Category Archives: Technology

Rifts emerge in scientists’ views on safety of GMOs

From: Yona Maro

Claims of there being a scientific consensus that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are safe are misleading and misrepresentative with potentially dangerous effect on regulation of GMOs, says a group of scientists.

The statement was signed last week (21 October) by an international group of 93 scientists, academics and physicians, gathered under the umbrella of the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility, a non-profit association.

Based on scientific articles and reviews that show contradictory data on the safety of GMOs to human health and the environment, they argue that claims of there being a consensus that GMOs are safe, presented by “GM seed developers and some scientists, commentators, and journalists”, is “misleading and misrepresents the currently available scientific evidence and the broad diversity of opinion among scientists on this issue”.

It could also encourage “a climate of complacency that could lead to a lack of regulatory and scientific rigour and appropriate caution, potentially endangering the health of humans, animals, and the environment”.

Scientific research on GMO safety “has raised more questions than it has currently answered”, they say, with results that are “nuanced, complex, often contradictory or inconclusive, confounded by researchers’ choices, assumptions, and funding sources”.

Link:
http://www.scidev.net/global/gm/news/rifts-emerge-in-scientists-views-on-safety-of-gmos.html

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SatADSL to unveil new range of satellite services for African enterprises

From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)
PRESS RELEASE

SatADSL to unveil new range of satellite services for African enterprises

The new services are offered thanks to the new Service Delivery Platform developed under SatFinAfrica, and ARTES 3-4 Satcom Application project co-funded by the European Space Agency-ESA

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, November 11, 2013/ — Belgium-based satellite service provider, SatADSL (http://www.satadsl.net) is set to launch its new range of services for professional users at the AFRICACOM Conference, slated for tomorrow at Cape Town Convention Centre.

Logo SatADSL: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/satadsl-1.jpg

Logo ESA: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/esa.png

Video SatADSL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKVCJLxjG8Q

Brochure: http://www.apo-mail.org/131108en.pdf

Poster: http://www.apo-mail.org/satadslposter.pdf

The new services will allow to provide high quality communications and Internet connectivity with guaranteed performances to corporate offices, bank agencies, mining sites and all similar medium-size exploitations in Sub-Saharan Africa where terrestrial communication services are either not available, unreliable or too expensive.

The new services are offered thanks to the new Service Delivery Platform developed under SatFinAfrica, and ARTES 3-4 Satcom Application project co-funded by the European Space Agency-ESA*. The new Service Delivery Platform provides SatADSL with complete control over the definition and enforcement of its service profiles and paves the way for building tailor-made services. The new platform provides to SatADSL the flexibility that is required to serve the complex requirements of the African telecom operators and ISPs who are offering the service locally and are willing to propose various options that meet their customer specific requirements and budget.

Speaking ahead of the conference, SatADSL Chief Technology Officer Fulvio Sansone said “the new Service Delivery Platform is a cornerstone in the company development”.

“Companies in Sub-Saharan Africa are often confronted to limited coverage and reliability of terrestrial telecommunications means. Especially outside of urban and coastal areas where the population is less dense, telecommunication links may not be as reliable as needed by professional users. That is where SatADSL comes in with specialised, but at the same time affordable, services for the professional market. This market segment requires customised services, often with guaranteed data rates. SatADSL is now in a position to offer a complete range of services and become a one-stop-shop for its customers for services from low-cost transaction-based or back-up to unlimited services” he said.

The new services have been successfully demonstrated and are now being launched commercially all over Sub-Saharan Africa in cooperation with SatADSL local partners. They allow medium-size offices and corporate branches to get connectivity, Internet access and voice over IP with guaranteed performances wherever they are located. Using the same low-cost, self-installable, Sat3Play hardware, users will be able to choose among a wide range of Unlimited, Contended Services, as well as the previously available Fair Usage Policy based Services.

SatADSL delivers and manage customer’s mission-critical communications with end to end solutions, integrated technologies and flexible service options. SatADSL is a premium partner of SES and Newtec respectively leading satellite operator and equipment manufacturer. SatADSL is already offering reliable and low-cost satellite networking solutions and operates close to 1000 terminals across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Caroline De Vos, Chief Operations Officer, and Thierry Eltges, Chief Executive Officer, will welcome the visitors, potential partner-distributors and customers at the company stand P14 located in the exhibition area of the conference.

* The view expressed herein is independent of ESA’s official opinion.

*(http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/Banking_on_satellites_in_Africa)

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of SatADSL S.A.

Media contact:
Caroline De Vos
caroline.devos@satadsl.net

General Inquiry:
info@satadsl.net
www.satadsl.net
T: +32 2 880 82 70

About SatADSL:

SatADSL (http://www.satadsl.net) is a satellite service provider offering low cost transactional, Internet access and VoIP service to branch offices of companies located in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The company is seated in Brussels, Belgium, and offers Internet access by satellite in Africa since 2010. Hundreds of African companies use SatADSL service in over 15 different countries in Africa. A money transfer company is connecting together more than 100 of their branches offices thanks to SatADSL.

SatADSL new satellite communication service in Africa is unique because it combines very high-quality service with a low cost of equipment and subscriptions. Corporate users operating in remote areas require both service quality guaranteed by SLAs and affordability. SatADSL service offer is recognized in Africa as being a unique competitive offer for serving companies small branch offices performing business-critical transactions.

SatADSL teams up with highly qualified African partners who offer a high-quality service to professional end-users, spanning from Mali to South Africa. SatADSL distribution network is expanding every day.

Meet SatADSL

SatADSL (http://www.satadsl.net) will be present at AFRICACOM, Cape Town, 12-14 November 2013 – Stand P14.

SOURCE
SatADSL S.A.

Going visible: Women’s rights on the internet

From: Yona Maro

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) create new scenarios, new ways for people to live, and these reflect real-life problems. Women need to assert their rights here with determination and without delay. Women may not have been an active part of policy-making conversations when internet governance started, but the rapid pace of change online means they need to participate now to ensure that the future of the internet is shaped taking into account women’s rights. For people who have little access to other kinds of publics due to the multiple forms of discrimination they face including gender, age, class or sexuality in the internet can be a particularly important space to negotiate and realise their rights.

For women, the internet is a vital public sphere due to barriers of access to media or political representation. Inequalities that women face in terms of economic power, education and access to resources also affect access and participation in shaping the internet, its debates and policy. This explains why the internet has become an increasingly critical public sphere for the claiming of citizenship rights and civil liberties, including women’s rights. For those who have little access to other kinds of “publics” due to the multiple forms of discrimination faced – including based on gender, age, economic status and sexual identity – it can be a particularly important pace for the negotiation and fulfillment of their rights.

http://www.genderit.org/sites/default/upload/going_visible__womens_rights_on_the_internet_-_womens_rights_programme.pdf

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Germany, France united in anger over U.S. spying accusations

From: Abdalah Hamis

German and French accusations that the United States has run spying operations in their countries, including possibly bugging Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone, are likely to dominate a meeting of EU leaders starting on Thursday.

The two-day Brussels summit, called to tackle a range of social and economic issues, will now be overshadowed by debate on how to respond to the alleged espionage by Washington against two of its closest European Union allies.

For Germany the issue is particularly sensitive. Not only does the government say it has evidence the chancellor’s personal phone was monitored, but the very idea of bugging dredges up memories of eavesdropping by the Stasi secret police in the former East Germany, where Merkel grew up.

Following leaks by data analyst Edward Snowden, which revealed the reach of the U.S. National Security Agency’s vast data-monitoring programs, Washington finds itself at odds with a host of important allies, from Brazil to Saudi Arabia.

In an unusually strongly worded statement on Wednesday evening, Merkel’s spokesman said the chancellor had spoken to President Barack Obama to seek clarity on the spying charges.

“She made clear that she views such practices, if proven true, as completely unacceptable and condemns them unequivocally,” the statement read.

White House spokesman Jan Carney said Obama had assured Merkel that the United States “is not monitoring and will not monitor” the chancellor’s communications, leaving open the possibility that it had happened in the past.

A White House official declined to say whether Merkel’s phone had previously been bugged. “I’m not in a position to comment publicly on every specific alleged intelligence activity,” the official said.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has summoned the U.S. ambassador to Berlin to discuss the issue.

Germany’s frustration follows outrage in France since Le Monde newspaper reported the NSA had collected tens of thousands of French phone records between December 2012 and January 2013.

President Francois Hollande has made clear he plans to put the spying issue on the summit agenda, although it is not clear what that will ultimately achieve.

While Berlin and Paris are likely to find sympathy among many of the EU’s 28 member states, domestic security issues are not a competence of the European Union. The best that may be hoped for is an expression of support from leaders and calls for a full explanation from the United States.

“Between friends, there must be trust. It has been shaken. We expect answers from Americans quickly,” European commissioner for financial regulation Michel Barnier, a Frenchman, said in a message on Twitter.

DATA PRIVACY RULES

The furor over the alleged espionage could encourage member states to back tougher data privacy rules currently being drafted by the European Union. The European Parliament this week approved an amended package of legislation that would overhaul EU data protection rules that date from 1995.

The new rules would restrict how data collected in Europe by firms such as Google and Facebook is shared with non-EU countries, introduce the right of EU citizens to request that their digital traces be erased, and impose fines of 100 million euros ($138 million) or more on rule breakers.

The United States is concerned that the regulations, if they enter into law, will raise the cost of doing business and handling data in Europe. Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and others have lobbied hard against the proposals.

Given the spying accusations, France and Germany – the two most influential countries in EU policy – may succeed in getting member states to push ahead on negotiations with the parliament to complete the data regulations and make them tougher.

That could mean an agreement is reached early next year, with the laws possibly coming into force in 2015. For the United States, this could substantially change how data privacy rules are implemented globally.

It may also complicate relations between the United States and the EU over an agreement to share a large amount of data collected via Swift, the international system used for transferring money electronically, which is based in Europe.

