Monday 6 June 2011

5 US soldiers killed in Baghdad, Iraq


Five American troops serving as advisers to Iraqi security police in eastern Baghdad were killed Monday when rockets slammed into the compound where they lived. The deaths were the largest single-day loss of life for American forces in two years.

The U.S. military announced the deaths in a brief statement, excluding details. Two Iraqi security officials later said the troops died when three rockets hit near the U.S. forces' living quarters at a joint U.S.-Iraqi base in the Baladiyat neighborhood where American troops were partnering with Ministry of Interior police. The Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

American forces said the incident is under investigation. Names of the dead were withheld pending notification of family. The deaths raised to 4,459 the number of American service members who have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.

With the 46,000 U.S. forces still in Iraq scheduled to depart by year's end, American troops and their bases in Baghdad and southern Iraq have increasingly come under attack and threats from Shiite Muslim militias, hoping to construct a narrative that they were responsible for driving out the Americans.

At the height of the surge of U.S. forces four years ago to combat sectarian violence that nearly tore Iraq apart, there were about 170,000 American troops in the country. The number then was gradually drawn down to below 50,000 when Washington announced it had ended its combat operations ten months ago.

U.S. troops still in the country focus on training and assisting Iraqi security personnel, but are to shun combat. Nevertheless, the American forces still come under almost daily attack by rockets and mortars in their bases and gunfire and roadside bombs when moving around the country.

The Baladiyat neighborhood where the five Americans were killed is a predominantly Shiite district near Sadr City, a Shiite slum that was the heart of Muslim sect's opposition to U.S. forces in Iraq.

Less than two weeks ago, tens of thousands of supporters of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr marched through the streets of Sadr City, demanding an end to the American military presence in Iraq.

The show of force was accompanied by a threat from al-Sadr himself. During an interview with the BBC he said he would unleash his militia, called the Mahdi Army, on American forces if they do not withdraw. He said his supporters were already targeting U.S. bases and vehicles in Iraq.

U.S. officials have been pushing Iraq to decide whether it wants some American forces to remain beyond December 31, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said he'll discuss it with the country's main political blocs. But so far there has been no request from the Iraqi side on the extremely sensitive topic.

The five fatalities Monday were the largest on a single day since May 11, 2009, when five forces died in a noncombat incident. On April 10, 2009, six U.S. troops died — five in combat in the northern city of Mosul and one north of Baghdad in a noncombat related incident.

Elsewhere, a total of 11 people were killed in the northern city of Tikrit, the capital and near the western city of Ramadi Monday.

Four of them died when a bomb exploded at a checkpoint outside a government compound in Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein. It was the second attack in four days against the compound and the government employees who live and work there.

The deaths were announced by a media adviser to the provincial governor, Mohammed al-Asi. A military official in the Salahuddin Operations Command, which oversees security operations in the province, said a suicide car bomber blew himself up near the entrance to the compound. It had been a palace and support buildings constructed by Saddam, but now serves as a hub for government offices in the city.

Monday morning's attack is the second in Tikrit in recent days. On Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque inside the government compound, killing 16 people. Hours later, another suicide bomber walked into the Tikrit hospital and blew himself up near the emergency room, where family members had gathered. Five people were killed and 16 were injured in that incident.

Four others died in Baghdad, where officials said gunmen in speeding cars opened fire on two security checkpoints. The early morning attack took place in the Azamiyah district, a Sunni Muslim enclave, according to military and medical officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Attackers bombed the house of a police colonel near Ramadi, the capital of the mostly Sunni Anbar province. The colonel survived the attack and was taken to the hospital. His wife, mother and son were all killed, Iraqi police said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.


Sunday 5 June 2011

Infortarck:78 per cent support Chief Justice nominees

Majority of Kenyans support the nominations of Willy Mutunga and Nancy Baraza for Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice.this accords to a recent Infotrak Research and Consulting opinion poll. According to the firm, 78 per cent of Kenyans support the two judicial nominees.

