving the stupendous Mr Memory, an exotic female spy, the sinister Professor Jordan and an array of heavies.
The thrilling film by Alfred Hitchcock from the story by John Buchan is made larger-than-life on stage courtesy of a cast of thousands… and four actors!
The show features local actor Joe Leat (Eastern Angles, Common Ground Theatre Company), he returns to the Theatre Royal after recently appearing in Breathing the Blue (2016) and The Count of Monte Cristo (2015).
The ensemble cast is completed by Simon Stanhope, Amy Christina Murray and Clive Flint.
The play originates from the pens of writers Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon who came up with the idea of staging the whole adventure with just four actors and a lot of ingenuity.
First produced at the Georgian Theatre, Richmond, North Yorkshire, it became an instant success and subsequently toured the UK.
The 39 Steps has been adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon by arrangement of Fiery Angel LTD. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/john-buchan-s-classic-thriller-to-be-staged-at-bury-st-edmunds-theatre-royal-1-7535359 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/3290b7f69a8ad9325064a14e020422eb964493e8459f5d4259021db66fdd847c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:59 | null | 2016-08-21T18:15:17 | Theatre-goers are being called on to support Bury St Edmunds’ Theatre Royal by voting in the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Awards. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Ftheatre-royal-under-the-spotlight-in-national-vote-1-7537139.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7537138.1471800308!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Theatre Royal under the spotlight in national vote | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Theatre-goers are being called on to support Bury St Edmunds’ Theatre Royal by voting in the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Awards.
Voting is now open for Suffolk residents to have their say and help decide the winner of this year’s awards before Monday, September 19.
Karen Simpson, artistic director of the Theatre Royal, said: “The UK Theatre Awards are always an exciting time, it allows the people who enjoy visiting Theatre Royal to celebrate everything they love about this special place.
“Winning this award would reflect the vibrant arts scene of Bury St Edmunds and put a national theatrical spot light onto Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk.”
A unique venue, the restored Regency Theatre was saved just over 50 years ago by people of Bury St Edmunds and beyond, it is the only theatre on the National Trust’s portfolio.
Julian Bird, chief executive of UK Theatre, said: “Theatres throughout the UK play a crucial role in the heart of our communities and continue to thrive despite a challenging financial climate.
“This award gives audiences the chance to show how much their venue means to them.”
Venues across East Anglia are competiting for the title, with the awards split into 12 regional areas.
The winners of the regional competition will be announced on Thursday, September 29.
Winning regional venues will then be put forward for the National finals which will take place on Sunday 9 October at London’s iconic Guildhall.
The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide Awards to honour outstanding achievement in theatre throughout the United Kingdom.
Vote for the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds at www.uktheatre.org/vote | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/theatre-royal-under-the-spotlight-in-national-vote-1-7537139 | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/3d31002e97b4aad92121685047fc3f111b0c39b962b9cf34f18f4409bc8093ea.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com"
] | 2016-08-26T13:10:27 | null | 2016-08-19T11:44:37 | Exciting, playful and inventive saxophonist, Art Themen is playing at the Hunter Club on Friday, August 26. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Frenowned-saxophonist-heading-to-bury-st-edmunds-jazz-venue-1-7522010.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7522009.1470912352!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Renowned saxophonist heading to Bury St Edmunds jazz venue | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Exciting, playful and inventive saxophonist, Art Themen is playing at the Hunter Club on Friday, August 26.
Art has been a beloved and legendary character on the British jazz scene for over 50 years, featuring in the bands of Alexis Korner and Stan Tracey among many other projects, and remains as brilliant and inimitable as ever.
Joining Art will be Chris Ingham on piano, Rev Andrew Brown on bass and George Double on drums.
To reserve pay-on-the-door seats, email info@headhunterslive.org or pre-pay via www.headhunterslive.org, following the TICKETS links. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/renowned-saxophonist-heading-to-bury-st-edmunds-jazz-venue-1-7522010 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/88f777fdf62c30e89251ba2764ef87afbab25e35e91d20b288c80159d3f5a571.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:23 | null | 2016-08-25T09:22:12 | A £10 million futuristic ‘gallop in the sky’ is being planned by Jockey Club Estates to boost racehorse training facilities in Newmarket’s Hamilton Road. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fvideo-jockey-club-unveils-plans-for-10m-newmarket-gallop-in-the-sky-1-7542894.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7542891.1472113316!/image/image.jpg | en | null | VIDEO: Jockey Club unveils plans for £10m Newmarket Gallop in the Sky | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
A £10 million futuristic ‘gallop in the sky’ is being planned by Jockey Club Estates to boost racehorse training facilities in Newmarket’s Hamilton Road.
The Hill Gallop will be constructed to mimic Headquarter’s iconic Warren Hill giving trainers on the opposite side of town a training asset vital to the conditioning of racehorses right on their doorstep.
Nick Patton, William Gittus and Jonathan Ascroft ANL-160824-114134001
The ambitious plan, which will be submitted to the local planning authority next month, revolves around the building of an all-weather gallop which will start five metres below ground level before rising 30 metres on an flyover-like construction covering four and a half furlongs. It will be wide enough for two horses to work upsides and there will be a separate track running alongside for use by emergency vehicles.
The project has been five years in the planning and has the full backing of Newmarket trainers including Sir Mark Prescott who has been training in the town for 47 years and is chairman of the heath committee.
William Gittus, managing director of Jockey Club Estates said the location of the state-of-the-art gallop would be the key to its success as it was hoped access to such a facility would attract more trainers and horses to the Hamilton Road yards.
Occupancy rates in the training yards on the Bury side of town is currently around 90 per cent compared with less than 60 per cent on Racecourse Side and trainers have cited the proximity of the uphill canters on Warren Hill, which are used by over 2,000 horses a day, as the key factor in this discrepancy.
sky gallop, Newmarket ANL-160824-103142001
“To enable further growth, and the economic benefits and employment that will bring to the district, we need to encourage more trainers to base themselves on Racecourse Side where there is scope for expansion,” said Mr Gittus.
Two years ago he and project team leader and assistant managing director of Jockey Club Estates Nick Patton, travelled to Japan to view its gallops built on man-made inclines. “That was definitely a turning point,” said Mr Patton. “It really opened my eyes to what could be done with a little innovation.” said Mr Patton.
“It’s wonderful to have reached a point at which we are now ready to submit the planning application. A lot of people have contributed to the development of the project and a design committee which includes trainers and vets, has played an integral role in the process.
“This is about Jockey Club Estates planning ten, 15, 20 years ahead and Newmarket maintaining its status as a world-class centre of excellence for the training of thoroughbred racehorses. Newmarket’s development as the HQ of racing is built on its history and heritage and the centuries-old turf of the Heath, but its future health could be shaped by 21st century technology and this gallop in the sky.” | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/video-jockey-club-unveils-plans-for-10m-newmarket-gallop-in-the-sky-1-7542894 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/664b9febce87ffe37dc903ce70984abc5fc8d144d97d8e32a3a8c65e1ab7b7fd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:56:13 | null | 2016-08-21T09:00:00 | Place Farm Academy pupil Jayden Abbink has recently returned from France after representing his country in the MX Master Kids international motocross event. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fother-sport%2Fplace-farm-academy-student-on-motorcross-podium-in-france-1-7533413.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7533411.1471528373!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Place Farm Academy student on motorcross podium in France | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Place Farm Academy pupil Jayden Abbink has recently returned from France after representing his country in the MX Master Kids international motocross event.
With his dad from South Africa and his mum from England, the 10-year-old chose to ride for South Africa in what was his first time participating in an event of this scale.
Dad Johan said: “I was delighted when Jayden chose to ride for South Africa, as we only have a small number of participants.”
During the three-day event, Abbink completed four qualifying sessions in the 10-12 years 65cc category.
On the final day, he went out hard, and after a tough race in scorching heat he finished in second position in the silver group race.
Mum Rebecca said: “We could not be more proud of Jayden. He rode with such pride and passion and that showed in his overall position.
“For Jayden to have reached a podium position in his first international event was incredible.”
Abbink said: “I am so happy with what I have achieved.
“To represent South Africa was amazing and I really enjoyed the experience.
“I just want to keep riding so I can continue to progress and return next year.”
The youngster also wished to thank the team that work at Jim Aims Motorcycles Ltd, in Sible Hedingham, for their kind words of support and encouragement.
n If anyone is interested in supporting Jayden, email jaydenmx28@hotmail.com | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/other-sport/place-farm-academy-student-on-motorcross-podium-in-france-1-7533413 | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/92a8153cbc4cbafd093cae14fad7116afd4c143e6bf337f18dbe764a0261f619.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:31 | null | 2016-08-26T12:38:35 | Puppy buyers are being warned by Suffolk Trading Standards to take care not to buy illegally imported animals | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fdog-day-warning-on-illegally-imported-puppies-1-7546204.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7546144.1472210699!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Dog Day warning on illegally imported puppies | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Puppy buyers are being warned by Suffolk Trading Standards to take care not to buy illegally imported animals
The warning comes today, National Dog Day, after Suffolk County Council’s Trading Standards team quarantined a bichon frise puppy when a vet discovered it had been brought into the UK illegally, unbeknown to her owners from Stowmarket.
The puppy has come from Romania and was found to have been given vaccination too early to be effective so it has been quarantined and will be re-vaccinated before it can be released.
An imported dog must be a minimum of 12 weeks old when vaccinated or it may be ineffective. A vaccine also takes at least 21 days before an animal is fully protected.
The regulations on animal imports protect the UK’s rabies free status.
Trading Standards is now advising people to make sure they know where their new puppy has come from and has had a health check by a vet.
Councillor Matthew Hicks, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for environment and public protection said: “The main issue around illegally imported puppies is that we cannot guarantee that the dogs are properly vaccinated and rabies-free.
“These puppies are usually sold via adverts on the internet and in newspaper small ads. The dogs are often accompanied by incomplete, false, and forged documentation which lead buyers to believe they have been imported legally or bred in the UK.”
Trading Standards advise getting as much information as possible about where the puppy has come from and be suspicious if the seller cannot show you the puppy with its mother and litter mates.
If the puppy has been vaccinated, ask to see the documentation, which must clearly state the veterinary practice that did it.
A puppy brought in from another country, should have a pet passport with a valid rabies vaccination recorded in it, which must be at least 21 days before it travelled and the dog must have been at least 12 weeks old.
Full details of the Pet Passport system can be found at www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/overview
Anyone concerned about a puppy they have bought should contact their vet. If you suspect your puppy has been illegally imported, report it to Trading Standards on 03454 040506 | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/dog-day-warning-on-illegally-imported-puppies-1-7546204 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/fadfd5a2396d764834d01e5be1f77337af1d0c5875db1e1667bd74911cacfc24.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:30 | null | 2016-08-19T14:20:54 | The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for Saturday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fsevere-weather-warning-unseasonably-strong-winds-to-hit-county-on-saturday-1-7535509.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7535531.1471613388!/image/image.jpg | en | null | SEVERE WEATHER WARNING: ‘Unseasonably’ strong winds to hit county on Saturday | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for Saturday.
The ‘yellow’ warning was issued at 11am this morning (Friday) and warns of strong winds and heavy, blustery showers covering large parts of England and Wales.
The weather warning will be in place from 2am tomorrow (Saturday) until 9pm tomorrow night.
The Met Office warns: “A spell of unseasonably strong southwesterly winds, accompanied by heavy, blustery showers, is expected to reach the southwest of the UK during the early hours of Saturday, moving east across many parts of England and Wales through the day.
“Gusts are expected to reach 40-50 mph inland, and 50 to very locally 60 mph along exposed coastlines in the south and west.
“Please be aware that these winds may lead to disruption to transport, and in view of the time of the year, there is increased potential for disruption to outdoor activities.
“Also, strong winds and large waves will coincide with a period of spring tides this weekend. This is expected to lead to some localised instances of spray and wave over-topping of flood defences around the coasts of southwest England and Wales.
“This warning has been updated to extend the warning more widely across England and Wales, whilst bringing forward the start time, this latter aspect only applicable to southwestern parts of England and Wales.”
Temperatures are set to rise again by next week with sunny spells and highs of around 24C. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/severe-weather-warning-unseasonably-strong-winds-to-hit-county-on-saturday-1-7535509 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/37dee465e279bc1437ddba1d8f91e9fa495568dc17be4ef9302121a5360e3cc4.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:48:22 | null | 2016-08-27T13:20:25 | Relative newcomer Mandy Williamson took the top nett score as Haverhill Golf Club hosted their Ladies’ Club Championship on Saturday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fother-sport%2Fwilliamson-netts-ladies-championship-victory-1-7543885.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7543884.1472127669!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Williamson netts ladies’ championship victory | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Relative newcomer Mandy Williamson took the top nett score as Haverhill Golf Club hosted their Ladies’ Club Championship on Saturday.
Played over 36 holes, Williamson returned to the clubhouse with a nett score of 136 to be crowned the Ladies’ Nett Club Champion.
The prize of scratch winner was taken by in-form youngster Fiona Stokes who carded rounds of 77 and 82.
Elaine Ward came away as the winner of The Pam Ratford Trophy.
n The club’s ladies team remain on-form, beating Stowmarket in the quarter-finals of The Stern, a Suffolk County competition.
The team of Williamson, Mary Sail, Sally Price, Lyn Fish, Alice Iron and Anna Fairhead now go to the a semi-final against Ufford Park to be played at Felixstowe on Monday, September 5.
n The ladies and men’s midweek medals were won by Gerry Wheatley and Howard Craven with nett scores of 77 and 65 respectively.
Stokes won the Ladies Saturday Medal with a nett score of 68, leading to yet another handicap cut.
n The Senior Club Championship, held last month, saw Tim Daniels claim the best overall gross competition with a score of 80.
Jim Day won the handicap competition with a nett score of 65.
n In the junior section, young Ellis Kerr has become the youngest ever winner of a Shires Tour event, a national junior competition.
He scored 30 points over 18 holes played at Kettering.
Kerr also played in the regional final of The Wee Wonders competition, and although he did not qualify for the final, to be played at St Andrews, it was a great experience for him.
The Haverhill Golf Club Junior Captain’s Day, played at the end of last month, saw James Iron win, returning a nett score of 64 playing off a handicap of 12.
This was subsequently reduced to 10. However, Iron played in the David Quinney Trophy and returned the same nett score, despite the two shot handicap reduction. He has now been reduced to a handicap of nine.
Stokes was the runner-up with a nett score of 65 and also had her handicap reduced to nine, making her the only single figure handicap lady in the club at present.
The Junior Club Championship for the CAB Edwards Cup was played recently and won by James Iron with a gross score of 159 over 36 holes, making him the 2016 Junior Club Champion.
The nett score winner was Jason Carpenter with a score of 139, nett.
Iron was also the winner of the Peter Bowers Trophy medal section and Harry Procter won the Stableford. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/other-sport/williamson-netts-ladies-championship-victory-1-7543885 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/3b1863b2c619ccbf34e0003bcdfd7f3f1337ef99bdac86093aa960396fe17f11.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T06:50:19 | null | 2016-08-31T06:00:00 | A test has been developed that could help to diagnose bacterial infections, including meningitis in minutes. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fpin-prick-meningitis-test-could-be-available-within-five-years-1-7543599.json | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/pin-prick-meningitis-test-could-be-available-within-five-years-1-7543599 | en | null | Pin-prick meningitis test could be available within five years | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | A test has been developed that could help to diagnose bacterial infections, including meningitis in minutes.
The new test, developed by a team at Imperial College London, is a major breakthrough in the rapid diagnosis of meningitis and sepsis in children. If made available through the NHS, it could allow treatment to begin much earlier, saving hundreds of lives and reducing the risk of life-changing after-effects.
The signs and symptoms of meningitis are notoriously difficult to diagnose, and can be dismissed as a cold or flu. Many young children presenting the early symptoms of the disease are initially sent home, before being rushed back to hospital a few hours later as their condition rapidly deteriorates.
Currently, doctors grow bacteria in a sample of blood, in a process which can take up to 48 hours.
Responding to the news, Liz Brown, CEO at charity Meningitis Now said: “A delay in life-saving treatment for bacterial meningitis can be a matter of life or death. We welcome this significant progress in the development of a rapid test for meningitis and sepsis.
“We would however, continue to advise people to know the signs and symptoms of meningitis and to seek immediate medical attention if they have any concerns”.
The study led by Professor Michael Levin has shown that a bacterial infection can be distinguished from other causes of fever, such as a viral infection, using a pattern of genes that are switched on or off in response to an infection.
A larger project will now begin to develop these findings into a pin-prick diagnostic test, which Professor Levin believes could be available through the NHS within five years.
14 facts about meningitis and septicaemia
Meningitis is usually caused by bacteria or viruses
Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord
Septicaemia is blood poisoning
Some bacteria that cause meningitis also cause septicaemia
Meningitis and septicaemia often happen together – it is vital to know all the signs and symptoms
The early signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia can be similar to ‘flu and include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle pain.
The more specific signs and symptoms include fever with cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and a rash which doesn’t fade under pressure.
In babies, symptoms can also include being floppy and unresponsive, dislike of being handled, rapid breathing, an unusual, moaning cry and a bulging fontanelle (soft spot on the top of the head).
There are an estimated 3,200 cases of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia each year in the UK.
Following bacterial meningitis or septicaemia, one in ten people will die and at least a third of survivors will be left with lifelong after-effects such as hearing loss, epilepsy, limb loss or learning difficulties
Meningitis and septicaemia can affect anyone, of any age, at any time. However, babies and young children are most at risk, and young people between 15 – 24 years are also a higher risk group.
In the past 20 years, effective vaccines have been developed to give protection against SOME types of meningitis. These are offered to all babies and young children as part of the UK childhood immunisation programme. BUT there are not vaccines to protect against ALL types.
A vaccine to protect against meningococcal group B (Men B) disease, the most common cause of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia, was introduced into the UK childhood immunisation programme in September 2015.
If you suspect someone may be ill with meningitis or septicaemia, trust your instincts and get immediate medical help.
Meningitis Now aims to reduce the impact of meningitis by raising awareness and funding research into vaccine and treatment. For support and advice on meningitis call the Meningitis Now Helpline on 0808 80 10 388.
For more information or to donate visit the website at www.MeningitisNow.org | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/pin-prick-meningitis-test-could-be-available-within-five-years-1-7543599 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/08120b4359c6b8a61c92432ed36c3a58a84abaf5277e3e3b2d1458b22fb9a97c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:39 | null | 2016-08-19T09:00:00 | Haverhill’s Angharad Evans stormed through the field to take victory in the 13-14yrs 50m breaststroke final in the British Swimming Summer Championships. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fother-sport%2Fhaverhill-s-evans-takes-national-title-in-sheffield-1-7533382.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7533381.1471527863!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Haverhill’s Evans takes national title in Sheffield | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Haverhill’s Angharad Evans stormed through the field to take victory in the 13-14yrs 50m breaststroke final in the British Swimming Summer Championships.
The 13-year-old began her title-winning campaign at Ponds Forge in Sheffield with the heats, where she recovered from a slow start to power to a third-place finish.
The West Suffolk Swimming Club member’s time of 34.41 seconds was enough to make it through to the final in fifth place against the best swimmers in the country.
A better start in the final meant that Evans was on level terms with the rest of the swimmers through 25m, with a powerful last 15m seeing her race through the field to be crowned national champion.
Evans’ time of 33.58 seconds was nearly a second faster than her heat swim and also 0.2 seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer.
On the final day of the championships, Evans competed in the 100m breaststroke and put in a great heat swim, finishing just 0.28 seconds off of her best time, but enough to secure a place in the final.
Evans qualified for the final in seventh position and after a slow start was able to come back and finish in sixth place with a new personal best time by nearly half a second.
The second week of the National Swimming Championships saw Evans compete in the ASA National Championships, where she raced in the 50m freestyle event.
In an event all about the start, swim and finish, Evans got off to a slow start and could not make up the time, finishing in 15th place in the 12-13yrs age group and around 0.5 seconds off of her best. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/other-sport/haverhill-s-evans-takes-national-title-in-sheffield-1-7533382 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/c098eac04195c200bffe3e7316d683afae58da8fa02e23a166960760c02d1145.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:50:12 | null | 2016-08-30T17:41:14 | Villagers plagued by drivers speeding are hoping a newly unveiled flashing speed signs they are sharing will reduce the problem. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flatest-news%2Fvillagers-hope-shared-signs-will-cut-speeds-1-7551251.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7551250.1472575253!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Villagers hope shared signs will cut speeds | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | Villagers plagued by drivers speeding are hoping a newly unveiled flashing speed signs they are sharing will reduce the problem.
West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock joined Suffolk County Councillor Mary Evans, who got funding for four signs, to unveil one at Little Thurlow.
The vehicle activated signs show whatever speed the vehicle is doing and flash if it is over 30mph.
Mr Hancock said: “Speeding in villages has long been a serious concern. The new speed signs are working effectively to reduce speeds in villages.”
Cllr Evans said just after she was elected in 2013 she and Mr Hancock had attended a public meeting on speeding which was well attended on an unpleasant night, making her realise how strongly people felt.
She funded two £3,000 signs with her locality budget but got funding for the other two through a Suffolk County Council scheme where if it could be shown communities were working together on a project it would get match funding from the county.
The four signs will be shared by 10 villages across West Suffolk at more than 20 locations and Cllr Evans said sharing the signs may improve their effectiveness.
She added: “In some villages where they’re got them on constantly, they become like wallpaper and motorists don’t notice them.
“A lot of people using rural roads are rural people who don’t like people speeding through their own villages, so they only need a reminder that they’re doing 35 instead of 30.”
The signs record how many vehicles have passed it and how many were speeding, though not their numbers, but Cllr Evans said that information will be given to the police to help them target action.
“They will be backed up by enforcement,” she warned.
Little Thurlow Parish Council chairman Chris Field said speeding had long been a problem in the villages along the B1061 and all the parish councils have campaigned on it.
Mr Field said: “We hope it will alert drivers to their speed. We’re well aware you get people who don’t mean to speed but get distracted.
“You can’t do anything about the people who deliberately do 60 through villages.”
Their sign is being shared with Great Thurlow, Great Bradley and Great Wratting. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/latest-news/villagers-hope-shared-signs-will-cut-speeds-1-7551251 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/aaf0b220c8142ebaa511b040ce77ab5cdb38251fd5a6c047ebd73bc23fa8a479.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:47:48 | null | 2016-08-26T17:29:42 | Haverhill Rovers manager Ben Cowling is expecting two tough games, in a challenging Bank Holiday weekend in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Frovers-need-finishing-touch-says-cowling-1-7543952.json | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/football/rovers-need-finishing-touch-says-cowling-1-7543952 | en | null | Rovers need finishing touch, says Cowling | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | The types of cookies we, our ad network and technology partners use are listed below:
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Add This ► Add This provides the social networking widget found in many of our pages. This widget gives you the tools to bookmark our websites, blog, share, tweet and email our content to a friend. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/football/rovers-need-finishing-touch-says-cowling-1-7543952 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/f4494e24df3b1ef0408baaa6a045d9959830e1e7e8e9955771b40f4d1a01d6ab.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:08 | null | 2016-08-12T09:00:00 | My colleague Martin White and I arrived at the Wivenhoe ground eagerly looking forward to the clash between the top two sides in Division One, separated by just three points. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fcricket%2Fan-umpire-s-column-eagerly-awaited-clash-proves-a-little-disappointing-1-7522381.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7522379.1470918538!/image/image.jpg | en | null | An umpire’s column: Eagerly-awaited clash proves a little disappointing | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | My colleague Martin White and I arrived at the Wivenhoe ground eagerly looking forward to the clash between the top two sides in Division One, separated by just three points.
