By Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles city officials are planning a massive security operation for Michael Jackson’s public memorial service next week, and on Friday urged fans who do not win a ticket in a random drawing to stay away from the basketball arena where the singer will be memorialized.

Organizers have set aside a total of 17,500 tickets through an Internet-based lottery for the televised service at the Staples Center, and for a closed-circuit screening at the nearby Nokia Theater.

Within minutes of the system being announced at a news conference, the computer system crashed. Officials warned additional disruptions were likely as fans from around the world applied for tickets.

“You might want to consider watching this from the comfort of your own home,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is doubling as the city’s acting mayor.

A wide area around the venues in downtown Los Angeles will be blocked off for the 10 a.m. (1 p.m. EDT) event. Both local and state law-enforcement agencies have been marshaled for duty.

A local news-radio station reported that more than 1,400 officers from the Los Angeles Police Department alone have been asked to volunteer for duty on Monday and Tuesday. The LAPD, which has about 9,000 officers in total, declined to comment on the report or to reveal a staffing number.

A Jackson family spokesman also declined to provide details of the memorial service, but said there would not be a funeral procession and Jackson’s body would not be at the memorial.

Funeral arrangements have not been disclosed, but security has been beefed up at the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills mortuary, where his body is believed to be held.

Officials were also tight-lipped about the cost of the memorial service, and who would pay for it.

Like other U.S. cities, Los Angeles is strapped for cash in the global recession and similar questions about public tax revenues being spent for such an elaborate ceremony surfaced last month when a $2 million celebration was given for the champion Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team.

That event, which attracted over 500,000 people, was eventually funded through private donations.

The city has already budgeted for LAPD overtime, Perry said, adding that officials would “deeply appreciate” help to offset incremental costs, such as transportation, sanitation and staging.

Winners of the tickets will be contacted on Sunday and directed to pick up a pair of tickets and wristbands on Monday. No tickets will be sold. The massive demand raised the question of counterfeiting or scalping, drawing pleas from organizers for fans to act responsibly.

“For those that would try to take advantage of this, shame on them,” said Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of AEG, the closely held entertainment concern that owns the venues and was backing Jackson’s planned comeback concerts in London.

Jackson’s last performance was at the Staples Center. The night before he died of sudden cardiac arrest last Thursday, he rehearsed for the tour at the venue.

(Additional Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bill Trott and Todd Eastham)

Courtesy of:   http://news.yahoo.com

By RACHEL D’ORO, Associated Press Writer
WASILLA, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin surprised supporters Friday and announced she is resigning from office at the end of the month without explaining why she plans to step down — throwing into question whether she would seek a run for the White House in 2012.

The news rattles a Republican Party plagued with setbacks in recent weeks, including extramarital affairs disclosed by two other 2012 presidential prospects, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

Palin hastily called a news conference Friday morning at her home in suburban Wasilla, giving such short notice that only a few reporters actually made it to the announcement. Security blocked late-arriving media outside her home, and her spokesman, Dave Murrow, finally emerged to confirm that Palin will step down July 26. He refused to give details about the governor’s future plans.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate said she had been considering leaving office since she decided not to run for re-election.

“Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I’m not going to put Alaskans through that,” Palin said.

Palin spokesman David Murrow said the governor didn’t say anything to him about this being her “political finale.” Murrow said he interpreted Palin’s comment about working outside government as reflecting her current job only.

“She’s looking forward to serving the public outside the governor’s chair,” he said.

Political analyst Larry Sabato, in Charlottesville, Va., said Palin’s announcement left many wondering what her plans were.

“It’s absolutely bizarre, and I think it eliminates her from serious consideration for the presidency in 2012,” he said.

Palin hinted that she had a bigger role in mind, saying she wanted to make a “positive change outside government.” But she kept supporters in suspense, promising later Friday on Twitter: “We’ll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election … this is in Alaska’s best interest, my family’s happy … it is good. Stay tuned.”

Jerry McBeath, a veteran political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, called the pending resignation a “smart move,” both for Palin and the state.

“Alaska is an isolated stage from which to operate if you want to figure in American national politics. I don’t know what she has in mind, some TV show or some national radio show. There are opportunities for her, I’m sure.”