The poll results released in Nairobi indicated that North- Eastern and Nairobi regions recorded high support for Dr Mutunga at 87 and 83 per cent.

"Central and Coast were the regions with low support for Mutunga at 69, and 72 per cent, as compared to others," Infotrak’s Angela Ambitho said, when releasing the findings of a research carried out between May 23 and 27.

Baraza’s nomination as the Deputy Chief Justice received majority support in Nairobi and North-Eastern regions at 86 and 85 per cent.The results further indicated that Coast and Nyanza had low support for the nomination of Baraza at 74, and 75 per cent.

Satisfaction and confidence
But nearly nine of ten Kenyans who participated in the opinion poll were satisfied the two nominees would reform the Judiciary, if Parliament endorses them.

It was further revealed that 89 per cent of urban dwellers, compared to 87 per cent of rural people, were confident that the two would reform the Judiciary.

Ms Ambitho said the research found out that most Kenyans approve of the two nominees because they believe that Mutunga and Baraza were qualified, competent, have a good track record, and were people of high integrity.
"About 34 per cent of those not satisfied with the nomination of the two, stated controversy around their personalities as their key concerns.

A small percentage (16 per cent) mentioned lack of experience in the Judiciary, and the fact that they may be subject to influence and corruption in the future as their reasons," said the results.

Feeling of Kenyans on the judicial office nomination process
Infotrak further carried out a research on the feelings of Kenyans on the process of nomination for the judicial office holders and majority of the poll participants (44 per cent) said the process was transparent. About 15 per cent of the respondents felt that there was no bias.

But about 89 per cent of the 2,400 respondents felt that all future interviews for public office holders should be done in the view of the public.

"Elimination of corruption is the reason most Kenyans (39 per cent) were of the opinion that all future nominations of public officers should be done in full view of the public," the research findings showed.

The poll respondents argued that interview of public officers in the open would be satisfying and would eliminate doubts the public might have.

But 31 per cent of the interviewees felt that it was intimidating for public officer holders to be interviewed in such a manner.They said that sometimes the interviews got personal and also felt that it should be private and confidential.

Supreme Court judges
And more than half of Kenyans (53 per cent) who took part in the latest Infotrak opinion poll think that most suitable candidates for judges of  the Supreme Court should be outsiders with legal background.

"Only 47 per cent of the respondents felt that the current sitting judges should fill the position of the judges of the Supreme Court," said the research findings.

Explotion hits Nairobi's Ngara area

Several people have been injured in an explosion that occurred at Ngara near
Kirinyaga Road/Accra Road
junction in Kenya’s capital Nairobi

The injured have been rushed to Nairobi Hospital and Kenyatta National Hosptital for treatment. Officials confirmed 28 people had been rushed to hospital while some were trapped under a shipping container which was overturned by the force of the explosion.

The explosion is alleged to have emanated from a scrap yard setting ablaze the nearby Petrol Station which was later put out by fire fighters. Mechanics working in the yard said they heard a loud explosion. Huge flames were witnessed in the petrol station

Several buildings around the scene had shattered window panes due to the impact of the explosion.
The area has since been cordoned off from public access although after some difficulties. Police and bomb experts are at the scene to establish the cause.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited the scene and said the government will seek ways of assisting the injured and those who have lost property.

Thursday 2 June 2011

Germany E.coli scare

Germany is in a scare since Wednesday over the origin of a killer bacteria that has left at least 16 dead. The scare has also triggered the threat of a lawsuit and virtually shutting down of vegetable imports across Europe.

German scientists and health officials have identified the virulent E. coli bacteria responsible for the outbreak, which has mainly affected northern Germany, but were unable to say what caused it or who was responsible.

In Madrid Spain threatened to sue Hamburg for damages after the German city pointed to Spanish cucumbers as the source of the outbreak.“We do not rule out taking action against the authorities who called into question the quality of our products,” Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told Spanish radio.

