Uganda’s chess team drew 1.5-1.5 with Malawi in the opening game of round one of the 38th World Chess Olympiad played yesterday in Dresden, Germany.
Captain Stephen Kawuma beat Malawi’s Chipanga Chiletso on board two but Moses Kawuma drew with Malawi’s Alfred Charles Chimthere on board four. Malawi’s Chuma Mwale got a bye on board three on which Uganda did not feature any player.
Both Malawi and Uganda had no players featuring on board hence both countries lost that point. Uganda is pitted against San Marino in round two. Stephen is up against Roberto Cecchetti on board three while his brother Moses is up against Euricco Grassi on board four.
However; Uganda’s participation in the World Olympiad has been dealt a brutal blow by the Germany Embassy in Uganda, which has until today still denied national champion Shadrack Kantinti (right) and Harold Wanyama visas to Germany over flimsy excuses. Three lady players who had also secured tickets are still stranded.
The Uganda Chess Federation (UCF) has made frantic efforts to have the current impasse resolved but failed.
“We are endeavoring to see that these players get to Dresden before Monday. It’s unfortunate the team has not been cleared by the Embassy up to now,” said UCF Publicity Secretary Vianney Luggya.
Kantinti and Wanyama will miss up to about 5 rounds by the time they arrive in Germany if at all they travel
Saturday, 15 November 2008
Uganda held to draw by Malawi
Uganda’s chess team drew 1.5-1.5 with Malawi in the opening game of round one of the 38th World Chess Olympiad played yesterday in Dresden, Germany.
Captain Stephen Kawuma beat Malawi’s Chipanga Chiletso on board two but Moses Kawuma drew with Malawi’s Alfred Charles Chimthere on board four. Malawi’s Chuma Mwale got a bye on board three on which Uganda did not feature any player.
Both Malawi and Uganda had no players featuring on board hence both countries lost that point. Uganda is pitted against San Marino in round two. Stephen is up against Roberto Cecchetti on board three while his brother Moses is up against Euricco Grassi on board four.
However; Uganda’s participation in the World Olympiad has been dealt a brutal blow by the Germany Embassy in Uganda, which has until today still denied national champion Shadrack Kantinti (right) and Harold Wanyama visas to Germany over flimsy excuses. Three lady players who had also secured tickets are still stranded.
The Uganda Chess Federation (UCF) has made frantic efforts to have the current impasse resolved but failed.
“We are endeavoring to see that these players get to Dresden before Monday. It’s unfortunate the team has not been cleared by the Embassy up to now,” said UCF Publicity Secretary Vianney Luggya.
Kantinti and Wanyama will miss up to about 5 rounds by the time they arrive in Germany if at all they travel
Captain Stephen Kawuma beat Malawi’s Chipanga Chiletso on board two but Moses Kawuma drew with Malawi’s Alfred Charles Chimthere on board four. Malawi’s Chuma Mwale got a bye on board three on which Uganda did not feature any player.
Both Malawi and Uganda had no players featuring on board hence both countries lost that point. Uganda is pitted against San Marino in round two. Stephen is up against Roberto Cecchetti on board three while his brother Moses is up against Euricco Grassi on board four.
However; Uganda’s participation in the World Olympiad has been dealt a brutal blow by the Germany Embassy in Uganda, which has until today still denied national champion Shadrack Kantinti (right) and Harold Wanyama visas to Germany over flimsy excuses. Three lady players who had also secured tickets are still stranded.
The Uganda Chess Federation (UCF) has made frantic efforts to have the current impasse resolved but failed.
“We are endeavoring to see that these players get to Dresden before Monday. It’s unfortunate the team has not been cleared by the Embassy up to now,” said UCF Publicity Secretary Vianney Luggya.