The game itself was a bit of an anti-climax, albeit played in an extremely sporting manner by both teams. Mildenhall ran out comfortable winners by seven wickets, very well led by skipper Ben Shepperson with 94, with great backing from Steve Taylor 85no.
The Wivenhoe early order batsmen threw their wickets away with some injudicious shots, coupled with some excellent Mildenhall catching and there was really no way back from that.
Wivenhoe 236-9 Mildenhall 240-3. The basement club Copford are the visitors this Saturday.
Worlington lost to Frinton IIs by three wickets. Worlington 165, Graham Ford 56, Frinton 166-7, Steve Flack 5-24. This Saturday it is the long trip to Witham.
Halstead are now very firmly in the clutches of the relegation dogfight after losing to bottom club Copford by five wickets. Halstead 215-8, Neale Dakin 42, Copford 219-5, Harry Veal 2-23, Joe Morris 2-28.
Next up is a home game against Mistley.
Hadleigh are still firmly in the relegation places after losing a very high scoring game by one wicket to Braintree. Hadleigh 267-8, Josh Davey 58 Braintree 268-9 Luke Istead 2-55. This weekend they entertain Coggeshall.
Haverhill need to look over their shoulder as they are not safe yet, after losing to ever improving Mistley by 84 runs. Mistley 236-4, Haverhill 152 Dan Pass 69. Saturday sees another struggling side in Braintree as the visitors.
All three of our Division Two sides lost last weekend; bottom club Exning going down by four wickets to Dunmow despite a good all-round performance from Ollie Lawson. Exning 177, Lawson 69, Dunmow 178-6, Lawson 3-46. Games do not come much harder than this Saturday’s trip to unbeaten league leaders Maldon.
Lakenheath lost to third placed Clacton by 46 runs. Clacton 199, evergreen Tim Milner 4-56, Danny Rodic3-50, Lakenheath 153, Dominic Palmer 38, Frank Gammon 34. An away game at Ipswich is next.
Finally, Long Melford lost to Ipswich by 55 runs. Ipswich 214-7 Ivan Newman 3-46, Chris Sturgeon 3-57, Long Melford 159-9, veteran Bill Byford 63. The next date in the diary is an away trip to Easton.
As an umpire, I am becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of younger umpires attending the very well run courses put on by the Suffolk Association of Cricket Officials. Sometimes this season we have had no umpires in Division Three, and not covered all the games in Division Two.
While appreciating players want to carry on playing as long as they can, and even with Over-50s, 60s and 70s sides now running, surely there must be players who have had to give up the game, maybe through injury, and would like to give something back to the game.
Rather than being a spectator, take up umpiring and see the game from a totally different perspective, from the best place in the ground, out in the middle. I’ll give details of next year’s courses here before the end of the season. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/an-umpire-s-column-eagerly-awaited-clash-proves-a-little-disappointing-1-7522381 | en | 2016-08-12T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/cebb7853fd014005df546b7eb2315e4dbe681ed3307b7045c193d75ca4cbf493.json |
[
"Steve Barton",
"Steve.Barton Haverhillecho.Com."
] | 2016-08-26T13:10:07 | null | 2016-08-23T10:30:42 | The Choir of Clare College is performing at St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmunds on August 31. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haverhillecho.co.uk%2Fwhat-s-on%2Ffund-raising-concert-for-bury-st-edmunds-theatre-royal-1-7522528.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/webimage/1.7522527.1470922263!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Fund-raising concert for Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal | null | null | www.haverhillecho.co.uk | The Choir of Clare College is performing at St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmunds on August 31.
The concert is a Theatre Royal Friends fund-raising event to support the Theatre Royal.
This visit to Bury St Edmunds to perform a programme of choral works spanning the centuries under the direction of Graham Ross is guaranteed to delight.
English work by Byrd and Purcell sit alongside Bach’s motet Der Geist Hilft and Heinrich Schütz’s double-choir Magnificat, with 20th Century works of the Anglican choral repertoire by Holst, Harris, Bainton, Vaughan Williams and Tippett, including Benjamin Britten’s A Hymn to St Cecilia.
The programme concludes with Gershwin’s Summertime, a sumptuous arrangement of Nobody Does It Better and Ward Swingle’s popular Country Dances.
The Times newspaper described this choir as creating ‘music to transform your life.’
As well as regular tickets, there are a limited number of £30 tickets available. These include front row pew seats and a pre-concert drinks reception with the conductor at 6.30pm.
For tickets and further details please call the box office on 01284 769505 or visit www.theatreroyal.org. | http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/what-s-on/fund-raising-concert-for-bury-st-edmunds-theatre-royal-1-7522528 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.haverhillecho.co.uk/c089a1b848640811b81c20e13765593757f52f8cad75c10096df92c3a0ab66b8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:00 | null | null | Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FGunmen-kill-seven-in-Mogadishu-beach-restaurant-attack%2F2558-3358562-86lbylz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Gunmen kill seven in Mogadishu beach restaurant attack | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Wreckage of a car bomb outside Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach in Mogadishu, Somalia. Gunmen set off the bomb before storming into the restaurant. PHOTO | AFP
Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city authorities said on Friday.
"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.
Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.
The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.
By Friday morning officials said the attackers had been killed.
All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.
"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.
It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.
In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and killing 20 people. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Gunmen-kill-seven-in-Mogadishu-beach-restaurant-attack/2558-3358562-86lbylz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/057b5c6fbfc426a53ac1e4dbe5a30b6458ca07f43bb5febb8907522d03e59609.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:51:25 | null | null | The funny thing with ‘Cholmondeley’
Is this: it rhymes with ‘Bumley’. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2FThe-Late-Cholmondeley%2F434748-3360944-14or8ng%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | ‘The Late Cholmondeley’ | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Opinion and Editorial
The funny thing with ‘Cholmondeley’
Is this: it rhymes with ‘Bumley’.
This scion of Lord Delamere
Has died. Is Karma cruel or fair?
Of course, it is a tragedy
For Cholmondeley’s lordly family,
But some in the Rift Valley might
Not sympathise with this, their plight,
Instead recalling how this chap
Killed two fine men on his estate
(a forty-eight thousand acre plot,
Where two live men were fatally shot).
I’m not a fan of aristos,
Even those who don’t kill folk; | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/The-Late-Cholmondeley/434748-3360944-14or8ng/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/2d09da7f4a55d71a2b02d7726e661890ea747e7aee51cb9d0d35dbc20a43591f.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T10:52:02 | null | null | A suicide car bomb exploded outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FSuicide-car-bomb-targets-Somalia-hotel%2F2558-3362890-15fikd3z%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Suicide car bomb targets Somalia hotel | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
A suicide car bomb exploded outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday.
"There was a blast close to the SYL hotel area, near the main checkpoint of the presidential palace," said security officer Ibrahim Mohamed.
A witness described seeing a huge blast. "I saw a car speeding towards the area and huge smoke and fire went up in the sky," said Elmi Ahmed.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw two bodies in the street and described widespread damage to buildings in the area, but reported no gunfire immediately after the explosion.
The Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab jihadists claimed responsibility for the attack saying it targeted SYL hotel because it "is close to the presidential palace, and also home to apostates and unbelievers."
The hotel was previously attacked in both February this year and January last year. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Suicide-car-bomb-targets-Somalia-hotel/2558-3362890-15fikd3z/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/d05f841d5dcc23ef78319f39e4fb353692a3f7671dd7fb682bc0be50acd147cb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:13 | null | null | Kenya’s Co-operative Bank has announced that it has started issuing new loans as per the new interest rate regime with immediate effect. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FKenya-Co-operative-bank-caps-new-loans-at-14-5pc-interest-rate%2F2560-3358954-idgm16%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Kenya's Co-op bank caps new loans at 14.5pc | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Co-operative Bank branch in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE
Kenya’s Co-operative Bank has announced that it has started issuing new loans as per the new interest rate regime with immediate effect.
This comes as the country’s second largest lender by market share yielded to growing public pressure and defied calls by the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) to maintain existing credit and deposit terms until further guidance from the regulator.
In a circular to all branch managers Friday, the Group’s managing director Gideon Muriuki said all new credit facilities would attract a rate not exceeding 14.5 per cent, making it the first lender to adopt the new loan pricing regime.
“In the foregoing and for business continuity, we advise that pending receipt of full guidelines from our regulator the Central Bank of Kenya particularly on the applicable base rate, all new credit facilities shall be at a rate not exceeding 14.5 per cent,” said Mr Muriuki.
“Do refresh the relevant facility offer letters in liaison with our credit management division,” he added.
The current Central Bank Rate (CBR) is set at 10.5 per cent.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday signed the Banking (Amendment) Bill 2015 into law capping lending rates at four percentage points above the CBR and deposit rates at least 70 per cent of the central bank’s benchmark lending rate. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya-Co-operative-bank-caps-new-loans-at-14-5pc-interest-rate/2560-3358954-idgm16/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/58419dc5482fdff9ad9ee8240ea2f96eb4cea4b3a8c2d518159b76875e752a02.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:50:00 | null | null | Sudan minister says Machar has recovered and is due to meet President Bashir. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FSouth-Sudan-opposition-leader-Machar-to-stay-in-Khartoum%2F2558-3359180-dmx7aaz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359186/lowRes/1419193/-/9j5ind/-/riek.jpg | en | null | Machar leaves hospital, to stay in Khartoum | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar at a news conference in the capital Juba on July 8, 2016. PHOTO | FILE
South Sudan opposition leader, Riek Machar, has left hospital but will remain in Khartoum for some time, Sabt Makkouk, an aide accompanying Machar, said on Friday.
Sudan's Information Minister announced on August 23 that Machar, who left South Sudan to escape government forces, was in Khartoum for medical treatment.
"Riek Machar left hospital this morning in stable health and has recovered ... He will stay in Khartoum for some time," Makkouk told Reuters.
President Salva Kiir sacked Machar from his post as vice president after renewed fighting in South Sudan's capital Juba last month between forces loyal to the long-time rivals. The clashes forced tens of thousands of people to flee.
Machar withdrew to the bush during the fighting in Juba and was picked up this month by UN peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo with a leg injury. His spokesman earlier said Machar had left South Sudan to evade Kiir's forces and had said his injury was not serious enough to require medical attention. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/South-Sudan-opposition-leader-Machar-to-stay-in-Khartoum/2558-3359180-dmx7aaz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/e2518dcb8f7d495dd9d92b05850d7889f056b4db314dcfba468f10a5cdfd3e00.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:45 | null | null | Kenya announced it would shut down the Dadaab, saying it was a breeding ground for terrorists. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2F24000-refugees-return-to-Somalia-from-Dadaab-Kenya%2F2558-3355290-v84gkqz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | 24,000 refugees back to Somalia from Dadaab -UNHCR | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Refugees wait at the Dadaab airstrip, Kenya on June 16, 2016 as they prepare for repatriation to Somalia. The UNHCR has said 24,000 refugees have so far been assisted to voluntarily return to Somalia since a tripartite agreement was signed in 2014. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
At least 24,000 refugees from the expansive Dadaab camp in northeastern Kenya have so far been assisted to voluntarily return to Somalia since a tripartite agreement was signed in 2014, a senior UN official has said.
Speaking during the commissioning of a power station in Dadaab, Wella Kouyou, the deputy representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to Kenya, said in 2016 alone, 18,000 have voluntarily gone back to Somalia.
Earlier this year, the Kenyan government announced that it would shut down the camp, saying it was a breeding ground for terrorists.
The country had witnessed a series of attacks instigated by Al-Shabaab militia.
One of the deadliest attacks was at Garissa University College in April 2015 in which over 140 people died, most of them students.
Mr Kouyou said the UNHCR will continue to work with the government to ensure that refugees return to Somalia voluntarily and are accorded safety and dignity.
“We will also make sure that a rehabilitation programme for the refugees is carried out alongside the repatriation process.
"We also thank the international community, from whom we continually sought support,” he said. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/24000-refugees-return-to-Somalia-from-Dadaab-Kenya/2558-3355290-v84gkqz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/4eae07d157932e363848b198626a71484309375c63f011671286a5bacb5ce2af.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:52:09 | null | null | The activities planned for this year’s event are a must-experience adventure of the ancient Rwandan lifestyle, tradition and customs. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FRwanda%2FLifestyle%2FIt-is-Red-Rocks-for-cultural-tourism-2016-%2F1433242-3363068-k174vrz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | It’s Red Rocks for cultural tourism 2016 | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Lifestyle
Tourists visiting the Red Rocks Art Centre prior to the Kwita Izina ceremonies every year. PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA
A two-hour drive out of Kigali, gets me to Red Rocks Camping site, a getaway tucked deep in Nyakinama sector, just a few metres from Musanze Polytechnic in Musanze district in Northern province.
Red Rocks is not new despite the modest number that visit the site. But from August 26 to September 2, the site has lined up a number of activities under the Cultural Tourism Week.
The activities, which kicked off earlier last week in preparation, are a must-experience adventure of the ancient Rwandan lifestyle, tradition and customs.
“We have been developing this concept since 2014, as a means of bringing together the community and guests who have always honoured the Kwita Izina annual ceremony. We want people to go beyond just the gorillas,” said Greg Bakunzi, founder of Red Rocks, and one of the event’s organisers.
In a tour, which lasts over two and a half hours, a lot is on offer.
We are led by Harriet Ingabire, the site’s manager. On various stations on the site, we experience Rwanda’s heritage. From manufacturing, processing and farming, one gets to experience hands-on activities. First off is the pottery section, where two women are molding. This is one of the country’s traditions practised by the Batwa.
From gourds and plates to cooking pots, smoking pipes and sculptures the women show the process of making art out of clay, which ends up in the kiln.
The cooking place is another remarkable spot, where food like cassava, sorghum or millet bread (umutsima or rukacarara), boiled or grilled cassava and sweet potatoes are prepared. On the cooking stones, a fire is made, then cooking pots are placed. One is taken through the process of a cooking a Rwandan meal.
Also available is the traditional healer’s shrine, an area surrounded by a variety of plant species. Teophile Kamana, an old traditional healer, takes us through some of the herbs, and what each signified in the healing of human diseases, breaking of evil spells and more so, the ushering in of blessings.
Umutobe (banana juice) could be taken by people of all ages from infants to the elderly. Urwangwa (Banana beer or wine) was made by adding sorghum flour. The inturire or nkangaza was another form of complex beer made from a mixture of honey.
After a day’s work, there was music and indoor games. At the site are instruments like the inganga (guitar), indingiri (violin), ingoma (drums) and umwirongi (flute). There is also igisoro (similar to draught and chess games).
Saving as a culture is shown by the traditional way of storage among Rwandans. The granaries store the excess harvest of sorghum, maize, beans and other food crops.
Other activities are youth training through imihigo, hunting and such to shape the true intwari (heroes), basket weaving, milking and cattle rearing tradition, ukwivuga (self appraisals), poetry, traditional dressings and dance.
For those wishing to spend a night, camping gets better as there are tents for hire going for as low as $10 (Rwf7,730).
Red Rocks also has the Stone Club and African Restaurant, which serve a blend of traditional drinks from honey, banana beer and juice to modern drinks too, while an assortment of music is played as the evening draws in. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Lifestyle/It-is-Red-Rocks-for-cultural-tourism-2016-/1433242-3363068-k174vrz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/159abaa59c6df16f6460607b547043f8904eb289f3503a6da0ba67943e85b52e.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:31 | null | null | The award is open to all dermatologists and African PhD students specialising in the science of skin and hair. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FSouth-African-doctor-gets-L-Oreal-s-hair-grant%2F434746-3359712-4mqifc%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359786/lowRes/1419678/-/mkc6dqz/-/hair.jpg | en | null | South African doctor gets L'Oreal's hair grant | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
Acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN): This is a skin and hair condition that predominantly affects males with afro-textured hair and patients of African or mixed descent. PHOTO | INTERNET
Cosmetics and beauty is a multibillion dollar industry and companies involved spend millions of dollars in research and development.
In the quest to provide the best solutions for consumers’ cosmetic and beauty needs, most companies engage the services of professionals to come up with the best products and solutions.
It is to this end that recently, Dr Willem Visser, head of Dermatology, Stellenbosch University in South Africa, was awarded the L’Oréal African Hair & Skin research grant for his research on acne keloidalis nuchae (AKN).
The award is open to all dermatologists and African PhD students specialising in the science of skin and hair.
The condition
Acne keloidalis kuchae (AKN) is a skin and hair condition that predominantly affects males with afro-textured hair and patients of African or mixed descent.
AKN affects the nape of the neck and produces pustules, results in permanent hair loss and large areas of scarring.
The exact causes of AKN are not clear. However, the condition has been attributed to a few possible causes. It may be due to the failure of the immune system to distinguish between the individual’s own hair and foreign, invading pathogens.
Therefore, the body will start to launch an attack on the hair shaft, in addition to the follicle and sebaceous oil glands. When bacteria propagates, the inflammation becomes more intense as the immune system tries to attack both the microbes as well as the hair shaft.
Other researchers suggest that AKN is caused by close shaving, skin friction and irritation from collars and athletic wear. These environmental variables break the hair and encourage the highly curled shafts to grow back into the skin.
This assumption has some degree of support from one study which shows that in 90 per cent of individuals affected, the symptoms started to emerge after using an electric razor to shave the head.
Close shaving with a razor would on the account of many patients preceded the emergence of the first lesions.
AKN may also affect areas beyond the nape of the neck. Dr Visser’s study aims to investigate the earliest manifestations of its spread. The descriptive study’s objective is to describe the dermatoscopic and histopathological features of sub-clinical or early acne keloidalis nuchae. The objective of the study is to empower dermatologists to identify early markers of the disease.
For patients who are already diagnosed with AKN and in the care of a dermatologist, this study will aim to provide clinical tools to assess further spread of the disease.
According to Dr Visser, “If this disease is diagnosed early on, treatment may be initiated sooner and the distress associated with this disorder may be significantly lessened.”
The grant supports a one-year research project in sub-Saharan Africa and the winner receives 10,000 euros. The research grant aims to promote clinical and basic research on ethnic skin and hair physiology conducted by African scientists in Africa. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/South-African-doctor-gets-L-Oreal-s-hair-grant/434746-3359712-4mqifc/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/e5a07ec46d56235c0cab04117ca25ce44faf5ec0c0e0cfbf514c17bfd501ba1d.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:51:01 | null | null | Facilities in the region are being subjected to common criteria for rating. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FRegion-classifies-hotels-to-enable-joint-East-African-marketing-%2F2560-3360130-tcfqplz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Region classifies hotels to enable joint East African marketing | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
A restaurant at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have until November to complete classification of their hotels, lodges and restaurants using the agreed upon East Africa Community criteria. PHOTO | FILE
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have until November to complete classification of their hotels, lodges and restaurants using the agreed upon East Africa Community criteria.
The uniform classification of hotels and the single tourist visa will make it easier for marketers to promote the region as a single tourist destination and to offer multi-destination packages.
In Kenya, hospitality facilities in 41 out of the 47 counties have been classified by the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
Only five hotels received five-star rating. No hotel in Mombasa County, a popular tourist destination, was rated five-star.
Popular brands like Serena Beach Resort, Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort, Voyager Hotel and English Point Marina were ranked as four-star.
Industry players are waiting for classification of the remaining six counties — Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, Makueni and Kajiado.
Nairobi is home to international hotel brands like Radisson Blu, Villa Rosa Kempinski, Hilton, Serena, The Tribe, Sankara and Hemmingways.
Hotels in Kampala were classified in November last year, with 78 hotels assessed and 26 receiving star ratings, ranging from two to five stars.
Kampala Serena Hotel, Kampala Sheraton Hotel and Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort got five-star rating.
The Ugandan Tourism Board will continue the classification process for hotels and accommodation facilities in other major towns such as Jinja, Entebbe, Mbarara and Gulu.
Commenting on the rating of hotels in Mombasa County, Mohammed Hersi, chief executive officer of Heritage Hotels, said missing the five-star rating was not a concern because four-star hotels tap into the middle-class market, which is bigger than the upper middle-class.
Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism last week announced a plan to review and rank all hotels to meet international standards.
Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ramo Makani told the media that this is part of initiatives to boost the county’s tourism.
“Most hotels are not doing well; some of them are ranked as five-star, but do not meet the standards, and this cheating has been frustrating tourists,” he said, adding that the ministry has been receiving complaints over poor services offered by the hotels. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Region-classifies-hotels-to-enable-joint-East-African-marketing-/2560-3360130-tcfqplz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/438c8affe7f9e5a504aef196452b185b9e1f78db8f34e55fb7517519e8c96c07.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:02 | null | null | Once complete the LNG plant would have an expected economic lifespan of more than 40 years. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FTanzania-Magufuli-orders-officials-to-speed-up-LNG-project%2F2560-3355032-itttyrz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Magufuli orders officials to speed up $30 billion LNG project | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Tanzania has acquired over 2,000 hectares of land at Likong’o- Mchinga in Lindi to pave the way for a $30 billion liquefied natural gas plant. TEA GRAPHIC | FILE
Tanzanian president John Magufuli ordered officials on Monday to speed up long-delayed work on a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, saying implementation of the project had taken too long.
BG Group, recently acquired by Royal Dutch Shell, alongside Statoil, Exxon Mobil and Ophir Energy, plan to build a $30 billion-onshore LNG export terminal in partnership with the state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) by the early 2020s.
But a final investment decision has been held up by government delays in finalising issues relating to acquisition of land at the site and establishing a legal framework for the nascent hydrocarbon industry.
"I want to see this plant being built, we are taking too long. Sort out all the remaining issues so investors can start construction work immediately," the presidency quoted Magufuli as saying in a statement.
Magufuli, a reformist who took office in November, has sacked several senior officials for graft and cut spending he deemed wasteful, such as curbing foreign travel by public officials.
The president's office said Magufuli issued the instructions for the LNG project to be fast-tracked during talks with Oystein Michelsen, Statoil's Tanzania country manager, and senior Tanzanian government energy officials.
The Tanzanian presidency did not give the construction schedule for the project, but said once completed the LNG plant would have an expected economic lifespan of more than 40 years.
The government said it has acquired over 2,000 hectares of land for the construction of the planned two-train LNG terminal at Likong'o village in the southern Tanzanian town of Lindi.