Germany maintained its warning to consumers about eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce, seen as the most likely source for the contamination that has killed 15 in Germany and one woman in Sweden and left hundreds seriously ill in hospital.

Initial tests on cucumbers imported from Spain found that while these were indeed contaminated with a potentially deadly enterohamorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), the bacteria’s strand was not that responsible for the current outbreak.“As before the source remains unidentified,” according to Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks, the chief health official in the northern port-city of Hamburg, which has seen the highest proportion of cases.

EHEC poisoning, in the worst of cases, can lead to full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a condition associated with bloody diarrhoea and kidney failure.

A spokesman for the German Federation of Farmers (DBV) spoke of a “catastrophic” mood among vegetable producers“They are losing at the very least two to three million euros ($ 3 to 4 million) per day,” because “consumers everywhere are suspicious” of their produce, he said.
The Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers, for its part, estimated losses at between 4 and 5 million euros per day.

“I haven’t had any cucumbers to sell since Friday as my wholesaler has stopped delivering them. Lettuce and tomatoes are also selling poorly,” a market stall vendor said in Berlin.

Kenya Airways 73% increase in after tax profit

Kenya Airways 73% increase in after tax profit
In Nairobi, Thursday 2, 2011 The Kenyan National Carrier, Kenya Airways, the Pride of Africa, has today announced a 73% increase in profit after tax to Ksh.3.538 billion driven by an expanded route network and increased frequencies.

Kenya Airways CEO and Group MD, Dr Titus Naikuni
Kenya Airways CEO and Group Managing Director, Dr Titus Naikuni attributed the stronger performance to sustained focus on growing route network and increased number of flights to existing destinations. “We have relentlessly pushed our reach to new and promising markets regardless of the increasingly competitive business environment,” said Dr. Naikuni.

During the period under review, Kenya Airways recorded two historic milestones, by surpassing the 3 million passenger mark in the month of March 2011 achieving and exceeding the one billion US dollar mark in turnover. Turnover at KSh 85.8 B was 21% higher than previous year which stood at KSh 70.7B.  The passenger revenue for the year was KShs.75.4billion which is 20% above prior year at KSh 62.8B.

Capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometer (ASK) increased by 5.8% to 12,854M largely as a result of increased frequencies and new destinations launched.  Passenger traffic measured in terms of Revenue Passenger Kilometer (RPK) grew by 9.3% over prior year due to an improved world economic climate during the first three quarters of the year. Passenger yields in US cents increased by 6.7% and strengthened further to 10.3% when translated into Kenya Shillings, primarily due to a weaker Kenya Shilling in the period. 
The Cabin factor of 69.2% was higher due to the high passenger traffic compared to 66.5% realized in the prior year.  Total passengers carried by the airline were 3,137M compared to prior year’s 2,890M an 8.5% increase.

Cargo and Courier service generated revenue of KSh 6.5 B a 20% growth over previous year of KSh 5.4 B. Total Cargo tonnage was 2.2% above prior year with a yield growth of 13.7%. Operating margin was at 6.8% an improvement from previous year’s 2.6%.
Total expenses rose by 16% to KSh 80B from KSh 68.9B this was largely caused by the weaker shilling, increased operations due to the new destinations and increase in employee cost of KSh 1B. The increase in operating expenses was however offset by gains made from expanding the route network and frequencies.

Kenya Airways launched 5 new routes namely Rome, Muscat, Juba, Luanda, Nampula and re opened Malindi during the period in review. The airline is set to launch flights to N’djamena in Chad later this month. This will bring to fifty-four the number of destinations Kenya Airways flies to.

Dr. Naikuni said that prospects for the airline especially in the African market were promising and that the company would open 8 new routes in the 2011/12 Financial Year. “Africa is the next frontier in the global economy, ripe for high growth supported by increased trade and rise in the number of tourism arrivals,” concludes Dr. Naikuni