GENEVA, Switzerland, November 13, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Disease outbreak news13 November 2014On 11 November 2014, the Government of Uganda declared that Uganda was free of the Marburg virus. This declaration was made at the National Media Centre by the Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Hon. Sarah Achieng Opendi. On 4 October 2014, WHO was notified by the Government of Uganda of a case of Marburg virus disease. The case was a male health professional that developed symptoms on 11 September. On 17 September, the patient was admitted to a district health facility in Mpigi. He was…
Author: apofeed
ROME, Italy, November 13, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Farnesina is deeply concerned about the recent news from Mogadishu regarding the worsening political clashes between the country’s highest institutions. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is in close contact with our principal international partners with an interest in the Somali dossier.A government crisis on the eve of important international events would have extremely serious consequences for the country’s stabilisation process. It would undermine the results achieved thus far thanks to the support of the international community, and of Italy in particular. The civilian population would once again…
NAIROBI, Kenya, November 13, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — • Merck supports diabetes medical education and community awareness as part of its Capacity Advancement Program – CAP in Kenya.• Merck and DMI are aiming to free screen more than 2000 community members on the World Diabetes DayMerck (http://www.merckgroup.com), a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical, chemical and life-science sectors, announces today its Diabetes Awareness and Prevention Campaign in partnership with Kenya Ministry of Health and Diabetes Management and Information center (DMI) on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/merck_logo.jpgMerck Diabetes Awareness and prevention…
CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, November 13, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Orange (http://www.orange.com) announced the three winners of the Orange African Social Venture Prize during the AfricaCom Awards ceremony held in Cape Town last night The three winners will receive financial assistance and the first prize winner will also benefit from a patent application This year, a special Orange Partner award has been introduced to specifically reward a project using an Orange API The 10 finalists will benefit from support by experts through an online acceleration program offered by Orange on the VC4Africa platformThis prize, which has enjoyed considerable success since…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Special Rapporteur Farida Shaheed will visit Botswana from 14 to 26 November 2014 to assess the country’s efforts to enhance the right of all persons to participate in cultural life and to enjoy and access cultural heritage. “I am eager to learn how the country understands the realization of cultural rights in relation to its policies, specially in the areas of education and tourism,” said the independent expert tasked by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise in the field of cultural rights in all countries.…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, November 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UK deeply concerned about political instability in Somalia. Urges all parties to resolve differences through political process.Following plans to table a parliamentary motion calling for a vote of no confidence in the Somali Prime Minister and his government, an FCO spokesperson said:“The UK is deeply concerned that political instability risks undermining recent progress in Somalia, and delaying progress on vital political, security and development paths. Time is already short to achieve the goals set out in the Vision 2016 strategy, including elections in 2016. We therefore urge all Somali parties to…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Violence by Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria’s northeast continues to send thousands of refugees across the border into neighbouring Cameroon. According to Cameroonian authorities, some 13,000 Nigerian refugees crossed from Adamawa state after insurgents attacked and captured the town of Mubi in late October. The refugees fled to the towns of Guider and Gashiga in the North region of Cameroon and to Bourha, Mogode and Boukoula in the Far North.According to local authorities in Cameroon, the vast majority of these 13,000 Nigerians have now returned to Nigeria, saying that their final…
EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, November 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Further to our earlier press releases; on 9 November 2014, an African Union –United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) verification team was granted access to Tabit village in North Darfur; following media reports of an alleged mass rape incident perpetrated against 200 women and girls in the area. The team included representatives from police, military and civilian components. The team spent several hours touring the village and interviewing a variety of Tabit’s residents; including community leaders, ordinary men and women, teachers and students to ascertain the veracity of the…
NEW YORK, November 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Cassam Uteem of Mauritius as his Special Envoy and Head of the United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB). MENUB was mandated by Security Council resolution 2137 (2014) adopted on 13 February, and will start its operations on 1 January 2015. Mr. Cassam Uteem brings to this position many years of political and diplomatic experience with his government. He served as President of Mauritius from 1992 to 2002, after holding various positions in his country, including Minister of Employment, Social…
KIGALI, Rwanda, November 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Rwanda’s top musicians are promoting better nutrition and health through a catchy new music video that was released today (http://bit.ly/EatHealthyBeans).Music video with English Subtitles: http://bit.ly/EatHealthyBeansMusic video with Kiswahili Subtitles at: http://www.swahiliwood.com/maharagweRwanda Music Road Show photos: http://bit.ly/EatHealthyRwandaRoadshowIron Bean Photos: http://bit.ly/IronBeanPhotosLogo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/harvestplus.pngThe song extols the nutritional benefits of new high-iron beans that are now available in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. Almost 40 percent of children in Rwanda do not get enough iron in their diets. In severe cases, this can lower their IQs and learning capacity, resistance to disease, and…
NEW YORK, November 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The members of the Security Council recall its resolution 955 (1994) of 8 November 1994, which established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The members of the Security Council also note this year marks its twentieth anniversary.The members of the Security Council recognize the contribution of the ICTR to the fight against impunity through fulfilling its mandate of prosecuting persons responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi during which Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, as set…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 10, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FIFA has announced the refereeing trios who will officiate at the forthcoming FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2014. Referees from Australia, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guatemala, Portugal and Tahiti will take charge of the matches, with Noumandiez Doué from Côte d’Ivoire the oldest at 44, and Walter Alexander López from Guatemala the youngest at 34. The FIFA Club World Cup will take place in Marrakech and Rabat between 10 and 20 December.