Tanzania discovered an additional 2.17 trillion cubic feet of possible natural gas deposits in February, raising the east African nation's total estimated recoverable natural gas reserves to more than 57 trillion cubic feet. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Tanzania-Magufuli-orders-officials-to-speed-up-LNG-project/2560-3355032-itttyrz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/36630b3f319a28ccb897f183107bc17233cec14913a792e88dabdc32297e1547.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:51:47 | null | null | Tanzania’s attorney-general has cautioned the media to be impartial in their reporting on the ongoing debate about the planned countrywide demonstrations | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FTanzania-warns-media-on-coverage-of-banned-protests%2F2558-3361874-8ps92lz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Tanzania warns media on coverage of banned protests | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Tanzania's opposition party Chadema is expected to conduct countrywide rallies beginning September 1, 2016 despite ban by police. PHOTO | FILE
Tanzania’s attorney-general has cautioned the media to be impartial in their reporting on the ongoing debate about the planned countrywide demonstrations by the main opposition party Chadema.
“I can’t speak on behalf of the police but from what I know the police force has said they won’t allow demonstrations or any other public meetings until such time that the security situation improves. They are the custodians of keeping law and order, and their decisions are based mainly on intelligence gathered. I am pretty sure that the ban won’t go on forever,” Mr George Masaju said during a Press briefing on Monday.
The Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo has however said it would defy the ban.
The AG reiterated that the media had a crucial role to play in educating the public on the need to preserve and maintain peace, failure to which “the repercussions would affect even those that may not necessarily take part in the planned demonstrations.”
“It is imperative upon you journalists to understand and learn the different legislation pertaining to demonstrations including the Political Parties Act,” he said.
Chadema plans to carry countrywide demonstrations from September and accuse the Magufuli administration of dictatorship. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Tanzania-warns-media-on-coverage-of-banned-protests/2558-3361874-8ps92lz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/af101c671d2be88909b9e21a0d72fe0fde223f74e865a51e9185dcd2d7dce7a9.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:51:40 | null | null | No matter how many times we are hit by these scandals, their scale and blatancy always shocks. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FWill-negritude-help-us-host-an-Olympics-in-Africa%2F434750-3361856-ndowbi%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Negritude is a mighty fine thing, but will it help us host an | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Which country in sub-Saharan Africa, apart from South Africa, can host the Olympics? The question sneaked into my mind while watching the sporting extravaganza in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Hosting such an event, no doubt, comes with a huge financial cost. But it is also the one occasion where the host country invites the world to celebrate its technological and cultural civilisation — sort of a country’s equivalent of a coming-of-age party.
No one out of the millions who watched the games on TV, or the thousands who flew to Rio, would not now acknowledge that Brazil, for decades considered part of the so-called developing world, had arrived.
Yes, we all knew of its economic accomplishments, we had read of its exponential GDP growth and its beautiful cities.
But all this, after all, was abstract knowledge. The Games afforded us an up-close-and-personal encounter with Brazil. We looked in envy at state-of-the art stadia, the sparkling golf and cycling courses, the classic handball arenas, the beautiful modern city streets, and, above all, the spectacular vistas afforded by engineering and planning befitting a country at the cutting edge of 21st century development.
There was something else, too, that was equally profound: The seamless organisation of the Games, symbolised by the breathtaking opening and closing ceremonies.
Now, we know that the narrative of Brazil Rising has substance. Now, when we meet a Brazilian, our attitude will be one of utmost respect.
Can Africa host the Olympics? The answer, though at first not recognisable as such, was all the while trickling down to us in news reports about the management of Kenya’s Olympics team.
No matter how many times we are hit by these scandals — whether they are of theft of public money or ineptitude — their scale and blatancy always shocks. Remember how a government connived with a conman to defraud the country of billions of shillings in the Goldenberg corruption scandal? Or the Anglo-Leasing scandal in which the government again facilitated theft of billions?
There was also the grabbing of a playing field belonging to a primary school and when the children protested, they were teargassed unconscious. Then there was the blatant robbery at the National Youth Service, and the clearing of individuals who later turned to be key suspects by the official anti-corruption body.
After every one of these scandals, we shake our heads in utter disbelief at not just the scale of the transgression, but also its callousness. After every one of these scandals, we hang our heads in shame.
Now, once again, our jaws fell in disbelief as more and more details of the gross misconduct of officials in charge of the Kenya Olympics team reached us. Chaos at the athletes’ village. Star athlete Julius Yego having to travel to Nairobi by road. Athletes with only one change of the kits sponsored by Nike because the others were missing. Some coaches missing their tickets to Rio, etc.
Meanwhile, officials from the various sports associations and the Ministry of Sports, their girlfriends and cronies were living it up in Rio. This last scenario reminded us of an episode after the Garissa terrorist attack in which the Minister of Security and the police chief hopped onto a helicopter and left the Recce anti-terror squad behind!
In response to the Rio fiasco, the ridiculously inept Minister in charge of Sports, Hassan Wario, lamented that he, too, was a victim of the cartels running sports in Kenya. By any standards, even our tragi-comedic ones, Mr Wario should not be in office. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Will-negritude-help-us-host-an-Olympics-in-Africa/434750-3361856-ndowbi/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/325b0fcd294d6f782cce223c1bb8c374c6cbc1eb634e9b8bb23a689d2cbbf8b9.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T12:52:07 | null | null | EASTCO says is in the process of developing a strategic plan to act as a guiding framework for the exploitation of Science Technology and Innovation. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FRwanda%2FBusiness%2FEast-Africa-science-technology-calls-for-focus-on-research%2F1433224-3363008-k0j0awz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | - Business | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
East Africa Science and Technology agency has held its first stakeholders meeting amid calls for member states to increase expenditure on science, technology, research and innovation.
East African Science and Technology commission (EASTCO) launched last year has held consultations with international scientists representing research organisations, science commissions to share experience from EAC and other blocks in sub-Saharan Africa.
EASTCO and its partners highlighted the importance of investment in science and technology to boost the regional industrialisation and advance socio-economic development.
“Investing in science and technology by our regional governments provides one of the best returns in terms of its contribution to economic development,” Said Jesca Eriyo, deputy secretary general for productive and social sectors at EASTCO.
“I call upon our EAC partner states to increase support towards science and technology and also to support EASTCO,” she said.
According to the regional body, the budget on science and technology projects depends on planned activities and the activities depend on the strategic plan; EASTCO is at the final stage of finalising with the stakeholders in the partner states while taking its partners’ inputs.
“We will then prioritise activities for each year to determine the budget,” said Gertrude Ngabirano, the executive secretary of EASTCO.
“Currently we were advanced only money for developing the strategic plan and some stakeholder consultations which is not representative of the budget allocation we shall have after the agreed strategic plan,” she said.
However, when EASTCO prepared its budget for this financial year it was reduced due to limited contributions from partner states.
EASTCO says is in the process of developing a strategic plan to act as a guiding framework for the exploitation of Science Technology and Innovation to accelerate the development and competitiveness of the East African regional economies.
Ms Eriyo revealed that EASTCO is partnering with the recently launched Forest Landscape Restoration Hub for Eastern and Southern Africa based in Kigali to boost nature conservation, monitoring deforestation, afforestation, climate change, air quality, water and health.
Agriculture is another key sector of economic development in EAC but Ms Eriyo is worried that young people are not interested in the field. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Business/East-Africa-science-technology-calls-for-focus-on-research/1433224-3363008-k0j0awz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/51afae61de9a29f10b1370725fc93d246bf28717a7818e072000113300021b31.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:07 | null | null | Raw sugar production by Uganda’s three main processors fell 14 per cent in the first half of the year versus a similar period last year hurt by a shortage | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FRaw-sugar-output-by-Uganda-millers-down-14pc-in-first-half-2016%2F2560-3358016-kojpnqz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Raw sugar output by Uganda’s millers down 14pc in H1 | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Tractors offload sugarcane at a factory. PHOTO | FILE |
Raw sugar production by Uganda’s three main processors fell 14 per cent in the first half of the year versus a similar period last year hurt by a shortage of mature cane, an industry official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The East African country has a small but thriving sugar production sector mostly dominated by the three producers - Kakira Sugar Works, Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd and Kinyara Sugar Works.
Full-year output from the three is seen reaching 330,000 tonnes, down from last year’s 341,879 tonnes.
Wilberforce Mubiru, secretariat manager at industry body Uganda Sugar Manufacturers’ Association (USMA) told Reuters the three plants produced 154,501 tonnes in the first six months of 2016.
In the same period last year the three processors produced 178,761 tonnes of raw sugar.
Mubiru said the decline in production was due to the “unavailability of mature cane for milling”.
Each of the three big producers typically owns a large nucleus estate which accounts for the bulk of the cane supply but is usually surrounded by communities of outgrower farmers contracted to supplement supplies of the raw material.
Mubiru said eight new smaller processors who lacked a nucleus estate or outgrower schemes of their own were “poaching” on cane supplies of the three large plants and causing a shortage of the raw cane.
Combined production from all the smaller producers this year is likely to reach 100,000 tonnes which could push Uganda’s overall output to 430,000 tonnes, Mubiru said. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Raw-sugar-output-by-Uganda-millers-down-14pc-in-first-half-2016/2560-3358016-kojpnqz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/1c0d0f769dcd3f9738d0f8330646ea46e8624a6453838452a1b636796719d619.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:50:46 | null | null | Bralirwa Ltd, Rwanda’s biggest soft drinks and beer company, has increased the prices of soft drinks by 16 per cent to ease pressure on its revenues. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FWhy-Bralirwa-soft-drinks-will-cost-more-%2F2560-3360088-ou77k1%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Why Bralirwa’s soft drinks will cost more | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
The Bralirwa bottling plant. PHOTO | FILE
Bralirwa Ltd, Rwanda’s biggest soft drinks and beer company, has increased the prices of soft drinks by 16 per cent to ease pressure on its revenues.
The slight increase in prices by Rwf50 on each 30cl and 50cl bottle of soda and 30cl PET bottles is expected to prop up the company earnings and share price.
However, market analysts said increasing prices may not shield Bralirwa’s share price, which has been losing ground for the past two years.
The company’s shares have tumbled by 63 per cent from Rwf440 ($0.55) to Rwf160 ($0.20) on declining profits.
“It’s a good move to increase prices of soft drinks, but not enough to convince potential investors,” said Davis Gathara, managing director of Baraka Capital.
The company profits are being wiped out by a combination of low purchasing power, servicing of a foreign debt and the growing competition in the beverage industry.
Bralirwa fixed the retail price of a 30cl glass bottle at Rwf350 ($0.44), 50cl glass bottle at Rwf500 ($0.63) and PET bottles at Rwf450 ($0.56).
Market analysts argued that the company should have also increased beer prices, which have remained unchanged for the past three years.
“It would be better to increase beer prices but that could shift preferences to competition,” added Mr Gathaara.
Bralirwa produces Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Fanta Citron, Fanta Fiesta, Sprite, Krest Tonic and a proprietary drinks Vital’O.
Expanded market
The volumes of these soft drinks expanded by 6.3 per cent. Combined, the company sold 888,000 hectoliters of both beer and soft drinks in the fast half of 2016.
“Though cost pressure and constrained consumer spending power will continue to be challenging to the bottom line, we will focus on innovation, strengthening of premium beer brands, as well as find ways to reduce costs that require hard currency and improve productivity,” said Jonathan Hall, the outgoing managing director of Bralirwa. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Why-Bralirwa-soft-drinks-will-cost-more-/2560-3360088-ou77k1/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/ff5a29330d16362844bdc260eee234f8de9b0c8dfa86345ced0a0b5aaae685f3.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:51:32 | null | null | Did Kenyan nationalism became implanted in its athletic and footballing legs in ways it didn’t in the rest of East Africa? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FApartheid-and-free-market-were-key-to-Kenya-Olympic-golds-%2F434750-3360844-a303vkz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/1377068/lowRes/271276/-/i3auws/-/Charles-Obbo+new.jpg | en | null | Apartheid, free market were key to Kenya’s golds | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
So the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are over, and East Africa’s sportsmen and women are back home.
It was a good outing for Kenya. It came home with six gold medals, six silver medals, and one bronze.
It was both the best Olympic result in Kenya’s history, and also the best African team showing at the 2016 Games. The country ranked 15th globally in medals, and was second only to the US in track and field medals.
The next best EAC performer was Burundi. It bagged a solitary silver.
Uganda, after winning a gold in the 2012 London Olympics, lost its socks and shoes in Rio, so to speak. Tanzania came away empty-handed too. Rwanda, well, has never won an Olympic medal.
Perhaps we should not drag South Sudan into this matter. It’s a baby nation, and the folks who can run are busy killing or being killed.
If you forget the silver and bronze, Kenya and Uganda are the only two EAC countries who have ever won gold.
It’s a blow-away comparison, though, with Kenya bagging 31 golds since it started participating in the Olympics, and Uganda an extremely modest two.
Also, all these golds have been in running.
So the question has to be asked: Why can Kenya run, and the rest (Rwanda for example) can’t, or seem to have forgotten how to (Tanzania)?
There is a popular view that because nearly all these Kenyan medals are won by people from the Rift Valley, the altitude and the genes of the Kalenjin people have something to do with it.
But Tanzania has the same altitude, and those Ethiopians who give Kenya a run for its money in the long distance races, are not Kalenjin.
Perhaps the economy? Well, yes, Kenya is the region’s largest economy (although it won’t be for much longer, some economists say). But the logic that a bigger economy helps falls flat because Tanzania’s economy is bigger than Uganda’s, and it’s a gold medal pauper.
Burundi is a basket case, but it does better than Rwanda.
What Kenya has that the rest don’t, is that it has a longer history of a market economy. It is possible that the fact that athletes could keep for themselves most of the fortunes they made from running, created an early pool of incentives for people to go into competitive sport, and the culture took root early.
But it’s probably the local market that is most decisive. Athletes in Kenya were able to establish early spin-offs like international training camps, even stadia, from which they could make money when they were injured or retired. Not all of them went off to the village to die poor. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Apartheid-and-free-market-were-key-to-Kenya-Olympic-golds-/434750-3360844-a303vkz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/1b9cf766719b519f0de5cfe1731ec8058a1ca89fb2c5ce005b68bc75e0de76fc.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:52:00 | null | null | Last week Igad joined the US in accepting replacement of Dr Riek Machar as the First Vice President of South Sudan. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FUhuru-Kenyatta-in-Juba-for-peace-talks-with-Salva-Kiir%2F2558-3363142-ed6cckz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Uhuru in Juba for talks on progress of South Sudan's peace deal | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta with South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir at a past meeting. PHOTO | PSCU
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is in Juba to discuss with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir the progress of the implementation of the peace deal signed last year in a bid to end conflict that threatens to tear the country apart.
President Kenyatta serves as the focal point for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) peace process in South Sudan. Igad is a grouping of eight Eastern Africa nations that focuses on development and drought control in the region.
Mr Kenyatta was received at Juba International Airport by South Sudan’s first vice-president Taban Deng Gai before he inspected a full guard of honour mounted by the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA).
Cabinet Secretaries Amina Mohamed (Foreign Affairs), Charles Keter (Energy) and Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution) accompanied the President.
The two leaders are scheduled to address a joint press conference after holding talks at State House, Juba.
Last week, the Igad said that it was up to the South Sudanese government to decide whether opposition leader Riek Machar, who was replaced by Gai as the first vice-president after fleeing Juba, should be reinstated.
Machar is still in Sudan receiving treatment for an injury suffered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he had fled after fresh fighting erupted in Juba.
Machar's replacement was not consistent with the terms of last year's peace agreement between the South Sudan warring parties.
However, when the United States Secretary of State John Kerry visited Nairobi on Monday last week he expressed support for South Sudan's replacement of Machar, saying “it’s quite clear that legally, under the agreement, there is allowance for the replacement, in a transition of personnel, and that has been effected with the appointment of a new vice-president.” | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Uhuru-Kenyatta-in-Juba-for-peace-talks-with-Salva-Kiir/2558-3363142-ed6cckz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/cff584ae1ec606b7dd19ffa54b16a92e25f5118478605a1869bc918c430a92e6.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T08:50:22 | null | null | African countries eye industry, health, security, education deals at the Ticad VI Conference in Nairobi. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FJapan-expected-to-pledge-over--32b-for-projects-in-Africa-%2F2558-3359610-14m9ymaz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359614/lowRes/1419603/-/y21isz/-/abe.jpg | en | null | Japan expected to pledge over $32b for projects in Africa | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a Ticad VI side event in Nairobi on August 26, 2016. PHOTO | SIMON MAINA | AFP
African countries expect Japan to pledge more than $32 billion for industrialisation, water, security, education and health projects at the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad) meeting in Nairobi this weekend.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said Ticad VI would be dealing with “a number of critical issues pertinent to Africa.”
“The key areas are the overall continental economic growth agenda; Africa’s infrastructure development programme; agriculture and farming; peace and security as well as, questions of social inclusivity. So far we expect more than 60 memoranda of understanding to be signed between Japan and African governments during the forum, highlighting one of the biggest potential benefits the African business leaders will obtain from the summit,” said Ms Mohamed during an interview ahead of the meeting.
In the previous meeting in Yokohama, Japan, the Asian nation pledged $20 billion. This has seen it fund several projects across various sectors.
Ahead of the meeting, African countries agreed to speak with one voice in pushing for more investments in health and skills development, as well as social-economic infrastructure projects.
“Despite Japan, the international community and African countries having steadily implemented the six-pillar Yokohama 2013-17 action plan, some areas have lagged behind and we are calling for greater support in these areas,” says a report to African Missions by a Kenyan official.
These issues are at the core of the Nairobi Declaration that delegates to Ticad VI are expected to adopt. The document will outline goals to be achieved by the next Ticad in 2019.
The Draft Nairobi declaration report seen by The EastAfrican puts emphasis on skills development, science, technology and innovation especially for the youth.
While drafting the document, the ministers who met in Djibouti in March and later in the Gambia in June proposed several additions that included uplifting health systems on the continent, to combat both communicable and non communicable diseases through capacity development and technology and collaborations with pharmaceutical industries.
“Emphasis on maternal and reproductive issues; tackling violent extremism and radicalisation and cross-border security and maritime security was also added to the document,” the ministerial briefing reads.
Three years ago, Japan announced the Yokohama declaration package that included $14 billion official development aid and $6.5 billion support for infrastructure. Since then, Japan has channelled billions of dollars on various areas within the region and continent at large. For instance on health, it spent $184 million in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
On energy, predominant market players Toshiba, Fuji Electric, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Fuji Electric and Toyota Tsusho have made significant investments in the continent.
The region and continent will also be eyeing further infrastructure projects and a plan involving funding for more than 60 major infrastructure projects across the continent has been prepared and will be discussed at the Ticad VI summit in Nairobi.
In infrastructure development, the plan has singled out Kenya’s port of Mombasa, Nacala port in Mozambique and Cote d’Ivoire. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Japan-expected-to-pledge-over--32b-for-projects-in-Africa-/2558-3359610-14m9ymaz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/55491f484b4a0d389be5a6d46ca35a97d7586f8d1669af6972961840f37f3c81.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:40 | null | null | The exhibition’s varied display of prints and sculptures echoes different aspects of gender-based violence. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FSymbolic-art-pieces-express-outrage-on-gender-violence%2F434746-3359254-tl7x86%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359266/lowRes/1419672/-/ks6bfy/-/siopsis.jpg | en | null | Symbolic art pieces express outrage on gender violence | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
I’m sorry by Penny Siopsis, 2017. PHOTO | KARI MUTU
An exhibition called One in Three: What Does It Take for You to Be Outraged? at the Nairobi National Museum is exploring the wide and complex nature of gender-based violence.
One in Three is a creation of the Art Programme of the World Bank Group. There are no images of battered faces, bruised bodies and haunted eyes. Instead, the art programme aims to address broader issues of physical and symbolic violence against women through hard facts and symbolic art.
The title draws from statistics by UN Women, which estimates that 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.
The exhibition’s varied display of prints and sculptures echoes different aspects of gender-based violence such as domestic abuse, rape, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, child marriages and female genital mutilation.
The Nairobi Museum’s art curator, Lydia Gatundu-Galavu, says they chose the exhibition because of the topical nature of this global scourge and because Kenyan artists were selected as part of the exhibition.
Patrick Mukabi’s female figurine from his Siasa Mbaya, Maisha Mbaya series is made of iron sheets obtained from houses burned down during the 2007-2008 post-election violence in which many women were raped. “Women and girls still suffer the consequences to date through diseases, disabilities and psychological trauma,” writes the artist.
Catherine Wanjohi, an advocate for Kenyan sex-workers, quite literally took her counselling skills to the streets.
“I am part of a community that has judged them for too long,” said Wanjohi, who quit a prestigious job as a school headmistress to provide services for women who support their families through prostitution. A picture of Wanjohi by Mia Collis and Cynara Vetch shows her wearing an eclectic feather hat with a bright smile and her hands in a prayer-like pose.
The Silent Conversations, a graceful sculpture by Maggie Otieno, is made of mild steel and reclaimed wood. It symbolises progressively healing scars that women carry with dignity and beauty, the tight fusion of materials showing a strong and undefeated spirit. “But it is also about the silence of the society in admitting it has been part of this scarred journey,” said Otieno.
Gender-based violence is a worldwide menace often perpetuated by family members or acquaintances. UN Women states that 48 per cent of women in the European Union have experienced violence from people close to them.
Elena Grant, an art history researcher with The Art Programme, said they wanted to express this universal phenomenon, “through visual means, by showing art on the subject of gender-based violence from each region of the world.”
Artworks were sourced from the World Bank’s permanent collection, from artists whose work reflects gender violence and through NGOs that deal with the subject.
One in Three opened at the World Bank in Washington DC in 2014. Since then, it has been featured in Brazil, Senegal, Germany and Switzerland. The show has been of particular interest to medical professionals, psychologists and social workers who, says Ms Grant, “Were interested in seeing examples of art therapy.”
The subliminal nature of violence against women comes out in works by artist Manal Al Dowayan of Saudi Arabia who uses different art forms to spotlight the restrictive conditions of women in her homeland. Bound is a black and white photo of an Arab woman with clenched hands tied together by a chequered head-cloth of the type worn by many Arab men. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Symbolic-art-pieces-express-outrage-on-gender-violence/434746-3359254-tl7x86/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/90db5a4135866431b8af50273756dd003c341c088f972883b31390e9d8199773.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:50:36 | null | null | Opposition rejects president-for-life, demands a referendum | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FBurundi-moots-removal-of-term-limits-%2F2558-3359966-gpbt0rz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3012220/lowRes/1152425/-/objhyp/-/nkuru.jpg | en | null | Burundi moots removal of term limits | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza. PHOTO | FILE
Burundi could scrap presidential term-limits if a proposal by a commission is adopted.
However, opposition is calling for a referendum on the matter as proposed by a commission formed last year to seek public views on how to ensure political stability in the country.
The Burundi opposition accused the Inter Burundi Dialogue Commission of serving the interests of President Pierre Nkurunziza to remain in power.