Kantinti and Wanyama will miss up to about 5 rounds by the time they arrive in Germany if at all they travel
Malawi: Road accidents on the increase
Malawi has registered an increase in the number of road accidents, registering 2, 358 road crashes from January to June 2008 against 1, 535 during the same period last year, according to the National Road Safety Council of Malawi.
The council says there were 361 fatal crashes in 2007, and the figure has increased to 415 this year, pointing to a worsening situation. This represents a 15 per cent increase.
Pointing to a worsening situation, the council adds that, while 380 people were killed last year, 462 have died in road accidents this year- showing an increase of 22 per cent. Of those killed 234 were pedestrians, 125 passengers, 64 bicyclists, 34 drivers, while 5 were motorcyclists, pegging the figure at 462.
More accidents are expected during the festival season next month and early January, if people are not careful on the roads of Malawi.
Malawi is one of the countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that registers a high rate of road accidents, mainly attributable to mini bus drivers.
Malawi to Begin Exporting Beans to Cuba for First Time
Malawi has for the first time participated in a deal to export over 15,000 metric tonnes of red beans to Cuba as soon as possible, a senior official said here Friday.
Trade and Industry Minister Henry Mussa told journalists on arrival from the Cuban capital Havana, where he attended the 26th International Trade Fair, that Malawi has an advantage of exporting a large quantity of red beans to Cuba after the hurricanes destroyed nearly one third of the crops in that country.
“Farmers should come forward so that we arrange transportation logistics for the exports of the beans to Cuba,” he said.
Apart from tobacco, the country’s main foreign exchange earner, beans could also be another foreign exchange earner and improve economic growth for Malawi, he added.
Trade and Industry Minister Henry Mussa told journalists on arrival from the Cuban capital Havana, where he attended the 26th International Trade Fair, that Malawi has an advantage of exporting a large quantity of red beans to Cuba after the hurricanes destroyed nearly one third of the crops in that country.
“Farmers should come forward so that we arrange transportation logistics for the exports of the beans to Cuba,” he said.
Apart from tobacco, the country’s main foreign exchange earner, beans could also be another foreign exchange earner and improve economic growth for Malawi, he added.
Alleviating the agonies of old age
The respect Malawi`s elderly once enjoyed in the society is being soured by the twin pressures of poverty and HIV/AIDS, according to a recent report, and the government is introducing social grants to alleviate the burden they carry.
``In the past, the elderly in Malawi used to depend on the economic and social support of their children and the community. With increased socio-economic difficulties and changing family ties, children fail to look after their ageing parents,`` says the Social Protection and Ageing in Malawi report, by Zifa Kazeze, formerly of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
``Similarly, communities are failing to provide for the needs of the elderly. The plight of the elderly is made worse with the direct and indirect effects of HIV and AIDS.``
More than 52 percent of Malawi`s 13 million people live on less than US$1 a day; the resulting poor food security means that about 50 percent of children under the age of five have stunted growth, about 13 percent of the 7.3 million children aged under 18 have lost their parents, mainly as a result of HIV/AIDS, and more than 50 percent of children of primary school age have dropped out, the report said.
According to UNAIDS, about 11.9 percent of the adult population, or 930,000 people, were living with HIV/AIDS at the beginning of 2008.
``Older persons are important and have a contribution to make in socio-economic development. It is important, therefore, that the implications of ageing issues in Malawi are understood, especially the challenges older persons face, and to respond to the challenges and opportunities of ageing,`` reads the report in part.
The impact of HIV/AIDS was taking its toll mainly among young adults of working age, leaving a large number of orphans to the care of their grandparents, who were not able to provide economically for their charges while also taking care of their own needs, says the report.
According to Help Age International, a global network of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working to promote the rights of older people, between 50 and 60 percent of orphans in Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe live with their grandparents.
The plight of the elderly
A 2003 study by the development ministry and the University of Malawi found out that although most people viewed the elderly in a positive light, some regarded them as witches or wizards, while 48 percent of respondents knew about or had heard of some abuse of old people.
Undule Mwakasungura, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation says it was worrying that an increasing number of the elderly, particularly women, were being condemned as witches.
``If you look at statistics, a majority of people who have been accused of witchcraft are women – and not men. In general, women are historically more vulnerable to violence due to their traditionally subordinate position in most cultures.``
Mwakasungura says elderly people were also being abandoned by their children, who migrated from the rural areas to live and work in the towns and cities and did not remit money.
Malawi does not have a comprehensive social protection Programme, although there is a pension fund for retired state employees, but most of the rural population, constituting about 83 percent of the total, ``has no form of social protection. They are income insecure. There is therefore a need for a non-contributory pension as a significant component of old age income security,`` recommends the report.
``I think the Social Protection Policy, which is still in draft form, is bound to protect elderly persons in Malawi. This policy is designed to ensure that the most vulnerable people, with limited factors of production, are sufficiently cushioned. This raises the hope for improved standards of living for elderly people in Malawi, particularly those who have no pensions or anyone to look after them,`` says Mwakasungura.
Grants for the poorest households
The government has embarked on a social cash transfer scheme, aimed at the poorest 10 percent of households, piloted in July 2006 in Mchinji District, about 100km north of the capital, Lilongwe, where 3,094 people were provided a monthly cash transfer that benefited about 14,332 people.
Most of these households were headed by elderly people with young dependents, with no household members between the ages of 19 and 64, an indication of the impact HIV/AIDS has had on Malawi\'s family composition.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provided $371,000 for the pilot project, with the assistance of the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
The amount of the monthly cash transfer depended on the family size and the number of children attending school, and was paid to the beneficiaries by staff from the District Assembly (DA), a local government body, escorted by local police officers.
Targeted households received $4 for a single-person household, $7 for a two-person household, $10 for a three-person household, and $13 for a household with four or more members. In addition, a $1.30 bonus per month was provided for each child of primary school age in the household, and $2.60 for each child of secondary school age, as an enticement to school attendance.
According to the report, by the end of March 2008 about 12,000 households were receiving social cash transfers.
``In the past, the elderly in Malawi used to depend on the economic and social support of their children and the community. With increased socio-economic difficulties and changing family ties, children fail to look after their ageing parents,`` says the Social Protection and Ageing in Malawi report, by Zifa Kazeze, formerly of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
``Similarly, communities are failing to provide for the needs of the elderly. The plight of the elderly is made worse with the direct and indirect effects of HIV and AIDS.``
More than 52 percent of Malawi`s 13 million people live on less than US$1 a day; the resulting poor food security means that about 50 percent of children under the age of five have stunted growth, about 13 percent of the 7.3 million children aged under 18 have lost their parents, mainly as a result of HIV/AIDS, and more than 50 percent of children of primary school age have dropped out, the report said.
According to UNAIDS, about 11.9 percent of the adult population, or 930,000 people, were living with HIV/AIDS at the beginning of 2008.
``Older persons are important and have a contribution to make in socio-economic development. It is important, therefore, that the implications of ageing issues in Malawi are understood, especially the challenges older persons face, and to respond to the challenges and opportunities of ageing,`` reads the report in part.
The impact of HIV/AIDS was taking its toll mainly among young adults of working age, leaving a large number of orphans to the care of their grandparents, who were not able to provide economically for their charges while also taking care of their own needs, says the report.
According to Help Age International, a global network of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working to promote the rights of older people, between 50 and 60 percent of orphans in Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe live with their grandparents.
The plight of the elderly
A 2003 study by the development ministry and the University of Malawi found out that although most people viewed the elderly in a positive light, some regarded them as witches or wizards, while 48 percent of respondents knew about or had heard of some abuse of old people.
Undule Mwakasungura, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation says it was worrying that an increasing number of the elderly, particularly women, were being condemned as witches.
``If you look at statistics, a majority of people who have been accused of witchcraft are women – and not men. In general, women are historically more vulnerable to violence due to their traditionally subordinate position in most cultures.``
Mwakasungura says elderly people were also being abandoned by their children, who migrated from the rural areas to live and work in the towns and cities and did not remit money.
Malawi does not have a comprehensive social protection Programme, although there is a pension fund for retired state employees, but most of the rural population, constituting about 83 percent of the total, ``has no form of social protection. They are income insecure. There is therefore a need for a non-contributory pension as a significant component of old age income security,`` recommends the report.
``I think the Social Protection Policy, which is still in draft form, is bound to protect elderly persons in Malawi. This policy is designed to ensure that the most vulnerable people, with limited factors of production, are sufficiently cushioned. This raises the hope for improved standards of living for elderly people in Malawi, particularly those who have no pensions or anyone to look after them,`` says Mwakasungura.
Grants for the poorest households
The government has embarked on a social cash transfer scheme, aimed at the poorest 10 percent of households, piloted in July 2006 in Mchinji District, about 100km north of the capital, Lilongwe, where 3,094 people were provided a monthly cash transfer that benefited about 14,332 people.
Most of these households were headed by elderly people with young dependents, with no household members between the ages of 19 and 64, an indication of the impact HIV/AIDS has had on Malawi\'s family composition.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provided $371,000 for the pilot project, with the assistance of the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
The amount of the monthly cash transfer depended on the family size and the number of children attending school, and was paid to the beneficiaries by staff from the District Assembly (DA), a local government body, escorted by local police officers.
Targeted households received $4 for a single-person household, $7 for a two-person household, $10 for a three-person household, and $13 for a household with four or more members. In addition, a $1.30 bonus per month was provided for each child of primary school age in the household, and $2.60 for each child of secondary school age, as an enticement to school attendance.
According to the report, by the end of March 2008 about 12,000 households were receiving social cash transfers.
Madonna appeals to fans to donate to Malawi school
Pop diva Madonna is asking fans to donate money so she can build a girls' school in Malawi for underprivileged children.
In a video posted on her Web site, the singer described her inspiration for building the multimillion dollar project.
"There are very few girls in Africa in general who are encouraged or allowed to go to secondary school, so after spending a lot of time there I realized that one of the ways I could help is to build a girls' school," said Madonna, who officially adopted a young Malawian boy, David Banda, in May.
"I would really be grateful if you would get involved and help me in any way that you can, with donations, spreading the word, visiting my Web site, reading about the progress that we've made so far," Madonna said in the appeal, which was posted on Thursday.
Madonna, 50, is currently on the U.S. leg of her world tour, and is going through a divorce from British film director Guy Ritchie.
Billionaire U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey has also sought to improve the education of African girls, building a $40 million all-girl leadership academy in South Africa.
Madonna calls her project The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. She has also established a charity for Malawi's orphans called Raising Malawi and produced a documentary this year about the plight of children orphaned by the AIDS crisis in one of the world's poorest countries.
In a video posted on her Web site, the singer described her inspiration for building the multimillion dollar project.
"There are very few girls in Africa in general who are encouraged or allowed to go to secondary school, so after spending a lot of time there I realized that one of the ways I could help is to build a girls' school," said Madonna, who officially adopted a young Malawian boy, David Banda, in May.
"I would really be grateful if you would get involved and help me in any way that you can, with donations, spreading the word, visiting my Web site, reading about the progress that we've made so far," Madonna said in the appeal, which was posted on Thursday.
Madonna, 50, is currently on the U.S. leg of her world tour, and is going through a divorce from British film director Guy Ritchie.
Billionaire U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey has also sought to improve the education of African girls, building a $40 million all-girl leadership academy in South Africa.
Madonna calls her project The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. She has also established a charity for Malawi's orphans called Raising Malawi and produced a documentary this year about the plight of children orphaned by the AIDS crisis in one of the world's poorest countries.
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