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Anglo American (http://www.angloamerican.com) is investing R15-million in a new Chair, to be known as the Anglo American Endowed Chair in Occupational Hygiene at the Wits School of Public Health (http://www.wits.ac.za). Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/anglo-american.pngPhoto: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1535 (Khanyisile Kweyama, executive director of Anglo American in South Africa)The Chair will conduct research, and engage in other scholarly activities, with the aim of decreasing employee exposure to dust, noise and other health hazards in mining and other industries, thereby contributing to employee wellbeing.“The Wits School of Public Health has long been the forerunner in the country in…
NIAMEY, Niger, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A staff team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Cheikh Anta Gueye visited Niamey from October 21to November 3, 2014, for discussions on the 2014 Article IV consultation and the fourth and fifth reviews of the program supported by the Extended Credit Facility arrangement (ECF). The discussions covered the implementation of the program as well as economic and financial developments in 2014, the medium-term outlook and the policies needed to consolidate macroeconomic stability and foster inclusive growth.At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Gueye issued the following statement:“Niger’s…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM Angola this week organized a three-day workshop on Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) for 25 disaster management officials from Angola’s Civil Protection Service and Ministry of Social Assistance.The aim of the workshop was to explore how to address the displacement of people by natural disasters; the roles and responsibilities in managing a camp; the protection of the most vulnerable; the participation of communities; and recovery strategies and solutions for displaced people, in line with international CCCM standards. Southern Africa is a region prone to natural disasters, including floods, cyclones,…
NEW YORK, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Djibouti on Tuesday, 28 October, on the second leg of a joint visit to the Horn of Africa region, with the President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, as well as representatives of the African Union, European Union, African Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank.Shortly after his arrival, the Secretary-General met with the President of the National Assembly, Idriss Arnaoud Ali and then with the Prime Minister of Djibouti, Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed. With both officials, he discussed food security and development issues,…
NEW YORK, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday, 27 October. This was the first leg of a joint visit to the Horn of Africa region with the President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, as well as with representatives of the African Union, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank.The Secretary-General first met with the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. They discussed the visit to the Horn of Africa, the fight against Ebola, the situation in South Sudan and…
NEW YORK, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, 29 October. This was the third leg of a joint visit to the Horn of Africa region, with the President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, as well as representatives of the African Union, European Union, African Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank.Upon arrival, the Secretary-General met with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed, and the Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, Mohamed Sheikh Osman Jawari. They discussed…
HARARE, Zimbabwe, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On October 29, 2014, the Management of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the third review under the Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) 1 with Zimbabwe and approved a successor SMP covering the period October 2014 – December 2015.The SMP that expired in June 2014 provided an important anchor for Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic policies under difficult political and economic circumstances. The authorities’ renewed commitment to the policies under the program was key to meeting all the quantitative targets and structural benchmarks for the third review.Zimbabwe’s economy is at a crossroads. The economic situation remains…
GENEVA, Switzerland, November 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM and UNDP have hosted a two-day workshop in Khartoum to bring together 45 Sudanese NGOs from Blue Nile, South Kordofan and West Kordofan States to discuss their role in strengthening the resilience of conflict-affected communities and reducing tensions.The event was part of the IOM/UNDP Joint Conflict Reduction Programme (JCRP), which is funded by the European Union, and aims to build the capacity of civil society in peace building, establishing trust and stabilizing communities. Participants agreed to create an NGO network, with the support of IOM and UNDP, to share their…