“Burundians already expressed themselves in March 2014 when parliament rejected the president’s move to amend the constitution and we can only use article 7 of the Constitution to organise a referendum,” Leonce Ngendakumana the chairman of FRODEBU, the leading opposition party, told The EastAfrican.
Mr Ngendakumana said the political crisis in the country will be better addressed by stopping violence on politicians, the media and civil society than removing term limits.
“Stop the assassinations, stop arrests and fight against poverty. These are the urgent needs for the people,” he said.
On Tuesday, Inter-Burundi Dialogue Commission chairman Justin Nzoyisaba said views it collected from across the country favoured removal of the two-term limit for the president.
“On the Constitution, the majority of participants want the president to exercise more than two terms… This means they want the removal of term limits in the country’s Constitution,” said Mr Nzoyisaba.
This would necessitate a review of the Arusha Accord and the country’s Constitution, which prohibit a president from seeking a third term in office. Article 96 of the Constitution states that the president is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of five years, renewable once.
Speaking after the commission’s term was extended by another six months, Mr Nzoyisaba also said the public supported an inclusive government.
“I can’t specifically say what the Burundians said but I can note that they raised their concerns on the quotas of 60 per cent Hutu and 40 per cent Tutsi, which disregards the Twa ethnic group,” he said.
According to the report, Burundians also rejected calls for former presidents to automatically become senators, preferring that senators be elected.
Mr Nzoyisaba said the commission would now reach out to political stakeholders including those in refugee camps or outside the country.
“We will have to reach out to every Burundian who wish as to contribute in efforts to restore peace and stability in the country,” said Mr Nzoyisaba. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Burundi-moots-removal-of-term-limits-/2558-3359966-gpbt0rz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/f29ddf49293dd9bf7f2998bf36b3407d0c1cc0bb29e062951b3d1a14c0fac237.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:43 | null | null | Listed hospitality firm TPS East Africa narrowed her losses by 41 per cent in the six months through June 2016 compared to the same period last year | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FTPS-East-Africa-narrows-loss-but-sales-flat%2F2560-3356150-in96c2z%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | TPS East Africa narrows loss but sales flat | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Nairobi Serena Hotel. PHOTO | FILE
Interest costs dropped sharply from Sh108 million to Sh54.7 million in the period under review.
Listed hospitality firm TPS East Africa narrowed her losses by 41 per cent in the six months through June 2016 compared to the same period last year, but sales remained subdued.
The company which owns and operates hotel and lodge facilities in Eastern Africa saw its net loss drop from Sh97m in the first six months of 2015 to Sh57 million in the same period this year.
Sales dropped slightly to Sh2.65 billion from Sh2.67 billion the previous period on what the company attributed to slow recovery after travel advisories were lifted in 2015 adding that the second half of the year looks encouraging.
“Given the seasonal nature of tourism in East Africa, the results for the first half cannot be used as basis for forecasting full-year earnings,” TPS said in a statement to the bourse.
Interest costs dropped sharply from Sh108 million to Sh54.7 million in the period under review.
The management noted low occupancies in the coastal region due to difficulties in marketing the region with lack of direct flights to Mombasa from source markets.
TPS said that it had commenced the refurbishment of its city hotel circuit. "The move comes on account of increased competition within the city hotel portfolio from the new international chains that have set up shop in the last two years, all targeting the corporate and business traveller segment," Standard Investment Bank noted.
Kenya’s security sentiment has improved significantly with the capital city hosting major global events on trade and investment and hosting key global figures. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/TPS-East-Africa-narrows-loss-but-sales-flat/2560-3356150-in96c2z/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/16f696fea4987c6bc10facc0939cb25dd17e3d45912da6de9070a078e6c7c6a3.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:41 | null | null | Dr Edridah Muheki Tukahebwa is Uganda's assistant commissioner of health services, at the Vector Control Division and programme manager of the Neglected | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FDr-Muheki-A-cup-of-tea-with-friends-is-all-I-need-after-work-%2F434746-3359752-14mg8nx%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359792/lowRes/1419685/-/14or94tz/-/muheki.jpg | en | null | Dr Muheki: A cup of tea with friends is all I need after work | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
Dr Edridah Muheki Tukahebwa works at Uganda’s Ministry of Health and is currently an assistant commissioner of health services, at the Vector Control Division and programme manager of the Neglected Tropical Diseases Control and Elimination Programme. PHOTO | MORGAN MBABAZI
Dr Edridah Muheki Tukahebwa. She is currently an assistant commissioner Health Services, Vector Control Division and programme manager of the Neglected Tropical Diseases, control and elimination programme in Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
An alumni of Makerere University, Dr Tukahebwa holds a Bachelors of Science in Parasitology and Entomology, and a Masters of Science in Environmental Health.
She has 13 years experience in the control of schistosomiasis and nine years of managing the Neglected Tropical Diseases integrated programme.
She was born on July 25, 1965 in Bushenyi district in western Uganda, where she attended Kabwohe Girls Primary School and Bweranyangi Girls Senior Secondary School. Her love for science subjects in high school led her to study parasitology and entomology at university.
“What interested me in parasitology and entomology was because I loved science and I knew in botany and zoology there is the naming of plants, animals and parasites with the first and last names. I loved knowing the genetic name (first name) and species name (last name),” she said. “I find parasitology and entomology very exciting because I know that plants, animals and insects have relatives and family trees,” she added.
Dr Tukahebwa’s job demands that she spends considerable time in the field which for her is the forest. “A major challenge for me is that the practical field world in zoology is tough because sometimes you find yourself alone in the bush.”
She singles out her attainment of a Doctorate in Public Health from Makerere University in 2012 as her biggest professional achievement. “This doctorate means that I am an authority on public health.”
Through her work over the years, she has been involved in projects that enhanced the integration of neglected tropical diseases elimination in Uganda, and helped the country get the transmission of onchocerciasis, trachoma and lymphatic filariasis under control in a number of districts.
After a day’s work you will find Dr Tukahebwa, a teetotaller, relaxing with friends or family at a restaurant or home over a cup of tea or coffee.
She is an author and co-author of more than 40 scientific papers and has participated and led in a number of South-South and North-South collaborative research studies on schistosomiasis.
-----------------------------------------------
What’s your off-duty passion?
Reading and watching movies based on real-life stories, including those with Christian themes. In one’s life, there are moments when one thinks that he or she is not realising their goals and feels demotivated. When I watch or read inspiring real-life stories, I get inspired as they guide me. One example of books that have had a positive effect on my life are the series Your Best Life by US preacher and author Joel Osteen of the Lakewood Church in Texas.
What would you have been if you were not in the field of medicine today? | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Dr-Muheki-A-cup-of-tea-with-friends-is-all-I-need-after-work-/434746-3359752-14mg8nx/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/fd7088bf9b4fe1706d93fa93d56d5fe3848579a03e4bef205a10e12b405c6c65.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T12:51:37 | null | null | Kenyan bank share prices continued to fall on Monday, losing the allowed maximum of 10 per cent by 11am (0800 GMT). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FKenya-banking-stocks-continue-fall-as-bargain-hunters-creep-in%2F2560-3361722-7be45xz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Kenya banking stocks fall for third session as bargain hunters creep | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
An investor monitors trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. PHOTO | FILE
Kenyan bank share prices continued to fall on Monday, losing the allowed maximum of 10 per cent by 11am (0800 GMT).
KCB Group, Kenya's biggest bank by assets, Equity Bank, the biggest in terms of number of customers, and Co-operative Bank lost 9.32, 9.26 and 9.26 per cent respectively. I&M and NIC shed off 9.77 and 7.29 per cent respectively.
StanChart and Barclays were the only listed banks that gained in price at 4.76 and 2.34 per cent above last Friday’s prices to stand at Ksh198 and Ksh8.75 per share.
There were tens of millions of shares in supply even as the demand remained low, underlining the nervousness of investors at the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
The drastic decline of banks’ share prices began last Thursday, falling by the maximum rate of 10 per cent. This continued the following day, last Friday where the share lost another 10 per cent.
The massive fall in bank share prices came after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed a bill controlling interest rates.
The lending rate is now supposed to be a maximum of 14.5 per cent and deposit rates are supposed to be at 7.35 per cent at a minimum, where the Central Bank Rate is the base rate. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya-banking-stocks-continue-fall-as-bargain-hunters-creep-in/2560-3361722-7be45xz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/c9cbc71e150699be9df8e96488b2ba86a8bd9a66df1ad95eb4c3cf826f8ff56c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:47 | null | null | One lawmaker was reportedly stripped during the robbery at a guest house. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FUgandan-MPs-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-South-Africa%2F2558-3358662-dg5tjc%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Ugandan MPs robbed at gunpoint in South Africa | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
KariBou-Inn Guest House located in a Johannesburg suburb, South Africa. PHOTO | KARIBOUINN.CO.ZA
Four Ugandan legislators Thursday night landed at Entebbe International Airport empty-handed after armed men in South Africa waylaid them and three parliamentary staff on arrival for an official visit.
The attackers snatched their passports and personal effects.
One lawmaker was reportedly stripped during the robbery at KariBou-Inn Guest House located in a Johannesburg suburb.
South African authorities and Ugandan officials have started separate inquiries into the incident.
“The matter is sensitive and I have referred it to Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Ambassador James Mugume,” Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Julius Peter Moto, said.
Ambassador Mugume told the Daily Monitor by telephone from Singapore that he was unaware of the incident and his understudy, Ambassador Rossette Nyirikindi Katungye, said Thursday evening that she had not been briefed.
Initial reports suggested that the MPs neither notified the Ugandan High Commission in Pretoria nor the parent Foreign Affairs ministry in Kampala of their trip.
However, in a letter dated August 11, 2016, and seen by Monitor, the Clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige wrote to the PS, Foreign Affairs, requesting the ministry to assist the lawmakers and parliamentary staff “obtain the relevant entry visas to South Africa”.
Officials at the South African High Commission in Kampala were unreachable by the time of going to Press.
Parliament Communications Director Chris Obore, who, together with Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, is in Mauritius attending a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference, confirmed the attack on the MPs.
“We have heard about the unfortunate incident ...they were robbed [of their property] at the gate of the hotel; they hadn’t even settled in,” Mr Obore said.
Speaker Kadaga reportedly telephoned her South African counterpart to request for help to get the affected MPs and parliament staff out of trouble.
The lawmakers were headed to Durban, about 630 kilometres away, to visit the Amandla Fertiliser production facility and Parliament picked all their bills.
A source that declined to be named due to sensitivity of the matter claimed that the lawmakers likely picked the guest house because accommodation there is relatively cheaper and would enable them save money. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Ugandan-MPs-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-South-Africa/2558-3358662-dg5tjc/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/e218556c7aa65d92c68177c8ebc31f2fc4a3333e0ecdf8a23def7b1f8393360a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:40 | null | null | Former VP Dr Riek Machar has thrown prospects of stability in the country into further uncertainty after his allies said they were rethinking role in | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FSouth-Sudan-uncertain-as-Machar-plans-recoil-from-peace-deal%2F2558-3357178-gitidl%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | S.Sudan's future uncertain as Machar plans recoil from peace deal | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Former first vice president of South Sudan Dr Riek Machar has thrown prospects of stability in the country into further uncertainty after his allies said they were rethinking their role under the August 2015 peace agreement. PHOTO | FILE | AFP
Former first vice president of South Sudan, Dr Riek Machar has thrown prospects of stability in the country into further uncertainty after his allies said they were rethinking their role under the August 2015 peace agreement.
The allies said Dr Machar planned a review of the Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) involvement in the transition government once he recovered from injuries sustained last month.
Sources close to Dr Machar —who arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday afternoon from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for treatment — told The EastAfrican that the rebel leader was consulting Igad before making his decision known.
SPLM-IO representative in Kenya, Lam Jok, said that recent attacks by President Salva Kiir’s forces demanded a fresh approach to the implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement.
“Since July 8, our mission was to secure the life of our leader but now that he is safe, we are diplomatically and politically engaging Igad on the way forward because President Kiir has killed the agreement by attacking our official cantonment areas and changing the leadership structure contrary to the agreement,” said Mr Jok.
He continued, “What we know is that the current status quo is not acceptable because the president and the new first vice-president, Taban Deng Gai, have defied the agreement which the region worked very hard to realise.”
The presence of Dr Machar in Khartoum is likely to raise concerns in Juba, especially after the new first vice-president, Mr Gai, held discussions with the Sudan leadership over outstanding issues between the two countries including security, border demarcation and oil exportation.
But in a statement to the Sudan News Agency (Suna), Sudan’s Minister of Information Ahmed Belal Osman said Khartoum has simply received Dr Machar for medical treatment since he arrived in a critical condition and needed immediate care.
''The health condition of Dr Riek Machar is now stable and he will stay in the country under full medical supervision until he leaves the country for a destination of his choice to complete his medical treatment'' the statement read in a part. Mr Osman said that Khartoum has notified the government of South Sudan about Dr Machar's arrival.
Mr Jok confirmed that Dr Machar needed specialised treatment because of swollen legs after walking for 200km under aerial bombardment at an advanced age.
The recent Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) summit had declared the replacement of Dr Machar as illegal and against the agreement and approved the deployment of 4,000 regional protection force in Juba. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/South-Sudan-uncertain-as-Machar-plans-recoil-from-peace-deal/2558-3357178-gitidl/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/cf32aeb933e437bf65aba362ac0d8c6a871d55cade39d78df8bb47638beb1424.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:04:25 | null | null | Three Boko Haram commanders were confirmed dead with several others wounded. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FBoko-Haram-Abubakar-Shekau-wounded-air-strike-Nigeria%2F2558-3354884-x2jess%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Boko Haram leader 'wounded' in air strike | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
This screen grab image taken on February 18, 2015 from a video made available by Islamist group Boko Haram shows Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau making a statement at an undisclosed location. AFP PHOTO
Nigeria's military claimed Tuesday to have seriously injured Boko Haram's elusive leader Abubakar Shekau and killed other commanders in an air strike on the Islamist group's forest stronghold.
Nigeria has repeatedly claimed to have killed Shekau in previous raids only for him to appear shortly afterwards in videos.
Shekau was "fatally wounded in the shoulder" during Friday's raids, said army spokesman Sani Usman in a statement, without giving further details.
Usman also said three Boko Haram commanders — Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman — were confirmed dead with several others wounded.
The claim comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry visits the country for talks likely to focus on the fight against Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009.
Nigerian forces, with the support of regional troops, have recently recaptured swathes of territory lost to the jihadists.
The mysterious Shekau's fate has been the subject of speculation recently amid claims he had been replaced by Sheikh Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the group's former spokesman.
Barnawi's appointment was contained in a magazine issued by the Islamic State group, to which Boko Haram pledged allegiance in March last year.
But only a week later, the shadowy Shekau surfaced in a video posted on social media, ridiculing suggestions of his death and looking more composed and energetic than in previous appearances. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Boko-Haram-Abubakar-Shekau-wounded-air-strike-Nigeria/2558-3354884-x2jess/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/e0c275832aca467aa0ee2040a84c81e4c4bcd6e479c49f59bfd51aaf6ee9641f.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:50:49 | null | null | Correspondent banking plays an important role in the global payments system by enabling cross-border transactions and access to overseas products. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FCorrespondent-banking-is-on-the-decline-huge-impact-in-Africa%2F434750-3360242-mlgua7%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Correspondent banking is on the decline; for Africa, the impact is | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Customers wait to collect money at a money transfer services firm in Mogadishu, Somalia. PHOTO | FILE | AFP
Correspondent banking plays an important role in the global payments system by enabling cross-border transactions and access to overseas products.
But, increasingly, banks around the world are reviewing their correspondent banking relationships. This trend, known as de-risking, is being driven by concerns about money laundering, terrorism financing and the associated regulatory pressures. Another contributing factor to this dynamic is the cost associated with maintaining multiple relationships.
The impact of this trend is being felt even in Africa. A report published by the World Bank in November last year found that more than half of the banks surveyed reported a moderate or significant decline in their correspondent banking relationships in Africa.
Meanwhile, Swift data shows that many countries in Africa have seen a reduction in their foreign counterparties (the foreign banks with which African banks transact overseas).
South Africa, for example, lost more than 10 per cent of its foreign counterparties between 2013 and 2015. In Angola, the decline was even steeper, with the number of foreign counterparties dropping by 37 per cent in two years.
Interestingly, while Nigeria’s international banking network has seen limited de-risking, its local banks have been cutting their own relationships with other African banks and financial services providers or counterparties perceived to be risky.
De-risking can have significant consequences for the affected countries: Cross-border trade may be significantly impeded if countries are cut off from the global financial system. Products and services such as international wire transfers, cash management services and trade finance may become difficult to access.
For individual banks, the prospect of being de-risked presents a number of challenges. While some banks may be able to find alternative banking partners, others may find themselves cut off entirely. Moreover, securing new relationships takes time and money — and banks may find that any new arrangements are based on less favourable terms and conditions.
Banking customers may also be adversely affected. Without access to correspondent banking services, businesses and individuals may be unable to import goods from overseas; in turn, problems with the supply chain could push some businesses into distress and lead to greater levels of unemployment. In some cases, consumers may be unable to send remittances to family members overseas.
Reduced access to traditional banking channels may force people to find other ways of making and receiving payments, such as using informal money services or, indeed, physically transporting cash across borders. However, these unregulated channels may bring additional risks and leave people more vulnerable to criminal activity.
A shift away from traditional channels could even create additional opportunities for money laundering and terrorist financing activities to thrive.
De-risking could also have a negative impact on financial inclusion rates. Typically, it is the smaller, local banks that are de-risked. Therefore de-risking could adversely impact the services available to the poorest in society. On a continent where huge proportions of the population are unbanked, and authorities are doing all they can to increase access to formal financial services, it could be that the poorest members of society are those who will suffer most.
There could be further unintended consequences. A recent paper from the Committee on Payments & Market Infrastructures demonstrates that while the number of active correspondents is shrinking, the volume of transactions is still rising, meaning that as one part of the banking network becomes unavailable, payments find another route.
Taken together, the decrease in the number of active correspondents and the increase in volumes suggest heightened concentration of banking relationships, a trend that may have implications for the financial industry’s systemic health. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Correspondent-banking-is-on-the-decline-huge-impact-in-Africa/434750-3360242-mlgua7/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/67c7a462f9254809ae5537a9866c9ed829bca50c1cd472ad7e0f29f932ef4797.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T12:51:39 | null | null | While corruption takes resources away from service delivery, it gives an enormous boost to our humour industry. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FUganda-MP-sells-goats-to-raise-3-million-dollars-corruption%2F434750-3361696-gwpo21z%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Don’t let our dodgy leaders get your goat, milk them for humour | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Last week, yet another Auditor-General’s report was made public, this one highlighting the fact that the Entebbe Express Highway is being built at a cost 10 times higher than the world average.
Everybody knows the story of our record breaking 50km road costing some $500 million, or $10 million/1km, enabling somebody to “chew” over $400 million in one deal. Yawn!
But when the Observer newspaper published it online, one reader’s comment identified the culprit who must have inflated the cost and pocketed the difference – Besigye! I nearly fell off my chair – the last time Dr Besigye worked in government was over two decades ago, and if he had ever fiddled with public funds, that would certainly have been among the hundred cases he faces in our courts.
In the same week, the Inspector General of Government (IGG or Ombudsman) Irene Mulyagonja was reported to have pleaded for an amendment to the Leadership Code making wealth declarations by our leaders accessible to the public.
Well informed members of the public can then inform the IGG in case of under-declaration (to conceal ill-gotten wealth ) or over-declaration (to justify stolen wealth later). However, the declarations were publicised only once — over a decade ago! — after which our leaders successfully blocked publication of their periodically declared wealth.
So the secret declarations residing in the IGG’s safe could just as well be blank as far as the public is concerned. The IGG plea for transparency came during the launch of a digital online declaration app for our leaders’ convenience. Her Tanzanian counterpart was recently sacked for not prosecuting enough corrupt leaders, so poor Mulyagonja may be running scared that Museveni could decide to emulate Magufuli and go for her head. But let her go ahead and cry in the wilderness; MPs are not about to pass her suggested amendment.
Still in the same week, the Monitor newspaper reported that the director general of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) has authored a report to the effect that corruption could bring down the government through mass uprisings over non-existent service delivery. The country yawned.
But a couple of weeks earlier, the whole nation was excitedly discussing a minor case concerning land belonging to the national broadcaster that an MP had almost grabbed but was blocked from doing so.
The transaction, worth three million dollars, was nullified by court. But the MP’s explanation how she raised the $3 million, had everybody laughing. She said she had sold some goats to help raise the money. The goat jokes swamped social media: Photos of her purported goats showed the animals wearing sunglasses and lots of lipstick. Don’t forget that a girl’s “goat” in some African cultures refers to her virginity…
This shows that while corruption takes resources away from service delivery, it gives an enormous boost to our humour industry. Comedians like Anne Kansiime and Salvador are no strangers to the wider East African audience. When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade; when it gives you dodgy leaders, milk them for humour. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Uganda-MP-sells-goats-to-raise-3-million-dollars-corruption/434750-3361696-gwpo21z/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/f241f63b91f52cc6268e1614ed55cbb9972e3574e26f22766fbcd8837ae9d29d.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:32 | null | null | East Africa music lovers are yet to discover the fundamentals of jazz and are being exploited by “jazz show” organisers. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FJazz-Much-loved-but-misunderstood-music-genre-%2F434746-3359720-2epngr%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Jazz: Much loved but misunderstood music genre | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
For a continent that had a heavy hand in orchestrating what has come to be known as “Jazz,” East Africa music lovers are yet to discover the fundamentals of jazz and are being exploited by “jazz show” organisers.
Promoters have taken advantage of the naïve and unsuspecting middle class in the past 10 years, by staging shows under the “Jazz” prefix only to showcase instrumentalists.
Jazz faces a problem; commercialisation is still a myth and many artistes in New Orleans (the birth place of jazz) and other cities, in the 1980s lived an austere life, feeding off scraps and doing shows on the road. The more unlucky ones like Charlie Christian, Fats Navarro, and Chick Webb all died of lung related diseases.
As more East Africans take to more sophisticated music genres to subtly announce their status in society, jazz seems to be the first choice.
I recall attending my very first jazz safari in Uganda. The show was sold out months before the event. One of the headlining stars was Norman Brown who is George Benson’s (my favourite guitarist) protégé. He strolled onto the stage only not to be recognised by the audience.
I was in total disbelief; the crowd was oblivious to the prince of the West Coast modern Jazz. The show organisers had obviously anticipated this and had also brought RnB crooner Joe Thomas who on the contrary wooed the crowd despite it being a “Jazz Safari.”
Kigali’s renowned “Jazz Junction,” was not different. My first event featured Ugandan soul artist Maurice Kirya, which for me only compared with an indolent performance of an underpaid 1970s prom band on the road. The performance lacked sophistication. Most of those at the show did not even know what to expect.
My second Jazz Junction featured a gentleman called Herbert on the saxophone and I could have sworn his coarse treatment of the instrument had Adolphe Sax (RIP) wish he hadn’t invented the sax. The mundane thought that playing incoherent melodies qualified for music had me considering asking for a refund.
