New map of South Sudan shows borders in line with 1956 boundaries between north and south
NEW OFFICIAL MAP OF SOUTH SUDAN EXTENDS TO 1956 BOUNDARIES The government of South Sudan last week launched their first official map for the country which attained independence from their former slave masters in Khartoum only in July last year. The Council of Ministers meeting a week ago, otherwise known as cabinet, approved the new […]
Kenya Airways makes Delhi its 57th destination
57 AND COUNTING AS KENYA AIRWAYS ADDS DEHLI Delhi will today become Kenya Airways 57th destination, when the B767-300 takes off from Nairobi later in the day to start scheduled flights to Indias capita city. After Mumbai, served daily, this will be KQs second destination in India, to be followed in coming years by at […]
Fresh fighting sees Virunga National Park rangers killed, park outposts shelled
FRESH FIGHTING CAUSES COLLATERAL DAMAGE TO VIRUNGA RANGER POSTS Gorilla conservation in the Congo DR has just become even more difficult as reports emerged via Rwanda that a fresh outbreak of fighting has seen the vitally important ranger post in Bikenge, at the edge of the park, extensively damaged through shelling, almost making it appear […]
Routes Africa meeting to be held at Kempinski Seychelles Resort
ROUTES AFRICA LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY The Kempinski Seychelles Resort at Baie Lazare was chosen as the befitting venue for the Routes Africa 2012 Conference, due to take place on the Seychelles main island of Mahe from July 08th 10th. The annual series of Routes conferences will continue in a few days in Tallinn […]
Rivertrees reopens today after annual ‘hibernation’
RIVERTREES REOPENS TODAY (Picture courtesy of Rivertrees) Rivertrees, a country Inn set right at the Usa River halfway between Arusha and the Kilimanjaro International Airport, a long time favourite of this correspondent when visiting East Africas Safari Capital will emerge from its annual self prescribed hibernation and reopen its doors to guests on today, 14th […]
Eastern and Central African Road and Rail Infrastructure Summit set for Dar es Salaam
DAR ES SALAAM VENUE FOR 3RD EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN ROAD AND RAIL SUMMIT Tanzanias commercial capital of Dar es Salaam was chosen to once again host the third East and Central Africa Road and Rail Infrastructure Summit, bringing together private and public sector, investors and operators from a number of African countries including non […]
Air Tanzania to commence flight operations next weekend
AIR TANZANIA TO RESUME FLIGHTS NEXT WEEKEND Following the delayed arrival of their leased B737-500 over the weekend has a regular aviation source in Dar es Salaam confirmed that ATCL is intent to resume operations within a week, now putting final touches on schedules, crew planning and a last ditch sales and marketing effort, to […]
Etihad targets Ethiopia with initially 5 flights per week starting November
ETIHAD TARGETS ETHIOPIA An Addis Ababa based source confirmed that Etihad, the national airline of Abu Dhabi, is set to commence flights between the UAEs capital city and Ethiopia later this year. The information obtained claims that Etihad will from November this year begin with five flights per week, reportedly using an A320 aircraft on […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Second edition May 2012
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome You can get your daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also cross load or […]
Likoni ferry deals more scares to users
LIKONI FERRY USERS INCENSED OVER FRESH INCIDENT Mid morning rush hour traffic across the Likoni channel served ferry users another shock experience, when MV Nyayo stalled before landing and drifted into the open waters of the channel. Another ferry en route was dispatched immediately to come alongside the stalled vessel to tow her back to […]
Threat to Kazimzumbwi Forest poses another challenge to new natural resources minister
FORESTRY OFFICIALS FINGERED IN ATTEMPTED FOREST GRABBING Kazimzumbwi forest, located only some 20 kilometres south of Dar es Salaam in the Pugu Hills and adjoining the Pugu Forest Reserve, was exposed as the latest assault victim by land grabbers and corrupt officials, when the outgoing District Commissioner Ms. Khanifa Karamagi, now on transfer to her […]
Mara conservancy and KWS in dispute over orphaned cheetah cubs
CHEETAH ORPHANS SEE KWS AND MARA CONSERVANCY LOCK HORNS KWS have such an ability to stir controversy and dish out slaps into the faces of their conservation partners at times said a Nairobi based conservation source before adding they might be well advised to undertake a crash course in public relations and how to build […]
Kagesheki’s speech silences his sacked predecessor during formal handover of tourism ministry
KAGESHEKI GETS HANDOVER REPORT FROM SACKED PREDECESSOR Disgraced former minister for natural resources and tourism Ezekiel Maige had to return one last time to the ministry he brought into disrepute, in the end costing him his job, when he had to attend the formal handover to his successor, widely respected Ambassador Khamis Kagesheki. Maiges apparently […]
Seychelles Heritage Foundation and Raffles join hands to promote Praslin / La Digue Heritage award scheme
SEYCHELLES HERITAGE FOUNDATION AND RAFFLES LAUNCH HERITAGE AWARDS In a remarkable private / public sector cooperation have the Praslin and La Digue Heritage Awards been launched at the Raffles resort on Praslin island, when the Seychelles Heritage Foundation announced a new award scheme. In particular children can submit their projects and research into heritage sites, […]
Save the Uganda Museum campaign gets parliamentary support
FRIENDS OF UGANDA MUSEUM GET PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT (Image courtesy of www.ugandaninsomniac.wordpress.com) Local groups promoting the protection of Ugandas heritage and in particular of buildings associated with Ugandas history received a boost yesterday, when the Public Accounts Committee in parliament threw out plans to build a 60 storey Trade Centre in place of the historic building. […]
2011 ‘Worst Year’ for wildlife in Eastern Africa
WORST YEAR FOR EAST AFRICAS ELEPHANTS IN DECADES Last year turned out to be the worst for a very long time, with poaching of elephant reaching alarming proportions across Eastern Africa, Uganda alone allegedly losing 25 of them in the wider Murchisons Falls NP conservation area. Reports are now emerging that the notably the Auditor […]
Uganda Tourism part of official delegation to Rio+20 Summit
UGANDA DELEGATION TO RIO SUMMIT INCLUDES TOURIST BOARD Budget considerations appear to restrict Ugandas delegation to the upcoming Rio Summit to around thirty only, inspite of the country being a biodiversity hotspot of global recognition and suffering already from climate change fall out, as the shrinking ice caps on the Rwenzori Mountains, aka Mountains of […]
RwandAir ready to add four more flights to Johannesburg from 10th of June
RWANDAIR PREPARES FOR DAILY FLIGHTS TO JOHANNESBURG Information was received from Kigali that RwandAir, the countrys national airline, intends to add 4 more flights on the route to Johannesburg, going daily from next month onwards with one traffic day seeing both a day and night flight. The new schedule comes into effect on June 10th. […]
Akamba Bus Services suspend operations leaving thousands of travelers in a lurch
ROAD TRANSPORT BETWEEN KENYA AND UGANDA SUFFERS BLOW AS AKAMBA CLOSES Regular Akamba bus users between Nairobi and Kampala will have to find a new home after news emerged that the company, one of the market leaders and with a way above average safety standard, has suspended operations amid reports from Kenya, that the company […]
Emirates posts 24th consecutive profit year against global trends
EMIRATES POSTS 24TH CONSECUTIVE ANNUAL PROFIT, ADDS ROUTES AND AIRCRAFT Dubais award winning national airline, Emirates, has according to a regular source at their Kampala office closed another year of uninterrupted profits, for the past 24 years the norm for this global airline. This year we added 11 destinations to our network and are now […]
Air Tanzania gets a B737-500 to restart operations
AIR TANZANIA GETS B737 ON LEASE Sources in Dar es Salaam have confirmed that Air Tanzania is receiving a leased B737-500 to restart operations within Tanzania later today. With the crashed Bombardier Q300 out of service, the aircraft suffered from a bodged take off attempt in Kigoma some weeks ago as reported here, the jet […]
Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority develops new market strategies
MTPA WORKING ON NEW MARKET STRATEGY FOR EUROPE Economic challenges across the European economies, coupled with the latest election results in France and Greece, which could spell more trouble for the Eurozone, has prompted the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, to take a fresh look at marketing and promotional […]
Tanzania Tourist Board launches competition for new tagline and slogan
TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD LAUNCHES COMPETITION FOR NEW TAGLINE The Tanzania Tourist Board has now officially launched its search for a new slogan and tag line, with contributions and participation open for everyone who wishes to put a proposal forward. The competition is running up to the 05th of June and the winner can expect to […]
Madhvani Foundation celebrates their own Golden Jubilee with record scholarship funding.
MADHVANI FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSAY WITH LARGEST FUNDING EVER As Uganda moves towards her 50th anniversary of Independence, so is the Madhvani Foundation equally looking back at 50 years of supporting gifted students, celebrating that special event with a record budget of 600 million Uganda Shillings for the year 2012/13. The attachment of the Madhvani […]
KQ launches another African first with KQ Mobile
KENYA AIRWAYS INTRODUCES KQ MOBILE SERVICE Kenya Airways has signed up with Cellulant to deliver to their clients and passenger up to date information via mobile phone text messaging, it was learned overnight. Named KQ Mobile the service is accessible by dialing in ones mobile phone *737# which then allows access to a range of […]
KWS takes the anti poaching fight to the poachers
KWS TAKES THE FIGHT TO THE POACHERS Reports of two shootouts with poachers became known overnight, when a source from Nairobi confirmed that KWS enforcement personnel was in hot pursuit of two gangs of poachers in Tana River County. During the fire fights at least one poacher was killed while others are suspected to have […]
Air Seychelles cabin crew graduate from type conversion course
AIR SEYCHELLES STAFF COMPLETE TRAINING AT ETIHADS ACADEMY IN ABU DHABI Information was received overnight that the first group of Air Seychelles staff had successfully completed their training programme and were type rated for the A330 and the A320, which have already joined the Air Seychelles fleet on a wet lease from partner airline Etihad. […]
Tanzania’s new tourism minister sets out his agenda
NEW TOURISM MINISTER VOWS TO MAKE CHANGES Appointed only last week, when his predecessor Ezekiel Maige was unceremoniously sacked alongside 5 other cabinet ministers, did the new man at the helm of the ministry for natural resources and tourism Khamis Kagesheki make his first major announcement yesterday in Dar es Salaam. Poaching, illegal timber cutting […]
Ethiopian Airlines sees first 8 pilots graduate from type conversion to the B787
ETHIOPIAN PILOTS START TYPE CONVERSION TO THE B787 DREAMLINER Ethiopian Airlines pilots are the first African pilots working for an Africa based airline to have trained on and converted to the revolutionary new B787 Dreamliner, it was learned overnight. Ethiopian will be Boeings launch customer for Africa and the first 8 pilots have now completed […]
ZANTEL introduces better deals for data bundles
ZANTEL BRINGS UNLIMITED SURFING Residents will be smiling, as will in particular visiting tourists, now that ZANTEL, which is part of the UAEs Etisalat Group, has introduced new data bundles, which can be taken advantage of by purchasing a local SIM card and then surfing the net, uploading pictures on Facebook or sending them by […]