“After all, Rush Limbaugh is getting old, and cranky, and the airwaves and the videowaves would benefit form a new present. She certainly is photogenic, and that is her area of experience. So I would say it’s a response to opportunity instead of ‘getting out before they get you,’” he said.

As for the state, he said Palin’s departure will reduce the distractions and return Alaska to normal politics.

Palin said her family weighed heavily in her decision.

“This decision has been in the works for a while. This decision comes after much consideration, prayer and consideration,” she said. “Finally, I polled the most important people in my life, my kids, where the count was unanimous. Well, in response to asking, ‘Hey, you want me to make a positive difference and fight for all our children’s future from outside the governor’s office?’ It was four yeses and one ‘Hell, yeah!” And the hell, yeah sealed it.”

Palin’s decision not to seek re-election was a familiar one for a potential presidential candidate. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chose not to seek another term as he geared up for an unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has announced he won’t seek another term, giving him plenty of free time ahead of a potential 2012 bid.

And Alaska’s remote location seemed prohibitive for her to visit key early states such as Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina. She would lose at least a day for travel on each trip, while her competitors could make day trips to Des Moines, Manchester or Columbia to drive news.

By exiting the governor’s office early, she wouldn’t be held back by her day job’s duties or be drawn into state-level fights with national implications. But the early exit from the governorship also raised questions about how seriously she takes her job.

Palin emerged from relative obscurity nearly a year ago when she was tapped as then Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate.

She was a controversial figure from the start, with comedian Tina Fey famously imitating her elaborate hairstyle and folksy “You betcha!” on “Saturday Night Live.”

She didn’t leave the limelight once McCain lost the presidency. She recently led a public spat with “Late Show” host David Letterman over a joke he made about one of her daughters being “knocked up” by New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez during the governor’s recent visit to New York. Palin’s 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, is an unwed, teenage mother. Letterman later apologized for the joke.

Her 2008 running mate, Sen. John McCain, wouldn’t be offering reaction on Friday, a spokeswoman said.

Palin also complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, had been “mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults recently.” She didn’t elaborate.

Fred Malek, a Republican strategist who has advised Palin over the past year, said Palin was “really unhappy with the way her life was going.”

“She felt that the pressures of the job combined with her family obligations and the demands and desires to help other Republican candidates led her to decide not to run again. Once that decision was made, she realized, why not do it now and let the lieutenant governor take over and get a head start on his election,” Malek said.

The 2008 vice presidential nominee was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had proved formidable among the party’s base. But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if she was ever really prepared for the presidency.

The backbiting continued through the week, with follow-up articles recounting the nasty infighting that plagued her failed bid. Her advisers sniped with other Republicans, underscoring the deeply divided GOP looking for its next standard bearer.

Palin’s resignation announcement caught Republicans and Democrats alike by surprise, but it also suggested she had her eyes on another presidential run. She alluded to how she could help change the country and help military members — code that she didn’t think her time on the national stage was over.

But the early exit from the governorship also raised questions about how serious she takes her job.

Palin’s resignation, timed on the eve of the July 4 holiday when many Americans had already begun a three-day weekend, seemed designed to avoid publicity while openly leaving office.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor’s picnic in Fairbanks at the end of the month.

Palin was first elected in 2006 on a populist platform. But her popularity has waned as she waged in partisan politics following her return from the presidential campaign. Her term would have ended in 2010.

Palin expressed frustration with her current role as governor.

“I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor,” Palin said.

Palin’s decision even took Parnell by surprise. He said he was told on Wednesday evening, and was not aware that any presidential ambitions were behind the move.

Other recent GOP troubles include affairs by Ensign and Sanford. Ensign, a member of the Christian ministry Promise Keepers, stepped down from the Senate Republican leadership last month after admitting he had an affair for much of last year with a woman on his campaign staff who was married to one of his Senate aides. Ensign later disclosed he had helped the woman’s husband get two jobs during the affair.

A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, wants the Senate ethics committee and the Federal Election Commission to investigate.

Just days after news of Ensign’s affair broke, Sanford admitted an affair with a woman in Argentina. Some lawmakers are now calling for his resignation. Before the admission, Sanford had been missing from the state for five days visiting his lover. He had slipped his security detail, lied to his staff about where he was and failed to transfer power to the lieutenant governor in case of a state emergency.