Among the revelations from Snowden’s leaks is that the United States may have violated the Swift agreement, accessing more data than it was allowed to.

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to suspended Swift and the spying accusations may make EU member states support a firm line, complicating the United States’ ability to collect data it says is critical in combating terrorism.

Despite the outrage in Paris and Berlin, the former head of France’s secret services said the issue was being blown out of proportion and no one should be surprised by U.S. spying.

“I’m bewildered by such worrying naivite. You’d think the politicians don’t read the reports they’re sent – there shouldn’t be any surprise,” Bernard Squarcini told Le Figaro.

“The agencies know perfectly well that every country, even when they cooperate on anti-terrorism, spies on its allies. The Americans spy on us on the commercial and industrial level like we spy on them, because it’s in the national interest to defend our businesses. No one is fooled.”

(Writing by Luke Baker; additional reporting by Madeline Chambers and Noah Barkin in Berlin and Alexandria Sage in Paris; editing by David Stamp)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-eu-summit-idUSBRE99N0BJ20131024

With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

From: Judy Miriga

Afwande,

I absolutely appreciate Science and Technology and I value innovation and inventions that has brought the use of new technology in modifying and making modern way of life be appreciated by many and which is not the real challenge to changing biological and mechanism of mixing and confusing gene of life, theories and tests that have failed over the years; which is the bone of contention I don’t agree with.

Science and Technology equipments are innovations that have passed their test of time and are made perfect through the required discipline observance and the International standards put for their qualification. But, I don’t want to take chances with an incompetent unqualified pilot the fear of flying me up in the air will be questioned; someone who most definitely will either crash on take off, or up in the air or even upon landing.

This is what I disqualify and dispute. That things are not done the right way the reason for Africa failing from competing with the rest of the world at par. That when the test has proved the science of GM is making people impotent and cannot fire…………Why still go for it??? So in my argument that, Nature and The Production Unit at South of HUMAN industrial are is in danger …………and biological science is yet to perfect their invention of how man and nature was created…….. and this is a grave situation challenging Gods purpose for creation; because at the end of the day, science have not advanced innovation of human production to its perfection……but we know how to protect and preserve the Nature……………..Why allow a failed theories that will destroy Nature and Why shouldn’t we not protect our Human Rights against crime, violation and abuse????

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

——-

From: “anyumba462@ . . . ”
To: Judy Miriga
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2013 12:27 PM
Subject: With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

Judy, When you use technology to communicate, you don’t think about God. When you flew by plane to the USA, you didn’t think about God. When you use washers n dryers in your basement, you don’t think about God. When Afwande challenges your ignorance about GM you rush to God. God never made computers, man did through modifying those things which God created, same to all iphones et al. So why do you jump when GM is mentioned? Were all these things created by same God who gave human beings the knowledge to modify them for their own comfort? Sorry I lost you Afwande!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

———

From: Judy Miriga
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2013 10:01:58 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

Afwande,

God’s work was made perfect. Haina makosa. Overhauling Gods’ workmanship through biological gene transfer is to challenge God, ambayo ni kutoa Mungu makosa.

Science in any form, biological, chemistry or physics go through many stages to produce good result and thus qualify for good bill. For it to be accepted for consumption, it has to pass the test of excellence …….which God perfected at the time of creation and is the reason why we are all alive through preserving, protecting and sustained Nature over the years. Changing it require a lot of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, discipline, value, focus, respect, dignity to bring about the required skills and talent ………..the type which current crops of African politician leaders dont have………

This is why in scientific study, when you try something and fail, from public protest which has experience adverse bad effect, you don’t go on with moving the reject from US to Africa for example. The failed experiments must be completely done with and trashed…………because it has failed the test and is unfit for human consumption………..But if you go on with what is rendered unfit for human consumption, you shall be doing worse damage on purpose and knowingly and this behavior is treated as a crime against humanity.

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com/

——

From: “anyumba462@ . . . ”
To: Judy Miriga
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2013 11:25 AM
Subject: With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

Stop!

Do we accept test tube babies? Judy the Scientists are using genes God created “genesis” to produce better species. To modify is not to change perse! It is to make the same thing more suitable for the purpose at hand!

Afwande!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

——–

From: Judy Miriga
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2013 07:57:35 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

Afwande,

Ndugu yangu Afwande, modification in simple terms is to change something from its original form. To qualify it, you can either modifying change from good to bad or bad to good. When you change the organism of God given gene of different species, you get system mechanism of both disorganized and disoriented species from that of its origin and that consequently results in complete change of appearance, character, behavior and circumstances; the reason for species getting confused from the change of metamorphosis that finally occurs from the change………Shall we therefore credit the workmanship of Scientist that are in the process of making their theories perfect or shall we go with that of God………Well, here is where we are tampering with God’s creation which he had made perfect upon creation. This is where science comes to crossroads with that of Gods perfect creation and instead it is not harmonizing, improving or making excellent to sustain and make life better for common good of all. This is where science must re-think itself to get in line to do good than bad.

Remember God’s commandment of Love and consider why God gave Satan its democratic rights to live on earth but with conditions to respect, value honor an dignify Creation or face consequences…………..

The Price of Sin is death and destruction……………But God is faithful, He will keep His promise to mankind and will never forsake us……..and that, in the midst of all these, our prayer in wisdom shall be that God should not destroy the world for the sin of few but have Mercy upon us and help us to overcome trial and temptations of the wicked and evil ones and guide our steps to safety and greener pastures…………………..

Cheers !!!

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com/

——

From: “anyumba462@ . . . ”
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2013 9:22 AM
Subject: With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

Judy Miriga! You are so naïve and nausetingly ignorant. What do you know about genetic modification? Genetic revolution is ubiquitous to mankind. Why do you think there are no black goats, sheep, or black camels in the desert? That is genetic modification. Why does you mother keep the biggest cockreel in the homestead to mate with chicken? That is genetic modification. Why did we have “Jagam” before marriage? Oooof! People just don’t know what they are talking about. GM has been practised in its subtle forms for aeons Afwande! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

From: Judy Miriga
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2013 07:08:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: With GM you cannot fire …………Be Warned …….!!!

Good People,

With Genetically modified food, ok inyal chiwo mach……..you cannot fire……..that is why former PM is campaigning to transfer GM from US to Kenya and the whole of Africa. You must say big NO NO NO NO…………….Africa Must Fire………….and GM is an enemy of Nature…………It is also a Crime against Humanity………..!!!!

Those who have taken GM foods or work in the farm of GM long enough have their body system function and behavior changed. Many even begin to have sex with animals because their urge is transformed……..

Because the world has rejected Genetically food, its theorists are now looking for a damping site in Africa because it is another reason for Africas Land Grabbing. This is the unfinished business that has kept former PM Raila on his toes; which is why, he frequent visits to US with different groups of Governors……………..!!!

Is this the Emerging Markets Kenya and Africa look for??? The new Agricultural way of doing farm business??? To go for GM that make Africans stop firing??? Is this it??? What is wrong with former PM of Kenya???

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com/

————-

Health and Environmental Consequences of Genetically-Modified …
www.slideserve.com/fuller/health-and- environmental… Cached

… and to pass on these genes to the next generation Rats GM to … Health and environmental risks of food … is a Genetically Modified (GM) Food?.
Genetically modified foods: potential human health effects …
www.owenfoundation.com/Health_Science/ Pusztai/GM/GMHuman… Cached

The conclusion of the ENVIRON panel that feeding rats on GM … GM crop is easily measured. There are now … in genetically modified novel foods. Food …
Cancer row over GM foods as French study claims it did THIS …
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article- 2205509/Cancer…

Cancer row over GM foods as study says it did THIS to rats… and can cause organ damage and early death in humans. French team claim bestselling brand of GM corn …
Negative Impacts of genetically modified (GM) Foods on Human …
intentblog.com/negative-impacts- genetically-modified-gm… Cached

Negative Impacts of genetically modified (GM) Foods on Human and Animal Health and the Environment
The Problems Of Biotechnology – GM Foods – Science 2.0
www.science20.com/…/problems_ biotechnology_gm_foods-94650 Cached

In my previous article, the fundamental equivalence of foods was discussed recognizing that there is a difference in assessing problems with the food, versus problems …GM … are many health risks and huge environmental effects …
Genetically Modified (GM) Food, Genetically Modified …
www.raw-wisdom.com/50harmful Cached

Genetically modified GM food, … pollution would cause so much vast environmental harm. Now nearly 1/3 rd of all species are … male rats were fed GM …

Alliance for Affordable Internet launches to stimulate global policy reform to lower access costs to users

From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)
PRESS RELEASE

Alliance for Affordable Internet launches to stimulate global policy reform to lower access costs to users

Global sponsors Google, Omidyar Network, UK DFID and USAID joined by a host of governments, tech companies and civil society organisations from developed and developing countries in launch of new initiative, backed by Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee

ABUJA, Nigeria, October 7, 2013/ — Today, a diverse group of private and public sector players came together to launch the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI – http://www.a4ai.org), a coalition to lead policy and regulatory reform and spur action to drive down artificially high internet prices in developing countries. By advocating for open, competitive and innovative broadband markets, A4AI aims to help access prices fall to below 5% of monthly income worldwide, a target set by the UN Broadband Commission. Reaching this goal can help to connect the two-thirds of the world that is presently not connected to the internet (source: ITU) and make universal access a reality.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/a4aiforapo.jpg

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=647 (Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) executive director, Sonia Jorge)

A4AI’s 30+ members reach across boundaries of geography, industry, and organisation type and include governments, companies, and civil society organisations from both developed and developing countries. Members share a belief that that policy reform, underpinned by robust research and genuine knowledge-sharing, is one of the best ways to unlock rapid gains in internet penetration rates. The Alliance was initiated by the World Wide Web Foundation (http://www.webfoundation.org), and its honorary chairperson is DrBitangeNdemo, the immediate former Permanent Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communications, who is widely regarded as the father of Broadband in Kenya.

