/-/2456/2456/-/1bxxmm/-/index.html http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Hype+over+East+Africa+oil++gas+discoveries+requires+reality/-/434750/1404624/-/q49oq8z/-/index.html In the past 50 years, East Africa has never been completely off the radar screen of the international oil and gas industry, but apart from some small gas discoveries in Tanzania in the 1970s and ‘80s, exploration efforts in the region were unsuccessful until the discovery of commercial quantities of oil in Uganda in 2006. 2012-05-12T14:04:21Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/lastword/Sprinkle+with+olive+oil++lemon+juice+and+pepper+then+toss+babies/-/434754/1404620/-/yn9u0l/-/index.html In a bizarre ritual, Hindu priests in the south Indian state of Karnataka toss babies from the rooftop of a temple onto a cloth held by waiting men, believing that this will make them grow stronger. The UK Telegraph reports that large crowds of devotees gathered at the Marutheshwara temple near Mudhol town in Bagalkot district to observe the ritual, locally known as Okali. Eager parents presented their babies, who were between the ages of three months and two years, to priests at the temple who tossed them from the temple roof onto a cloth borne by a group of men standing below. Though the ritual often evokes criticism, it is defended by devotees and priests, who feel that their belief that the children will be stronger justifies the ritual which puts babies at such huge risk. 2012-05-12T13:35:52Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/-/434748/1404618/-/7233jf/-/index.html Austerity, thank god, Is dead: The new French Prez Will resurrect   The need for spending, Jobs and growth And exorcise Sarkozy’s ghost.   So Socialism’s Back in vogue And Europe’s once more On the road   To something like Old liberté, égalité, fraternité!   The Right, though strong, Could not defeat This groundswell for Démocratie.   2012-05-12T13:33:02Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/letters/Obama+support+for+same+sex+marriage++a++new+immoral+era/-/434756/1404616/-/xo84fi/-/index.html THE DARING affirmation by US President Barack Obama that people must respect the rights of homosexual has become the developing world’s worst enemy currently. This affirmation has been termed Obama’s political and moral suicide by his challengers. 2012-05-12T13:32:30Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/editorial/Stubborn+Bashir+a+threat+to+all/-/434752/1404614/-/5m32q3/-/index.html Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s obstinacy could endanger the entire region. He maintains that the United Nations and the African Union cannot impose their will on Sudan vis a vis the continuing clashes with the newly independent Republic of South Sudan. 2012-05-12T13:31:38Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/editorial/Heed+Raila+warning+on+ethnic+violence/-/434752/1404612/-/125gue4/-/index.html The warning by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga that ethnic violence could recur during next year’s general election should be taken seriously by all political players. 2012-05-12T13:31:17Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/-/434750/1404610/-/45976xz/-/index.html On a visit to Kenya last week, the National Democratic Institute — a Washington based lobby group — pronounced Kenya not ready to hold a democratic and violence-free general election. This was not — as we often claim when criticised — yet another example of Western imperialism; the delegation included respected human-rights advocates such as Martin Luther King III and former Botswana president Quett Masire. 2012-05-12T13:29:50Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Mysterious+billions+for+grain+imports+turn+out+to+be/-/434750/1404608/-/ysol0yz/-/index.html Had the finance minister opted to explain “fiscal risks” clearly in Annex 10 itself, he might have avoided parliamentary and media misinterpretation.” 2012-05-12T13:28:52Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/-/434750/1404606/-/45977nz/-/index.html So, we have a new Cabinet. Congratulations to those who made it back, it is always nice not to get demoted, isn’t it? And good luck to the brand new appointees who are going to get blooded in the arena of the executive: may their skills and competence match their ambition and their promises. 2012-05-12T13:27:20Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/How+to+end+poverty+just+arrest+all+those+lazy+poor+people/-/434750/1404604/-/x3htryz/-/index.html At first it struck me as rather funny. Then I spent a few minutes reflecting on it. I decided it wasn’t so funny after all. According to a report in a local daily, Uganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Major-General Kahinda Otafiire, had finally lost his patience with poor people in his home district of Mitooma. “I have long held you with soft hands but this time I am changing tactics,” he told a group that had gathered to take part in Labour Day (May Day) celebrations. 