Week review

Qatar launches maiden flightQatar Airways will make its first commercial flight to Kigali on March, 21, with its AirbusA320, giving more choices to air travelers. The Kigali to Doha route, via Entebbe in Uganda, is one of the latest routes by Qatar, which plies more than 100 destinations worldwide. The airbus has a capacity to carry 144 passengers, including 12 seats in business class and 132 in the economy class. Recently, South African Airways resumed its operations in the country, and Turkish Airline is also projected to commence operations next month.Ntaganda ruling set for next month The former leader of PS Imberakuri, Bernard Ntaganda, appeared in the Supreme Court for the second time to appeal against a High Court ruling. Ntaganda had first appeared before the Supreme Court in January appealing against a four-year jail sentence handed to him by the High Court. Ntaganda, who appeared without a lawyer claimed that the statements that formed the basis for his sentencing were wrongly interpreted. Some of Ntaganda’s statements included “Tura tugabane niwanga tubimene”, loosely translated as “we must share, otherwise we will destroy everything’. In uttering this statement he was referring to the Rwanda Patriotic Front which he said had to share power with his political party, which, according to the prosecution, was tantamount to inciting violence.The court had also found him guilty of sensitising the population to rebel against government programmes.Akamanzi listed among 2012 global young leadersClare Akamanzi, the Chief Operating Officer of Rwanda Development Board, RDB, was honoured among 192 global young leaders from 59 countries for their outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments and commitment to society. Prominent on the list are politicians and economists, academia, media, non-profit organizations, arts and culture, from all regions of the world.The announcement was made by the World Economic Forum, a Swiss non-profit foundation based in Cologny, Geneva. NUR fined Rwf6b in row over taxesRwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) fined the National University of Rwanda (NUR) Rwf 6 billion ($10 million) over non-tax compliance. The fine, which the institution is disputing, was computed against billions of unpaid taxes accumulated over a period of three years. Although authorities at both the university and RRA confirmed the penalty, they were cagey on details, particularly the formula used to compute the fine and the amount of outstanding Taxes.The University’s Vice-Rector in charge of Administration and Finance, Dr Desire Ndushabandi, said the tax arrears had accumulated “over the past years.”Rwandan UNAMID troops donate school to DarfurRwandan peacekeepers in Sudan’s conflict torn region of Darfur, on Monday handed over to the local community a fully furnished school they helped build. Residents of Turba Village, in Zamzam, a few kilometers south of the provincial capital, El Fasher, were full of praise of the Rwandan troops, and UNAMID, for what they considered a great achievement – one that will have a lasting impact.UNAMID Force Commander, Lt. General Patrick Nyamvumba, who was the Guest of Honour at the event said that UNAMID is not only in Darfur to provide physical security for the people, but also to ensure their social status is greatly improved. The new school will accommodate more than 500 students.Rwanda takes chair of regional body for the disabledThe Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Cyrille Turatsinze, has been elected chair of the African Rehabilitation Institute (ARI), Eastern Africa Regional Office.He will be assisted by Dr Samuel Kabue, a Kenyan, who is the chairman of Eastern Africa Federation of the Disabled.Turatsinze assumed the position following a workshop of the Eastern Africa Regional Disability Technical Committee that was held recently in Nairobi, Kenya. Rwanda was recognised for protecting and supporting persons with disabilities, according to information from the Ministry of Local Government. Turatsinze pledged to increase advocacy and awareness campaigns aimed at having persons with disabilities integrated into all development programmes. He said he will work and advocate for conflict prevention because most disabled persons are victims of various conflicts on the continent. ARI is an organisation under the African Union.Mugesera yet to name lawyers Three weeks to his court appearance, Léon Mugesera hasn’t found lawyers to represent him in court. Following his deportation, the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court, gave Mugesera two months to get lawyers of his choice before his trial gets underway in substance. The Genocide suspect currently detained at Kigali Central Prison is supposed to make his second appearance in court on April 2. He was in January deported from Canada. Previous media reports from Canada had indicated that Mugesera’s family released a statement requesting the Rwandan government to provide him financial and legal assistance necessary to enable him to pay his lawyers when his case resumes in April. He is charged with three counts of; planning the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, inciting the public to commit Genocide and distribution of weapons. Mugesera, a former leader of the then ruling party, MRND, in Gisenyi, is accused of giving an incendiary speech in which he incited the killing of Tutsi ‘scum’ and throwing their bodies into River Nyabarongo, a tributary of the Nile, as a shortcut to Ethiopia where, he alleged, they came from.