Support for International Change (SIC), a Tanzania-based organisation and petroleum company, Engen, have partnered together to help drive its awareness campaign to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and also to empower rural communities.

Engen is donating up to 2 000 litres of diesel per month to the organisation as a contribution to the much-needed impetus of SIC’s community services, which include mobile voluntary counselling and testing, running awareness campaigns, treatment and community-based training and supervision.

“The partnership between Engen and SIC has been under way since 2010, and is one of a number of CSI initiatives that Engen Tanzania is involved in,” says Mubita Akapelwa, MD of Engen Tanzania. He notes that Engen and SIC share the common goal of working towards building sustainable communities.
“Engen’s involvement is greatly appreciated by the Tanzanian people, and by our field staff, volunteers and counsellors, who are now able to travel longer distances to reach the most disadvantaged communities of Tanzania,” says Kati Regan, SIC Tanzanian managing director.

On World AIDS Day 2011, Engen’s assistance enabled SIC staff to reach Nduruma, Tanzania where over 200 people were tested for HIV and SIC extended its range of services to include the assessment of HIV support groups.

The incident, in which Kampala Woman Member of Parliament got concussed after inhaling a lethal overdose of teargas, took place at Katwe playground during a botched rally organized by activists for change (A4C), a pressure group which was formed under the dead inter party cooperation.

Reports indicate that opposition politicians led by Besigye, Nabilah, Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago, A4C women league boss Ingrid Turinawe among others stormed the ground to hold a massively attended rally, but security was already beefed up.

The fracas ensued when security attempted to arrest Besigye but he resisted, causing the crowd to get unruly. In the process of dispersing the crowds, reports say rubber bullets and teargas were fired. In the process however, Besigye and Mwijukye were slightly hurt while Nabilah inhaled an over dose of teargas.
Besigye was rushed to Med Care Centre at Buganda Road along with Mwijukye and Nabilah. Nabilah was put on oxygen while the other two received treatment.

Talking to this reporter, Besigye claimed his leg was injured by grenade fragments and also injured Mwijukye’s leg.

He said he had not realized he had been injured because he was rushing to the aid of Nabilah and Mwijukye. He said he only realized on the way to hospital that he had been injured and there were grenade fragments embedded in his leg.

Chelsea captain John Terry faces up to eight weeks out with a knee injury, BBC Sport understands.
Terry took part in training ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League last-16 tie against Napoli but it has emerged he could be sidelined until April.

The centre-back, who is set to undergo surgery, will also miss England’s game with the Netherlands next Wednesday.

Terry, 31, was stripped of the England captaincy earlier this month, with Fabio Capello later resigning as coach.

The skipper’s last game for Chelsea was their 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on 28 January, but he has since missed games against Swansea, Manchester United, Everton and Birmingham.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas had given Terry until the “last possible moment” to prove his fitness – but it now appears Terry will need an operation.

It is an increase of £18.5m on the Old Trafford club’s revenues for the same period last year.
The Premier League club said debt was £439m at the end of 2011, less than the £508m reported 12 months previously.

Last year, United said it would partially float on the Singapore Stock Exchange, but that has yet to happen.
The team, currently second to rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, are also competing in the Europa League.

Match day revenues (up from £52.4m to £54.5m), media revenue (up from £53.7m to £60.9m) and commercial revenue (up from £50.4m to £58.6m) were all ahead.

United were taken over by the Glazer family in 2005 and have had a rocky relationship with many of the fans since then over the level of debt at the club.

A buyback of bonds, sold as part of a £500m refinancing operation two years ago, helped bring down the latest debt figures.

However, total operating costs – up from £96.9m to £110.8m – and net player capital expenditure – up from £11.7m to £47.9m – both rose.

The latter’s rise was due to a summer outlay on players David de Gea, Ashley Young and Phil Jones, as manager Sir Alex Ferguson set about freshening up his team.

Other figures show a bank balance of £50.9m and a £10.4m rise in general capital expenditure, mainly due to upgrading hospitality areas.

Without the lucrative revenue streams garnered from competing in the Champions League, the club is expected to see a decline in income over the next half-year.

