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Showing posts from September, 2020

Kipchoge unveils shoes for London Marathon, inspired by Kenyan flag

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  Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge has unveiled the shoes he will use for this Sunday's London Marathon in the British capital. Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder, will be cladding a Kenyan flag-inspired Nike “Alpha fly N% Kenya”, custom made for him for this race. "The shoes for Sunday's competition. Inspired by colours of the Kenyan flag, representing (the) great people of this beautiful country and to celebrate one year anniversary of the achievement 1:59:40 in marathon distance by EK," Kipchoge posted in his official Facebook page. It is an Alpha fly N% shoe, just like the one he used during the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna last year. The personal details include a green-and-red colourway – a nod to the national flag of Kenya. The shoes also feature the runner’s initials and 1:59:40 – the time he ran in Vienna. The Kenyan distance running legend became the first man to run the marathon in under two hours after clocking 1:59:40.2 in Vienna.

Kenya to benefit from new fund for smart cities

  With a target capitalization of at least Sh12.7 trillion (€100 million), the funds aim to unlock over Sh500 billion (€4 billion) of final investment in climate smart projects and   urban climate innovation   globally. "Filling a gap in available project support, the Gap Fund offers technical and advisory services to assist local leaders in prioritising and preparing climate-smart investments and programs at an early stage, with the goal of accelerating preparation, enhancing quality, and ensuring they are bankable," says EIB. Core donors to the Gap Fund are Germany at Sh5.7 billion and Luxembourg at Sh1.3 billion. The initiative was first mooted at the UN Climate Action Summit last year by the Leadership for  Urban Climate Investment  (LUCI) which promotes financing for ambitious urban climate action until 2025.

Why Uhuru played it safe on reopening of schools

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  Inadequate measures to protect learners from Covid-19, the possibility of another closure were things to go wrong and a potential backlash from parents reportedly informed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reluctance to reopen schools.   Sources said the President was not convinced that schools had implemented the required steps to enforce health protocols, including ensuring social distancing — and recent complaints by head teachers that congested schools were ill-prepared did not help the cause for reopening.   It also emerged that the reopening dates had been agreed upon and officials involved in the planning were taken aback by the President’s announcement that they would not open just yet. Tuesday, senior ministry officials were summoned to State House where they were given the green light to reopen universities and tertiary institutions. “I call upon the CS for Education; once we have agreed on the how, we will thereafter immediately issue a calendar for the resumption of the 2020 aca

The President also directed the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to redouble their efforts in re-convening the major sporting events that were postponed, due to Covid-19 pandemic. He cited the hosting of Kip Keino Classic event an indication that other counties of the world trust Kenya’s ability to contain Covid-19. President Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto pledged to build five stadiums in 2013 and another nine in 2017, pledges that are yet to be met by the government.

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The government will upgrade more than nine stadiums by December, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said. Speaking on Saturday at Nyayo National Stadium when he reopened the facility, President Uhuru directed the Ministry of Sorts, Culture and Heritage to ensure the facilities are upgraded in three months’ time.   “I direct the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to work round the clock to ensure these facilities are completed, ready for commissioning by the end of December 2020,” he said. Uhuru said apart from upgrading Nyayo Stadium, other sports facilities in the country will also get a facelift to international level improve sports in the country. “Our endeavour is to ensure that our sporting facilities can compare favourably with the top addresses around the world.” He said the government has set aside funds to upgrade to completion the Jamhuri Sports, Leisure and Entertainment Park in Nairobi; in addition to the upgrade of sporting facilities in Eldoret, Marsabit, Meru, Chuka, Kis

Somali, Kenyan troops exchange gunfire at shared border

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  Somali and Kenyan troops engaged in a minutes-long firefight on Saturday at the two countries' shared border, local officials and witnesses said after the Kenyan side fired shots to deter Somali demonstrators from approaching. The incident took place at the frontier between the Somali town Bula Hawo and Kenya's Mandera, close to where the border meets Ethiopia to the north. Multiple sources told  AFP  the exchange was triggered when a group of Somali demonstrators angry at the alleged killing of three civilians approached border posts manned by Kenyan soldiers. “Kenyan troops opened fire on Somali protesters who closed (in) on their positions along the Bula Hawo boarder and the Somali troops stationed close to the area responded with heavy fire, this continued for several minutes," Bula Hawo police officer Mohamed Abdirahman told  AFP  by phone. None of the sources contacted by  AFP  reported any casualties from the brief exchange of fire. The demonstrators believed that