2012-05-12T13:26:34Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Jambo+Jet+If+it+does+not+charge++100+Kampala+Nairobi/-/434750/1404602/-/3wrnit/-/index.html People who travel around the region recently had their hopes raised by the news that Kenya Airways was planning to establish a low-cost carrier to be called Jambo Jet. Not knowing the business dynamics of the air travel industry, we can only comment from a consumer’s point of view, and hope that our view also matters. 2012-05-12T13:25:50Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Now+Kikwete+has+sacked+his+naughty+ministers++will+he+prosecute/-/434750/1404600/-/m76egl/-/index.html Finally, last week, President Jakaya Kikwete fired a number of ministers who had been accused of either corruption or incompetence and appointed new ones in their place. In other circumstances, this action would have assumed dramatic proportions and given rise to excitement, but, in the event, it hardly raised eyebrows. Why? 2012-05-12T13:23:27Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Has+our+new+Constitution+already+failed+us/-/434750/1404598/-/9sbn9i/-/index.html It is now May. We have no indication from our two principals as to whether they intend to dissolve the Grand Coalition Government to hold elections this December. Or whether they intend to sit it out until, as per the old Constitution and transitional clauses of the new Constitution, elections are held by March 2013. 2012-05-12T13:22:21Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Oil+curses+work+in+mysterious+ways++just+ask+the+Nigerians/-/434750/1404596/-/deseh5/-/index.html Now that every deep hole in East Africa seems to yield oil or gas at the bottom, there is a growing smell of money in the air in the years ahead. 2012-05-12T13:21:38Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Stop+manipulating+and+bullying+the+EA+court+/-/434750/1404590/-/hvapauz/-/index.html The East African Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on April 26 calling on the ICC to transfer the cases of Kenya’s “Ocampo Four” 2012-05-12T13:18:27Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/AfDB+to+issue+bond+on+USE+later+this+year/-/2560/1404524/-/154p2v0z/-/index.html African Development Bank plans to issue a bond on the Ugandan Securities Exchange in the second half of this year, in local currency. The proceeds will be used to fund infrastructure projects in Uganda. 2012-05-12T11:33:28Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Ugandan+banks+on+a+roll/-/2560/1404516/-/12lan3uz/-/index.html Strong earnings in the second and third quarters of 2011 plus good returns on government securities boosted profits 2012-05-12T11:24:30Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Health+insurers+attract+PE+funds/-/2560/1404510/-/nn40u1z/-/index.html IMG recently received $3.2m from two equity funds and $5.5b from IFC, while AAR got $8.9m three years ago 2012-05-12T11:21:26Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Privately+armed+navies+to+protect+ships+off+Somalia+coast/-/2560/1404502/-/vstcrn/-/index.html Each vessel will have four crew, eight armed security personnel and inflatable speedboats 2012-05-12T11:18:50Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Safaricom+days+of+windfall+profits+appear+to+be+numbered/-/2560/1404492/-/redhymz/-/index.html Its first-half pre-tax profit dipped by 48 per cent for the second successive year, as ruinous price wars took their toll 2012-05-12T11:15:36Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Power++politics+and+money+behind+KenolKobil/-/2558/1404448/-/114dhmxz/-/index.html TOO BIG? Kenol is not only a well-connected firm rescued from the dead 30 years ago; with $2.1 billion in sales, it is East Africa’s largest company. Now it has bitten off more than it can chew 2012-05-12T10:22:01Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Member+states+to+pay+more+as+bloc+unveils++123+7m+budget/-/2558/1404446/-/15avokr/-/index.html THE EAST African Community has unveiled its $123,789,199 budget for the 2012/2013 fiscal year. 2012-05-12T10:19:55Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Regional+court+halts+Uganda+EALA+elections/-/2558/1404438/-/rgcya4z/-/index.html This will further delay the country when it comes to electing their EALA members after missing the April 14 deadline 2012-05-12T10:16:02Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/S++Sudan+bid+to+join+EAC+to+be+processed/-/2558/1404434/-/uf2mycz/-/index.html The preparatory work, which includes constitution of the team, orientation and preparation of the country profile, will kick off in mid-May 2012-05-12T10:13:54Z http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/1404430/-/mj2txxz/-/index.html A fresh wave of commercial farm invasions is threatening Tanzania’s horticultural exports and could drive away foreign investors from the multimillion-dollar industry. 2012-05-12T10:09:50Z