Mr Giggs was granted the injunction in April 2011 after a 14 April article in the Sun on an unnamed player’s alleged affair with model Imogen Thomas.

Despite the order, Mr Giggs was widely identified. The High Court heard that he had now consented to being named.

It is considering whether he can sue the Sun for alleged breach of privacy.
Breached by thousands

Mr Giggs had been granted an injunction on the basis that TV presenter Ms Thomas appeared to have been trying to blackmail him.

However, the 2003 Miss Wales and former Big Brother contestant took legal action against him and, in December 2011, Mr Giggs accepted that she had not been blackmailing him.

In court on Tuesday, Mr Giggs’s lawyer – Hugh Tomlinson QC – said the injunction that had been supposed to stop his client being identified as the subject of the Sun’s story had been breached by thousands of people on the internet.

Mr Giggs, a former Welsh international who has played for Manchester United for 20 years, was widely identified on social networking sites and in a Scottish newspaper.

In May, Lib Dem MP John Hemming also named Mr Giggs during an urgent Commons question on privacy orders.
Using parliamentary privilege to break the court order, he said it would not be practical to imprison the 75,000 Twitter users who had named the player.

‘Damage and distress’

Mr Tomlinson said his client was claiming damages from the Sun for the subsequent re-publication of information in other newspapers and on the internet.

“He has suffered damage and distress by the chain of events that has been set off by the publication of the article in the Sun,” he said.

“We say the printing of information on the front page of a national newspaper can give rise to an action for misuse of private information.”

Mr Tomlinson said the Sun article had “generated a large media storm” and that the damages claim was about “providing effective protection” for Mr Giggs’s right to privacy under the European Convention on Human Rights.

For News Group Newspapers – which publishes the Sun – Richard Spearman QC said the newspaper had behaved “entirely properly”.

“We didn’t identify him. We didn’t intend to identify him,” he said. “On the damages for publication, it is dead in the water, this case.”

Mr Spearman said the Sun had informed Mr Giggs about the article before it was published, giving him an opportunity to seek an injunction.

He said legal action had been “spun along for a long, long time”, but Mr Tomlinson said that allegation was “wholly without foundation”.

After hearing legal arguments at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Mr Justice Tugendhat reserved his decision on whether the case should go to trial.

MAIN FACTS:
-The farm-down follows the recent signing of Production Sharing Agreements, or PSAs, and the Kingfisher production license with the Government of Uganda.

-Tullow, CNOOC Limited and Total have been working closely since March 2011 on development options for the Lake Albert Basin and will be discussing them with the Government of Uganda later this year.

-It is currently expected that small-scale oil and gas production for the local power market will commence in 2013 from the Kaiso-Tonya area.

-Major production from the Lake Albert Basin is anticipated to commence approximately 36 months after a basin-wide plan of development is approved by the Government of Uganda.

Based on this timetable, ramp-up to major production would commence in 2016.

-In accordance with the Government of Uganda farm-down consents, operatorship responsibilities within the basin will be divided between the Partners.

-Partners are now re-commencing drilling activities in the area to undertake a wide-ranging exploration and appraisal program in 2012.

-Immediate exploration priorities include drilling the Kanywataba prospect, a series of prospects west of the Nile starting with the Omuka well in EA-1 and further appraisal work in both EA-1 and EA.

Kampala: The Public has applauded the speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga for odering the Minister for the Presidency, Mr Muruuli Mukasa, to table before the House the salary structure for the KCCA’s top executive and other KCCA staff.

The minister is among others expected to present before Parliament the salary for the KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi and also answer why there are two parallel salary structures at the Authority.

“Bring to Parliament a paper indicating who is getting what and do it quickly because we have recruitments currently going on,” ordered Ms Kadaga.

Kibaale County MP Frank Tumwebaze had earlier queried the recruitment process in KCCA and what salary structure Ms Musisi is implementing since her transitional team was getting hefty pay compared to the defunct KCC staff.

“Wasn’t it mandatory that KCCA is restructured? What salary structure are they implementing when the old staff of KCC currently working under KCCA is on a difference salary structure?” asked Mr Tumwebaze.