The party’s troubles seem to have left two prominent 2012 prospects, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, unscathed, however.
Courtesy of:   http://news.yahoo.com

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer
SIRTE, Libya – After bitter wrangling, Africa’s leaders agreed Friday to denounce the International Criminal Court and refuse to extradite Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The decision at the African Union summit says AU members “shall not cooperate” with the court in The Hague “in the arrest and transfer of President Omar al-Bashir of the Sudan to the ICC.”

Sudan welcomed the move, and other Africans said it was a signal to the West that it shouldn’t impose its ways on Africa. A human rights group said the decision was a gift to a dictator.

The 13th AU summit of heads of state, which concluded Friday in Sirte, Libya, also “expresses its preoccupation about the behavior of the ICC prosecutor” Luis Moreno Ocampo, whom African officials describe as too hard on Africans. The ICC has launched investigations into four cases since it was created seven years ago — all of them in Africa.

Sudan rejoiced at the AU’s rebuttal of the ICC. “It’s the confirmation of what we always said: The indictment is a political thing, not a legal thing,” Foreign Minister El Samany El Wasila told The Associated Press just after the decision was made public.

El Wasila declined to comment on whether al-Bashir would now feel free to travel to the 30 African countries that are party to the ICC. “We don’t even want to think about it anymore,” he said of the international court.

Some AU leaders said there was strong opposition to the summit’s decision. Benin Foreign Minister Jean-Marie Ehouzou said that Sudan’s neighbor and antagonist, Chad, objected to the wording.

Heads of state at AU summits reach their decisions behind closed doors and by consensus, not vote, and it was not clear how the new measure was approved.

“Consensus usually means unanimity, but in this case there was some dissent,” said Ehouzou, stating objections by Chad or others would likely be added as caveats at a later date in the final summit declaration.

Prime Minister Bernard Makuza of Rwanda conceded the resolution had been “a hot spot” in the leaders’ three-day summit, but that countries finally approved the Libyan-led decision because they don’t feel fairly treated by the ICC.

“We’re not promoting impunity, but we’re saying that Westerners who don’t understand anything about Africa should stop trying to import their solutions,” Makuza told the AP on the sidelines of the summit.

He and other leaders say the ICC indictment threatens Sudan’s fragile peace process and could create a power vacuum in the country.

The declaration was viewed nonetheless as a powerful blow to prosecuting African officials for atrocities committed on the continent.

The warrant against al-Bashir was issued in March on charges of masterminding violence that led to the death of some 300,000 people in Darfur since 2003.

Reed Brody, a spokesman for Human Rights Watch, said the declaration contradicts the obligations of countries party to the ICC and “basically orders them to flout their legal obligations.”

The resolution is “the result of unprecedented bullying by Libya and puts the AU on the side of a dictator accused of mass murder, rather than on the side of his victims,” he said.

The other major decision reached at the summit was a proposal to transform the African Union’s executive body, the commission, into an “authority” with greatly extended powers.

The push toward a federal government for the whole continent was driven by Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, who stormed out of a room on Thursday when his proposal wasn’t approved and later warned that nobody could go to bed before a final decision was accepted.

The document agreed upon after a 15-hour meeting ending early Friday would establish the new authority with coordinated powers over defense, diplomacy and international trade. But the changes must still be written into the AU’s constitution and approved by the parliaments of its 53 members.

Gadhafi hailed the achievement. “I am sure the founding fathers of Africa are smiling in their graves today,” he said his closing speech.

Courtesy of:   http://news.yahoo.com

By Priscah Awino,

Meat buyers in Kisumu city have petitioned the local public health departments to close down a butchery located in downtown Kisumu over what they term as “vending of unhygienic beef and mutton” causing spread of various diseases among the consumers.

The Asian owned butchery, known as Karsons is being accused of displaying beef and mutton without proper cover on their shop usually along the roadside in Kisumu’s Kamas area.

“They have not made proper arrangements to save the meat from dust and insects,” Farhat Abbas, a buyer who is forced to purchase this type of meat for his family complained.

Investigations at the butchery revealed that the management sells unhygienic water-filled meat putting people’s health at risk.

A worker at the butchery tipped the Weekly Citizen that they are under instruction from the management to fill unhygienic water through jugular vein in slaughtered animals to earn maximum profit.

