Tag Archives: Botswana

News, Politics, Government

Sudan's Bashir heads to Nigeria for talks

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Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir travelled on Sunday to a health summit in Nigeria, official media said, after Human Rights Watch urged authorities in Abuja to arrest him for war crimes charges.

Bashir “left today for the Nigerian capital Abuja to participate in the African Union summit about HIV, TB and malaria to be held over two days,” the state SUNA news agency said.

Nigeria is a member of The Hague-based International Criminal Court, which in 2009 and 2010 issued two warrants against Bashir for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Sudan’s Darfur region.

His visit marks “a real test of Nigeria’s commitment to the ICC”, Elise Keppler, associate director of the International Justice Programme at Human Rights Watch, told AFP ahead of Bashir’s trip.

Some ICC members including Chad, Djibouti and Kenya have allowed visits by Bashir, but others like Botswana, South Africa and Uganda have ensured that he stays away.

A number of states “have found a way out of this problem and Nigeria should do the same,” Keppler said, urging Nigeria to arrest him if he sets foot in the country.

Nations that have signed on to the world’s only permanent court for war crimes and crimes against humanity have a legal obligation to arrest any indicted suspect found within their territory.

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

News, Politics, Government

Cosafa Cup favourites Zambia begin campaign

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Hosts Zambia embark on Sunday on a Cosafa Cup journey they hope will last seven days and finish with a record-equalling fourth title.

They face Mozambique in the second half of a quarter-finals double-header at Nkana Stadium in mining city Kitwe.

Surprise qualifiers Lesotho, who topped a qualifying group ahead of Botswana and Kenya, meet Angola in the other match.

Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) won the first two editions of the 16-year southern Africa national team championship.

They were successful again in 2006, but the closest they came to glory since was collecting silver medals twice.

Although France-born coach Herve Renard has chosen an experimental squad, his side are favoured to lift the trophy.

And he accepts the pressure is on him and his team as they try and put a miserable year for the Copper Bullets behind them.

“Every Zambian believes we will win the Cosafa Cup this year, especially as we are hosting the tournament,” admitted Renard.

“This means there is only one path for us to follow — the one that leads to the winners’ podium in Ndola next Saturday.”

Renard became a national hero in Zambia last year when his team emerged as shock winners of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

After 120 goalless minutes against Didier Drogba-skippered Ivory Coast, the underdogs won a penalty shootout in Gabon.

But little has gone right for Zambia since with a disappointing Africa Cup title defence followed by poor World Cup qualifying results.

They failed to win at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, drawing with Ethiopia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso and making a first-round exit.

And draws with minnows Lesotho and Sudan have left dreams of a first World Cup appearance on the verge of extinction.

Renard hopes goalkeeper Danny Munyau, defender Kondwani Mtonga and midfielder Mukuka Mulenga can lead by example in Kitwe.

The local stars were promoted to the first team for recent World Cup ties and offer experience amid exciting but untested talent.

Mozambique coach Joao Chissano has been in charge less than a month since German Gert Engels paid the price for a 6-1 World Cup drubbing in Guinea.

His Cosafa Cup build-up has been nightmarish with a spate of withdrawals owing to injuries and club commitments leading to 11 squad changes.

Almiro Lobo and Dario Khan are long-serving defenders and Alberto Diogo is a midfielder with a fondness for goals.

Striker Josimar Machaisse gave Chissano a timely boost by scoring in a 1-0 friendly victory away to Malawi last weekend.

Lesotho held Kenya 2-2 and Botswana 3-3 before defeating Swaziland 2-0 to top Group B on goal difference and book an unexpected last-eight place.

The Botswana clash stamped Likuena (Crocodiles) as a team to watch when they came from behind twice to level deep in stoppage time.

Angola dare not concede any penalties as midfielder Ralekoti Mokhahlane has proven his worth by converting two spot kicks.

Striker Thapelo Tale has also netted twice and defender Nkau Lerotholi and strikers Mojela Letsie and Tsepo Seturumane once each.

A team averaging 2.3 goals a game and full of never-say-die spirit could trouble Angola, even though they are 65 …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

News, Politics, Government

Tanzanians see official hand in elephant poaching

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Pratik Patel gazed glumly as the herder’s scrawny brown dogs moved between piles of bones to eat the rotting elephant flesh. He pointed to the nearby road and wondered aloud: How could poachers kill an elephant just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Tanzania‘s main safari highway?

Conservationists have long warned of the existential danger that poachers pose to Africa‘s elephants. And it’s in Tanzania, home of the Serengeti game reserve and one of the world’s two largest elephant populations, that the scale of the killings and the involvement of government employees may be the most chilling.

The three elephant corpses seen by an Associated Press reporter eight weeks ago lay in a game park just a few miles from a busy junction outside Arusha, a city of 500,000 people.

