Kerry’s plane grounded again

Vienne, Oct 16 – Globe-trotting top US diplomat John Kerry was left hoofing it back on a commercial flight from Vienna Thursday, after his ageing Air Force plane broke down for the fourth time this year.

After marathon talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in the Austrian capital Wednesday, Kerry’s party of more than 40 State Department staff and journalists were checking out of their hotel rooms before dawn Thursday when the news came that his Boeing 757 needed unspecified repairs — again.

Jambo Africa Restaurant wins Torchlight Award in Minnesota

A restaurant owned by a Kenyan has been voted the best African eatery in the state of Minnesota, United States.

Jambo Africa, which is located on Shingle Creek Parkway in the city of Brooklyn Center, beat other African eateries in the Midwestern region to emerge the overall winner of Torchlight Award.

The Torchlight Foundation recognises achievements made by African immigrants in the fields of culture, education, entertainment, fashion, and philanthropy.

“Our brothers and sisters are out here doing big things and we at Torchlight do not only honour their work, but inspire others,” said Stephen Ngang, the Foundation’s director.

The winning restaurant is run by Mr George Ndege Jojo and his Liberian partner, Mr Simone Chambliss.

Speaking to the Nation soon after receiving the award, an elated Jojo said the recognition was “an affirmation that good stuff can still come out of the continent.”

He said the restaurant has become more popular because it does not specialise in dishes from a single region but from both East and West African cuisine, making it a favourite spot for the African immigrant community in Minnesota.

“The most popular item right now is fried tilapia fish. Customers from both East and West seem to agree on its unmatched flavour and presentation,” said Mr Jojo.

Besides serving African dishes, the restaurant also hosts African cultural events.

“We host African-themed events, including live music band, traditional percussion, dancing, poetry, story-telling sessions, book releases and more.

“When my wife and I get homesick, we come here to remind ourselves of motherland by eating Kenyan food and dancing to Kenyan beats,” said Basillioh Mogaka, who lives in Minneapolis.

Mr Jojo said the restaurant also hosts prominent African dignitaries whenever they visit the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul.

“We also have an American clientele, especially those who have visited Africa as tourists, aid workers and missionaries. They drop in to satisfy their nostalgic food memories of Africa,” he said.

The Torchlight Award also recognised Jambo Africa's high customer service standards.

Interpol wants Kenyan arrested over illegal ivory trade

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 16 – Interpol on Thursday issued an international arrest warrant for Kenyan national Feisal Mohamed, on suspicion of involvement in the illegal ivory trade.

According to Interpol, Mohamed is said to be behind three tonnes of ivory confiscated in Mombasa on July 9 last year, when the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) impounded a consignment weighing 3.2 tonnes at the Port of Mombasa.

The consignment was intercepted in a 20-foot container awaiting shipment to Malaysia. At the time, KRA Public Relations and Corporate Affairs officer Fatuma Yussuf said the ivory tusks were packed in Kenya.

Yussuf had also said documents indicated that the ivory was disguised as groundnuts, wrapped and some stashed in sacks.

Arthur Tudor, the director Kenya Wildlife Service’s Coastal region, said the kind of ivory originated from elephants from the savannah that include Kenyan national parks and neighbouring countries .

Following the seizure, police initiated investigations on the exporter in Nairobi, the consignee in Malaysia and the clearing based in Mombasa.

Two alleged smugglers were on July 12 charged over the consignment but denied the charges.

Abdul Halim Sadiq and Ghalib Sadiq Kara were charged in the port city Mombasa for being in possession of the stash of elephant tusks. An arrest warrant was also issued for businessman Mohamed.

In the warrant issued on Thursday, the international police organisation called on member states to arrest Mohamed if he sets foot on their territories.

On Wednesday, Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said tight measures were set to be put in place to assist in the fight against the poaching menace in the country.

Kimaiyo said he had already met key stakeholders in the sector to strategise on the way forward as the threat continues to persist despite various efforts by the government and other stakeholders.

“We are giving a very strong warning to the poachers…their days are numbered,” he warned. “They will face the full force of the law. We are not going to relent on the issue of poaching and we are going to deal with it firmly.”

He said the current trend threatens to bring down the tourism sector which remains a major income earner but warned that police will not relent in the war.

“Even if they are armed with any kind of sophisticated weapon, we shall deal with them. We have more sophisticated weapons than they have,” he stated.

Ebola‬ patient was on a flight with 132 people

‪#‎BREAKING‬: The CDC confirms that the new ‪#‎Ebola‬ patient was on a flight with 132 people the day before her diagnosis. It was a Frontier Airlines flight from Cleveland to Dallas. ANYONE who was on that flight is asked to call 1 (800)-CDC-INFO. Please get the word out. Here's the latest:

EBOLA LATEST:

EBOLA LATEST: The plane that transported an Ebola-infected nurse from Cleveland to Dallas was cleaned and put back into service the next day, according to Frontier Airlines

HTC launches ‘selfie’ smartphone, new camera

Manila airport tops world's worst airport list

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) of Manila has yet again made it to the top of the 10 worst airports list, according to a US website.