A source at the Kisumu Municipal Council public health department said they had noticed that the meat seller is involved in this illegal and immoral practice with the aim to increase the weight of meat and its look. “They fill unhygienic water in slaughtered animals in place of blood which discharges at the time of slaughtering”, said the source.

“An animal weighing 50 kilograms contains five kilograms of blood, which is discharged at the time of slaughtering. But Karsons butchery is accused of allegedly injecting water through jugular vein which makes meat unfit for human consumption”, he said.

He said that meat dealer was committing this ‘heinous crime’ because there is no check on butcheries and private slaughters in the city. They are taking full advantage of this lapse on part of concerned authorities. “Bacteria attacks unhygienic water-filled meat and it starts permeating bad smell after some hours.

He said that unfortunately most people do not know the fact that water-filled meat is dangerous for them. “They buy meat and keep it in refrigerators, which ultimately cause many stomach-related diseases among consumers,” he said.

The officer said:  “There are only two quality control inspectors in the city. There should be at least five inspectors for such a big city”.

District Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. Akula said that the water-filled meat could create dangerous abdomen-related problems in the human body like gastro and dysentery. The deadly bacteria fast attacks unhygienic water-filled meat, which could be dangerous for human health, he said. He urged people to boil meat and cook it properly. “Avoid storing meat in refrigerators and instead use fresh meat,” he suggested.

BY PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

SIRTE, LIBYA,  - President Mwai Kibaki has declared that Africa has the potential to produce enough food to feed her estimated population of over 900 million people and have surplus for export.

He however stressed that the continent must transform its agricultural practices. 
 
President Kibaki pointed out that substantial resources were required to achieve the transformation of the sector in Africa and called for concerted efforts among member countries to raise the resources.
 
The President who was addressing the 13th Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Sirte, Libya said that it was unfortunate that majority of the food insecure people in the world, live in Africa and that more than 45 percent of the African people cannot afford two meals a day.
 
He said that in order to eradicate poverty and food insecurity the continent must transform the current subsistence method of farming to commercial farming where farmers undertake agriculture as business that earns them enough income to prosper.
 
“Apart from its economic importance, agriculture is the source of food. A large proportion of our people is poor and does not have adequate purchasing power.  Furthermore most of our people believe that they have to produce what they consume.” 
 
President Kibaki observed that it was hard to achieve high economic growth rates for African countries while a majority of their citizens were food insecure and lived in abject poverty.
 
The President said: “I am convinced that for our economies to grow fast enough to get our people out of poverty and food insecurity, we must invest more in agriculture.”
 
The Head of State challenged African governments to move a step further apart from upholding the Maputo declaration of allocating 10 percent of their annual national budget to agriculture, but also to increase the budget to not less than 13 percent by 2012. 
 
He asserted, “I have arrived at the figure of 13 percent from current examples and, because this is what we were spending in 1960s and 1970s when our economies were growing by over 10 percent and we were almost food secure.”
 
Noting that the timing of the Summit was godsend considering the eminence of economic development and food insecurity on the continent, the President said that it was unfortunate that despite Africa’s inadequate foreign exchange the continent is still a net food importer. 
 
President Kibaki said that the role of agriculture in most African countries apart from those with ample mineral resources cannot be overemphasized adding that when agriculture grows faster economies grow even faster and when agriculture declines economies equally decline.
 
“The sector contributes over 25 percent of the GDP; it is the main source of employment especially for the rural population; and it is also the main source of foreign exchange.  It is for this reason that economic growth of our countries has very close relationship with agricultural growth.”

During the forum, President Kibaki highlighted five key areas that African countries need to focus on in order to achieve agricultural transformation.
 
He urged the continental governments to ensure that all agricultural inputs are available and affordable to farmers including some level of subsidy.

The President said:  “In Kenya, during the last financial year, we spent over US dollars 120 million to procure in bulk about 240,000 metric tons of assorted fertilizer to make them affordable to farmers. We have also maintained the prices of seeds to levels that are affordable to most of our farmers.”
 
He also urged African governments to ensure that farmers access affordable credit and called for the change of credit laws in favour of farming enterprises.

“In Kenya we are reviving our agricultural credit institutions and starting commodity based funds.”
 
The President called for mechanisms for farmers to have good access to markets for their produce including instituting Guaranteed Minimum Returns and/or farm insurance schemes.
 