“Twenty-four elephants were shot within 10 square miles over the last three months. Thirty miles from here there are another 26 carcasses,” said Patel, a safari tour operator trying to raise the alarm about the country’s dying elephants. “And this is just a teaser. If we go to southern Tanzania I can show you 70 carcasses in one day,” he said, referring to the Selous, the world’s largest game reserve.

The man tasked with saving Tanzania‘s elephants is Khamis Suedi Kagasheki, minister for natural resources and tourism. Patel believes Kagasheki, a former intelligence officer, is trying hard to beat the poachers, but is up against a government cabal unwilling to give up illegal profits.

Much of the demand for ivory is in Asia, especially China, luring poachers across Africa to slay the giants and cut out their tusks for rewards far beyond the daily wage. According to CITES, the international body that monitors endangered species, the illegal ivory trade has more than doubled since 2007.

Every week brings new reports of elephant deaths and the government workers alleged to have killed them — soldiers, game wardens, police, customs officials, all complicit in the killings of the top tourism treasure for this poor East African nation of 50 million people.

Botswana, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Kenya are also suffering from elephant poaching. But Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the founder of the London-based nonprofit Save The Elephants, says he is most worried about Tanzania‘s because of its huge population — somewhere between 40,000 and 70,000.

Poaching here “is far bigger than is happening anywhere else

From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/G-KIuua16Ro/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Creative Learning Corporation Announces 280th Franchise

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Creative Learning Corporation Announces 280 th Franchise

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Creative Learning Corporation (OTCBB:CLCN) owner and developer of Bricks 4 Kidz®, the highly-popular children’s education and enrichment program, is pleased to announce that the Company reached its 280th franchise on February 25th, a milestone that was not projected to be achieved until the end of August, 2013. The 280th franchise is located in Chelsea, Michigan. Creative Learning Corporation now has franchises in 39 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 12 foreign countries. The Company has recently accepted deposits from prospective franchisees/Master Franchisees in Spain, Malaysia and Botswana.

About Creative Learning Corporation

Creative Learning Corporation, operating under the trade name Bricks 4 Kidz®, offers programs designed to teach children ages 3-12+ the basic principles of engineering, architecture and physics using LEGO®, bricks. Through a unique franchise business model that includes a proprietary Franchise Marketing Tool (FMT), the Company provides a wide variety of programs designed to enhance students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills by designing numerous structures, devices, and systems using proprietary LEGO®, bricks and models. For more information, visit www.bricks4kidz.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT:This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” that are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” and similar expressions. These statements are based upon management’s current expectations as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the Company’s future financial performance or results of operations, including expected revenue growth, cash flow growth, future expenses and other future or expected performances. The Company cautions readers there may be events in the future that the Company is not able to accurately predict or control and the information contained in the forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain and subject to a number of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Further information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC under the “Risk Factors” sections and elsewhere in those filings.

Creative Learning Corporation
Investor Contact:
Brian Pappas, 904-824-3133
bpappas@bricks4kidz.com

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Florida  Michigan

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Science & Technology

Climate change likely to worsen threat of diarrheal disease in Botswana, arid African countries

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In a National Science Foundation funded study, Kathleen Alexander, an associate professor of wildlife at Virginia Tech, found that climate drives a large part of diarrheal disease and increases the threat of climate change for vulnerable communities. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

History

How Spain's Juan Carlos fell from grace

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By hnn

…It has been a year that has seen the popularity of King Juan Carlos plummet to unprecedented depths – to the point that even die-hard “JuanCarlistas”, as his supporters are known, are now openly discussing the need for abdication in favour of his heir, Prince Felipe….

The King, long extolled for his role in bringing democracy to Spain following the death of dictator Francisco Franco, had for decades enjoyed the sort of respect and privacy from the press that would have been the envy of his British relatives, the Windsors.

The King’s playboy reputation and love of expensive pursuits including fast cars and sailing were tolerated even with an annual bill of around 9 million euros to the taxpayer.

But a turning point in his popularity came last April when it emerged – after a nocturnal accident that left him with a broken hip – that he had been enjoying a luxury safari in Botswana hunting elephants….

Source:
Telegraph (UK)

Source URL:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9949809/The-lonesome-king-of-Spain-how-Juan-Carlos-fell-from-grace.html

Date:
3-24-13

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University

News, Politics, Government

Family of pediatrician murdered in Philadelphia is 'devastated'

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The parents of a young Philadelphia doctor allegedly killed in her home by an exterminator said Friday their daughter was a “dedicated physician” whose death has left “an enormous gap” in their lives.

An emailed statement from a spokeswoman for Dr. Melissa Ketunuti‘s parents said the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researcher’s loved ones “are devastated by this senseless act of violence that has ended the life of someone who was so loved, cherished and admired.”

“Melissa was a source of joy to everyone in her life,” said the statement released Friday.

The family spokeswoman, Manisha Pai, who once Ketunuti’s college roommate, said the parents don’t want to be mentioned by name and are asking for privacy. They arrived in Philadelphia from their home in Thailand on Friday.