What is Jazz?
This is a genre of music that relies on syncopation and improvisation. You can’t play the same lick twice, (If you do, then you should apologise at the end of the show).
Jazz stands for humble beginnings, it is storytelling, a skirmish between substitute chords, and altered chords. Jazz is contemplating chromaticism or dissonance while you’re on the stage.
Jazz is that smile on Django Reinhardt’s face when he found out he played better than all the guitarists in his generation even though he’d lost two left fingers in a caravan fire.
Jazz is resilience of Pat Martino, a jazz guitarist who underwent a surgery that left him with amnesia and without memory of the guitar only to spend 10 years listening to his old recordings and re-learning how to play the guitar again. To sum it all up, you can’t have a jazz show without understanding the history and perilous journey of the genre. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Jazz-Much-loved-but-misunderstood-music-genre-/434746-3359720-2epngr/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/5746a56dcef181ee8dcd75a8c13a2c9e7cf0d441b6cc45d787cfa2eecc8d3e60.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:52:02 | null | null | There is need for strong partnership between the different stakeholders in the sugar business with the investor. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FRwanda%2FOpinion%2FMotivate-Rwanda-farmers-to-boost-production-of-sugarcane-%2F1433246-3363108-7jgqwoz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | EDITORIAL: Motivate farmers to boost production of sugarcane | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Opinion
Sugarcane farmers are pushing for better prices for their produce following the entry of a new investor in the sector ending the industry’s longstanding monopoly that had forced them to accept lower prices.
The farm gate prices are in principal the prices received by farmers for their produce at the location of farm. Thus the costs of transporting from the farm gate to the nearest market or first point of sale and market charges (if any) for selling the produce are, by definition, not included in the farm gate prices.
Thus the prices collected from such markets may be adjusted for these costs to arrive at farm gate prices.
This follows the recent entry of a new investor from Mauritius, Mauritius ACS Ltd, which set up a large-scale sugar factory in Eastern Province, creating huge demand for sugarcane supplies to drive its projected 100,000 tonnes sugar output target on annual basis.
It is projected that the country could save up to $28 million (about Rwf20 billion) on sugar importation when Mauritian investor starts production by the end of the year.
While a section of residents had abandoned farming due to poor prices, the new investor raises hope that with the right pricing, farmers will be motivated to get back to work.
Rwanda seeks to meet the growing annual sugar demand expected to reach 160,000 tonnes in 2020 from the current 90,000 tonnes. Its current production stands at 12,000 tonnes with the rest being imported.
There is need for strong partnership between the different stakeholders in the sugar business with the investor to ensure that farmers are motivated enough to boost production which is needed to help curb the country’s huge import bill.
In Rwanda, just like in many developing countries, agricultural marketing is not well organised and farmers use the entire range of distributive channels: farm-gate, local village markets, wholesale and retail markets and sales of export crops to marketing boards.
In order to approximate farm gate prices information on the marketing channels used and quantity sold for different crops and other products is required.
Average prices should then be worked out using the output disposed of through various channels as weights. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Opinion/Motivate-Rwanda-farmers-to-boost-production-of-sugarcane-/1433246-3363108-7jgqwoz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/cb24e6b12e21c43d6d4b96af529e664e1a5e278ee43686544a020058165da0ba.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:22 | null | null | The pill that is in the third phase of trial can reduce inflammation. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fscienceandhealth%2FResearchers-in-another-attempt-to-find-treatment-for-asthma%2F3073694-3358800-my40wnz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Researchers in another attempt to find treatment for asthma | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Science and Health
Researchers have completed a third phase of clinical trials of a new drug that could change the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma.
Fevipiprant is the first addition to treatment of asthma in 20 years and it gives instant relief to patients.
Taken twice daily, the pill has shown to reduce inflammation by 80 per cent. Asthma treatment has not changed over the past 20 years, with patients relying on inhalers and steroids. The latter carry a high risk of weight gain, diabetes, osteoporosis and high blood pressure.
According to the World Health Organisation, short-term medications are used to relieve symptoms of the chronic disease, which are characterised by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing.
Medications such as long-term inhaled steroids are needed to control the progression of severe asthma. People with persistent symptoms on the other hand must take long-term medication daily to control the underlying inflammation and prevent symptoms and exacerbations.
WHO said inadequate access to medicines is one of the major reasons for the poor control of asthma in many settings.
However, the development of the drug opens up the possibility that about 250,000 patients with severe asthma could now take a pill twice a day instead of relying on steroids. It could also benefit at least another 250,000 people who have the more moderate form of the disease.
“Fevipiprant had a favourable safety profile, with no deaths or serious adverse events reported,” reads an excerpt of the study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Professor Chris Brightling, National Institute for Health research renior research fellow at the University of Leicester in the UK said: “This new drug could be a game changer for future treatment of asthma.”
During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs.
WHO states that the causes of asthma are not completely understood.
“However, risk factors for developing asthma include inhaling asthma ‘triggers,’ such as allergens, tobacco smoke and chemical irritants. Asthma cannot be cured, but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy a good quality of life,” the UN agency states.
The Global Asthma Report 2014 estimates that the disease may affect as many as 334 million people globally.
Globally, about 300 million people have asthma, and current trends suggest that an additional 100 million people may be living with asthma by 2025. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/scienceandhealth/Researchers-in-another-attempt-to-find-treatment-for-asthma/3073694-3358800-my40wnz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/ef17481e356cefb0d828b379827f8410ff54f2b468a9227e12761098d07396c0.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:35 | null | null | African women want their share of leadership positions, warning that male dominance “will not be business as usual.” | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FAfrican-women-call-for-fair-share-of-power%2F2558-3360038-5rqmk5%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3360106/lowRes/1420876/-/m4ci2r/-/women.jpg | en | null | African women call for fair share of ‘positions’ | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Kenyan politician and former Justice minister Martha Karua (left); Kenya's Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and Oxfam executive director Winnie Byanyima at the inaugural African Women’s Leadership symposium in Nairobi on August 24, 2016. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA
African women want their share of leadership positions, warning that male dominance “will not be business as usual.”
Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International, told the inaugural African Women’s Leadership symposium in Nairobi that Africa needs transformational leadership from both men and women for the continent to prosper.
“No goal, no strategy, no vision for Africa can come true until we have sustainable leadership that delivers for women in every sphere of our lives,” said Ms Byanyima.
She said it is time the male-dominated leadership in Africa heeds the call for transformative leadership that will not create barriers for women but instead create space and a conducive environment for equal representation of women and men at all levels in all sectors.
The participants at the African Women’s Leadership Symposium discussed strategies to transform the lives of women and girls by equipping them with the skills that can propel them to leadership.
Amina Mohamed, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, called for sacrifices to be made if the final destination in the long journey to transformative leadership is to be reached.
Singling out Rwanda as the only country in the region with high numbers of women in leadership, Ms Mohamed expressed concern that only 17 out of 54 African countries have closed the gender gap.
This view was echoed by Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, special envoy on gender and vice president at the African Development Bank. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/African-women-call-for-fair-share-of-power/2558-3360038-5rqmk5/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7da493ff3b4d8bb77fe254e024cee0459f85cc016565c7719dbd89e3f433cffd.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:51:26 | null | null | In all our countries we have various sections wanting to be included in processes in which they feel it is their right to participate. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FEven-a-bad-conversation-is-better-than-a-good-war-%2F434750-3360942-14tqum6%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3027616/lowRes/114406/-/torrbv/-/Jenerali+Ulimwengu.jpg | en | null | Lesson from Colombia: Even a bad conversation is better than a good | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Strange how societies and their politicians are bent on proving right the adage that says, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Look around the world for yourself and witness how this apparently contradictory statement is being held up as the gospel truth.
Nearly all the wars you see, large and small, broke out at some point of an unfinished conversation. At some point, someone says they are “tired of all this useless and fruitless talking” and that “action speaks louder than words,” and with those words, cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war.
Though it is impossible to generalise, this state of affairs is brought about by the arrogance of one or both parties to an argument, wherein one or both feel they have enough military means to end the argument in their favour, and decide to short-circuit the conversation, seeking what they see as a quick fix that the other side cannot withstand.
Often they are wrong, and the ensuing war becomes a never-ending bloodletting in which both sides lose countless young men (and women) in battle, apart from the countless victims among non-combatants whom they now call “collateral damage.”
And yet, if anyone had looked at the situation before war broke out, one would have seen that there were many points on which the haggling sides were agreed, only that there was a desire among them all to pull a fast one on the other.
After long, drawn-out wars without an outright winner, we witness calls for a ceasefire, then a truce, and after that, a peace agreement. Upon examination of the peace agreement, one sees terms that could have been agreed a couple of decades previously had the warring parties carried brains in their heads instead of foolish pride.
That’s what we observe with the recent signing of a peace agreement in Havana between the government of Colombia and the Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia (FARC) after the two sides had fought themselves to a standstill atop the broken bones and spilt blood of 200,000 of their compatriots. Five decades of a totally useless war. What a price to pay for an argument.
An argument, moreover that hardly anyone can win. It is usually, in Latin America, Asia, Africa (and one day in Europe) an argument over exclusion and the denial of basic rights that more and more people are demanding. These may be political and cultural rights, but they are always entwined with issues of economic demands.
Thirty-odd years ago, these issues could have been thrashed out and solutions found for them instead of such losses. Both sides must surely share part of the blame for that destructive passage in their national life, for neither of them behaved like a band of angels.
In the end, it becomes clear that wider counsel should have led to the negotiating table from the start, and stayed there if at first it did not work. There is no way even one per cent of the recorded number of war dead could have perished at the roundtable, except, of course via natural attrition.
What is the lesson we can draw from the Colombian experience? First, let us not hurry into congratulatory ave marias, for we do not know that it will hold for sure.
But we can see that a bad conversation is better than a good war. It is better to talk for 10 years without reaching an agreement that fighting for a day and then going to negotiate.
That is what I hope our politicians will be learning, if the faculty of learning is still within them. In all our countries we have demands from various sections wanting to be included in processes in which they feel it is their fundamental right to participate. All too often our rulers have stuffed cotton wool in their ears and chosen to stonewall.
As elsewhere, in our region we have seen that after negotiations have failed we have gone to wasteful war before coming back to the negotiating table. Look around East Africa, and almost all our countries have been there and back, and some are going back there again. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Even-a-bad-conversation-is-better-than-a-good-war-/434750-3360942-14tqum6/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/9fa376415b61b1bcf4a0c6ad1bb62c8113166f3f09264a3b9419c36ae7bf4bf4.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T12:52:08 | null | null | The delays on the different city routes, together with an uncoordinated public transport system subjected passengers to scrambling for buses. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FRwanda%2FNews%2FElectronic-card-system-creates-change-in-Rwanda-public-transport%2F1433218-3362962-ka9cj4%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3362964/lowRes/1423249/-/c4syky/-/bus.jpg | en | null | - News | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Passengers boarding a bus in Kigali. Some passengers complain about difficulties in reloading credit onto their cards. PHOTO: CYRIL NDEGEYA
Despite a few glitches, usage of electronic transport cards has helped to decongest the roads and reduced hustles in taxi parks and at bus stages, as a result of the time saved compared with the period of cash transactions.
The delays on the different city routes, together with an uncoordinated public transport system subjected passengers to scrambling for buses. This has significantly reduced since they no longer have to wait for change.
“The system has significantly reduced delays, there are no more hustles at bus stops, or taxi parks, we are using electronic cards on all our 12 routes,” said Charles Ngarambe, the executive chairman of Kigali Bus services (KBS).
Before establishment, bus companies used to lose revenues through dubious touts and drivers who used to connive and steal money.
“There is no where the driver and conductor handle money, the system is well streamlined, the leakages have been blocked, it is helping a lot,” he noted.
The system met some resistance from the public, but many have adopted it.
The system which is run by AC Group Limited has faced some hiccups; Some passengers complained about difficulties in reloading their cards when credit is used up, yet the buses do not accept cash payments on a number of routes.
“A couple of times I have suffered, you have a card that cannot be reloaded, you explain the issue to the conductor and he’s adamant, he can’t accept cash,” said Aimable Benimana.
Patrick Bucyana, the AC group managing director said the system had a problem once, and it has since been rectified and many agents are positioned in different bus parks and bus stops for customers to easily reload cards.
“The system went down once, our system works online and offline; we haven’t had any issues. In two weeks we want to be manufacturing the cards here for quick access” he said.
He said there is still some resistance from some passengers and conductors because they still want to take cash.
“Some people load money for one route, you find someone charges 200 for going, and charges another 200 when they want to come back, this is not helping passengers, the more they load the better” he said.
One card costs Rwf1,300 and can be used across all bus companies, something which has helped passengers to use any bus that is available. The card is transferable, for instance you can give it to a friend to use.
He said the system has enabled the partner bus companies like KBS, Royal express, and RFTC to increase revenue collections by 30 per cent, and reduce accidents by 70 per cent. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/News/Electronic-card-system-creates-change-in-Rwanda-public-transport/1433218-3362962-ka9cj4/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7196e2d8142ff3b28b997d94c1fb9a7fdeae8cd7489a8584c689cb505fe03636.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:51:33 | null | null | The end of the Rio Olympics appear to have set off another contest in East Africa, one that could prove a watershed in the region’s economic prospects. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Feditorial%2FEast-African-Oil-and-gas-race%2F434752-3360842-ovp45xz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | EDITORIAL: Oil and gas race: What’s the hurry? | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Editorial
The end of the Rio Olympics appear to have set off another contest in East Africa, one that could prove a watershed in the region’s economic prospects.
Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda have in the past week shown signs of a sibling rivalry over the bragging rights for bringing oil and gas to the market first.
Despite neither a plant nor pipeline being in place, Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered that exploitation of natural gas begin as a matter of urgency.
Tullow Oil has announced that it will bring Kenya’s first barrels of crude oil to the market from March next year. The crude theme extends to the logistics of delivering the oil to the Mombasa refinery.
Trucks will be expected to ferry 2,000 barrels daily along a $32 million road meant to accommodate the bulk cargo for loading on rail wagons; meanwhile, a $400 million pipeline to the proposed Lamu port on the Indian Ocean received Cabinet approval three weeks ago.
Uganda and Tanzania are reaching out to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is yet to discover hydrocarbons, to join its oil infrastructure projects. Mozambique had hoped to be the first off the blocks with its natural gas but that appears to have been put paid to by investor concerns over the legislative framework.
Granted that extracting a resource with the potential to earn a country unheralded amounts of foreign exchange deserves urgency, putting the cart before the horse could see these countries set off on path of regrets, especially with regard to the economics of exploitation and accountability.
Even with essential infrastructure in place, the first thing that needs to be established is an enabling legislative framework negotiated between investors and government at the national and subsidiary levels as well as the communities affected.
That is why the back and forth in Mozambique over ownership of the resource and sharing of proceeds should be encouraged in the East Africa countries too. Disputes over the land on which the infrastructure is to be built are so rife in Kenya and Tanzania that the risk of sabotage looms large unless consensus is reached.
In Uganda, environmental concerns are yet to be fully addressed and any extraction that does not provide adequate mitigation should be discouraged. If governments do not get the legislative regime right, investors, with the exception of the shadowy type, are unlikely to inject money into activities like logistics and security that support oil production or the chemical industries that feed off it.
Already, the investment outlook for upstream oil and gas activities is looking bleak because of low oil prices.
As the majors pursue prospects with high potential for finding reserves, the minors are struggling to raise money even through sale of licensing rights. That has left the field to public sector players who have to lobby to persuade their governments to support their activities.
That does not augur well for East Africa, which needs massive infrastructure – heated pipelines or trucks, refineries, ports, roads, storage – to efficiently produce and sell oil. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/editorial/East-African-Oil-and-gas-race/434752-3360842-ovp45xz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/3b4503c0d853cd54c547a6fb0d2ed1d03d4a5133c2a93510f10949fe1d60814e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:00 | null | null | Ethiopia which has four parks, leads in adopting the Chinese model. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FIndustrial-parks-spreading-across-East-Africa%2F2560-3357568-rgy8gjz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Industrial parks spreading across region, with eye on economic growth | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Chinese-owned Huajian shoe factory in Dukem, Ethiopia. Ethiopia has four industrial parks, leading the region in adopting the Chinese Industrial model. FILE PHOTO | AFP
It is around midday when I meet Idris Luwasa outside the cotton godown where he works as a records officer.
He is yet to receive any cotton lint from farmers for the day. But he tells me this is not new. Farmers no longer deliver the commodity as regularly as they used to.
“There are days I go without logging any deliveries,” said Luwasa. “Sometimes that goes on for three straight days.”
Launched in late 2014 as part of an industrial park, the godown where Luwasa works is the only one of its kind in Kiyegeya district of eastern Tanzania. But since its launch, it has attracted little interest from investors, and now serves as a collection centre for ginneries.
Tanzania and China signed the deal to construct a modern agricultural industrial park in March 2013 in Kiyegeya, at a cost of $65 million. Under the deal, Dahung Group from Jiangsu, China was to handle the construction. Chinese investors expressed interest in setting up shop in the park, where the lint would be turned into textiles that would then be exported.
The first phase was completed by 2014 and was to host a cotton processing factory, a textile factory, a packing factory and an agricultural demonstration school.
However, these projects have failed to take off, thereby delaying the second phase of the park, which was set for completion mid this year.
“The low production of cotton affected the supply end of the project while a failure to allocate warehouses to crop marketing boards has been the project’s main undoing. We have also seen a slack in marketing the facility to investors,” said Mr Luwasa. “The procedure for processing incentives is also lengthy.”
Raw materials
However, the investment manager at the Export Processing Zones Authority, Grace Lemuse, said that the Ministry of Agriculture was addressing the challenge of raw materials.
“These kinds of investments are designated areas for specifically targeted economic activities supported by special economic zone arrangements We expected this region to have the capacity to feed the park but we have experienced some challenges, which however, are being addressed,” said Ms Lemuse.
Tanzania has eight such industrial parks spread across the country. But while the country grapples with underperformance at these industrial parks, last month, Ethiopia unveiled one of the world’s largest — the $250 million Hawassa Industrial Park.
It was designed and constructed by the China Communications Construction Company in under a year. The park will house 15 textile and garment firms from China, India, America, Sri Lanka, and six Ethiopian companies. The park has 35 factory sheds and 19 buildings to house these firms.
“The buildings are expected to host factories, exhibition halls, food courts and living quarters for the workers,” said Kalkidan Betre, one of the project engineers. “This covers 100 hectares and the second phase, whose construction will begin this year will be twice as large.” | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Industrial-parks-spreading-across-East-Africa/2560-3357568-rgy8gjz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/8b4bfa07f819cc64af14a8c3d120b94125efc285d2585f8f69876c460e7e2663.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T08:50:24 | null | null | The last thing she had was a deep voice saying, “Careful! She’s to be taken alive.” | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FSHORT-STORY-Of-sunsets-and-forests-%2F434746-3359204-1r2evbz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359218/lowRes/1419576/-/112t8x0/-/run.jpg | en | null | SHORT STORY: Of sunsets and forests | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
“Come let’s go, there are thousands of hectares of forest out there. We can get lost… together,” Sean said, while feeling a calmness descend over him as he made up his mind, stood up, and held his hand out to her, asking for eternity without having to say the words. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
There was a chill in the air, even though the last rays of the sun created splashes of pretty pastels across the darkening sky. River pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders, sighing at the beautiful scenery above her.
It had been a good day and she smiled at the realisation that they had won their petition and now the magnificent forest was safe. Rousing herself from her thoughts, she joined the other activists who’d picketed with her, as they loaded up their vans and got ready to leave.
“Riv looks like she’d rather stay here for the night,” one teased as they clambered boisterously into the two vans.
“You’re right, Tom,” River said jokingly, while lingering a bit more to take a final look at the way the trees swayed in the gentle twilight breeze. A few minutes later, she jumped into the driver’s seat of the lead vehicle and drove off with her team.
They drove through the dense forest, as twilight seamlessly blended into night, and they sang songs of victory and celebration. While rounding a corner, her voice high and spirited as she joined in the singing, River suddenly saw a figure standing smack in the middle of the narrow forest road.
Her eyes blinked rapidly as she sought to determine if she was seeing things, but there was clearly a tall, regal, man standing in the middle of the road. She stepped on the brakes hard, sending the activists careening forward while the other van smashed into them.
Disoriented and shaken, she gathered herself and checked on the others. Suddenly, her window was smashed open, then her door was yanked open and strong arms grabbed her and she drowned in a pungent gas odour.
The last thing she had was a deep voice saying, “Careful! She’s to be taken alive.”
******
River knew it was time to wake up because the warm, hazy dreams were not real. Thoughts of a beautiful sunset made her want to burrow deeper into this bliss, but the memory of shattering glass yanked her awake. She opened her eyes wide and sat up as the memory of her kidnapping hit her like cold water.
Seated a few feet away, his head lolling back as he dozed in an armchair, Sean was startled by her sudden movement. He looked up and looked into beautiful, wild eyes that were looking around nervously. Then she focused on him with an intensity that shook his core. Time seemed to slow as they looked into each other’s eyes.
“I won’t hurt you,” he blurted out, his voice hoarse as he saw her eyes dart to the rifle in his hands.
River stared at the lovely, handsome, dangerous stranger. She tried to talk but her mouth was too dry. As if already in sync with her thoughts, Sean pointed to a bottle of water on a table. River shuffled to the table and quenched her thirst with the cool water.
“Who are you? What do you want? Why am I here?” | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/SHORT-STORY-Of-sunsets-and-forests-/434746-3359204-1r2evbz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/18442095489a45a811abd3ad66a276056a8b0da448ee3f8ba109022474596341.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T12:51:40 | null | null | The East African Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution to make Kiswahili an official language of the East African Community alongside English. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FEALA-wants-Treaty-changed-to-make-Kiswahili-official-language%2F2558-3361690-ybqcvf%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | EALA wants Treaty changed to make Kiswahili official language | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
EALA MPs during a sitting in Arusha. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) has passed a resolution to make Kiswahili an official language of the East African Community (EAC) alongside English.
The lawmakers, at a special session in Arusha, underscored the need to elevate Kiswahili to an official language in the region.
“It is our conviction that the heads of state of EAC will endorse this motion to enable amendment of the EAC Treaty which has only English as the official language,” said Ms Shy-Rose Bhanji, a Tanzanian MP and one of the three legislators who tabled the proposal.
The others are Tanzania's Mr Abdullah Mwinyi and his Kenyan counterpart Mr Abubakar Zein.
It is understood that there is intense lobbying to have the issue brought up before the extraordinary summit of the EAC heads of state slated for Dar es Salaam early next month.
After a heated debate on the matter, members of the regional parliament, agreed for the amendment of the EAC treaty in order to accord Kiswahili the status of official language.
Ms Bhanji said the language played a big role in uniting East Africans since its pre-independence days, adding that even colonial administrators and missionaries did not lose sight of that fact. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/EALA-wants-Treaty-changed-to-make-Kiswahili-official-language/2558-3361690-ybqcvf/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/1e3bb090bfa722502856b29f7d3750e05da94f910d8c2f445132445ba8cd1b0c.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:50:48 | null | null | Only those owed money by Kampala and Juba will be paid, finance minister has said. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FNo-bailout-for-excesses-Uganda-govt-warns-tycoons-%2F2560-3360228-m8u0cgz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | No bailout for excesses, Uganda govt warns tycoons | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
A busy street in Kampala. According to Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, Juba owes Ugandan traders some $41 million. PHOTO | FILE
Uganda has warned that it will not come to the rescue of “undeserving” traders in government bailout plan.
“If you have not run your business properly or if you are just saying things are bad, I say to you, I am sorry, I do not have money to give you,” Finance Minister Matia Kasaija told corporate leaders who have been agitating for a rescue plan, claiming they were under pressure from banks.
Speaking to The EastAfrican, Mr Kasaija said that he was willing to help only “those who supplied government and have not been paid, and those owed money by South Sudan.”
The finance minister said Juba owes Ugandan traders some $41 million.
Ministry publicist Jim Mugunga said that an inter-ministerial committee had been established to handle the debt.
“Yes, the government of Uganda may consider paying on behalf of the Government of South Sudan on condition that we secure firm commitments by Juba to reimburse the money,” said Mr Mugunga.
The initial bailout plan was crafted at a Kampala hotel between March and May. Businesspeople, who played a key role in ensuring President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in the February elections, asked for help from the president’s younger brother, Gen Salim Saleh, in getting the government to get banks off their backs. Many of their properties were being advertised for auction, they said.
Gen Saleh delivered a list, of names of those owed by the Ugandan government and those affected by the South Sudan conflict, to Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.
In a letter dated June 16, Dr Rugunda made the case for the bailout to President Museveni. However, the resultant public anger forced a re-think.
Speaking on a radio talk show on August 13, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Keith Muhakanizi started the push back against the “undeserving” traders, condemning “tycoons who hold lavish parties for their children’s birthdays or graduation,” but were now turning around to say that they needed a bailout.
On Tuesday August 16, Mr Kasaija echoed Mr Muhakanizi’s words telling a joint meeting of the United Nations Development Programme and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda that “tycoons” needed to look into their lifestyles before asking for bailouts. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/No-bailout-for-excesses-Uganda-govt-warns-tycoons-/2560-3360228-m8u0cgz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/28626956b52c8c1caf0056bb13c217f9faffd62cf3b0b51870117da65512bdd9.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T08:52:32 | null | null | Jubilee Insurance has today announced its entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) market with its medical insurance cover, | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FJubilee-posts--19-7-million-half-year-profit-enters-DRC-market%2F2560-3363880-vrh9urz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Jubilee posts $19.7 million half year profit, enters DRC market | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Mr Nizar Juma, the Jubilee Holdings chairman. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
Jubilee Insurance has today announced its entry into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) market with its medical insurance cover, signaling its regional expansion that will see it enter into Ethiopia later next year, even as it saw its first half 2016 profits grow by 10 per cent.
Jubilee Holdings Chairman Mr Nizar Juma, while announcing the insurance first half 2016 results said that the entry into the Kinshasa market is in line with its target to cover 5.5 million customers over the next five years and they are awaiting regulatory approvals before venturing into Ethiopia.
The company’s half year results saw its Group’s profit before tax grow by 10.2 per cent to Ksh$19.7 million over last year. The region’s leading Insurer saw its Gross Written Premium (GWP) grow by 6.8 percent to $171.8 million.
Jubilee recorded increased growth in investments by 30 per cent, Life business by 27.8 per cent, General business by 8 per cent and Medical segment by 6.1 per cent.
The insurer asset base at the end of the financial year was $876 million, the highest in the insurance sector that is a 6.3 per cent growth compared to the end of 2015.
Settling claims
“Jubilee Holdings claims payment grew by 17.6 per cent to $70 million. The ability of an insurance company to pay claims fast, irrespective of the amount is what makes an Insurance firm reliable. We are always happy to be at the forefront in settling customers’ claims, giving them the peace of mind. This is amply demonstrated by Jubilee winning the major loss award at the Think Business Insurance Awards amongst 12 significant awards won this year,” Juma said.
The firm also said it was increasing its investments by an additional $55 million in Uganda’s 250-megawatt Bujagali hydro-electric power project which is an additional 8.8 per cent to the project, where it has a joint 30-year concession deal to operate the plant that provides 40 per cent of Uganda’s power.
Jubilee has major investments in SEACOM, the first broadband submarine cable system covering over 15,000kms from South Africa to France. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Jubilee-posts--19-7-million-half-year-profit-enters-DRC-market/2560-3363880-vrh9urz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/8fc802ff375cdf9885e7fd8761ccdf7f540aa111c590e602f87577c57d921eeb.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:35 | null | null | As an Economy Class traveller, you are put in your place from the check-in point. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FThe-allure-of-business-class-travel-%2F434746-3359760-12xyv3sz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359796/lowRes/1419683/-/36gv8c/-/cabin.jpg | en | null | The allure of business class travel | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
The inescapable fact is that airlines differentiate cabins to cater for diverse passenger profiles, thereby deliberately tapping into the primal and emotional senses of their customers. PHOTO | FILE
Every time I board a flight and take my seat in the Economy Class cabin, unbothered as I may want to appear, I never fail to notice the segregation of the classes of travel. It is so obvious that the “immortals” are in First/Business Class while the “mere mortals” are in Economy Class.
So, what exactly makes Business Class travel so coveted and exclusive?
Passengers who fly Business Class pay a premium ton be pampered. While Business Class tickets will cost three to four times more than the Economy Class ticket on average, First Class tickets can easily cost five to six time more.
While these prices may seem like a form of extortion for many Economy Class (also known as “Cattle Class”) patrons, complaining about the overweight or snoring passenger next to you in those cramped non-reclining Economy Class seats with zero legroom won’t earn you an upgrade.
You need to pay for the ticket, or redeem your frequent flyer miles to upgrade to Business Class.
While one may argue that all travellers aboard an aircraft arrive at their destination at the same time despite the different class of cabins, the inescapable fact is that airline differentiate cabins to cater for diverse passenger profiles, thereby deliberately tapping into the primal and emotional senses of their customers.
As an Economy Class traveller, you are put in your place from the check-in point.
First, most airlines have a separate express or priority check-in counter with a red carpet reception for its First/Business Class passengers. Baggage allowance on average for this class is 40 per cent more than the Economy Class provision.
Second, there is the free access to a premium lounge for all First/Business Class passengers as they wait to board. At boarding, these passengers always get priority. By the time Economy Class passengers have all boarded, passengers in First/Business Class will already have had a chilled welcome drink, usually champagne.
While these trappings may seem trivial to many travellers, it is difficult to downplay the service differentiation levels on board. Crew are expected to refer to First/Business Class passengers by their names.
Third, as soon as you board, depending on the aircraft type, the parade through First or Business Class gives you the first sobering moments of travel class differentiation.
Worth noting is the fact that is always the Business Class seats that you cannot fail to notice.
Depending on the airline, these seats are always bigger, swankier and with almost the double leg room as that offered in Economy Class. Further, if it is a long haul flight, you will notice different types of seats in business class; recliner seats, lie flat seats or even complete mini cabins or suites.
Seats and leg room aside, what never fails to surprise me as I walk through First/Business Class, are the facial expressions of the passengers themselves. The bored, carefree but almost snobbish look bordering on being condescending. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/The-allure-of-business-class-travel-/434746-3359760-12xyv3sz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/a280ddfbea30e7a05c9015580f4a22459197c4c33e3667af311afed6115d7772.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:50:32 | null | null | Statistics from National Geographic show that as at 2014, the country had registered 6,000 tusks, up from 500 in 2010 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FJapan-to-come-up-with-new-law-on-illegal-ivory-%2F2558-3359908-x01inb%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359920/lowRes/1419774/-/6pb2jr/-/388395-01-02.JPG.jpg | en | null | Japan to come up with new law on illegal ivory | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Part of a 700 kilogramme ivory haul seized by Togolese police in 2013. Anti-ivory use campaigns have been targeting China, while Japan is a major consumer too. PHOTO | FILE AFP
Japan is this week expected to make an announcement on its controversial policy that allows ivory trade, at a time when the country’s top leaders and business people are in Africa for the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development — TICAD VI.
The country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, Industry and Environment said it is working with relevant stakeholders, including Cites, auction sites including Yahoo Japan, Rakuten Ichiba and an association of seal makers to have a common policy before the end of the week, ahead of next month’s Cites forum in Johannesburg.
Japan has in the past three years been in the spotlight for its weak laws on illegal ivory and failing to crack down on illegal registration of ivory.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) in a petition letter last year to Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said that the country had imported ivory acquired from more than 250,000 poached African elephants since 1970. Japan has also twice been allowed — in 1997 and 2008 — to buy ivory from Zimbabwe and Namibia despite the 1989 Cites ban on international commercial trade in ivory.
In 2011, Tokyo police presented evidence against Takaichi, Japan’s largest ivory manufacturing company, showing that was for trading in more than 60 illegal unregistered tusks, part of 1,600 illegal tusks that had been intercepted. The officials got away with a fine of $12,500.
A report released early this year by the EIA accuses the country of turning a blind eye even as its traders continue to register tusks that are of undetermined origin, including illegal ivory imports, increasing the risk to the lives of African elephants.
And in a recent television interview aired in Kenya, Airi Yamawaki, co-founder of Tears of the African Elephant, said that the use of ivory in Japan is widespread. It is used by just about everybody.
“By law, in Japan, almost everyone is required to have a Hanko (personal signature), which is registered by municipality. One has to have this seal in order to open a bank account, sign contracts, agreements, open a new business. The Hanko shops, which are from all over Japan, offer a wide range from wood to ivory,” Ms Yamawaki said, adding that people chose the ivory seal because it is perceived to offer good fortune to the person or business, hence fuelling the ivory trade.
Statistics from National Geographic show that as at 2014, Japan had registered 6,000 tusks, up from 500 in 2010. Yahoo Japan also closed sales worth $7 million in 2014, up from $2 million four years earlier, showing that the trade in ivory in the country had increased.
Eighty per cent of the ivory used in Japan is for Hanko and musical instruments such as the samisen, which requires one tusk to make one pick. This makes the ivory consumed by Hanko more pronounced than that used in making traditional music instruments.
The other reason is that while wood, buffalo and cattle horns are the alternatives used for seals, ivory is the first option because of its affordability, not being subject to a commodity tax. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Japan-to-come-up-with-new-law-on-illegal-ivory-/2558-3359908-x01inb/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7847f2777c7bd95fb938cd4531fffaa3e70e3534c51a3e7f11a537715e21cb73.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:39 | null | null | Four police officers were shot dead in Dar es Salaam, triggering suspicion among politicians. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FTension-brews-in-Tanzania-as-police-ban-rallies-%2F2558-3360020-ykdgw5%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3360112/lowRes/1420880/-/4ywfbl/-/chadema.jpg | en | null | Tension brews in Tanzania as police ban this week’s rallies | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Tanzania's opposition party Chadema is expected to conduct countrywide rallies beginning September 1, 2016 despite ban by police. PHOTO | FILE
Four police officers were shot dead by armed men outside a Dar es Salaam bank last week, triggering finger-pointing between the police and the opposition.
While the police said the incident was politically motivated, opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) claimed the killings were carried out to justify a crackdown on the opposition.
Dar es Salaam Special Zone Regional Police Commander Simon Sillo said that 14 armed men shot at a police van near a bank during an exchange a sentries, killing four police officers on the spot.
Following the incident, police have intensified patrols in Dar es Salaam and other cities in the country, which is seen by Chadema as a preparation for a plan to disrupt its rallies on September 1.
The police commissioner for training and operations Nsato Msanzya blamed the killing of four officers on the “current political situation.”
While Mr Sillo said the killers were part of a gang of robbers, Mr Msazya said the killings had a direct link to political meetings and was aimed at instilling fear and hatred among the public.
Minister for Home Affairs Mwigulu Nchemba who visited the scene tweeted that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
But Tundu Lissu, Chadema lawyer, wondered how Mr Mwigulu got to the scene of the killings before regional police commander. He said the government could be using the incident to harass the opposition.
Police have banned all political meetings, citing the fragile security situation, but Mr Lissu said his party will defy the ban because it is illegal.
With the rising tensions, Muslim and Christian leaders have reiterated their call for mediation talks between the opposition and the government as fears intensified over the opposition’s planned countrywide rallies.
The religious leaders warned that both sides that their tug-of-war threatens peace.
The opposition has vowed to proceed with the rallies planned for September 1. Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe has accused President John Magufuli’s administration of dictatorship.
President Magufuli has openly warned the opposition against the rallies, saying that he will deal with the opposition supporters’ who dared to take part in the rallies. He further said that elections period was over and it was time for his government to implement his election promises. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Tension-brews-in-Tanzania-as-police-ban-rallies-/2558-3360020-ykdgw5/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7b76c4a0fec382a4c846a14f0e447a06d9c46744a5511c7cfc41adb2404d9102.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:50:41 | null | null | Boosting agricultural productivity and food security in Africa will require collective efforts by African countries and their partners. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FJapan-Africa-teaming-up-to-boost-food-security-and-nutrition--%2F434750-3360250-h3c5m7%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Japan, Africa teaming up to boost food security, nutrition | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Women harvest rice at a farm in Kano, Kisumu County in western Kenya. In 2013, Japan committed itself to supporting African countries with $32 billion to boost agricultural production and productivity especially of rice. PHOTO | FILE
Boosting agricultural productivity and food security in Africa will require collective efforts by African countries and their partners.
Japan already plays a significant role in boosting sustainable agricultural development on the continent. The country’s strong commitments, combined with the political will manifested by many African nations to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, will help to propel progress towards achieving zero hunger on the continent.
Sub-Saharan Africa represents the greatest food security challenge in the world today with the highest prevalence of undernourishment at almost 25 per cent, or almost one in every four people.
By 2050, the population in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to exceed two billion and even if food production grows as projected by about 170 per cent, this would still leave some 120 million people undernourished. Clearly, efforts to improve food security and malnutrition need to be stepped up.
Yet, climate change effects, such as higher temperatures and extreme weather events, will hamper food production in various regions. Countries acting alone cannot resolve these enormous challenges. Strong collaboration with other nations, international organisations, NGOs, civil society and the private sector will be key to find sustainable solutions.
Japan is an essential ally for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in promoting rural development, food security and nutrition worldwide. The country is not only one of FAO’s major resource partner in Africa, it also provides skilled Japanese workers for various agricultural projects in the region.
Japan is also supporting FAO in building resilience in African countries, where threatening levels of food insecurity result not only from climatic hazards but also from ongoing internal conflicts. Civil unrest must come to an end to achieve food security and improving food security will in turn help build sustainable peace in Africa.
Japan and FAO believe that with a predominantly young and rural population and over 11 million youth expected to enter labour markets over the next decade — Africa’s agricultural sector should be a catalyst for inclusive growth and improved livelihoods in the region. Therefore, major efforts should focus on making agriculture attractive and profitable for young people.
Africa’s future depends very much on the development of its rural areas.
Strengthening the capacities of poor farmers by providing them access to modern technologies and best agricultural practices will enable them to increase their agricultural output and income, and contribute to rural economic growth.
In 2013, Japan committed to supporting African countries with $32 billion to boost agricultural production and productivity, especially for rice, and “empowering farmers as mainstream economic actors” including through the Coalition for African Rice Development (Card) initiative. Its aim is to double rice production in sub-Saharan Africa between 2008 and 2018, and disseminate the New Rice for Africa (Nerica) a high-yielding hybrid rice.
Another example of such co-operation is a closely related five-year $2.5 million project aimed at strengthening agricultural statistics in the Card countries.
Holding the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad VI) in Nairobi is strong proof of how determined Japan is to expand its partnership with African countries. For the first time the Ticad meeting is held in Africa.
The conference takes place at a very important moment — as 2016 marks the first year of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which recognises partnerships as a key mechanism towards international growth. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Japan-Africa-teaming-up-to-boost-food-security-and-nutrition--/434750-3360250-h3c5m7/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/0a95347d90b2cd422ceae928e1769461d1764608cd5f045e2e5e632f7d09b57f.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T08:51:32 | null | null | Africa will receive up to $30 billion in the next three years in public and private support for infrastructure development, education and healthcare | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FAfrica-set-to-receive--30-billion-in-Japan-funding%2F2558-3361418-x487tf%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Africa set to receive $30 billion in Japan funding | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta during the closing session of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad VI) in Nairobi on August 28, 2016. In the course of the summit, Mr Abe pledged $30 billion for infrastructure development, education and healthcare expansion. DAI KUROKAWA | EPA
Africa will receive up to $30 billion in the next three years in public and private support for infrastructure development, education and healthcare expansion.
This was announced even as the summit came to a close, adopting the Nairobi Declaration that called for enhanced focus on industrialisation, education, health and peace across the continent.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the package would include $10 billion for infrastructure projects, to be executed through cooperation with the African Development Bank (AfDB). The projects to be covered under this tranche will include electricity generation, urban transport, roads and ports.
“When combined with investment from the private sector, I expect that the total will amount to $30 billion. This is an investment that has faith in Africa's future, an investment for Japan and Africa to grow together,” Mr Abe said.
The funds will not be channelled directly through government-government channels but instead through aid agencies and private sector financing model.
“We have already put in use more than 67 per cent of the $32 billion pledge we did in Yokohama, so this new round of funding will complement the difference and will go a long way to enhance and further expand upon those launched three years ago. The motive is quality and enhancement," Mr Abe said.
According to the Japan External Trade Organisation, the Asian country's overall direct investment in Africa dropped to $1.24 billion last year, from about $1.5 billion in 2014.
In the funding pledge, Japan said the money will go towards various power projects to increase production capacity by 2,200 megawatts across the continent. Tokyo will also offer funding to train 20,000 mathematics and science teachers throughout Africa, as well as 20,000 experts on how to handle infectious diseases.
UN permanent seat
Outside of the economic aid package, Mr Abe used the occasion to push the diplomatic charm over its quest for a United Nations Security Council permanent seat.
“It is our promise to support an African country as well as Japan to secure permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council. Africa has a right to demand the international community better reflect its views, and this should happen by 2023 at the very latest,” Mr Abe said.
While adopting the Nairobi Declaration, the African leaders and Japan pledged to tame the rising threat of extremism, piracy on the seas and to improve the business environment on the continent. This is after Japan promised the continent $500 million for vocational training for 50,000 youth in Africa to dissuade them from joining terrorist groups.
Tokyo hopes that before the next Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad) summit to be held in Japan by the end of 2019, about 9.6 million youth would have benefited from the training.
“We resolve to promote social stability by responding comprehensively to security concerns. In this regard, we emphasise that protecting and empowering individuals, especially youth and women, families and their communities by improving access to education, technical and vocational training, job creation and opportunity, and promoting social cohesion, are fundamental,” they said in the Nairobi Declaration. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Africa-set-to-receive--30-billion-in-Japan-funding/2558-3361418-x487tf/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/1397a15bf82649abc18ba5a98ee510d058c085ef4b46b7d8b3a8834ba57fcfd0.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:36 | null | null | Dwindling funding and an ever increasing number of refugees are pushing countries like Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia into borrowing. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FDwindling-funding-forces-refugees-host-countries-into-borrowing%2F2558-3358726-bcsybcz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | - News | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
South Sudan refugees at a camp in Adjumani in northern Uganda. Dwindling funding and an ever increasing number of refugees are pushing countries like Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia into taking loans. PHOTO | AFP
PICTURE THIS: There are close to a million refugees in the Great Lakes region. Another 1.61 million living in camps in South Sudan.
But there is no money.
And when the United Nations High Commission for Refugees appealed for aid, specifically $608.8 million to take care of 2.54 million people displaced by the conflict in South Sudan, it received just $122 million — about 20 per cent of its needs.
UNHCR has been here before. An appeal of $313.9 million to take care of Burundian refugees in 2016 was sent out, but only 15 per cent has been provided.
Dwindling funding and an ever increasing number of refugees are pushing countries like Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia into borrowing.
While Tanzania is discussing a loan agreement with the World Bank for a project supporting long term refugees to whom it recently granted citizenship, Zambia has already taken up such a loan and provided residence, land access rights and social economic integration to long-term refugees.
Uganda is going a step further: It is seeking a $50 million loan and has scheduled a meeting with donors to appeal for funding while asking UNHCR to offer necessities like food in refugees’ countries of origin.
“We have asked UNCHR to provide food to these people while they are still in South Sudan, so that they have no reason to leave their homes,” said Musa Echweru, Uganda’s State Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Relief.
Renewed clashes in South Sudan’s Central and Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile and Unity States have fuelled the exodus and over 200,000 people into Uganda and Sudan. As a result the two countries are straining to provide food and shelter.
For Uganda, which received close to 50 per cent of the new arrivals, the lack of funds has meant keeping refugees in congested transit centres with overstretched facilities.
The country opened a new settlement in the Yumbe district, but without funds for infrastructure, refugees cannot be moved. Development of another settlement in Maaji III, in Adjumani district, has been put on hold.
Without places to settle, refugees are being kept in transit and reception centres. Some of the reception centres currently accommodate five times their capacity, as UNHCR has failed to relocate 45,000 South Sudanese refugees looking for asylum in Uganda.
UNHCR warns that these people are living too close to each other and such proximity could lead to disease outbreaks.
This is not just a problem for Uganda. It has spread across the Great Lakes region to affect Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Dwindling-funding-forces-refugees-host-countries-into-borrowing/2558-3358726-bcsybcz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/88ce9986d752107f21ae2a41c56ad73171a588b63b52cb175f0dbf4ec3e34b43.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:17 | null | null | Legal experts are calling for clear guidelines on the application of the principle of international judicial jurisdiction, which they say will prevent | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FLegal-experts-clarity-to-avoid-abuse-of-international-law%2F2558-3355130-v4d80a%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Legal experts call for clarity to avoid abuse of international law | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Legal experts are calling for clear guidelines on the application of the principle of international judicial jurisdiction, which they say will prevent politicising justice. PHOTO | FILE
Legal experts are calling for clear guidelines on the application of the principle of international judicial jurisdiction, which they say will prevent politicising justice.
This follows a meeting by African intelligence chiefs in Kigali early this August, that focussed on countering the growing threat of abuse of universal jurisdiction against Africa.
“There is need of an international legal instrument that defines when and how universal jurisdiction can be invoked and applied,” Dr Bigirimana Fructuose —Dean of the Faculty of Law in INES-Ruhengeri, recommends, adding that further development of the law would attract a global consensus.
According to Canadian professor of international criminal and human rights law, William Anthony Schabas: "Universal jurisdiction is an issue that probably generates more heat than light. In reality, there is very little activity in this area, even in European states.”
The spy chiefs in the Kigali meeting lamented that African leaders “continue to suffer from politically motivated allegations orchestrated by some Western powers under the pretext of universal jurisdiction.”
In their recommendations, they among others urged for consultation with concerned governments before any state indicts their nationals under the international law.
This, however, could comprise justice and the independence of the judiciary, the law experts warn.
“In the end it may contribute to abusing the universal jurisdiction principle,” Dr Bigirimana cautions.
Instead, he advocates for legal procedures that give priority to local judicial systems.
“All countries exercising universal jurisdiction should adopt complementarity principle that gives precedence to local judicial systems to act, and only intervene in case of inability or unwillingness of the national courts,” he says.
Universal jurisdiction gives any country the power to prosecute international crimes. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Legal-experts-clarity-to-avoid-abuse-of-international-law/2558-3355130-v4d80a/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/43eed6512ab094d93b3d28fd3bb52a1485902d724208a03b83a3504bfa245946.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:38 | null | null | The decision has left regulators and investors in the region uncertain of the direction of the monetary union protocol. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FKenya-cap-on-interest-rates-could-impact-EAC-monetary-Union-%2F2560-3359818-g6b3q2z%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359924/lowRes/1419742/-/w5iwv1z/-/rates.jpg | en | null | Kenya's move to cap bank rates rattles East Africa | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
A law capping interest rates in Kenya has stoked fears of copycat legislation in East Africa and a reversal of common integration policies ahead of the launch of a regional monetary union. TEA GRAPHIC | FILE
A law capping interest rates in Kenya has stoked fears of copycat legislation in East Africa and a reversal of common integration policies ahead of the launch of a regional monetary union.
By virtue of Kenya being the most developed economy in the East Africa Community, its apparent abandonment of the free market ideals at the heart of the monetary union convergence criteria has left regulators and investors uncertain of the direction of the protocol.
National Bank of Rwanda Governor John Rwangombwa said money managers across the region were waiting to see the impact the caps would have on access to credit but maintained that controls were not always good in managing financial issues.
“National laws are supposed to address national issues. Kenya’s financial sector is the most developed in the region and second to South Africa on the continent. It is a good testing field,” said Mr Rwangombwa.
Under the East African Community Monetary Union Protocol, the member states committed themselves to pursue a free market economy with a floating exchange rate.
“The policy decision could create some disharmony or friction within the region’s banking sector and eventually affect the monetary union integration process,” said Charles Katongole, senior executive at Standard Chartered Bank Uganda.
Joram Ongura, an equities trader at SBG Securities Uganda, said monetary union policy targets could now come under review because they were originally anchored in market determined fundamentals.
The immediate impact in Kenya of President Uhuru Kenyatta signing the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2015 into law on Wednesday was a rout on banking stocks listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, which shed $840 million in market value by Thursday.
Banking stocks at the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, Uganda Securities Exchange and Rwanda Stock Exchange were stable. Even Kenyan bank counters cross-listed in the three bourses were unmoved because they rarely trade.
In Kenya, some banks halted the issuance of new personal unsecured loans, motor loans and emergency cash loans, citing the uncertainty around the implementation of the new law. Co-op Bank bucked the trend, saying it would be lending at the new rates immediately.
“We advise that pending receipt of full guidelines from the Central Bank of Kenya, particularly on the applicable base rate, all new credit facilities shall be at a rate not exceeding 14.5 per cent. Do refresh the relevant facility offer letters in liaison with our credit management division,” Co-op Bank chief executive officer Gideon Muriuki instructed branch managers in a circular Friday.
The law pegs interest rate margins to a base rate commonly understood to be the Central Bank Rate, which is currently at 10.5 per cent (there are contentions it could be the KBRR, which is reviewed every six months) but is revised bimonthly. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya-cap-on-interest-rates-could-impact-EAC-monetary-Union-/2560-3359818-g6b3q2z/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/d88477aa975fd9f5a5423e5e0a40659f81ce5dc5c2488f3671c113cdd261e1ca.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:51:21 | null | null | How do you keep the peace when there is no peace to keep? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FTo-support-peace-we-must-learn-the-ground-truth-about-conflict-%2F434750-3360840-igh9hk%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3360934/lowRes/1420562/-/x07y75z/-/sajjan.jpg | en | null | To support peace, we must learn the ground truth about conflict | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Harjit S. Sajjan is Canada’s Minister of National Defence.
As a former soldier and police officer, I have seen for myself the ways that conflict and strife can tear people down, and experienced first-hand how people focused on a common good can work together to build healthy societies back up.
As Canada’s Minister of National Defence, I had the privilege of spending a week visiting Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo to learn more about how Canada can collaborate with these nations and contribute to conflict prevention and peace support operations.
After our new government was elected last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will be a responsible partner with the world. Mr Trudeau made it a priority to renew Canada’s commitment to United Nations peace operations.
Canada is a diverse country with a rich history of peacekeeping, which has taught us that we must understand what is happening on the ground in order to contribute to efforts that will result in positive outcomes. Today, the nature of conflict has changed, and so must the ways in which we conduct peace operations.
To gain this better understanding, I was accompanied on my trip by Roméo Dallaire, whom many know as a former three-star general who was in charge of the UN peacekeeping forces in Rwanda during the 1984 Genocide, and is now a retired Canadian senator working to prevent the use of child soldiers through the Dallaire Initiative; Justice Louise Arbour, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and former president and CEO of the International Crisis Group; and Marc-André Blanchard, Canada’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
Around the world, the nature of conflict is changing, so what we do to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflict must change as well. Wars used to be between states, now they are often internal.
How do you keep the peace when there is no peace to keep? Nations face threats from violent extremists, threats that require a comprehensive response that encompasses military, political, humanitarian, and development efforts. As they seek education and jobs, young people are facing challenges that our generation could not imagine.
The old approach and solutions won’t work anymore. We need to think innovatively about how we move forward. To do this, we need to see the situation for ourselves. We need to speak directly to those who know best. We need to respect the knowledge and experience that they have, and learn from it.
We need to understand the root causes that cause conflict. In other words, we need the ground truth. This tour helped us ascertain that.
General Dallaire, Justice Arbour, Mr Blanchard and I learned a great deal this week. We had fruitful, informative discussions with our government counterparts. We listened to and asked questions of our colleagues at the African Union and United Nations.
We had an opportunity to learn from and thank individuals who are working to build up civil society, police officers who protect women and children from abuse, teachers and volunteers who educate the young, and doctors and nurses who heal the sick.
I was honoured that Roméo Dallaire accompanied me to Africa. He has done tireless work on child soldiers through the Dallaire Initiative. By addressing the war crime of recruitment and use of child soldiers, we can prevent conflict while protecting children.
Indeed, General Dallaire’s work is just one example of Canada’s long history of support to East Africa’s security and development. In education, health, agriculture and support to women and girls, the Canadian government and a large number of Canadian institutions have been working for decades with East African partners to improve the quality of life for the people of the region.
I left convinced that we must strengthen and expand that tradition of partnership. What I heard from organisations that have a long presence and commitment here, such as the Aga Khan Development Network, ICRC, and Unicef, is that we must partner with both government and civil society to create the conditions for East Africa’s long term peace, prosperity, and pluralism. And we heard that Canada has an important role to play. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/To-support-peace-we-must-learn-the-ground-truth-about-conflict-/434750-3360840-igh9hk/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/b432c2f762613d1f4f5c912ec6dca2d5d0c1e39e14d95bc336b1c05392c15d47.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:10 | null | null | Upon weighing carefully all these considerations, on balance, I have assented to the Bill as presented to me. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FFull-statement-on-Bill-capping-interest-rates%2F2560-3356252-p40x33z%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | President Uhuru signs Bill capping bank interest rates | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
President Uhuru Kenyatta signs the interest rate Bill at State House in Nairobi on August 24, 2016. FILE PHOTO | PSCU
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed into law a bill seeking to control interest rates by capping lending rates at four percentage points above the Central Bank rate (CBR) currently set at 10.5 per cent.
This means commercial banks will not be allowed to lend at rates above 14.5 per cent.
In a statement Wednesday President Kenyatta said Kenyans are disappointed and frustrated by the bank’s insensitivity to lowering the cost of credit and paying good returns on deposits.
“I share these concerns. Despite having one of the most efficient and effective financial markets, Kenya has one of the highest returns-on-equity for banks in the African continent. Banks need to do more to reduce the cost of credit and ensure that the benefits of the vibrant financial sector are also felt by their customers, said Kenyatta
The new law caps the minimum deposit rates that banks give customers to 70 per cent of the CBR—Central Bank’s benchmark lending rate to commercial banks.
On July 28, 2016, the National Assembly passed the Banking (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The Bill intends to regulate interest rates that are applicable to banks’ loans and deposits, capping the interest rates that banks can charge on loans and must pay on deposits.
Credit becoming unavailable
“Upon weighing carefully all these considerations, on balance, I have assented to the Bill as presented to me,” said Kenyatta.
“We will implement the new law, noting the difficulties that it would present, which include credit becoming unavailable to some consumers and the possible emergence of unregulated informal and exploitative lending mechanisms,” he added.
In a statement, the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) welcomed President Uhuru Kenyatta decision to sign the interest rate cap bill into law, saying that they were still committed to bringing down loan interest rates, promoting a savings culture and enhancing consumer protection.
"We however do not feel that an arbitrary rate cap is in the best interests of the majority of people and businesses that this law seeks to support.
The reality is that there is little evidence from other countries that such interventions have helped the majority of citizens, and in a number of countries such laws have been reversed to promote financial inclusion," KBA said.Kenya becomes the first country in the region to cap its interest rates.
A fortnight ago, panicked bankers reacted to the proposed capping of interest rates by pooling $300 million to lend to small and medium sized enterprises at friendly interest rates in hopes of abating public wrath, but seemed to be contradicting their proposal to the President Uhuru Kenyatta of a similar facility worth $20 billion. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Full-statement-on-Bill-capping-interest-rates/2560-3356252-p40x33z/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/72ca13ad02309a608d77971fdb2a801b8efa6a20ebdd9862ac1c9bde168d69e1.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:50:45 | null | null | Small and medium enterprises engaged in the food value chain in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa are yet to benefit from the boom in | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2F2560-3360128-7hgwtqz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | SMEs struggle to meet quality standards | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Small and medium enterprises engaged in the food value chain in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa are yet to benefit from the boom in hospitality sector.
Small businesses have remained segmented and unable to form partnerships to supply markets in situations where one company cannot supply sufficient volume to satisfy the demand.
During the second Comesa Business Council Local Sourcing for Partnerships (LSP) workshop training in Kampala in July, an official told trainees that his hotel, which is one of the biggest in the country, still imports fresh vegetables from Israel because local food suppliers have failed to supply items that meet international standards.
Even more critical, players argue, most SMEs run on small budgets and lose out in the market stakes due to delays — sometimes lasting six months — in payment by big hotels and supermarket chains often take – before paying suppliers.
Limited sources of capital
“Our sources of capital are limited,” said Peter Yehangane, managing director of Kampala-based meat processing company Zerb Foods.
“If I supply a big hotel and spend months without being paid, in reality it is the small business that is building the big companies, which is not right,” he added.
While this is a setback for Ugandan SMEs in the same value chain, standards are a widespread challenge, according to Sandra Uwera, chief executive of Comesa Business Council.
Since the start of 2016, the Comesa private sector arm has been holding the LSP to train 480 food processing SMEs in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Malawi to beat the hurdles. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/2560-3360128-7hgwtqz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/860056b5343b630d756d7d715d3aa87a58bdd09d858284a4cb076053a80c8d58.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:50:36 | null | null | Nearly one billion people globally are forced to defecate in the open. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FAfrican-govts-must-commit-to-a-sanitation-plan%2F434750-3360248-8o9yxyz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | African govts must commit to a sanitation plan with achievable goals | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
A water project in Turkana, northern Kenya. PHOTO | FILE
Africa is a continent of astonishing potential. But if it is to build the future its citizens deserve, there is a need to increase efforts to remove the barriers holding it back. None is greater than poor sanitation — affecting hundreds of million of people in Africa and across the world.
Nearly one billion people globally are forced to defecate in the open. As many again have to live with inadequate sanitation. Both lead to the contamination of water and food and the spread of disease. The costs— both human and economic, are huge.
New research prepared by Japanese firm LIXIL Group and Oxford Economics has put the annual cost of poor sanitation for low and middle income countries at $222.9 billion. These cumulative costs include those from early loss of life, providing healthcare and the impact on productivity due to sickness.
It is the largest countries like India, the research shows, which shoulder the highest national cost burden. But if you look at these costs nation-by nation as a share of GDP to work out their impact on a society, then countries from sub-Saharan Africa make up half the top 10. In Niger, poor sanitation costs 2.7 per cent of GDP and the figure is nearly one per cent across the continent as a whole. Africa simply can’t afford this loss.
Even more worrying is that the research shows these annual costs for Africa have risen by 24.5 per cent in the past five years and now stand at over $19 billion.
This is why sanitation and hygiene must again figure high on the agenda as Japanese and African heads of state gather in Nairobi for the Tokyo International Conference On African Development, and in Stockholm as businesses, political leaders and others gather for World Water Week.
I am proud that LIXIL, a world-leader in water technology, is developing affordable and effective solutions which will meet the needs of poorest communities. We introduced, for example, the cost effective and hygienic Safe Toilet products in 2013 and over one million have now been installed in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean for as little as $2 a unit.
However, overcoming the challenge of sanitation requires greater effort and co-operation from governments, businesses and civil society.
Governments must commit to a national sanitation strategy with stretching but achievable targets backed by increased funding — public, private and a mix of both.
National efforts must also include a new emphasis on education so the citizen understands the need to use and look after sanitation facilities.
Innovation and partnership are critical. We need more innovation in technology and delivery so we find new, affordable and sustainable ways of bringing sanitation to those at the bottom of the pyramid.
By stepping up our collective efforts, we will remove a huge barrier to a better future for the continent. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/African-govts-must-commit-to-a-sanitation-plan/434750-3360248-8o9yxyz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/d99af070b28bad08f8657c749db10f9225ed96c0b5cc6788651fc637e4286fbe.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:28 | null | null | What is unique in TICAD is its emphasis on Africa’s ownership of its development course. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FOpEd%2Fcomment%2FLeaders-should-commit-to-development-pledges-in-Nairobi-Ticad-%2F434750-3357948-81gsqs%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Leaders must commit to development pledges in TICAD Summit | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Comment
Preparation in earnest for the the 6th Tokyo International Conference on International Development (TICAD VI) to take place at the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre in Nairobi on August 24, 2016. The TICAD summit will be held on August 27 -28. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Nairobi will this week welcome more than 6,000 delegates including several heads of states for a two-day Japan-Africa summit from August 27-28, 2016.
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) was first convened in 1993 by the Government of Japan to among other priorities promote Africa’s development, peace and security. The launch of TICAD at the time helped refocus international attention on Africa’s development needs amidst a growing ‘Aid’ fatigue.
In the last decade of TICAD, the continent has witnessed Japanese investments in different sectors: 2.6 million children in the continent have had the opportunity to learn through investments in education infrastructure; 240 million people have received health/medical care or improved access to the same through vaccination programmes; 4.6 million people have been provided with safe water supply and sanitation facilities and; the area under irrigation in the continent has been expanded by approximately 57 thousand ha.
Whereas the above is significant, it is not unique. Other development partners have similar if not better statistics on the impact of their investments in the African continent. What is unique in TICAD is its emphasis on Africa’s ownership of its development course.
The conference is happening in Africa for the first time at a time when the continent is perceived to be experiencing a renaissance and attracting growing international interest contrary to the fatigue witnessed in early 1990s.
Great change and laudable progress – including for children are increasingly being observed in the continent: improved literacy and health outcomes, rapidly growing telecommunications sector; increased economic growth in many countries; a burgeoning youthful population; increasing urbanisation and growth of the middle class; and discovery of promising oil and gas deposits amongst others.
The perceived good is, however, diabolically cunning. The African continent is one of the most unequal continents in the world and bears the brunt of bad public governance characterised by gross human rights abuses and political instability, civil conflicts and sectarian violence.
However, the current food insecurity aggravated by increasingly frequent natural disasters and climatic changes continues to ravage many more households in the continent. At present, nearly 11 million children in East and Southern Africa are at risk from hunger and disease and food prices are on an upward trend due to the effects of El Niño with a 56 per cent possibility of La Niña later in the year in many countries including Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia, Malawi, Lesotho, Ethiopia and South Sudan, among others.
Given TICAD’s interests in promoting high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners on issues ranging from economic growth, trade and investment, sustainable development, human security, peace and stability and governance, TICAD VI should ensure that:
First, there is a clear commitment to support and make universal health coverage a reality to many poor households in the continent by 2030. This commitment would indeed embody the belief of the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, “I believe that Universal Health Coverage, which is the provision of basic health services to every individual at an affordable cost, is necessary to the stable development of society”.
Secondly, sustainable solutions are agreed on and supported to avert preventable humanitarian emergencies that impede development in the continent and that states and development partners will scale up their support and response to existing humanitarian needs in the continent.
Thirdly, appropriate and comprehensive measures and frameworks are agreed on not only to enhance industrialisation and wealth creation but also to ensure equity in distribution of generated wealth and resources to the community while safeguarding the planet.
And lastly, African leaders and development partners make courageous decisions to fully support efforts aimed at ending the devastating conflicts in the continent. In the recent case of South Sudan, states and development partners should commit to extend immediate humanitarian support to the people and work with all the parties to the conflict to end human rights violations especially for women and children. It is our hope that peace and stability across the continent will receive adequate attention and commitments from governments and development partners. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Leaders-should-commit-to-development-pledges-in-Nairobi-Ticad-/434750-3357948-81gsqs/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/99ffc4f4f9b1f702c3a65053d199fa205d073796ed223620f21d5f4703c7b4b7.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:50:38 | null | null | Rwanda warns of cracks in the East African Community if member states fail to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2F2558-3359778-cg9g5kz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3317792/lowRes/776367/-/mjbax9/-/flower.jpg | en | null | Rwanda now makes case for signing of EPA | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
According to EPA terms, the EU can only strike a trade deal with a bloc comprising several nations, meaning a single country cannot go it all alone. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Rwanda’s Minister for Trade and Commerce Francois Kanimba has warned of cracks in the East African Community if member states fail to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe.
Mr Kanimba said politicians should put the region’s collective gains ahead of individual state interests and put ink to paper on what he believes is a “good deal” for the region.
“The issues being raised against the EPA are issues that have really been taken care of and sufficient safeguards have been put in the final agreement to ensure the protection of our infant industries,” he said.
“If in the future there is a threat to our economies, we can renegotiate. The EPA is not a bible. We agreed that after every five years, we totally renegotiate and evaluate the agreement. If at any time any member state feels disadvantaged by the EPA, it can raise the issue for discussion,” Mr Kanimba added.
He termed the EPA a “strong commercial benefit from a trade perspective,” views that are not supported by Tanzania and Uganda.
Former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa wrote an article in The EastAfrican asserting that the costs of signing the EPA will be higher than the benefits. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/2558-3359778-cg9g5kz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/54fc7dd8db7493caae9667b1d615dc327352ba3b8103d5dcd990a584d99de762.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:40 | null | null | UN Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng has cautioned Burundi government officials against making inflammatory remarks that could | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FBurundi-Speaker-remarks-annoy-UN-official-%2F2558-3360030-36lb5i%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3360110/lowRes/1420878/-/ofcfhh/-/adama.jpg | en | null | Burundi Speaker’s remarks annoy UN official | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
The United Nations Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng has cautioned Burundi government officials against making inflammatory remarks that could escalate tensions between Kigali and Bujumbura. PHOTO | FILE
The United Nations Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng has cautioned Burundi government officials against making inflammatory remarks that could escalate tensions between Kigali and Bujumbura.
Mr Dieng warned that statements by president of the National Assembly Pascal Nyabenda on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda amount to genocide denial.
Mr Nyabenda made the remarks on August 16 at a ruling party function.
Burundian officials are accusing Kigali of plotting to destabilise the country.
According to Mr Dieng, the remarks suggested that the genocide in Rwanda was a “fabrication of the international community” and that it was used to overthrow Hutu government.
“This irresponsible statement could be interpreted as genocide denial,” Mr Dieng said in a statement issued by his Office last week.
“It has the potential to inflame ethnic tensions both within Burundi and outside its borders,” he warned.
Third term
President Pierre Nkurunziza and his party have been at loggerheads with Kigali, ever since the Burundian leader decided to seek a third term in office, accusing Rwanda of backing rebels fighting the government.
The UN statement added that the situation in Burundi continues to be marred by instability and human rights violations, including allegations of extra-judicial killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention of members of the opposition, media and civil society.
Concerns over the situation in Burundi were also expressed by the Geneva-based UN Committee Against Torture in their concluding observations issued on 11 August, following its review of a special report submitted at the request of the Committee.
Mr Dieng’s statement noted that the Committee had urged the government of Burundi to refrain from making any public statements that could exacerbate ethnic tensions or incite violence.
Mr Dieng’s statement also noted that human rights defenders and journalists are among the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the country since April 2015.
Human rights abuses | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Burundi-Speaker-remarks-annoy-UN-official-/2558-3360030-36lb5i/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/758ffe161cfca3b9d04982f802cf29d1b751d8ca21110d82043076c45f9d3d8d.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T10:52:33 | null | null | Kenya is reviewing its plans to take up the second foreign currency-denominated debt in less than three years in the face of political jitters linked to | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FKenya-having-second-thoughts-about-issuing-second-sovereign-bond%2F2560-3364006-10ga1h9%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3364046/lowRes/1423020/-/1vwn8dz/-/BD_Treasury_1306_JPG.jpg | en | null | Polls trigger rethink on Kenya's second sovereign bond | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
The National Treasury building in Nairobi. Kenya is reviewing its plans to take up the second foreign currency-denominated debt in less than three years. PHOTO | FILE
Kenya is reviewing its plans to take up the second foreign currency-denominated debt in less than three years in the face of political jitters linked to the 2017 general election.
There are fears that perceived political risk, exchange rate risk as a result of a strong dollar, and alleged misappropriation of the previous sovereign bond proceeds will make the proposed bond too expensive.
Kenya plans to borrow about $600 million from foreign lenders in the 2016/2017 fiscal year to finance its ballooning development budget and partly bridge its fiscal deficit (excluding grants) projected at $5.38 billion in the current financial year.
If successful, it will be the second time that the country has raised funds from the international capital markets in less than three years.
But, according to the rating agency Fitch, the failure by Nairobi to consolidate public finances and stabilise the public debt-to-GDP ratio and a marked deterioration in the political and security environment undermining the country’s long-term growth performance and could trigger a “negative” rating.
“Kenya’s general election is a year away, but there are signs of heightened political tensions,” said Fitch, adding that the country’s growing stock of foreign-currency denominated debt will make it more vulnerable to exchange rate shocks.
Interest rates — also termed as coupons or yields — for sovereign bonds vary according to the credit rating of the issuing country and the maturity of the bond.
Poorer ratings and longer maturities attract higher interest rates.