He said that Kenya had started a programme to build modern fresh produce markets in all constituencies and had initiated reforms to the cooperative movement for easy marketing.

Another principle that President advocated for was investment in irrigated agriculture to reduce overreliance on rains and also mitigate the vagaries of weather.
 
He urged each country to commit to achieving more than 50 percent of its irrigation potential by 2020 citing the Kenyan example where the country has set a target of expanding irrigated land from the current 150,000 hectares to at least 1 million hectares by 2020.
 
President Kibaki further called on all nations to strengthen and maintain their agricultural institutions for quality extension services, research and innovations.
 
“In doing so we should move our farming enterprises from producers of primary raw material to producers of value added products ready for consumption,” the President said,.
 
President Kibaki thanked the government of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for facilitating the deliberations and enabling the Assembly to share the rich experiences from individual member states so as to collectively make important decisions affecting Africa’s agriculture and the wellbeing of the entire continent.

Source:http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Local/Kenya-asserts-Africa-can-feed-itself-4973.html

A Kenyan firm plans to produce 300 MW of electricity by 2012 by harnessing renewable wind power in the north of the country, its director said.

Turkana Wind Power has been studying the viability of wind power projects in the barren, inhospitable region for the last four years, Chris Staubo said.

“Full production will be in June 2012 but we should start production in June 2011,” he told Reuters late on Thursday.
Once completed, the project could meet about a quarter of Kenya’s total energy demand, which stands at some 1,20 MW, just slightly below the installed capacity.

The government is looking at developing “green” energy sources, such as wind and geothermal, to meet demand that is growing at around 8% a year.

Staubo said the total project cost would be about $760 million and that the African Development Bank (AfDB) had indicated it would finance 30% of that.He said the company planned 30 percent equity and 70% debt for the project.
The rest of the financing would come from locally syndicated bank loans and international investment banks in South Africa, the Middle East and possibly the United States.

The company plans to put up 360 wind turbines that will each generate 850 kw, to be constructed by Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Each turbine that is set up will come online immediately, Staubo said.
The company plans to have a 426 km (265 mile) transmission line linking the site in Loiyangalani to Suswa in southwestern Kenya. From there, it will be fed into the national grid.

The Constant Gardner, the 2005 film based on John le Carre’s novel of the same title, was partly shot in remote Loiyangalani.

The 400 kv double circuit line will have the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW but the national grid can currently accommodate only 400 MW more.

Staubo said his company planned to expand production once the grid could accommodate more power: “We are looking at future development at the site … The entire network needs to be upgraded before you can inject more.”
Other companies were looking at the viability of wind production on the Ngong Hills on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi and in Kinangop in central Kenya, Staubo said.

But only his company actually had a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the government, he said.
The Kenya Electricity Generating Company produces most of the electricity used in East Africa’s biggest economy, using hydroelectric and geothermal sources.

RACHUONYO SET FOR POOR HARVEST AS FERTILIZER,SEED SCAM ROCKS THE REGION.

By Shem Kosse

Rachuonyo distirct and its environ is lkely to receive poor harvest this season following a well ochestrated scheme whereby the area’ District Agricultural Officer(DAO) is allegedly conspiring by some top officials in the agriculture ministry to divert the fertilizer and certified seeds worth kshs 7.5 million,meant for farmers.

The DAO,Mrs Jane Wekesa is accused by farmers and his staff for working in carhoot with the ministry’ director Mr Wasonga,and rachuonyo district accountant to hoard fertilizer and certified seeds for their financial gain.

Citing a project running by the name Njaa Marufuku whereby each farmer was entitled to one packet of maize and fertilizer each for planting,they said that Wekesa instead,embarked on distributing relief maize justifying that they were seeds from Agricultural Marketing(AGRIMARK).

They disclosed that the uncertified seeds they were being supplied with were drawn from the store after Jane forcefully grabbed the key from the storeman.

And that in a bid to further achieve her sleeze schemes she hired the services of her cronies shunning the qualified stockists and agrovets trained by the AGRIMARK and who are supposed to supply the same.

Independent investigations reveals that she gives phantom returns to AGRIMARK indicating what the suppliers have “distributed” and in return being accorded a cheque which is later encashed,to be shared religiously among the cartel.

Still on seeds,the Kenya Seed Company,also supplied 200 bells of certified seeds to be distributed to farmers in the area but the DAO in contrary conspired with some stockists,sold snd bagged the money.