A4AI has a strong focus on action and announced the following plans today at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation’s Annual Forum in Abuja, Nigeria, witnessed by communications ministers, policy makers and industry leaders from around the globe:

? The Alliance will begin in-country engagements with three to four States by the end of 2013, expanding to at least twelve countries by the end of 2015.

? Members have committed to a set of policy best practices (enclosed) that will guide advocacy work at the international level. Key policy levers to drive prices down include allowing innovative allocation of spectrum, promoting infrastructure sharing, and increasing transparency and public participation in regulatory decisions.

? A4AI will produce an annual ‘Affordability Report’, with the first edition being unveiled in December 2013.

Commenting, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web and founder of the World Wide Web Foundation said:

“The reason for the Alliance is simple – the majority of the world’s people are still not online, usually because they can’t afford to be. In Mozambique, for example, a recent study showed that using just 1GB of data can cost well over two months wages for the average citizen.

“The result of high prices is a widening digital divide that slows progress in vital areas such as health, education and science. Yet with the advent of affordable smartphones, new undersea cables and innovations in wireless spectrum usage, there is simply no good reason for the digital divide to continue. The real bottleneck now is anti-competitive policies and regulations that keep prices unaffordable. The Alliance is about removing that barrier and helping as many as possible get online at reasonable cost.”

DrBitangeNdemo, honorary chairperson of A4AI, added:

“In Kenya, we saw the number of internet users more than double in a single year after we liberalised markets. Now we need to spark the same revolution on broadband costs and access, not only in my country but around the world. To achieve this, we will use our combined voices, leadership and expertise to press for fair, competitive and socially responsible markets.”

Quotes from Global Sponsors of A4AI

Jennifer Haroon, Access Principal at Google, said:

“Nearly two out of every three people don’t have access to the Internet – this is a massive challenge that can’t easily be solved by a single solution or player. The world needs technical innovation and vision to bring more people online, but we also need a strong policy foundation that allows new ideas to flourish. By working alongside Alliance partners, we can help lay the groundwork needed to drive innovation and bring the power of the Internet to more people.”

Ory Okolloh, director of investments, Omidyar Network, added:

“The lack of affordable internet access in emerging markets is a key barrier to large-scale innovation, which in turn stifles social and economic advancement. Omidyar Network is delighted to help lead the formation of the Alliance for Affordable Internet to address this problem. The Alliance has the potential to help millions of people in the developing world come online, unlocking opportunities for them to access information and services that can meaningfully improve their lives.”

Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of USAID said:

“The growing digital divide is a global issue that can only be tackled collaboratively, and we are thrilled to be working with the diverse and committed group of the Alliance for Affordable Internet to enable even the most remote and impoverished communities to access the wealth of knowledge and connection that exists in the digital world.”

Professor Tim Unwin, Secretary General, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation:

“In a world where information sharing and communication is increasingly dominated by the internet, it is essential that everyone should have access to it at prices they can afford. The rapid expansion of all types of ICTs is nevertheless currently leading to ever-greater inequalities in the world, and so the creation of the Alliance for Affordable Internet is timely and important. By working together in carefully crafted partnerships, we can seek to redress this balance and turn rhetoric into reality.”

Download the Full List of Alliance Members: http://www.apo-mail.org/131007.pdf

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the World Wide Web Foundation.

Contacts:

Dillon Mann, Senior Communications Adviser, World Wide Web Foundation

dillon@webfoundation.org / + 44 203 289 7261 / Twitter: @dillonmann

Gabe Trodd, Communications Adviser, World Wide Web Foundation

gabe@webfoundation.org / + 44 7730 522980 / Skype: gabe784

Photographs and interviews available on request.

Further Information

Affordability Facts and Figures

(All from ITU report ICT Facts and Figures 2013 (http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013.pdf) unless otherwise cited)

? In the developing world, 31% of the population is online, compared with 77% in the developed world.

? 90% of the 1.1 billion households not connected to the Internet are in the developing world.

? In Africa, 16% of people are using the Internet – only half the penetration rate of Asia and the Pacific.

? Between 2009 and 2013, Internet penetration in households has grown fastest in Africa, with annual growth of 27%, followed by 15% annual growth in Asia and the Pacific, the Arab States and the CIS.

? The gender gap is more pronounced in the developing world, where 16% fewer women than men use the Internet, compared with only 2% fewer women than men in the developed world. A recent report from Intel (http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2013/01/10/intel-announces-groundbreaking-women-and-the-web-report-with-un-women-and-state-department) suggests that women are 43% less likely to have access to the internet in sub-Saharan Africa, 33% in South Asia, and 34% in Middle East and North Africa.

? In Africa, less than 10% of fixed (wired) broadband subscriptions offer speeds of at least 2 Mbit/s. This is also the case of several countries in Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and some Arab States.

? Over the past five years, fixed-broadband prices as a share of GNI per capita dropped by 82%. By 2012, fixed- broadband prices represented 1.7% of monthly GNI p.c. in developed countries. In developing countries, fixed- broadband services remain expensive, accounting for 30.1% of average monthly incomes.

Notes to Editors

The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) (http://www.a4ai.org) is a global coalition committed to driving down the cost of internet access in less developed countries.

A4AI focuses on creating the conditions for open, efficient and competitive broadband markets via policy and regulatory reform. Through a combination of advocacy, research and knowledge-sharing, the Alliance aims to facilitate the achievement of the UN Broadband Commission target of entry-level broadband services priced at less than 5% of average monthly income. In doing so, A4AI will help to connect the two-thirds of people in developing countries who cannot access the internet.

A4AI members are drawn from both developed and less developed countries and include public, private and not-for-profit organizations. The World Wide Web Foundation (http://www.webfoundation.org), founded by Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, initiated the Alliance. Global sponsors are Google, Omidyar Networks, USAID and the UK DFID and the Alliance has more than 30 members.

For more, please visit: http://www.a4ai.org.

SOURCE
World Wide Web Foundation

Kenya: The Role of Technology in the Aftermath of Westgate

From: Yona Maro

“Are all our questions actually going to be answered?” That is the question of questions regarding the Westgate Mall attack, one of many that Kenyan citizens have posed to their government. Many have voiced their frustration and concern on Twitter. Altogether, they have at least 85 pressing questions which have been aggregated in a crowdsourced Google doc. Meanwhile, Kenyans are also turning to crowdfunding to collect donations, using the mobile money platform m-Pesa. It has collected more than US$625,000 in donations for the victims of Westgate.

Link:
http://techpresident.com/news/wegov/24370/role-technology-aftermath-westgate

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Kenya: Africa’s biggest wind power project

From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)
PRESS RELEASE

First ADF partial risk guarantee approved in Kenya for largest African wind power project

Africa’s biggest wind power project, it involves the development of a 300 MW wind farm comprising 365 wind turbines of 850kW capacity each and a 33kV electrical network

TUNIS, Tunisia, October 3, 2013/ — The Board of the African Development Bank (AfDB) (http://www.afdb.org) approved the Lake Turkana Transmission Line Delay Partial Risk Guarantee for €20 million, the first of the African Development Fund’s Partial Risk Guarantees (ADF PRG). The ADF PRG is a risk mitigation instrument that covers private lenders and investors against the risk of a possible government failure to meet contractual obligations to a project.

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This flagship ADF PRG will support the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya. Africa’s biggest wind power project, it involves the development of a 300 MW wind farm comprising 365 wind turbines of 850kW capacity each and a 33kV electrical network. The average electricity production of the project is estimated at 1,440 GWh per year, equivalent to the annual generation capacity of Namibia in 2010, and will be sold to the grid at a price of .0752 €/Kwh.

Under the wind project, the Lake Turkana Transmission Line Delay PRG will be used to alleviate the risk for the construction of a 428-kilometre publicly owned transmission line between Loyangalani and Suswa and associated substations needed to connect the project to the national grid. The PRG will support the Kenyan Government’s on-time delivery of the transmission line and will reduce the risk of it being unable to meet payment obligations. More specifically, the ADF PRG will provide partial risk mitigation to Lake Turkana Wind Power Limited and the providers of debt financing to the project for risks associated with construction delays.

The objective of the Lake Turkana Wind Power Project is to provide clean, reliable, low-cost power and to strengthen Kenya’s national grid by increasing national installed power by approximately 17%. The transmission line will also include a fibre-optic cable that will carry communications data. Over the long term, the project will help decrease the cost of energy to end-users, increase access to energy in rural areas, increase the national electrification rate, reduce CO2 emissions, and decrease fossil fuel dependence.

There is growing demand for electricity in Kenya. In the context of the importance of low-cost generation capacity additions and regional power interconnections for supply security, particularly during periods of severe drought, the Government of Kenya has traditionally relied upon providers of emergency generation capacity, which has the advantage of a rapid installation time, but is very expensive and load shedding frequently occurs.

The AfDB Group provided a €115-million loan to the Lake Turkana project and has led its development since 2009. Speaking after the Board meeting, Kurt Lonsway, Acting Director of the AfDB’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department, said, “This ADF PRG will promote foreign direct investment in Kenya and crowd in private financing for power generation. Also, by reducing the risk profile for the sponsors of and lenders to the Lake Turkana project, the PRG will accelerate financial closure and reduce the overall cost of capital to the project.”

Since 2004, the AfDB has made PRGs available to catalyze private investment in middle-income countries. With the introduction of the ADF PRG in 2011, the instrument was made available to ADF low-income countries.

The AfDB’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department established in 2012a multi-skilled task force comprising of the Treasury, Legal and Energy, Environment and Climate Change (ONEC) departments to deploy the PRG product and is leading the Bank’s work on the use of PRGs in terms of originating projects and reaching out to co-guarantors. The power sectors of various East African countries, as well as Southern and West African countries, will also benefit from PRGs in the near future.

Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Contacts:

Media: Penelope Pontet de Fouquieres, Knowledge Management and Communications, T. +216 71 10 19 96 / C. +216 24 66 36 96 / p.pontetdefouquieres@afdb.org

Technical contact: Emeka Oragunye, Principal Energy Specialist, T. +216 71 10 26 87 / g.oragunye@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (http://www.afdb.org) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states.