“I think our debt department is looking at that before we decide,” Geoffrey Mwau, director-general at the Budget, Fiscal and Economic Affairs Department in Kenya’s National Treasury told The EastAfrican, adding, “It depends on how the market develops. We may decide not to go to the market. Obviously, if the politics turns bad, it will be an issue, but so far so good. As far as I can see, there isn’t anything to worry about.”
Dr Mwau said the issuance of a sovereign bond is a process whose timing is important to ensure success.
According to the National Treasury, the country’s economy remains vulnerable to both domestic and external shocks, including drought, international commodity prices and uncertainty in the global economic and financial outlook.
“Kenya has been looking to borrow externally through the Eurobond market in the new fiscal year 2016/2017,” said Razia Khan, chief economist and head of African research at Standard Chartered Bank PLC.
“Any continuation of global market volatility will have implications for the price at which all sub-Saharan Africa sovereigns are able to borrow,” said Ms Khan.
In the last financial year (2015/2016) Kenya’s debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 43.7 per cent against a threshold of 54 per cent, implying the country still has room to take up more debt.
Kenya expects its debt-to-GDP ratio to fall to 42.6 per cent in the 2016/2017 financial year from the current 41.3 per cent.
According to a report by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a leading UK think tank, African sovereign bonds are trading at yields nearly 400 basis points higher than the developed markets. This is due to a built-in risk premium closer to levels last seen in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, when investors fled to the relative security of better-known issuers. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya-having-second-thoughts-about-issuing-second-sovereign-bond/2560-3364006-10ga1h9/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7ae56e4e0cb5a77514970c294d568bd5f49f91d22d98f5c9adba4af970c5a2bd.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T10:52:00 | null | null | Tanzania police stormed an opposition party meeting at a Dar es Salaam hotel on Monday afternoon and ordered them to stop it, saying it was illegal. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FTanzania-police-storm-opposition-meeting-and-grill-leaders%2F2558-3362716-yqm647%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Tanzania police storm opposition meeting, grill leaders | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Chadema’s former presidential flag bearer Edward Lowassa. Tanzania police stormed the main opposition party's meeting at a Dar es Salaam hotel and ordered them to stop it, before interrogating Lowassa and other party leaders at the Central Police Station. PHOTO | FILE
Tanzania police stormed an opposition party meeting at a Dar es Salaam hotel on Monday afternoon and ordered them to stop it, saying it was illegal.
The Chama cha Demokrasia (Chadema) chairman Freeman Mbowe, former presidential flag bearer Edward Lowassa and other party leaders were then escorted to the Central Police Station, where they were interrogated.
The police arrived at the city hotel at 2pm (1100 GMT) where the Chadema’s central committee members were meeting. According to Halima Mdee, Chadema women’s wing (Bawacha) chairperson, the meeting was to discuss whether the party would go ahead with plans to hold countrywide demonstrations starting September 1.
Chadema lawyer Tundu Lissu said those grilled by the police included Mr Mbowe, Mr Lowassa, the secretary-general Dr Vincent Mashinji, vice chairman (Isles) Said Issa Mohamed and the deputy secretary general (Mainland) John Mnyika.
In the wake of the killing of four policemen by gunmen outside a Dar es Salaam bank last week, police banned internal meetings of political parties saying they are being used to plot violence. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Tanzania-police-storm-opposition-meeting-and-grill-leaders/2558-3362716-yqm647/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7c93eb63b90abdf7f5e7e892fef9195ad82b80cfe28d15772a027b116dde3dc1.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:52:03 | null | null | Banning imports of used clothes and shoes means that the population has to choose between buying new imported goods and those produced locally. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2FRwanda%2FOpinion%2FEast-Africa-must-employ-industry-friendly-policies-in-textile%2F1433246-3363110-kdgecuz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | East Africa govts must employ industry-friendly policies to revamp | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Opinion
Anne Kiruki
The ongoing assessment of supply capacities for textile, apparel and leather products in the region must be handled with utmost care and the outcomes made to truly reflect the situation on the ground.
The exercise, which is spearheaded by the East African Community Secretariat, is meant to facilitate planning for the phasing-out of second-hand leather and apparels products, in line with a directive of the last EAC heads of state summit.
The 17th Ordinary Summit of the EAC heads of state, which was themed, EAC: Advancing Market-Driven Integration held in March in Arusha, Tanzania, directed partner states to procure their textile and footwear requirements from within the region where quality and supply capacities were competitively available. This was done with a view to phasing out importation of used textiles and footwear within three years.
The summit directed partner states to sensitise all stakeholders and directed the Council of Ministers to provide it with an annual review with a view to fast-tracking the process.
But even as the region seeks to promote vertically-integrated industries in the textile and leather sector, it is equally important to gauge the level of preparedness by the industry to fill in the gap that will be left by the expected ban. The industry may need support measures and incentives to expand investment in order to meet the sudden rise in demand for products.
But it is clear that the region does not currently have the capacity to supply the market with the required amounts of garments and shoes. Uganda, for example, has few cotton ginning factories despite being a major cotton producer. The Uganda Manufacturers Associations lists around 30 garment and footwear producers among its members.
Although the intent of regional governments in banning second-hand clothes and shoes is noble — to boost local textile industries — that approach may not be the best for now.
The governments may need to rethink and re-strategise on a more viable means of promoting the textile industry in the region even as it plans to phase out second-hand clothes.
Indeed, a ban is likely to prove unpopular with East Africans. Banning imports of used clothes and shoes means that the population has to choose between buying new imported goods and those produced locally. If the latter are costly, or of poor quality, East African citizens will have to spend more on these goods. Poorer people, who are more likely to purchase second-hand shoes and clothes, will suffer.
Second-hand clothes businesses employ thousands of people directly and indirectly. Banning the sale of such clothing means sending thousands of families into absolute poverty and destitution, which may be catastrophic for our young economies. The change must therefore be phased out and done with ultimate care.
Governments must also be sincere on the real causes of the collapse of the textile industry, rather than blaming it all on infiltration by the second-hand market. The challenges facing the industry are myriad and phasing out the second-hand clothes won’t solve all of them. Failure to address other causes of the collapse of the industry will make moves to revamp the industry stillborn.
The governments must now walk the tightrope of reviving the textile industry without destroying livelihoods. The governments may need to streamline activities in the sector in such a way that the local textile industry provides quality products at an affordable price while at the same time offering thousands of jobs.
Many factors have adversely affected the sector, including liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s. The influx of textiles into the region became a major problem, with the average capacity of utilisation in the textile mills reduced to about 50 per cent.
In Kenya, for example, the textile sector was once the fifth largest foreign exchange earner in Kenya, but dropped to a minute contribution of the Gross Domestic Product from the mid and late 1990s. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Opinion/East-Africa-must-employ-industry-friendly-policies-in-textile/1433246-3363110-kdgecuz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/d683a03d2a130c1757a756953f2f9412daef7e9c742943988bc95816d336027e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:05 | null | null | Move seen as part of a wider crackdown on dissent by the government. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FZambia-government-switches-off-three-broadcasters%2F2558-3355232-dpj9usz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Zambia government switches off TV station, radio | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Zambian President Edgar Lungu was on August 15, 2016 re-elected in a closely-fought vote that the opposition claimed was rigged. PHOTO | AFP
Zambia authorities Monday shut the country's main private television station, Muvi TV, and two radio stations for alleged "misconduct".
But commentators have argued the move is part of the wider crackdown on dissent by the government.
"The Independent Broadcasting Authority Authority (IBA) has revoked the Broadcast Licences of Muvi Television, Komboni Radio* and Itezhi Itezhi Radio for wide and flagrant breach of terms of their licences and for broadcasting material that could cause incitement that might break the peace and security of the country," said a statement issued by the government.
The stations are accused of deliberately breaching the broadcasting standard operating procedure and terms of their licences.
The authority accused the broadcaster of promoting falsehood and impartial news reporting.
Muvi is also cited for airing material not suitable to be classified as adverts.
An advert was regularly shown depicting "murdered and blooded victims". The advert also "highlighted the ruling party Patriotic Front and President Edgar Lungu as the perpetrators," it said.
The regulator further claimed that Itezhi Itezhi and Komboni radio stations have been broadcasting inciting material that could "endanger communities, make communities rise against one another."
The frequencies of the stations have since been withdrawn.
The Zambian law requires broadcasters to appeal the suspension to the minister of information in three months if they were unhappy with the punishment meted but in the absence of a Cabinet it remains unclear when the stations may be reopened.
Zambia’s incumbent leader Edgar Lungu was last week declared winner of the presidential election in which the opposition has disputed the outcome. The president-elect is yet to name his Cabinet.
A few months back, the government shut the privately owned daily The Post over a tax row, a moved which was viewed as excessive and politically motivated. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Zambia-government-switches-off-three-broadcasters/2558-3355232-dpj9usz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/9b224c5e3280d89e10831765c913588f8b54a626e0a538a9b2c2343d359be2ef.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T08:50:29 | null | null | Haute-Baso products are made by artisans from 200 women’s co-operatives in keeping with its social enterprise agenda. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FHaute-Baso-designs-spell-art-and-style---%2F434746-3359588-d3ke4cz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359600/lowRes/1419592/-/c4xunf/-/haute-baso.jpg | en | null | Haute-Baso designs spell art and style | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
Linda Mukangoga (right) and Candy Basomingera merge their design enterprises — Haute Rwanda and Baso Designs — into Haute-Baso in 2014. PHOTO | COURTESY
When Linda Mukangoga, 31, and Candy Basomingera, 35, met for the first time after admiring each other’s work from a distance, they knew it was time to merge their enterprises — Haute Rwanda and Baso Designs — into Haute-Baso.
Haute-Baso, a social enterprise, was officially registered in March 2014 and to date makes highly sought after ready-to-wear clothes and jewellery; handbags, handicraft and house decor. Their unique products set them apart from the commonplace Rwandan bespoke trend.
Mukangoga and Basomingera, both graduates of International Relations, say their designs are created on the basis of something they both love and cherish — aesthetics. They design all their products themselves at an office they share at their shop in Kigali.
The business partners invested Rwf1.6 million ($2,000) each, and one of their objectives was to come up with products that could be recognised as ethical fashion brands.
Ethical fashion is an umbrella term used to describe design, production, retail and purchasing processes that cover a range of issues such as humane working conditions, non-exploitation of artisans, fair trade, sustainable production, environmental conservation and animal welfare. This is in keeping with modern trends in fashion where businesses strive to be good ambassadors of their products.
Haute-Baso products are made by artisans from 200 women’s co-operatives in keeping with its social enterprise agenda.
In the two years it has been in business, Haute-Baso has grown from employing four artisans to 202. “We are very intent on making the livelihoods of our artisans better,” said Mukangoga.
They also offer internships to budding entrepreneurs, and provide stipends for apprentices; and so far, since the launch of the internship programme, they have had eight interns. Part of the duties of the interns is to run the company’s social media platforms and see to the day-to-day running of the business in the shop.
In turn, the interns get to learn from each other, indeed, some of them have gone ahead and started careers or businesses of their own in the fashion industry, something that Mukangoga and Basomingera are proud of.
On their designs, Mukangoga said, “Our goal was to make stuff that was wearable. We did not want to make your typical basket earrings, which are cool; we make them functional too. For this, we import some of our fabrics,” she said.
****
When they started in 2014, the duo had no physical store and used social media and pop-up shops around Kigali’s car-free zones, the Urban Cafe, Pilipili Bar in Kibagabaga and the Poivre Noire restaurant as the marketing and selling platform for their merchandise.
“This is what we started with and whenever we get the chance we still do it,” said Mukangoga. They eventually opened a shop at Nyarutarama Road near MTN Centre last year.
“The store is a reflection of who we are but there is no particular thing that fully defines us. We believe the entire store is our aesthetic expression, and our customers recognise who we are, and any piece from here is easily recognised,” explained Basomingera, a mother of two. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Haute-Baso-designs-spell-art-and-style---/434746-3359588-d3ke4cz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/3b224571d11ffff53f92c4122a32e203c902762a06ba9fc72611e0f99b17ecdf.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:42 | null | null | Kenyan bank shares fell sharply at the start of trade on Thursday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FKenyan-bank-shares-fall-after-lending-rates-capped%2F2560-3357418-leg5gh%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Kenyan bank shares fall after lending rates capped | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
President Uhuru Kenyatta signs the interest rate Bill at State House in Nairobi on August 24, 2016. FILE PHOTO | PSCU
Kenyan bank shares fell sharply at the start of trade on Thursday after the country's president signed a law capping commercial banks' interest rates.
Shares in KCB Group, which operates Kenya's biggest bank by assets, fell 9.9 per cent to trade at Ksh29.50 ($0.2912) per share. Shares in Co-operative Bank of Kenya and Equity Bank were down by a similar margin. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenyan-bank-shares-fall-after-lending-rates-capped/2560-3357418-leg5gh/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/7099c3ef3c816c2ae0425af32b9bcb0ac1b294b737b7579357cc592f13062da7.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:52:05 | null | null | Only a significant change in the business models of banks will see them sustain profitability. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fbusiness%2FWhat-Kenya-interest-rates-capping-means-to-SMEs%2F2560-3363168-41su0fz%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | What Kenya's interest rates capping means to SMEs | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Business
Kefa Nyakundi is the chief executive officer of E-nnovative Capital. PHOTO | COURTESY
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta last week signed into law a Bill that will cap the interest rates that banks pay for deposits and charge for loans.
The law is expected to take effect from September 14 after going through legal processes unless the government assigns it a later day for coming into force.
That will see banks restricted to lending at four percentage points above the Central Bank Rate (now at 10.5 per cent), making the effective lending rate 14.5 per cent.
The margins will also be squeezed by the requirement that deposit rates for interest bearing accounts be at least 70 per cent of CBR or 7.35 per cent. That will leave banks with an operating margin of 7.15 per cent compared to 14 per cent which exists now with average lending rate 18 per cent and the deposit rate at four per cent.
Kefa Nyakundi, the chief executive officer of E-nnovative Capital, a company that arranges funding for small and medium enterprises based on their orders from big corporations, spoke to The EastAfrican on the impact of the law on businesses.
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As a banker which way do you see bank profitability going now?
Bank profitability particularly for retail lenders, which have been charging interest rates of 24 per cent and above will definitely be jolted in the short run.
By default, banks have to deploy capital as holding it idle has a cost. Therefore, I see the response in the short-term being to address their loan loss provisions. That will see them concentrate their loans to large 'investment grade' corporates as well as purchasing government paper.
They will also definitely address the cost side through staff retrenchments/rightsizing, downscaling growth projections and going slow on capex. However, in the long-run, only a significant change in the business models of banks will see them sustain profitability. Banks will re-look at skewing their funding structures.
Where does that leave MFIs and deposit-taking Saccos?
Strictly speaking, this is an amendment to the Banking Act and, until specific amendments are made to the statutes regulating the MFIs and Saccos, they will not be affected by the capping.
Should Kenya banks now look to cross-border markets?
The current situation provides an opportunity for arbitrage which banks will attempt to optimise. However, given the size and strategic significance of Kenya's economy to the region, this may not be significant. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/What-Kenya-interest-rates-capping-means-to-SMEs/2560-3363168-41su0fz/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/455525c7104d61be8d1d0dfeb2016ae801bd18271204d8646ac94606cdd96aaf.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:31 | null | null | Kenya’s runners impressed at the Rio Olympics, but to the country’s shame its officials were equally distinguished when it came to corruption. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FKenya-world-class-running-matched-by-world-class-graft%2F2558-3357590-jw7puy%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/2456/favicon/33593/-/8dqlwwz/-/root.ico | en | null | Olympics: Kenya’s world-class running matched by world-class graft | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Kenya's Sports minister Dr Hassan Wario. Kenya’s runners impressed at the Rio Olympics, but to the country’s shame its officials were equally distinguished when it came to corruption. PHOTO | FILE
Kenya’s runners impressed at the Rio Olympics, but to the country’s shame its officials were equally distinguished when it came to corruption.
Six gold medals — including in both men’s and women’s marathons — six silvers and one bronze put Kenya in 15th place overall and made it the top African nation by far, yet a shameful shadow hangs over what was the best Kenyan Olympics performance ever.
Leading the controversy was the dismissal of track team manager Michael Rotich, recalled from Rio after an undercover investigation accused him of seeking a $13,000 (11,500 euros) bung to warn runners of “surprise” drugs tests.
Soon afterwards another coach, John Anzrah, was also recalled after apparently attempting to pass himself off as one of his runners and then giving a urine sample. However, some have defended Anzrah, 61, saying he only took the runner’s ID so he could get a free breakfast at the Olympic Village.
Trouble from the start
Kenya’s Olympics was in trouble before it even began. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) only cleared the country’s athletes at the last minute after parliamentarians botched the passage of a new law designed to convince world authorities that Kenya is serious about tackling the widespread doping that has seen at least 40 athletes banned since 2012.
Controversy also kicked off Kenya’s Olympics when athletes appeared at the opening ceremony in mismatched gear, despite kit sponsor Nike providing ample outfits.
Deputy president William Ruto, who was in Rio, called for criminal and parliamentary enquiries after Nike complained that much of the apparel had gone missing.
Meanwhile, Kenyan media — and social media — have been ablaze with stories of unknown hangers-on and freebie-seekers living large as part of the supposedly official delegation.
But while the liggers appeared to have no trouble reaching Rio, athletes were less fortunate. Someone forgot to book a plane ticket for javelin world champion Julius Yego — who went on to win Olympics silver — while 200m sprinter Carvin Nkanata’s accreditation was submitted late meaning he almost missed his race.
Nor did the embarrassment end with the Olympics’ closing: there has been no official homecoming with many of the athletes opting to sneak into the country to prevent officials basking in the glory of their performances.
“We don’t want people to hog publicity from our arrival when they have treated us badly,” one athlete told the Daily Nation newspaper. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Kenya-world-class-running-matched-by-world-class-graft/2558-3357590-jw7puy/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/15f8f88087066a34e7733a3bccc43b96e06d27398a6f884f29de921db7440d6e.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T12:50:29 | null | null | Moses Izabiriza is a Rwandan artist who finds inspiration through different experiences and then expresses them using his brush. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FGlimpses-of-refugee-life-using-the-brush-%2F434746-3359290-xflqk%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3359800/lowRes/1419687/-/psvqrvz/-/art+rt.jpg | en | null | Glimpses of refugee life using the brush | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | Magazine
Pain flow by Moses Izabiriza. PHOTO | ANDREW I KAZIBWE
Moses Izabiriza is a Rwandan artist who finds inspiration through different experiences and then expresses them using his brush.
Dubbed Anticipated Rays, his exhibition — which began on August 5 and continues for a month — is part of the First Friday, a monthly artistic platform by Kigali’s Impact Hub, which hosts artists and showcases their pieces.
Anticipated Rays is inspired by Izabiriza’s experience of visiting the Kiziba refugee camp in November last year. The camp is located in the Western Province at the border of Rwanda and DR Congo. The camp hosts the Banyamurange, a group of people who are a product of intermarriage between Rwandans and DR Congolese.
Izabiriza showcases the everyday lives and hopes of the refugees.
Unlike in Spontaneous Rhythm — a joint exhibition held in Kigali last year — where his paintings were characterised by the use of letters, this year he uses tiny shapes, like symbols to create a unique style.
The 24-year-old artist, who hails from Ivuka Art Centre in Kacyiru, Kigali, uses acrylic paints to create his pieces.
His focus and inspiration while at the refugee camp were the women and children, who make up the majority of the people at the camp.
Izabiriza can relate to the Banyamurange because he too was once a refugee in camps in DR Congo after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi.
Pain Flow features a young woman in deep thought. My Generation is a portrait of a young infant who looks hopeful. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Glimpses-of-refugee-life-using-the-brush-/434746-3359290-xflqk/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/39459a2b5bcf89d000b267333545b5c4a8fee79527acf412d641b0ae80e482e6.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:36 | null | null | Critics say the president’s gesture will put a strain on government coffers, amid huge revenue shortfalls. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fnews%2FUganda-president-Museveni-giving-spree-comes-under-attack-%2F2558-3360004-f6cwff%2Findex.html.json | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/3360120/lowRes/1420882/-/vjwmlrz/-/museveni.jpg | en | null | Museveni ‘giving spree’ comes under attack | null | null | www.theeastafrican.co.ke | News
Within the first three months in office, President Yoweri Museveni has handed out cash and made pledges worth over Ush6 billion ($1.79 million) for various initiatives. But critics say his gesture will put a strain on government coffers, amid huge revenue shortfalls. PHOTO | FILE
While touring Busoga in eastern Uganda in 2013, President Yoweri Museveni shocked the country when he hauled a sack of money containing Ush250 million ($74,911), from the boot of one of his vehicles, and handed it to the youth as his contribution to their development initiatives.
The incident drew criticism from both the public and the opposition, who termed the veteran leader’s gesture unpresidential, given that most of these cash donations were not catered for in the national budget, and violated principles of accountability.
Fast forward to August 2016, and President Museveni is in a giving mood again. The president, who is in the first year of his fifth elective term in office, which he has dubbed “kisanja hakuna mchezo,” has handed cash envelops to among others, vendors at an illegal roadside market, a union of medical workers and churches.
Within the first three months in office, the president had handed out cash and made pledges worth over Ush6 billion ($1.79 million) for various initiatives. But critics say his gesture will put a strain on government coffers, amid huge revenue shortfalls.
“These donations are a form of indiscipline because they are not in line with the national budget. The indiscipline is both ways because the demands from the electorate keep multiplying. But the president must allow government agencies to address these demands if they are in the budget,” said legislator Odonga Otto, who was chairman of the the Parliamentary Government Assurances Committee in the Ninth Parliament.
In 2013, the committee compiled a list of pledges that the president had made in 10 years — totalling 6,800 and worth Ush11.8 trillion ($3.49 billion) — which amounted to 80 per cent of the country’s budget.
“If the president is going to spend 80 per cent of the budget on donations that are not factored into the budget, it means the government will not function,” Mr Otto argued.
The Uganda Revenue Authority announced a revenue shortfall of Ush404.54 billion ($119.9 million) for the financial year 2015/16, the largest deficit recorded in the past five years. The tax body collected Ush11.231 trillion ($3.32 billion).
Further, critics say that handing out cash may compromise President Museveni’s ability to address the poor service delivery, In the health and education sectors — part of his campaign pledges in the run-up to the February 18 polls.
Early this month, while meeting the Uganda Medical Association, he rejected the group’s demand for a pay rise, instead offering Ush5 billion ($1.5 million), and promised to give them land on which to build a house for their savings and credit co-operative society.
Within the first 100 days of his term, non-teaching staff in public universities staged a strike over unmet promises of salary increments and arrears amounting to Ush41 billion ($12.3 million).
Recently, the president directed the Ministry of Finance to enhance the salaries of striking staff and pay all their arrears by channelling Ush13 billion ($3.9 million) that was meant to cater for arrears needed to start three new public universities. | http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Uganda-president-Museveni-giving-spree-comes-under-attack-/2558-3360004-f6cwff/index.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.theeastafrican.co.ke/11a11943e63fbbf2919c2291afaee9db98280454e54d48bb4c314e103daf9057.json |
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