Whereas Minister Muruuli tried to justify the salary discrepancies, saying KCCA was a new entity under an interim arrangement, Kasilo County MP, Mr Okupa Elijah rejected his explanation, saying it was lacking.
Ms Musisi has in the past indicated that she was hired to run the Authority without staff.

She says she had to assemble a skeleton team to help her operationalise a council–with most of them serving as volunteers, only getting allowances in return.
Ms Musisi also noted that a host of the defunct KCC staff were opposed to change with many being party to the problems that had dogged the institution.

Ms Musisi, however, says the Ministry of Public Service is yet to approve the structure for KCCA, which would then regularise remuneration and responsibilities.

Most of the people she brought in as volunteers, are said to be getting two salaries, from URA and KCCA a thing she defended, that its because she didn’t want to want them to be infested with the corruption that had eaten up the old council.

Currently, only her and eight other directors hold appointment instruments issued by the President.

KCCA pay structure

Executive Director: Shs36 million per month.

Deputy Director and other directors: They will earn between Shs22 million and Shs27 million .

Lord Mayor: Shs16.7 million

Deputy Lord Mayor: Will earn Shs11 million

Division Mayors: Shs10.7 million each and their deputies get Shs8.2 million.

Division [LCIII] councillors: Shs3.5 million while district (LC5) councillors earn Shs4.45 million

Office attendant (also least paid staff at City Hall): Shs1.1 million.

KCC PAY STRUCTURE

Under the defunct KCC, the mayor’s monthly salary was Shs2.8 million while division mayors were earning a basic salary of Shs1.8 million.

Other justices on the panel included Stella Arach Amoko, Steven Kavuma, Augustin Nshimye and Remmy Kasule.

Mr Severino Twinobusingye describing himself as a voter from Kanungu District dragged the AG to Court on October 25, last year, seeking to block Parliament’s investigations of bribery claims in the oil sector.
His lawyer, Mr John Mary Mugisha told court that Parliament contravened the Constitution in making the resolutions during the oil debate when they violated the right to a fair hearing as provided for by the Constitution.
“The right to fair hearing involves the right to present evidence, cross examining witnesses but in this case Parliament did not. The prime minister and the named ministers were not granted adequate time and opportunity to challenge the forged documents,” said Mr Mugisha, adding that Parliament was biased and members had a pre-determined mind to condemn the ministers.

According to the petition, Mr Twinobusingye described Parliament’s resolutions as impugned and argued that the lawmakers acted impulsively to indict Mr Mbabazi and two other Ministers, Sam Kutesa and Hillary Onek on allegations based on “forged documents” whose veracity MPs “deliberately declined to test.”

Mr Mbabazi and two other senior cabinet colleagues, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and Internal Affairs Minister Hilary Onek, stand accused of bribery from oil exploring companies in allegations laid down by Western Youth MP Gerald Karuhanga which set off a stormy debate in the House and led to the raft of resolutions passed on October 11.

Warid Introduces Mobile Money Service
Congo-based telecoms operator Warid Congo has introduced a mobile money service, dubbed Warid Mobicash, in the country. The operator has launched the service across its network that works on South Africa-based Mobicash’s mobile money technology. The service comprises money transfer, airtime top-up, bill payments as well as merchant payments. Mobile subscribers can make payments from the Warid MobiCash service through all kinds of phone model or network operator.

Airtel, FBN Sign MoU To Offer Mobile Money Services
Airtel Nigeria, the Nigerian unit of Indian telecoms operator Bharti Airtel, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) to offer mobile money services in Nigeria. Both partners have agreed to join hands in providing secure, convenient and user-friendly mobile banking services through mobile phones to those without a banking account. The agreement will enable the operator to realise its aim to empower more people with innovative and affordable mobile financial services, according to the CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Rajan Swaroop.