For more information: j.mp/AFDB_Media

SOURCE

African Development Bank (AfDB)

Who’s not online and why

From: Yona Maro

As of May 2013, 15% of American adults ages 18 and older do not use the internet or email.

Asked why they do not use the internet:

• 34% of non-internet users think the internet is just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.

• 32% of non-internet users cite reasons tied to their sense that the internet is not very easy to use. These non-users say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers. This figure is considerably higher than in earlier surveys.

• 19% of non-internet users cite the expense of owning a computer or paying for an internet connection.

• 7% of non-users cited a physical lack of availability or access to the internet.

Even among the 85% of adults who do go online, experiences connecting to the internet may vary widely. For instance, even though 76% of adults use the internet at home, 9% of adults use the internet but lack home access. These internet users cite many reasons for not having internet connections at home, most often relating to issues of affordability—some 44% mention financial issues such as not having a computer, or having a cheaper option outside the home.

Link:
http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2013/PIP_Offline%20adults_092513.pdf

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Kenya: Convert Waste to Energy

From: Maurice Oduor

I made this proposal to Nairobi and the Ministry of Energy in 1996. But back then, no one cared to follow up on this because there was no money to coming from anywhere for them to steal !!!!

In fact my plan also included using the Sewage to make Natural Gas for cooking and for Power Generation.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000094359&story_title=nairobi-in-sh28b-plan-to-convert-waste-to-energy

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?searchtext=Nairobi&searchbutton=SEARCH

Nairobi in Sh28b plan to convert waste to energy
Updated Thursday, September 26th 2013 at 22:20 GMT +3

By RAWLINGS OTIENO

A Sh28 billion Waste to Energy solutions initiative will see Nairobi city residents have a cleaner environment.

The Waste to Energy solutions will generate at least 70 mega Watts per hour of electricity to the national grid and address the perennial black out menace in the city.

Sustainable Energy Management (SEM), a German company will turn solid waste, organic and inorganic, recyclable and non-recyclable material into energy and at the same time make the city clean.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said that the modular plant by SEM is designed to take daily input of approximately 1,000 tons of waste of all kinds generated by Nairobi residents.

This project he said will make the city clean and get rid of the waste as well as create job opportunities for the youth.

“The project shall provide employment of 1,000 inhabitants in the first project and 250 employees directly on site in the second phase of the project. “We want to make sure that the city is clean and the Dandora dump site is cleaned,” said Kidero.

Memorandum of Understanding

Speaking during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the County Government and the German business moguls yesterday, Kidero said the two waste collection and management projects are designed to interact closely together in order to streamline waste logistics and also ensure reliability of the feedback to the SEM plant.

Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Kenya Country Director Ingo Badoreck on his part said the SEM plant would emit very minimal pollution into the environment and at the same time making the city clean of waste.

Badoreck noted that the German business community would continue investing in other areas apart from sustainable energy management.

“We are pleased to sign this Memorandum of Understanding and hope that after the final signing, we will be able to set up the plant within 24 months to make the city of Nairobi clean,” said Badoreck.

He disclosed that there are over 50 German companies in the country employing over 3,500 workers and hope the figure would increase significantly once the plant is set up.

The integrated project offers opportunities and benefits to Nairobi and shall ensure a clean environment, provide clean energy and create employment opportunities for unemployed youths.

Garbage management is a major challenge in urban centres with garbage collection and handling demanding extra resources as well as community contribution.

Cyber-espionage: The greatest transfer of wealth

From: Yona Maro

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– – – – – – – – – – –

By: Pierluigi Paganini

Introduction

In recent months, the world-wide security community has discovered many cyber espionage campaigns that hit governments, intelligence agencies and private industry. The majority of them were related to state-sponsored hackers, while others were organized by groups of cyber criminals having obtaining access in order to resell sensitive information and intellectual property.

There is no specific area of the globe subject to the majority of cyber espionage attacks. Typically, they center on the most technologically advanced countries: the US, Japan and Russia, mostly. But a good number of operations have also been detected in problematic regions like the Middle East as well.

The technologies used to spy on victims, and the motivations behind them vary. Network surveillance appliances, communication cracking techniques, malware and “social network poisoning” are just a few of the methods adopted for political, economic or criminal intents. Profit, power and protest are the main motivations behind the attacks, radically affecting a user’s approach to the web and its perception of security.

Cybercrime groups, governments, and groups of hacktivists tend to lean toward the spread of malicious agents that have the capacity to silently infiltrate their targets, stealing confidential information from them. The Chinese government is considered the biggest aggressor in cyber espionage, while US networks are the privileged targets of cyber attacks that hit every sector, from media to military.

A report published in 2012 by the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission revealed that “U.S. industry and a range of government and military targets face repeated exploitation attempts by Chinese hackers, as do international organizations and nongovernmental groups including Chinese dissident groups, activists, religious organizations, rights groups, and media institutions.”

“In 2012, Chinese state-sponsored actors continued to exploit U.S. government, military, industrial, and nongovernmental computer systems,”

The report revealed that Chinese cyber exploitation capabilities last year were “improving significantly.” But while the US has as many enemies as allies, all of us in the cyber era are potential victims. The number of state-sponsored attacks is increasing in impressive ways, due to the commitment of governments to cyber technology.

According to the last report of F-Secure related to H2 2012, one of the most interesting phenomena observed in the period is the changing of techniques for cyber espionage campaigns. To this point, almost all recorded corporate espionage cases were based on using specially-crafted documents containing a malware payload; meanwhile, in Q4, the attackers have started to exploit vulnerabilities in in web browsers and browser plugins.

The consolidated technique known as the ‘watering hole‘ attack was the most efficient for cyber spies, capable of infecting every visitor of a particular website compromised for the campaign.

“The rise of web-based attacks in corporate espionage raises two points: first, this trend means that any corporation with an online presence that serves such potentially ‘interesting’ targets may be at risk of unwittingly serving as an attack conduit, and secondly; obviously, such organizations must now find a way to mitigate such a risk, in order to protect themselves and their clients.”

Figure 1 – Waterering Hole attacks (F-Secure)
Every company that manages online resources must be aware of this technique of attack. Defending against watering hole attacks does not require additional defense systems, save for attacks that exploit zero-day vulnerabilities against which a multi layered security approach is necessary.

Cyber espionage Statistics
Estimating the real impact of cyber espionage on the global economy is quite impossible, due to the difficulty in identifying the majority of cyber attacks accounted for in each sector.

NSA Director General Keith Alexander called cyber-espionage “the greatest transfer of wealth in history.“Symantec places the cost of intellectual property theft for U.S. economy at $250 billion a year, with cybercrime a further $114 billion annually. Meanwhile, McAfee provides an estimate encompassing global remediation costs to total a staggering $1 trillion per annum.

The UK Cabinet Office reports intellectual property theft and industrial espionage costs of £16.8 billion in 2012. The 2012 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) reported 855 security breach incidents in industrial and corporate networks, totaling 174 million compromised records across the US, UK, Holland, Ireland and Australia. Of these 855 incidents investigated by the DBIR, 92% went undiscovered until an external party revealed them.

The figures provided are very troubling. While enormous, we must remain conscious that the true extent of cyber-espionage is incalculable. Private companies and governments often do not report losses because in many cases, they aren’t able to detect the attacks. When the cyber espionage campaigns are discovered, information on them may be kept secret for fear of brand and/or reputation damage, company devaluation and loss of public confidence.

In many cases, estimates provided on the impact of cyber espionage don’t include the cost of defense systems deployed (and eluded by the cyber threats), as well as the cost of compensation and remediation actions of the victims.

Case Studies: Operations Aurora, The Elderwood project, Flame and Red October
If you ask a security expert to provide some examples of the most interesting cyber espionage campaigns in the history, you will probably hear about some of the following cases:

Campaign Name Description

Operation Aurora Operation Aurora was a cyber attack first publicly disclosed by Google on January 2010. It began in mid-2009 and continued through the end of the year.Google revealed that the sophisticated attacks originated in China, they were well-resourced and consistent with an advanced persistent threat attack.The attacks were aimed at dozens of organizations operating in various sectors, including Adobe Systems, Juniper Networks, Yahoo, Symantec, Northrop Grumman, Morgan Stanley and Dow Chemical.

The Elderwood project In September 2012, Symantec detected attacks that were part of a cyber espionage campaign called the “Elderwood Project.” Their execution exploited various 0-day vulnerabilities in many large-use software including IExplorer and Adobe Flash Player. Symantec declared that some of the exploits had been realized from knowledge of a stolen source code, assuming a link with the known operation, Aurora. The attacks implemented “watering hole” techniques to infect the victims with malware, injecting malicious code onto the public web pages of sites that the targets visited.

Flame The Flame campaign was discovered in May 2012 by Kaspersky Labs. The nature of the systems targeted and geographic distribution of the malware (the Middle East), combined with the high-level of sophistication led security experts to believe that it was developed by a foreign state, intent on hitting a specific country in the region. Flame is a complex malware, designed with the primary intent to create a comprehensive cyber espionage tool kit.

Red October Most recently, the Red October campaign has been revealed by Kaspersky Lab’s Global Research & Analysis Team. The investigation began after several attacks hit computer networks of various international diplomatic service agencies. This was a large-scale cyber espionage operation conducted to acquire sensible information from diplomatic, governmental and scientific research organizations in many countries; most of them in Eastern Europe, former USSR states and countries in Central Asia.Unlike previous cyber espionage campaigns, Red October has targeted devices, including enterprise network equipment and mobile equipment (Windows Mobile, iPhone, Nokia). It hijacked files from removable disk drives, stole e-mail databases from local Outlook storage or remote POP/IMAP servers and siphoned files from local network FTP servers.Most troubling was evidence collected that demonstrated the campaign began in 2007 and is still active. During the last 5 years, a huge quantity of data collected (including serv
ice credentials) has been reused in later attacks.