Farmers inputs aside,Wekesa who is said to be currently battling with putting up her state of the-art-four storey building in busia town has not spared the workers claims.
Whenever there is an activity and various heads of deparments prepare and present their budget for approval (read lunch, travelling allowance,accomodation among others) she appends her signature.

And subsequently she subjects the workers fraternity to frustrations only to withdraw  the cash later and mercilessly line up her pockets with.
Efforts to reach the adversely mentioned personalities proved futile with the DAO brushing off the allegations as baseless.

The farmers and the staff who were talking on strict conditions of anonimity now wants the minister of agriculture William Ruto to crack the whip on the graft -ridden Rachuonyo DAO’ office to salvage the situation.

Ends Shem Kosse

By Agwanda Jakorandoh.

Lake Institute of Tropical Medicine is presently the only registered private medical college in Western Kenya approved to train Clinical Medicine and Surgery by the Clinical Council of Kenya.

The college which is situated on the ground and buildings of what once used to be known as Lake Nursing Home in Kisumu City which was once owned by Asian Doctors.

According to the college’s Principal Mr. Francis Odimba Andanda a trained registered nurse by profession, “the college was launched in January 2004 and has since admitted many student for diploma and certificate courses in Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Community Health and Development and Medical and Psychological Counseling” he said.

 This is evidenced by one’s visit to the institution as female students will be noticed in blue uniforms or male ones in white shirts  and black trousers shuttling within the institution going to and fro from their classes and respective hostels, as one enters the college’s 52 seater bus will be noticed parked near the college’s administration block.

The Principal went further to say that his Institution has since become a fast growing non-profit making organization whose overall objective is to provide quality training and supplements the government efforts of providing quality health care, particularly to the disadvantaged rural communities.

Saying that many parents are exploited by paying exorbitant amounts of money to sponsor their children to the neighboring countries and overseas for medical courses which is easily aid at LITMED.

“It is in recognition of this need that Lake Institute of Tropical Medicine was launched, our overall role is to supplement the government’s efforts of providing Quality Health Care through well-planned complementary based Health Care Training Programmes” Mr.Andanda added.

The Institute is fully registered by the Ministries of Education and Health and presently offers the following courses; Community Health and Development, Clinical Medicine and Surgery (Diploma), Medical Laboratories Sciences, Medical and Psychology Counselling, Home Based Care (certificate only) and Bio Medical Science and Technology.

“Our Institute is also associated officially with Jommo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and their Programmes are offered at LITMED i.e. Diploma in Business Administration and Diploma in Community Development, then there are NASCOP programme offered here also like Voluntary Counseling and Testing and Prevention of Mother-child-Transmission” Mr. Andanda further told us.

The graduates from the Institute are fully recognized country wide and most of them now are in internship, and their market targets are usually NGO’s due to the quality of materials the students are given and discipline.

“Then there is the quality of lecturers who are trained from masters degree to diploma levels which cut across the board and are registered with the relevant medical bodies, more so the college is growing real fast and we intend to introduce other courses which are market rich”Andanda added.

He further said that once they have been given agreen light by the relevant authorities, they are set to begin the following courses; Diploma in Disaster Management, Diploma in HIV/AIDS Management, Diploma in Tropical Medicine, Diploma in Physiotherapy, Diploma in Community Nutrition and Dietetics ,Diploma in Media Studies ,IT and Nursing.

Asked about the students’ attachment, Mr Andanda said that presently they have a routine attachment with Kisumu District Hospital, New Nyanza Provincial General Hospital,
Mbale Provincial Rural Health Training Centre, Chulaimbo Provincial Rural Health Training Centre and Josra International, however he added that the student has a right to choose where he/she wants to be attached.
 
“The Institute involved in student/teacher exchange programmes with other colleges and Universities both locally and internationally, also the College has research, production and extension department and also LITMED is an accreditation centre for KNEC exams, in collaboration with the Dublin Metropolitan University-Ireland, students take exams, then there is also LITMED exams board which includes Doctors and lecturers from local Universities.

 Spot check at the Institution shows that it has four teaching Laboratories; Biomedical, Analytical ,Clinical and Dispensing with each having its equipment ,reagents, chemicals and apparatus while all the students are to undergo all basic computer skills in computer applications and research programmes not forgetting the in-house library facility.

 And not only academics which take place there without extra-curricular activities, the college has succeeded under Kenya Technical Institutions Sports Association (KETISA) in both ball games, field and track events.

“LITMED was crowned the in-charge of First AID nationally due to their competence and being the only Medical Institution in the Association”Andanda adds showing us the trophy they won.

The college presently has a total of 573 students and aplace worth taking one’s child.

ENDS………………………..

STINKING KENYA?

By Khaguli N.Maurice

Western Kenya Movement for Change- (WKMC)

After 2007 stolen election, Butchers, monisters, and Tribal bureaucracy still exists in Kenya because of uncontrolled identity crisis. Kibaki through Mutula Kilonzo are auctioning public authority to the advantage of weak and the favoring code of law.

Even most of the civil society members have become part of the doubts on the divinity of a free society wondering if the much-awaited Majimbo constitution would be better without the vengeful tribal politicians. I compare sled politics and participation of civility to the wait and see games of PNU government.

Kenyan Citizens have become a building of chronic losers and harder to survive politically than you can imagine. The very idea that we were a nation has disappeared and all is not well. Even facing a light punishment for tall criminals is just like kiddypics justice from the corridors of Sheria house.

RAILA.

Raila has become a dark hole of past crimes and modern impunity. He needs to accept reality since there is no more time left for him. This is no surprise because change in Kenya will never come with people hopes in a weak Raila-ODM government.

For ODM to accept extensions tricks and tribal political challenges within the party he’s just trying to kneecap Ruto on the politics of Rift valley.

These elites as from Orengo to Mutula are part of the bureaucracy without apause. Hague on its articles is the last resort and the sluggishness in implementation of the local tribunal by the binational state of PNU and ODM is just part of the wave of desertion and bad luck for Raila.

This Consociationalism democracy that Raila has embarked to support is unacceptable and worse than the violence that rocket the country in 2007.

Raila and Kibaki must understand this is not an application for forgiveness because power lay incertainty and one man’s certainty threatens the other as from the issues Raila was detained for by Moi’s dictorial Administration, actions of his leaderships is fading drastically, the little power he has in his political unit has no impact but for self interest and destruction of hopes and democracy of free millions Kenyans. These concepts have become his gravesite of football goal posts he believes in.

KOFFI ANNAN.

Koffi Annan must set Kenya wishes free because the bad guys assumed they did it to the cattle and chickens and it’s time for him to unleash trust and love back to this generation and to the future kids who needs change that the past refused to accept. He must accept Kenya is not a free range of African politics by bypassing the real justice control.

The question is, who is telling the truth about the much-awaited Majimbo constitution, justice for the post election violence victims, Past crimes, Human rights abuses, land reforms, Migingo and Museven, impunity, tribal hatred, police brutality, joblessness for youth and regional unbalancing? Is it Raila, Kibaki, Ruto, Muthaura, Saitoti, Mudavadi, Moi, Muite, or is it Uhuru Kenyatta of errors and Mungiki blood? Hell no!

The parliament itself has become a complex arena with little authority and balance of power with the support of the backbenchers that fear authoritarianism. They can’t assist people to uproot the evil that Kibaki party cronies are protecting politically.

The Party cronies know from experience what a small but dedicated group can do. It can never let its guard down. Not once. Not ever. This is not a simple understanding but massive crimes that needs punishment

However, Mutula Kilonzo represent the fascist faction as a free rider PNU government that will work harder to stop anything that can bring change.

For Kenya to heal from the past, bad politics, and tribal identity, Koffi Annan need to urgently listen to the citizens of Kenya because they need to continue understanding each other not bureaucracy in buying more time.

It is about cooperative coexistence among the great people of Kenya not to wait and see by Mutula.Mr. Annan, separate these curtains of wait time from justice because ignorance is going to benevolently misinform you and Hague.

Opening that Envelope in Hague will help Kenyans to have a free communication contact to correct the grave hatred that evil politicians and the tribal business community have subjected Kenyans to.

Kenya needs modernization of its politics and Hague is part of the modernization discipline that African politics needs. Justice must not be tempered at such a time because of forgiveness, time buying and waste of public funds through delegations.

By Jae-Soon Chang, The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea fired a barrage of short-range missiles off its east coast Thursday, a possible prelude to the launch of a long-range missile toward Hawaii over the July Fourth holiday.