Omantel Proposes 100% Cash Dividend
Oman-based telecoms operator Omantel has recommended a 100% cash dividend of the firm’s paid-up capital to be distributed to shareholders. The proposal was put forward at Omantel’s Board of Directors’ meeting, which was held on February 13. The board also discussed the distribution of interim dividends of up to a maximum of 40% of the paid-up capital during August. Additionally, it also decided to organise an extraordinary general meeting, aimed at reducing the legal reserve to one-third of the capital and to transfer the excess to the returns earning account.

Government To Resolve Internet Congestion Issue Within Six Months
Lebanon plans to upgrade the internet as work on the IMEWE submarine cable is nearing completion, reports the Daily Star, citing Firas Abi-Nassif, the adviser to Telecoms Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui. The internet upgrade project mainly aims at eliminating bandwidth bottlenecks, or congestion on the country’s international linkages with global internet providers, added Firas Abi-Nassif. The project is scheduled to be finalised within a six-month period, Abi-Nassif mentioned.

United Arab Emirates – UAE Must Encourage Postpaid Growth

End of year data from the UAE’s telecoms regulator, TRA, show that there were 11.7mn mobile subscribers in the country, up 7.3% y-o-y. Postpaid subscription growth continues to outperform prepaid subscriber growth but BMI remains concerned that operators are not capitalising on the market’s consumer characteristics and are not driving postpaid growth fast enough. We believe more can be done to imp.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson feels he has another two or three years left in the job but would only retire on the back of a success.

The 70-year-old Scot had been due to step down a decade ago but has justified his change of heart by winning five more Premier League titles to complement the seven he already had and adding a second Champions League triumph.

He has also won the FA Cup and three League Cups during that time and although he knows the end is approaching he is determined to end on a high.

‘The fact I have been successful means you don’t want to be in an era when you are not successful. Expectation is huge,’ said Ferguson. ‘I don’t know how long I can last now but if my health stays up I don’t think another two or three years would harm me any.

‘I think you need stamina in my job. I am blessed with that. I’ll know when I’m not enjoying it and if I got to a point when I wasn’t enjoying it I would definitely do it (retire).

‘But I think you always want to go out on a winning note. Hopefully we can do that.’

And while he insists there is no other role for him directly involved in football after he leaves his Old Trafford post, he has no plans to fade into the background.

‘I would definitely finish – but I would remain active,’ he added in an interview on Radio 5. ‘I think there would be a role at United after I finish.’

Anticipating the day of his departure has become something of a guessing game over the last 10 years and even the players, both old and new, have started asking questions.

‘All the players or their agents ask me how long I’ve got left when they sign a contract,’ he said. ‘It becomes more difficult the longer it goes. The way David Gill (chief executive) answers it is by saying “He has no intention of retiring at the moment”.

But Ferguson, who himself is regarded as something of a king-maker within British football, is adamant there have been no discussions about his thoughts on a successor.

‘Never discussed it – it is a dangerous game,’ was his response. ‘At this moment in time there are about half-a-dozen managers doing very well in the Premier League, all the others are fighting for their lives.
‘Is that going to be the same in two or three years’ time when I’m ready to quit? Some may have lost their job.’

Ferguson believes even he would find it difficult were he to have his time at United again.
‘I think United need to have someone experienced. If I was coming into United today I would struggle because of the beast it is,’ he said.

‘When I came in we were in a valley because Liverpool were the dominant team and United were well adrift from that so we had to rebuild the club and it wasn’t easy, it took time.

‘But the experience I had was the success from Aberdeen and that gave me a chance in terms of respect from the dressing room and gave me self-confidence I could do the job.

‘If I was taken from the job in Aberdeen today it would be a much more difficult task even though I was successful.’

One of the secrets of Ferguson’s success at United has been not only the way he has developed players but in the manner he has managed them as individuals.

Even though the age difference with some can be almost half-a-century he still has a way of connecting and cajoling the best from them.

‘The thing about picking teams is I had experiences as a player I wouldn’t want happening to my players,’ he said. ‘I tell them before why (they are not picked). By doing that you are giving them respect.

‘All the players know they can trust me and I’ve had many come to me with personal problems which I would never reveal to anyone. You try to help if you can – sometimes they want an arm on their shoulder, sometimes they are asking something.

‘And they can depend on that trust all their lives because they’ve been my player.’