Reading the list of cases, one observes that many cyber espionage campaigns remained undetected for a long time. Resourceful attackers in fact used, in many cases, zero-day vulnerabilities that allowed them to elude detection by principal defense systems. In some instances, the hackers have stolen documents and sensitive information for years, changing the operative mode over time. This particularity led investigators to believe that the campaigns were organized and managed by groups of professionals possessing a variety of skills, including research capabilities to uncover and exploit unknown vulnerabilities.

On the Elderwood operation, Orla Cox, a senior manager at Symantec’s security response division, reported that it has uncovered at least eight zero-day vulnerabilities since late 2010, and four since last spring. She said:

“We were amazed when Stuxnet used four zero-days, but this group has been able to discover eight zero-days. More, the fact that they have prepared [their attacks] and are ready to go as soon as they have a new zero-day, and the speed with which they use these zero-days, is something we’ve not seen before.”

Symantec produced a detailed analysis of the phenomenon, stating:

“This group is focused on wholesale theft of intellectual property and clearly has the resources, in terms of manpower, funding, and technical skills, required to implement this task,”

“The group seemingly has an unlimited supply of zero-day vulnerabilities.”

The level of sophistication of the attacks, the targets chosen and abilities shown by the attackers suggest the commitment of a foreign government. Moreover, security experts believe that in many cases, the campaigns are linked each other, citing the case of Operation Aurora and the Elderwood project. With a majority of attacks linked to state-sponsored actors capable of organizing so complex an operation, the investigation on Red October revealed the possible involvement of Russian RBN, long considered a cybercrime outfit capable of providing an array of malicious services, including phishing, DDoS, malware hosting, gambling and child pornography.

Figure 2 – Elderwood project global detections

Cyber espionage and private businesses

Small business is the most vulnerable to cyber espionage. It represents an attractive target, due the lack of security mechanisms and processes as well as – in many cases – the direct relationship between enterprises and governments. In recent years, the number of attacks against government contractors has increased. A cyber attack against a subcontractor is easy to realize, as the line of defense penetrated is often fragile, allowing the attackers to acquire sensitive information from targets of interest.

Last year, Trend Micro reported an increase of focused attacks. Hundreds of millions threats were blocked from infecting small businesses, but large companies proved equally vulnerable, having been hit as part of the IXSHE campaign.

A recent study on cyber-espionage has demonstrated that more than 200 families of malware have been designed and used to spy on government and corporate representatives.We have assisted the diffusion of new agents that work in botnet architectures, as new variants – designed especially for mobile devices – are specifically developed for selected targets.

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The primary intent of cyber espionage is to steal classified information from government agencies or trade secrets from corporations. This situation can be extremely dangerous for the economy of a company, as well as that of the overall country. As governments and businesses alike are motivated to reduce the technological gap with their competitors, it’s clear how diffused the phenomenon is.

Cyber espionage can have a devastating effect on the social fabric of a nation as well as on the actions of every private company. It is sneaky and silent: unlike other crimes, it may be conducted for years without the victim being aware of it with serious consequences. This happened in the case of Nortel, a company which ended up in bankruptcy due to the theft of company secrets.

Last year, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive published a report to Congress, presenting a frightening picture of the degree to which other countries use cyber espionage to attempt to gain business and industrial secrets from US companies. The biggest cyber-espionage threats against American businesses come from China and Russia. These states engage in deliberate efforts to obtain sensitive business and technology information. The report concludes that China and Russia will “remain aggressive and capable collectors of sensitive US economic information and technologies, particularly in cyberspace.”

“National boundaries will deter economic espionage less than ever as more business is conducted from wherever workers can access the Internet,””The globalization of the supply chain for new—and increasingly interconnected—IT products will offer more opportunities for malicious actors to compromise the integrity and security of?these devices.”

The document called the Chinese government a “persistent collector”: the most active one, while depicting Russia’s intelligence services as conducting a range of activities to collect economic information and technology from US targets.

The increased number of malwares developed by governments to spy on their adversaries (such as Flame, Gauss and Duqu, as well as the recent “Operation Beebus” campaign) demonstrate the high interest of intelligence agencies to implement these methods to acquire restricted information.

Recently, MI5 issued 300 warning letters to UK business leaders highlighting the risk of “electronic espionage” from Chinese organizations. MI5 Director General Jonathan Evans declared that an “astonishing[ly]” high level of cyber-espionage campaign target Western countries on an almost industrial scale.”

The number of corporate victims underscores a troubling trend: criminals aiming to steal corporate secrets and intellectual property with the intent to benefit in economic terms. The information leaked is usually resold to competing companies and governments interested in strategic know-how.

We must distinguish two scenarios:

Cybercriminals steal information to perpetrate cyber fraud: spreading malware to steal a user’s credentials for banking and payment platforms.

Cybercriminals use technology to acquire sensible information to sell to highest bidder.

Uri Rivner, head of new technologies at RSA, is convinced that we are in the age of cyber espionage. Criminals steal trade secrets from other nations and companies for their own benefit. Consider another phenomenon: the impressive growth of internet availability in Asia Pacific, which has brought to this part of the world an increase of cybercrime and in particular of cyber espionage.

In this area, there is a growing demand for information technology that is often vulnerable to all sorts of cyber attack. These conditions make the market attractive to criminal organizations in the absence of effective regulations that often allow crimes to go unpunished.

The web is a jungle where it is increasingly difficult to defend our identity and resources. Rik Ferguson, director of security research and communication, Trend Micro declared:

“The reason why criminals are focusing their attacks on stealing personal data is simple. It’s the sheer volume of people working from multiple devices that leaves them vulnerable to attacks,”

“While Trend Micro has been integral in working with authorities to break up a number of cybercriminal rings over the last year, these cybercriminals have acquired new techniques and tools from collaborating with one another to accelerate their ‘industry.’ The fact is: business is booming for cybercrime and everyone needs to take notice.”

In the face of these ongoing threats, government agencies are defining best practices to reduce the risk of exposure to these attacks. NIST has recently made public their Draft Special Publication 800-83 (SP) Revision 1,Guide to Malware Incident Prevention and Handling for Desktops and Laptops. Malware is considered the most common external threat to personal computers, causing widespread damage and disruption and necessitating extensive recovery efforts within most organizations.

The publication provides recommendations for improving an organization’s malware incident prevention measures, while giving extensive recommendations for enhancing an organization’s existing incident response capability. These approaches seek to better handle malware incidents, particularly widespread ones.

Though cyber espionage as such is not considered one of the main activities of hacktivists, thoughtful security experts don’t rule out the possibility. Groups such as Anonymous could easily adopt cyber espionage techniques to disclose sensitive information as a means of expressing dissent against a government or the policy of a private company.

When cyber espionage is deployed in the private sector (where companies spy on competitors, as well as their own employees, to capture vital information or to avoid unauthorized diffusion of confidential data), they acquire products from software outfits specializing in cyber espionage. The tools may be designed for justifiable purposes, such as supporting investigations and preventing of crime and terrorism. But too easily, they can be utilized by private businesses to undercut competitors, as well as by governments, in the bloodthirsty tracking and persecution of dissidents.

Social Media and cyber espionage

So far, this article has focused on cyber espionage based on the spread of malicious agents to gather confidential information. Also of great interest is cyber espionage as spread through social media. By accessing a social network profile, it is possible to acquire a lot of information on the victim; their relations; participation in events and discussions related to specific professional areas. The information gleaned could provide the basis for other types of attacks, as well as for a large cyber espionage campaign. By analyzing the relationships of a victim, it is possible to discover past experiences and use the data to create fake accounts, damaging their reputation and poisoning their professional network.

Starting with the assumption that the internet (and in particular, the social network) lacks a coherent and safe digital identity management, last year, I introduced the concept of social network poisoning: applying strategies designed to make knowledge related to a profile and its relationships unreliable. The application of this on a large scale could lead to the collapse of Social Networking, exposing members to the risks of cyber espionage and other cybercrime such as identity theft.

In the same way as “route poisoning,” this “poisoning action,” conducted with the aim of polluting the contents of social network profiles, typically introduces artifacts into existing real relationships, thus making the information unreliable. The result is the failure of the chain of trust which all social networks are based on, in order not to allow search engines specifically developed to retrieve information of any kind relating to a particular profile.

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The principal espionage techniques implemented through social media platform are:

Replacement of identity, or the ability to impersonate another user, using a wide variety of social engineering intelligence tactics.

Simulation of identity, creating a false profile, which does not correspond to any existing person, for malicious purposes or simply to remain anonymous.

Building of personal /social bots , creating a large number of fake profiles (e.g. millions of fake profiles) managed by machines, able to interact with real users in a way likely, thus changing the “sentiment” and “conversation” on a large-scale, as well as altering all the social graphs and precluding meaningful correlations on the data.

black curation: the use of real (or fictitious) user’s “holes” to speak on topics of which you want to change the meaning, or to create new ones ad-hoc, in analogy to the black SEO (search engine optimization) already use on search engines.

The social networks are excellent instruments to conduct cyber espionage campaigns while gathering information on targets. For this reason, it is strongly suggested that you consider carefully which profiles to add to our network, recognizing the possibility that some of them have been already compromised. This gives cyber criminals or spies the possibility of accessing information shared in the profile.

The intelligence industry in the west is still too vulnerable to all kinds of attacks, so it is absolutely necessary to define cyber strategies to deal with incidents like those described.

Last year, the impressive growth of state-sponsored attacks aimed at stealing information (to give economic, political and military advantages) famously included the cyber espionage campaign against NATO’S most senior commander, using the Facebook platform.

Chinese spies set up a fake Facebook account in the name of American Admiral James Stavridis, enticing his colleagues to “friend” him and thus divulge their own personal information. In the attack’s second phase, Senior British military officers and Ministry of Defence officials accepted “friend requests” from the bogus account.

With this attack successfully completed, it became possible to steal sensitive information like private email accounts, photos and messages, as well as uncover his network of friends. Similar incidents are troubling, and show how even the higher echelons of strategic commands may be vulnerable, too.

If you think the information uncovered in this way is unimportant, you are mistaken. Let’s think about how it can be used to find photos of a victim’s residence, or determine his location at a given time. Further, with the knowledge of their private email account, it is possible to target people close to victims who may be misled by fake mails.

Of course, similar operations are hampered by the controls enacted by the managers of social networks, in collaboration with major institutions and law enforcement. The stakes are high and control of social networks is strategic. Many agencies and law enforcement agencies like the FBI are working to prevent such crimes. They’ve commissioned the development of complex analysis systems that monitor the powerful networks. Intelligence agencies are aware that social networks and forums are exceptional instruments for information gathering and to measure the global sentiment on every kind of argument; political as well as social.

What is the future of cyber espionage?

The relentless spread of high-tech devices into our lives will sustain the practice of cyber espionage. Mobile and social networks are the platforms that attract the interest of attackers most of all, due to the large quantity of user’s information they manage. New advanced toolkits are sold daily via the underground, usable to exploit vulnerabilities inside victim’s machine with the primary purpose of installing malware that can gather confidential information.

From a government perspective, state-sponsored research aims to produce new technologies, able to infiltrate common-use objects. The most innovative ones relate to the use of electromagnetic waves that could spy on a targeted network or interfere with communications, altering the content of transmission (for example, introducing a malware in it).

That is the future of cyber espionage: the possibility of interfering with targeted systems remotely, acquiring sensitive information silently. Another interesting field of research is related to the “intelligence of things”: the possibility of exploiting the computational capabilities contained in every object surrounding us, interacting with users maintaining a huge quantity of information. Mobile devices, but really, any kind of appliance present in our home (such as smart-TV and gaming console) can be used to spy on the user. Governments have instituted an array of projects to exploit the vulnerabilities.

The greater the technological component of our lives, the greater the potential for cyber attacks.

References
http://www.uscc.gov/annual_report/2012/2012-Report-to-Congress.pdf

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts/800-83-rev1/draft_sp800-83-rev1.pdf

http://www.verizonenterprise.com/resources/reports/rp_data-breach-investigations-report-2012_en_xg.pdf?__ct_return=1

http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/flame-the-never-ending-story/

http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/media/security_response/whitepapers/the-elderwood-project.pdf

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Network_Poisoning

Technology Pioneers 2014

From: Yona Maro

This year, the World Economic Forum is pleased to present 36 leading start-ups selected as Technology Pioneers 2014. The class is particularly diverse, providing new solutions to a number of challenges, including technologies for a greener and more sustainable planet; the deployment of precise and targeted therapies in the treatment of cancer and other diseases; the rethinking and redesign of how we deliver education; a robotics renaissance; the creation of a more personalized Internet experience; and the initiation of a “sharing” economy, to name a few.

These companies have been evaluated by a committee of world-renowned experts and selected due to their demonstrative vision and leadership, potential for growth and innovative ideas, as well as their impact on society and business. As World Economic Forum “New Champions”, Technology Pioneer companies carry opportunities for growth, generate innovative technologies and solutions for unresolved or longstanding problems and, ultimately, help redefine new possibility frontiers.

Link:
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/TP/WEF_TP_Brochure_2014.pdf

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Africa’s Top 20 Tech Influencers

From: Yona Maro

Africa’s technology landscape is vast and growing. It is ripe for expansion and is increasingly becoming an attractive environment for companies (local and international) to set up shop and invest.

The people on this list have taken advantage of this growth and have established themselves as pioneers in the industry. Some of them are investors, others are entrepreneurs and bloggers, but a common thread is that they are all African and are behind some of the most inspiring and innovative companies in tech.

1. Elon Musk – SpaceX

South African born founder of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Elon Musk has proven what can be achieved when innovation and creativity are expertly blended. The company’s SpaceX Dragon recently successfully completed its first commercial cargo mission to the International Space Station. In May 2012 the company’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule grabbed international headlines by successfully launching from Cape Canaveral in the US and becoming the first space launch by a private company in the history of space flight.

2. Dr. Hamadoun Touré – ITU

The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was re-elected for a second four-year term in October 2010. He is widely acknowledged for placing emphasis on ICT as a driver of social and economic development and has previously served as Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) from 1998 – 2006. Born in Mali, Dr Touré is also known for his contribution to telecommunications throughout Africa, having championed the implementation of outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and launching projects based on partnerships with key global stakeholders.

3. Mike Adenuga – Globacom

Mike Adenuga is the founder of Nigerian multinational telecommunications company Globacom Limited (Glo), based in Lagos. The telecommunications company was established in 2003 and is owned by the Mike Adenuga Group. Initially launched in Nigeria, the company has extended its reach to the Republic of Benin, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. In 2012 Adenuga featured on Forbes’ Africa’s 40 Richest list – his net worth of $4.6 billion earning him the rank of second wealthiest Nigerian.

4. Strive Masiyiwa – Econet Wireless

Born in Zimbabwe, Masiyiwa is the founder of telecommunications services Group, Econet Wireless. Masiyiwa successfully fought a landmark 5 year legal battle in Zimbabwe beginning in 1998, which effectively ended the state’s monopoly in the country’s telecommunications sector. The company provides services related to mobile cellular telephony, fixed networks, enterprise networks, fibre optic cables and satellite services. Masiyiwa’s achievements and list of personal accolades include ’10 Most Outstanding Young Persons of the World’, ’15 Global Influentials of the Year’, Builders of Modern Africa and ’20 Most Powerful Business People in African Business’.

5. Naguib Sawiris, Founder, Orascom Telecom Holding SAE

Born June 15, 1954, Egyptian businessman and politician Naguib Sawiris is reported to have a net worth of $2.5 billion. He was executive chairman of the telecommunications companies Wind Telecom and Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) before turning to politics in May 2011. Orascom Telecom Holdings has 20,000 employees and manages 11 GSM operators around the world. He is considered a nationalist and supporter of liberalism. He favored a gradual transition during the 2011 Egyptian revolution and played a mediating role between the protesters and Hosni Mubarak’s people. Although he expressed concerns about the military caretaker government he favored changes that increased democracy and stability.

6. Ronen Apteker, Founder of Internet Solutions

South African entrepreneur Ronen Apteker co-founded the country’s first commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP), Internet Solutions. Established in 1993, the company provides connectivity, communications, cloud and carrier services to organisations in the public and private sector, as well as to the consumer market via its wholesale offerings. Apteker is a noted author and respected entrepreneur, with titles like Trading Spaces and Funny Business…the secrets of an accidental entrepreneur under his belt. He remains a regular contributor to South Africa’s business and financial press.

7. Mark Shuttleworth – Ubuntu

South African entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Shuttleworth funded the development of Ubuntu, a free operating system for desktops, servers and mobile phones. He also founded Thawte in 1995 and sold the digital certificate and Internet security company to VeriSign in 1999 for R3,9 billion. In 2000 he formed HBD Venture Capital and later also established Canonical Ltd. in support of software projects. In 2002 he achieved international acclaim as the second self-funded space tourist and the first South African in space. Shuttleworth has also elevated the profile of local business leadership through the establishment of the Shuttleworth Foundation. This is a non-profit organisation that provides funding for social innovators and entrepreneurs.

8. Leo-Stan Ekeh – Zinox Technologies

Nigerian entrepreneur Leo-Stan Ekeh is the Chairman of Zinox Technologies. He is credited with supplying the core technology infrastructure for the country’s 2011 voter’s registration. This feat earned Ekeh national awards, including Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic and Life Membership of the Institute of International Affairs. He is also on record as having pioneered the first Nigerian internationally certified computer brand, Zinox Computers and has contributed extensively to desktop publishing, computer graphics and the distribution of ICT products across West Africa.

9. Hakeem Belo-Osagie – Etisalat

Hakeem Belo-Osagie’s reported net worth of $400 million earned him the 40th position on Forbes’Africa’s 40 Richest list. As Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd., trading under the Etisalat brand, Belo-Osagie has contributed towards the growth of an established, global telecommunication company. A dedicated philanthropist, he is said to be one of the largest donors to the African Leadership Academy, a Johannesburg-based institution that focuses on leadership development.

10. Stafford Masie – Thumbzup

Former Google South Africa country manager, 38-year-old Stafford Masie has been in the technology industry for many years and recently made headlines for establishing Thumbzup, a South African payment innovations company. A noted speaker and renowned entrepreneur, Masie is passionate about the development of local technology for local needs. His business grabbed the attention of the domestic market when it struck a deal with one of South Africa’s largest banks, ABSA, for the integration and distribution of the Payment Pebble, a world-first, plug-in mobile payment device. Under the agreement, ABSA will provide the Payment Pebble as a value added service to small business owners and merchants from 2013.

11. Jason Njoku – iROKO Partners

Jason Njoku is widely acknowledged for bringing Nigerian entertainment to the world, via the Net. Through iROKO Partners, Njoku has helped to raise the profile of ‘Nollywood’ and Afrobeats within the international film and performing arts industry. The company is marketed as the world’s largest online distributor of African movies and music. iROKO Partners was launched in December 2010 and according to its website, the company has built a global audience of over 6 million unique users from 178 countries.

12. Herman Chinery-Hesse – SOFTtribe

Herman is a software engineer by profession. 19 years ago he co-founded SOFTtribe limited, one of the leading software houses in West Africa. He holds a number of directorships and is an Assessor of the Commercial Court, Ghana. He has won a number of personal awards including Outstanding Ghanaian Professional from the GPA Awards (UK), as well as the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Texas State Alumni Association and Texas State University-San Marcos (USA)—the first and currently only African recipient of the award. Herman has also been a resource person and visiting speaker at the Wharton Business School, Harvard Business School, Cambridge University, the University of Ghana, and the TED Global Conference in Arusha, Tanzania, amongst others. The BBC describes Mr Chinery-Hesse as Africa’s Bill Gates. Today SOFTtribe’s clients include Unilever, Guinness Breweries Ghana Limited, Pricewaterhouse-Ghana, the British High Commission, Ghana’s Millennium Development Authority, Ghana National Petroleum Company, Zenith Bank, Cargill and a host of other government, multinational and private sector blue-chip clients. SOFTtribe’s reach includes Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.

13. Ory Okolloh – Activist, Lawyer and blogger, founder of Ushahidi

Ory Okolloh started out as an impassioned blogger who wanted to democratize information and increase transparency through her website, Mzalendo (Swahili for patriot). When disputed presidential election results led to violent unrest in her native Kenya, Okolloh helped create Ushahidi (Swahili for “Witness”), a tool that collected and mapped eyewitness reports of violence using text messages and Google Maps. A few years on, this activist has emerged as one of the most powerful tech figures in Africa, currently serving as Google’s policy manager for the continent. It is a tremendous accomplishment for a woman who started out just blowing off steam.

14. Seun Osewa – creator of Nairaland

The creator of the online community Nairaland, Nigerian researcher, programmer and webmaster Seun Osewa has made a definite impact on political and social discourse in his country of birth. Recent stats reveal that Nairaland has attracted over a million members and is amongst the top ten most visited sites in Nigeria according to Alexa.com.

15. Robert Sussman – co-founder and joint CEO, the Integr8 Group

The origins of the Integr8 Group can be traced back to the year 2000, when co-founder and joint CEO Rob Sussman saw a gap in the market for an operator who could offer unrivalled, proactive IT service and support. Since inception, the company has grown from a modest IT services operation to emerge as South Africa’s largest privately owned Managed IT Services provider. Recently it made headlines when Integr8 IT, the IT management specialist firm within the Group, was acquired by systems integrator Business Connexion for an estimated R126 million. Sussman helped establish, drive and direct what has now emerged as Africa’s largest publicly traded IT Company.

16. Emeka Okoye – Next2Us

Emeka Okoye is the CEO of Vikantti Software and CTO & co-founder of Next.2.us. The latter is a website that focuses on geosocial connectivity using various applications, including SMS and mobile phones. Okoye has over 17 years’ experience in Web, Enterprise & Mobile Software and Project Management. He graduated as a Geologist in 1990 but being passionate about software engineering, he built Nigeria’s first banking website (IBTC, 1996) and Internet Banking app (IBTC, 1997), co-founded one of Nigeria’s earliest start-ups and built the biggest Nigerian Portal (NgEx.com, 1997) and was the Project Manager/Lead Architect of Nigeria’s first major E-commerce Project in 2000 (FSB Bank, Valucard, UPS & Xerox, 2000).

17. Gbenga Sesan – Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria

Gbenga Sesan is a member of the Committee of eLeaders for Youth and ICT at the United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs. Sesan has completed executive education programs at a number of globally recognised institutions including Harvard University, Oxford University and Stanford University. According to his online profile, CNN listed him as one of the Top 10 African Tech Voices. Gbenga was Nigeria’s first IT Youth Ambassador and also held the position of Vice Chair of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s African Technical Advisory Committee.

18. Stuart Forrest – owner and CEO of Triggerfish Animation Studios

Forrest is the owner of Triggerfish Animation Studios, an established operator within the marketing and advertising industry in South Africa. Media reports have described the venture as “Africa’s answer to Dreamworks, Disney and Pixar” and the company has produced several projects including the animated features “Zambezia” and “Khumba”. The offerings have catapulted the Studio to international acclaim, with Zambezia attracting the interest of Sony as a distributor to English-speaking territories – reportedly the first time a South African feature has secured US distribution of this level.

19. Wael Ghonim – Nabadat/ Google

Egyptian Google executive Wael Ghonim, is the head of marketing in the MEA region. He is also the Chairman of Nabadat, an NGO. Ghonim is credited with using Facebook as a tool to inspire the ousting of the Hosni Mubarak regime. He was also featured on Time Magazine’s list of ‘100 most in_ uential people of 2011’

20. Loy Okezie – Techloy.com

Few have made an impact on the online landscape in Nigeria as Loy Okezie has. Currently living in Lagos, Okezie started the technology news and research website Techloy.com to highlight the importance and development of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem. Since its creation, Techloy has grown to be one of Nigeria’s biggest technology websites. Started more than four years ago, Okezie now serves as Chief Editor, where he is responsible for the website’s editorial direction. His blog was voted ‘Best Technology Blog’ in Nigeria at the recently concluded Nigerian Blog Awards 2012.

http://africanleadership.co.uk/?p=852

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Agricultural Innovation Systems A Framework for Analysing the Role of the Government

From: Yona Maro

This report reviews recent trends in agricultural innovation systems (AIS) and discusses the impact of a wide range of policies on the creation and diffusion of innovation in the agricultural and agrifood sector. It suggests a framework for analysing the role of governments in fostering increased innovation, with a view to helping to identify practical actions that governments could take to improve productivity growth, sustainable use of resources, and resilience to future market developments in national and global agriculture and agri-food systems.

OECD, June 2013

Also available in: French

Link:
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/agricultural-innovation-systems_9789264200593-en

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Italian firm to provide surveillance drone for U.N. in Congo

From: Judy Miriga

For You Information…….

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

– – – – – – – – – – –

Italian firm to provide surveillance drone for U.N. in Congo
Michelle Nichols 5 hours ago PoliticsDemocratic Republic of the CongoUnited NationsSurveillance

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations said on Thursday it has procured an unarmed surveillance drone from Italian defense electronics firm Selex ES, a unit of Finmeccanica, that will be deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming weeks.
It will be the first time the United Nations has used such equipment and, if the trial use by peacekeepers in eastern Congo is successful, officials and diplomats also hope the drones could be used by missions in Ivory Coast and South Sudan.

“Unarmed UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will allow our peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo to monitor the movements of armed groups and protect the civilian population more efficiently,” U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters.

“The selected vendor is the Italian company Selex ES. The UAV is known as the Falco and is designed to be a medium altitude, medium endurance surveillance platform capable of carrying a range of payloads including several types of high resolution sensors,” Nesirky said.

Thick forests, rugged terrain and the scarcity of roads on Congo’s eastern border with Rwanda and Uganda have complicated U.N. peacekeepers’ efforts to control the resource-rich area.

Congo and U.N. peacekeepers have been battling a year-long insurgency by M23 rebels. U.N. experts have accused Rwanda of sending troops and weapons across the border to support the M23. Rwanda denies the accusation.

“The deployment of the UAV is planned in the coming weeks,” Nesirky said.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, told Reuters earlier this month that the United Nations had signed the commercial contract for the surveillance drone on July 12, but did not initially name the company.

The United Nations has also deployed a 3,000-strong Intervention Brigade as part of its Congo mission. The brigade has been charged with aggressively neutralizing armed groups and is this week carrying out its first operation in eastern Congo.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, said on Tuesday its troops would disarm, by force if necessary, anyone other than members of the Congolese security forces found carrying weapons within the zone after a 48-hour grace period.

The United Nations has also set aside money to deploy surveillance drones eventually in Ivory Coast to monitor its border with Liberia following a recommendation by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a request from the West African country.

Ban has also suggested surveillance drones as an option for the U.N. Security Council to consider to boost the effectiveness of the world body’s peacekeeping force in South Sudan.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Vicki Allen)

The Global Innovation Index 2013

From: Yona Maro

Economic policy action is still focused on finding the right balance between reducing debt and supporting demand through stimulus spending. But questions remain: Where will future growth come from to drive the global economy? Where will future jobs come from? In this context, the importance of innovation cannot be emphasized enough. It is the policies fostering long-term output growth – especially policies that promote innovation – that can lay the foundation for future growth, improved productivity, and better jobs.

To guide polices and to help overcome divides, metrics are needed to assess innovation and policy performance. For this purpose, The Global Innovation Index 2013: The Local Dynamics of Innovation is timely and relevant. The Global Innovation Index (GII) helps to create an environment in which innovation factors are continually evaluated. It provides a key tool and a rich database of detailed metrics for 142 economies, which represent 94.9% of the world’s population and 98.7% of global GDP.
Link:
http://www.globalinnovationindex.org/content.aspx?page=gii-full-report-2013


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Apollo Memorial 2013

from pwbmspac

Happy Moon Day.

Lets reflect upon this annual memorial to the Apollo astronauts lunar landing, summer 1969.

If their have been any further instances of contemporary Terrestrial human piloted travels spaceward beyond earth orbit (small or large scale), such remained officially unpublished in the open literature – – although rumored to occur.

In the time since the original 1969 Moon Day there have been several private sector initiative toward replicating the summer 1969 event.

One of them was the Artemis Society. Yet another has been investigating means to incorporate the moon into a destination option for the space tourism business.

In an overview, website site http://www.asi.org/adb/01/basic-overview.html states, “Our primary goal is to establish a permanent, self-supporting exploration base on the moon. From this initial base, we will explore the moon to find the best sites for lunar mining operations, and for a permanent lunar community. Along the way, we begin commercial flights to the moon. At first these will be expedition-class flights for rugged explorers, the sort of trip that will appeal to folks who enjoy safaris, climbing mountains, and spelunking hidden caves. Eventually, the lunar tourism industry will grow into luxury-class trips on large spaceliners.”

Another effort aims directly at private space tourism with lunar destination as an objective. Preliminary work focused upon enticing some initial subscriptions from those interested in being future travelers. The concepts consider assembling the transport capabilities starting with hardware ordered from Russian aerospace manufacturers plus use of associated operations centers.

During Summer of May or June of 2013, an article appeared in Aviation Week and Space Technology. It reported a university professor in India is now promoting the idea for a revival in programs aimed toward constructions of in-space platforms to collect solar power for supporting base load electricity needs at Earth surface (SPSS). Others, in this context, point out that employing construction materials mined from lunar surface or asteroids would make any such projects yet more economically productive.

This space economic development product, SSPS, does have merit. USA’s NASA and DOE had such a joint program until it was canceled officially as the 1970’s ended. Lets see if a call for revival of this project catches on.

-pbs-

KENYA: SAD DAY FOR KETHI AS JUDGES ARE EXPECTED TO RULE IN FAVOR OF TNA

From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

As High Court judges Richard Mwongo, Weldon Korir and Mumbi Ngugi rule tomorrow whether Kethi Diana Kilonzo’s name should be on the ballot paper for the Makueni by-election, most Kenyans have already concluded that the ruling will be in favour of Uhuru’s TNA party.

As former vice president Kalonzo Musyoka claimed, IEBC is TNA and TNA is IEBC, according to this Electronic Footprint-SHOCKING: TNA Was IEBC According to this Electronic Footprint …, the data shows a shocking manner how IEBC and Jubilee used the electronic data to rig the elections.

Using data provided by a source at Kencall, TNA was IEBC. TNA used 21 data entry clerks at to enter data both in its server and the server of IEBC through a backdoor entry provided by Kencall.

The server (KENCALL IP: numbers.1.numbers.40) running Windows Server 200x gave access to the 21 data entry clerks employed by TNA. The same data entry clerks, receiving calls from TNA agents, entered data into IEBC database.

The IEBC database had 16 columns including a column called User-ID- which had who among the 21 data clerks entered the data. The TNA database called (MARKET RACE) was also hosted on this same server but it lacked the User_ID column.

This shows clearly that IEBC is TNA and TNA is IEBC. That is why TNA was able to allege that Kethis was not a registered voter, hence ruling out the clearance by IEBC for Kethi to vie for Makueni by-election. Otherwise if TNA was not IEBC then how could it know that?

Against the background that Kenyans have already made their conclusion that tomorrow’s ruling by all means must be in favour of TNA. This has been deliberately done according to Kalonzo because democracy in Kenya continues to be on trial.

According to Kalonzo this was evident during the petition that challenged the flawed presidential results of the March 4th 2013 general election, which due to obvious reasons, the Supreme Court of Kenya upheld, much to the dissatisfaction of the millions of Kenyan population.

Because TNA is IEBC, is why her name could easily be deleted from the voters list. The IEBC had no any other alternative but to withdraw her name from Makueni senatorial race. Remember, this is the same IEBC which cleared her for the seat.

The advice to TNA that Kethi should not vie for Makueni came from Charity Ngilu who instead wants Narc aspirant Prof Philip Kaloki to capture Makueni seat. Ngilu who was given a land docket ministry by Uhuru Kenyatta earlier had proposed the widow of Mutula Kilonzo, Nduku, attempt that didn’t bear fruits.

Ngilu was being sought by the Jubilee Coalition to bar a very strong candidate from the race because they obviously feared her strong candidacy on Wiper Democratic Movement, which is a CORD affiliate.

One of our readers also wanted to know why former Kibwezi Member of Parliament, Agnes Ndetei is being used as messenger to fight on behalf of Jubilee Coalition to frustrate Kethi. I have two reasons; one, for it not to appear as if it was a Kikuyu war; two, to appear that Kalonzo is being fought by fellow kamba.

Most Kenyans have also stated categorically through social media that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and Kenyan Judiciary cannot be trusted because they belong to the same feather.

The big challenge here is of course, which electoral commission can be trusted if it is true they go according to the government wish? Where then will you get a “truly independent Judiciary” composed of men and women of integrity to regain the confidence of Kenyans as an institution of last resort in handling election disputes?

Wise judges like Justice Isaac Lenaola who do not want to tarnish their reputations had to pull out of the case. Lenaola says he is uncomfortable hearing the case filed by Kethi Kilonzo who wants to be reinstated to vie for the Makueni seat. This case is based on dirty politics and can spoil you good reputation as a judge.

Lenaola who disqualified himself from hearing the suit, had last week on Thursday ruled that the file be placed before the Chief Justice Willy Mutunga in order to constitute a three judge bench to handle the case.

Yet, to date the electoral commission has failed to furnish Parliament with the final results of the March 4 General Election. Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati claims that several commissioners and senior members of the commission’s secretariat have refused to append their signatures to the results fearing a backlash from the public.

This brings the doubt of sincerity of the IEBC declaration that Jubilee’s Uhuru Kenyatta duly elected as president after he garnered 6,173,433 votes (50.07 percent) against Raila Odinga (CORD) 5,340,546 votes (43.31 percent).

The issue is not over as yet with the IEBC. Detectives are questioning the four top managers at the electoral commission over the mismanagement of the March 4 elections according to sources close to the investigation by the anti-corruption commission.

The chairman, chief executive and his two deputies had implicated one another in the failure of the electronic tallying and transmission after the elections. A senior detective from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) told the Saturday Nation on Friday that the system failure was caused by internal fights over tenders, lack of coordination among departments and negligence.

This brings us to another big question as to why Jubilee should fear Kethi. I think because of her famous she earned during presidential results dispute between Uhuru and Raila. She presented herself very smartly before the court. With this fame she can easily be the next president of Kenya since almost every Kenyan would vote her.

Kethi is not only a young flamboyant talented lawyer, as a lawyer with talent and a lot of knowledge in law she is the new face in Kenyan screens that Kenyans are focusing on. She has become a mirror.

To spoil this good reputation is the reason why Agnes Ndetei has been used as a Jubilee messenger to write to the University of Nairobi requesting information regarding an alleged recall of Kethi’s Master’s degree certificate which they claim was irregularly awarded to her.

This is contrary to Kethi’s response that her certificates are genuine and she acquired them due to her excellence in law school. Kethi has a recognized master degree in law from the University of Nairobi.

That is why some Kenyans are challenging Ndetei and other Narc party officials including Charity Ngilu who is now coming up with Kethi’s degrees issues that they should be honest, where were they all that time? If the claim is true then they were a party to it. The good thing is that Kenyans are not fools.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole

Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

What are biofuels? What’s the problem with them?

From: Yona Maro

Our limited resources – land and water – are being used to make biofuels for our petrol tanks when they should be used to grow much needed food in a world where one in eight people go to bed hungry every day. As wealthy countries demand ever more food for fuel, food prices soar and millions go hungry, while a global land rush means farmers are often forced off their fields in brutal land grabs to make way for more biofuels, destroying livelihoods and exacerbating poverty and hunger even further.

Oxfam is calling on governments to scrap the rules and laws that divert food from those who need it the most and put it in fuel tanks. The full impact of biofuels on both people and the planet, including food price increases, land grabs, and indirect land use change, must be accounted for. Far more climate friendly and cost effective strategies to reduce emissions from transport exist, such as setting higher efficiency standards for cars, and creating better transport systems.

Now in Europe, there is an excellent opportunity to make things right as our leaders will decide on reform of EU biofuels policy in the coming months. They must listen.

Link:
http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/campaigns/what-are-biofuels

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Hunting Africa’s Newest Holy Grail – an Affordable Internet and Content Device for the Home

From: Abdalah Hamis

Up until now, the focus has largely been on seeing how the price of mobile phones (whether smart or feature phones) can come down to open access to different content and services to wider numbers of people. But the new Holy Grail is finding a cheap household or “on-the-go” device that can deliver both Internet and VoD content to households. Russell Southwood looks at the kind of projects that are coming forward to tackle this need.

Whatever anyone tells you, Africans buy content. Go anywhere in an African city and you will find a market stall or small shop selling DVDs and VCDs. Take Kenya, for example, pirated DVDs sell for between US46-57 cents a copy and large numbers of people spend several dollars every month on this form of entertainment. The same is true for music DVDs. Even the most remote villages get DVD shops the moment electricity arrives.

A pirate market is simply one that functions at a level people can afford (remember the grey market in VoIP calling) not the one that suits the rights holders. So the commercial challenge is to be able to deliver both Internet and VoD content that works within these spending parameters.

In small markets, the cost of rolling out fibre to households is enormous so there is a “chicken-and-egg” barrier: the market is too small so there can never be sufficient “critical mass” to get prices to a level that is affordable so the market stays small.

However, even in places like Kenya, the practical challenges of delivering VoD content have left some of the best minds in disarray. Jamii Telecom may have built a fibre network and connected people with Fibre-To-The-Home but they have not yet created a convincing VoD content bundle to make use of it.

Enter stage left one of Kenya’s bountiful supply of small entrepreneurs, Kahenya Kimunyu, CEO and Founder of Able Wireless. He has created a modified Raspberry Pi with inbuilt wireless access (via Wi-Fi on 802.11G) that can give Internet access to two devices in a household.

His vision is to get local franchisees to put up local wireless aerials that will service several households locally. Each aerial will be able to service 20-25 people. The aim is to sell the box for KS500 (US$5.73) and to charge the same amount for an unlimited content service. He is looking to launch in November 2013 and reckons that it will be possible to get to 20,000 people by the end of year one.

The weakest part of his launch narrative so far is the content piece:”We’ll work with anyone who will offer a revenue share and our terms are generous.” He has one or two aces in his hand he can’t yet talk about but thus far the content is mainly low cards. A streamed channel of Al Jazeera, curated local You Tube content and the possibility of other local content providers coming in:”We want to get the kind of content people are currently buying at pirate DVD shops.” He may yet solve the content problem so let’s not judge too early in the process.

Another example of a different approach is a project at the “We”nnovation Hub in Lagos. One of its members has designed a piece of hardwire to use Wi-Fi and it can create its own network (within an area like a neighbourhood or a school) that can hold a digital library of content. It would allow users to stream content locally but have digital rights management that prevented piracy and it can be operated just within a local network.

These projects represent are just two examples of the kind of low-end, hybrid content delivery plays that people have talked about to me. They may not succeed but they are an attempt to find a way that suits the local context at a price people are already affording. One day soon maybe one of them will succeed…

Read the original story, with tables and illustrations where appropriate.

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/en/issue-no-662/top-story/hunting-africa-s-new/en