Firing a ballistic missile on Independence Day would be a challenge to Washington, which has been rallying international support for enforcement of U.N. sanctions imposed against Pyongyang following a May 25 nuclear test. North Korea is banned from testing ballistic missiles under U.N. resolutions.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Thursday that a long-range missile launch this weekend was possible. “We cannot rule out the possibility,” he said, citing Pyongyang’s past behaviour.

In 2006, North Korea launched its most advanced Taepodong 2 missile while the U.S. celebrated Independence Day, though the rocket fizzled shortly after takeoff and fell into the ocean.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United States remains concerned about North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs but called Thursday’s launches “not unexpected.”

Several U.S. Defence Department officials said there is nothing to indicate that North Korea is ready to launch a long-range ballistic missile and there appears to be no immediate threat to the United States.

The April 5 launch of a Taepodong-2 required 12 days of preparation on the launch pad, which was fully observable to U.S. satellites. Short and medium-range missiles, however, can be launched with little notice.

Missile defences around Hawaii were beefed up following a mid-June report in a Japanese newspaper that the North might fire a long-range missile toward the islands in early July.

The head of the U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Victor E. “Gene” Renuart, said in an interview with the Washington Times this week that U.S. missile defences are prepared to knock down any incoming North Korean missile. “I think we ought to assume there might be one on the Fourth of July,” he said, according to the paper.

North Korea raised concern in late April when it explicitly threatened to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile and warned of a nuclear test. The regime followed through with the atomic blast in May, leaving the ICBM test as its next likely step.

“I totally expect that we will see another long-range missile launch … because they said they will do it,” Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think-tank , told The Associated Press from Beijing where he was attending a nonproliferation conference.

The North’s April launch, which is estimated to have sent a rocket about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometres), represented a “significant advance” in the country’s long-range rocket technology, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said in a recent report.

South Korea believes the Taepodong 2 can travel at least 4,100 miles (6,700 kilometres), putting Alaska and Guam within striking distance. The North is also believed to be developing an advanced version of the Taepodong 2 that could reach not only Hawaii, but also the West Coast of the U.S. with a potential range of about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometres).

Pyongyang had earlier marked a large area of water off its east coast as a no-sail zone through July 10, citing military drills. Thursday’s launches of four short-range missiles were believed to be the North’s first military action in the designated zone.

Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed military official, reported that all four missiles flew about 60 miles (100 kilometres) and identified them as KN-01 missiles with a range of up to 100 miles (160 kilometres).

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso denounced the launches as “provocative.” South Korea’s foreign minister, Yu Myung-hwan, said the firings are “not a good sign because they are demonstrating their military power.”

South Korean analysts were skeptical about the possibility of a long-range launch anytime soon.

Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Seoul’s Dongguk University, said he expects the North will take more time to assess international reaction to its recent pledge to expand its nuclear program.

Tensions over North Korea’s actions come as its leader Kim Jong Il has reportedly been laying the groundwork to hand power over to one of his sons, and as two American journalists were imprisoned for illegal border crossing and hostile acts.

Analysts predict the North will continue its provocative acts in an attempt to command world attention that can lead to economic benefits.

“I think what North Korea will continue to do is ratchet up the tension,” said Brad Glosserman, another analyst at the CSIS think-tank . “It needs that attention to get the concessions from other countries … as well as to demonstrate its strength to domestic constituencies.”

President Barack Obama has vowed the U.S. won’t make the same mistake of rewarding North Korea’s bad behaviour, and his administration has been pressing China - a key North Korean ally - to enforce the new U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.

In an interview with The Associated Press Thursday, Obama said he was trying to “keep a door open” for North Korea to return to international nuclear disarmament talks, but the country must abandon its nuclear weapons programs before it can join the world community.

Philip Goldberg, in charge of co-ordinating the implementation of sanctions against the North, told reporters in Beijing that he had “very good conversations” with Chinese officials Thursday, though did not give details of the talks .

Associated Press writers Kwang-tae Kim, Hyung-jin Kim and Kelly Olsen in Seoul, Alexa Olesen in Beijing, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Mike Eckel in Moscow and Pamela Hess in Washington contributed to this report.

Courtesy of:  http://ca.news.yahoo.com