Kenya among most hit by cyber attacks–Kaspersky

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  Internet users in Kenya faced more malware attacks in the continent, year-to-date, as the country remains among the most affected by cyber attacks. A report by multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider–Kaspersky indicates South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria have seen millions of cyber attacks in 2020, and the year is not over yet. Kaspersky security solutions has reported 28 million malware attacks in 2020 and 102 million detections of potentially unwanted programs (pornware, adware among others). These numbers show that it is not only the malware that attacks users but also the “grey zone” programs that grow in popularity and disturb their experiences, while users might not even know it is there. Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) are programs that are usually not considered to be malicious by themselves. However, they are generally influencing user experience in a negative way. For instance, adware fills user device with ads; aggressive monetising software propagates un

Kenya's Chinese-Built Railway Proves Pricey

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Kenyan lawmakers want the operating costs of a Chinese-built railway nearly cut in half and have called for renegotiating the Chinese loan to finance the line's construction. Parliament’s Transport Committee says huge operating losses and debt to Chinese banks are straining taxpayers already hit by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.   Members of the National Assembly’s Transport Committee unveiled a report Wednesday asking lawmakers to push for reduced costs on the railway line, known as the Standard Gauge Railway, or SGR.   The head of the committee, David Pkosing, says legislators also want the government to seek new terms for the $4.5 billion in loans used to build the railway.       “We also recommended that the entire loan framework should also be renegotiated, the original loan framework now with COVID-19 and, of course, Kenya and the world will never be the same again with this effect of COVID-19.  That loan should be renegotiated downwards or agreed on even ex

Secrete meeting between Somalia president and some governors in order to secure victory in the coming election revealed

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The word is spreading like inferno, the secrete plot between Somalia president and the governors of Jubaland and Puntland in order to win the upcoming election has been revealed. Buying the governors with  promise of giving them autonomy to  obtain greater powers in controlling the internal affairs and financial resources of the states in addition to that, Farmaajo promised state governors to send Somalis to study and get military training in Turkey. Series of plots have being in play by the president which is making it obvious how desperate the president is. He recently appointed a new comer in politics as Prime Minister in a move that had been faulted by many as a way of scoring cheap political goals.

Somalia president dents Somalia politics by appointing an engineer to be the Prime Minister

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  A wrong signal has been sent by president  Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed  that He only cares about winning the election that is slated for next year over the stability of a struggling nation. Appointing a man that have no previous knowledge of Somalia politics to hold a delicate position as a PM does not just belittle Somalia politics but also make her a laughing stock to international communities. Above all that, the newly appointed PM also own a Sweden citizenship. This appointment has been seen as a way for the incumbent president to secure a easy run in the coming election.

Why Peace Between Israel and Gulf States Matters

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  Since its creation as a Jewish state in 1948, Israel has been isolated from nearly every other country in the predominantly Muslim Middle East. While Egypt and Jordan made peace with it, other Arab countries said they would withhold recognition pending formation of a separate Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories Israel conquered in the   1967 war . Prospects for a Palestinian state   have faded   in recent years. Still, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Persian Gulf monarchies, have   agreed to establish   normal ties. W hy do the deals matter? They suggest that Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians is no longer an impediment to its acceptance by its Arab neighbors, and that mutual mistrust of Iran is a more powerful force. The accords solidify a growing alliance between Israel and some Arab countries to contain Persian Iran. While Iran’s population is predominantly Shiite Muslim, the Arab states mostly have  Sunni Muslim  majorities; Bahrain has a Shi

ERC's second aid plane lands in Khartoum

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A s econd Emirati aid aircraft arrived in Khartoum yesterday as part of the Emirates Red Crescent air bridge under the current UAE humanitarian aid programme, with relief for those affected by the floods in Sudan. The plane carried large quantities of medicines, medical and food supplies, and shelter materials, and was received at Khartoum Airport by the Advisor at the UAE Embassy in Sudan, Fadel Al Shamsi, and the ERC delegation, which was headed by Mohammad Salem Al Junaibi, who is currently in Sudan to lead relief operations and oversee the delivery of aid to those in need in several states most affected by the floods. Dr. Mohammed Atiq Al Falahi, ERC Secretary-General, stated that the aid, which has been sent at the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Al Dhafra Region and ERC Cha

700 due at White House Israel-UAE-Bahrain signing; Netanyahu to meet Trump first

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  WASHINGTON — As Israelis prepare to enter a three-week lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, some 700 people are reportedly set to attend Tuesday’s ceremony at the White House where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain will establish diplomatic relations. Before the ceremony, Netanyahu will meet at the White House with US President Donald Trump, who brokered the diplomatic breakthrough, according to an Israeli official who briefed reporters accompanying the premier in Washington. The UAE and Bahrain will be represented at the signing ceremony by their foreign ministers, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, respectively. Trump will meet with each of them separately, as well, ahead of the ceremony. The Trump administration was also said to be working to get representatives of additional Arab nations to attend the signing ceremony as a sign of tacit support for the growing norm