A man hired to deal with a mouse problem in Ketunuti’s downtown row home is charged with strangling her with a rope after they got into an argument in her basement, then tying her up and setting her body on fire.

Jason Smith, 36, of suburban Levittown admitted to the crime, according to police. He is being held without bail on charges of murder, arson, abuse of a corpse and risking a catastrophe.

“Melissa’s friends from childhood, college, residency and elsewhere remember her many kindnesses, even during long hours, as well as her zest for life: traveling, running and spending time with friends and family,” the parents’ statement said.

They called her “a loving daughter and friend, a dedicated physician and a talented researcher” with a passion for medicine that inspired those who worked with her.

Investigators said Smith, who lived with his longtime girlfriend and her young child, and Ketunuti, a second-year infectious-diseases fellow and researcher, had never met before. Police would not elaborate on the substance of the fatal argument.

Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the hospital’s division of infectious diseases where Ketunuti worked, said she was interested in finding ways to prevent life-threatening childhood infections in the developing world — particularly Botswana, where the rates of AIDS and HIV are among the highest in the world.

He described Ketunuti as a “soft-spoken, gentle, kind, straightforward person — irony wasn’t in her repertoire.”

Offit recalled the young doctor telling him that she had initially wanted to pursue a career as a surgeon but changed to pediatrics after realizing that she could have a greater positive impact in the world.

“She dedicated her life to trying to make children’s lives better,” he said. “She wanted to make a difference. She would have.”

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

News, Politics, Government

Bound, burned doctor found dead in Philly home

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The search for clues continued Tuesday in the murder of a young doctor whose body was found bound and burned inside her home in a bustling downtown neighborhood, but investigators said they have not uncovered any substantial leads.

Firefighters responding to the home Monday afternoon found the body of Melissa Ketunuti, 35, on fire in the basement, with her ankles and wrists bound behind her and rope around her neck, Capt. James Clark of the Homicide Unit said. There was no sign of forced entry, he said.

“We don’t know if she walked in on individuals inside of her property, we don’t know if individuals forced her inside her property,” or whether or not she knew her killer, Clark said.

Ketunuti was a second-year infectious diseases fellow and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She had been at the hospital for five years, having first served as a pediatric resident.

“Melissa was a warm, caring, earnest, bright young woman with her whole future ahead of her,” said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. “But more than that, she was admired, respected and loved by those with whom she worked here at CHOP.”

Jeff Moran, a spokesman for the city medical examiner’s office, said an autopsy was being conducted Tuesday. The official cause of death has not been determined but Clark said Ketunuti appeared to have died from strangulation.

Her body, so badly burned that she was unrecognizable, was discovered by her dog walker.

A preliminary investigation did not turn up anything missing from the home and it did not appear the victim was sexually assaulted, Clark said. He said Ketunuti’s boyfriend, who was not identified by Clark, is not considered a suspect.

Ketunuti made several stops around town in the hours before her death and investigators are looking for surveillance video that may show her killer following her. Nothing has turned up so far but detectives are continuing to canvass local business and neighbors, and there is a $20,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of anyone involved in the slaying, Clark said.

“She dedicated her whole life to being a doctor and helping children with cancer,” Clark said. “It’s very, very unfortunate that she died this way.”

Ketunuti kept a blog from March 2005 to October 2008 and wrote of her travels and studies in the U.S. and abroad.

After earning a doctorate in medicine from Stanford University, she went to Botswana in 2005 on an AIDS research fellowship and then completed a surgical internship at Georgetown University Hospital before moving to Philadelphia in May 2008 to begin a pediatrics residency.

“This is hopefully the last move for at least 3 years,” she wrote, “given that’s how long it should take to finish a pediatrics residency.”

She called the hospital’s pediatrics program “incredibly supportive.”

“People are rooting for my success and education, which is a very different vibe than at Georgetown,” she wrote. “As sexy as it was to be a life-saving surgeon, I feel much better suited for pediatrics.”

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Computers

Google claims no donkey was harmed in Street View dustup

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Google says no donkey was harmed in response to rampant rumors that one of Google’s Street View fleet flattened a mule on a dusty Botswana road. In a Google Lat Long blog post titled ” Never ass-ume” on Wednesday, Kei Kawai of Google Maps, tried to put the rumors to rest.

View Larger Map

“It looked to some that our car had been involved in an unseemly hit and run, leaving the humble beast stranded in the road,” wrote Kawai. “As our imagery below shows, the donkey was lying in the path – perhaps enjoying a dust bath – before moving safely aside as our car drove past.”

For the past several days Reddit, Twitter, and even some celebrities have studied a series of Street View images and convinced themselves Google is guilty of killing a donkey. Believe it or not, it wouldn’t have been the first time a Google Street View car was accused of being involved in a hit and run. In 2009 Street View images showed what looked like a deer getting hit by one of Google’s cars.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld