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Nigeria
More Investment
The 2014 World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa closed on May 9 in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, attracting investment worth more than $68 billion. The funds are targeted at projects that would foster agriculture and improve infrastructure, education, skill development and information technology, among others, said WEF Managing Director Philipp Rosler. "What this means is that it is not just money, but opportunities for Africa, and the reason why we are here is to unlock the opportunities for the improvement in the states of Africa," Rosler explained. The three-day event, under the theme of "Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs," was held for the first time in a West African country. Rosler said this year's forum was one of the best planned in recent years. While visiting Nigeria, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addressed the opening ceremony. CA
Kenya
Traveler Warning
Britain, the United States, France and Australia issued warnings in early May to their citizens not to travel to Kenya, following gun and grenade assaults that have hit the capital Nairobi and the coastal resort of Mombasa. Explosions in both cities on the weekend of May 3-4, one of them at a luxury seaside hotel, killed seven people. Kenya blames the blasts on the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali group al Shabaab. Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said the advisories "are obviously unfriendly acts," and assured tourists they were safe while visiting the country. Tourism is one of Kenya's biggest foreign exchange earners, employing 150,000 people. CA
Rwanda
Encouraging Tourism
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has launched a convention bureau to provide one-stop service aimed at boosting tourism in the small East African nation. The new bureau was tasked with revitalizing attractions for visitors who had never been to the country before, said Amina Kalitanyi, head of the RDB Tourism and Conservation Department. The new bureau will provide guidance on how to get to each tourism destination, what to do and where to eat and stay. Authorities hope the new bureau will help attract more visitors to the country, especially to the volcanic region located in the north where natural bamboo forests are known to shelter mountain gorillas. CA
Kenya
Marriage Law Controversy
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed into law a controversial marriage bill, making it legal for a man to marry as many women as he likes without his wife's permission. Traditionally, first wives are supposed to give prior approval. The Marriage Act 2014 defines various types of marriages including monogamous, polygamous, customary, Christian, Islamic and Hindu marriages. Kenya's female members of parliament, who are against the bill, argued that if a man takes on another wife, the financial situation of the existing wife and the entire family structure would be affected. It also regulates the custody and maintenance of children in the event of separation and divorce. According to the act, marriage is the voluntary union of a man and a woman whether in a monogamous or polygamous union registered under the act. All marriages registered under the act have the same legal status. CA
China
Female Representation
The fairer members of the guard of honor receive an inspection in Beijing on May 12. The first group of 13 female members of the People's Liberation Army Guard of Honor - representing the army, navy and air force - made their debut that day. CA
Zimbabwe
Incentives Plan
Foreign investors investing in joint ventures that require huge capital injection will get tax incentives from the Zimbabwean Government, according to Samuel Undenge, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe. "We need to attract investors into the country and the only way it can be done is through the creation of an investor-friendly environment," Undenge said. Liquidity constraints have forced the closure of more than 100 firms and loss of more than 10,000 jobs since August 2013, while capacity utilization for most of the survivors has remained at below 40 percent. CA
China
Pollution Haze
China's Ministry of Environmental Protection has drafted definitions for the conditions that qualify a day as having haze pollution. The primary indicator of haze pollution is PM2.5, particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns. A haze pollution day occurs when the average concentration of PM2.5 is above 75 micrograms per cubic meter and visibility is less than 5 km for more than six consecutive hours due to an increasing concentration of fine particulate matter in the air. According to the new criteria, Guangzhou had haze pollution for 14 to 15 days in 2013, while Beijing had 138 days and Shenzhen had none. CA
China
Trademark Law
The revised Trademark Law, effective on May 1, streamlines trademark registration procedures and improves trademark protection, said a senior Chinese official. The new law brought about significant changes to the current trademark management system, said Zhang Mao, Director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. The examination period of trademark application is shortened to nine months. This period, used to be 30 months, was shortened to 10 months last year. Sounds can now be registered and protected as trademarks in the new law, said Zhang. The sounds should be easily distinguished and recognizable.
China
H7N9 Breakthrough
A human blood protein has been found to be associated with the Avian influenza H7N9 fatality rate, according to a study by Chinese medical scientists. The study, published in Nature Communications, a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by UK-based Natural Publishing Group in May showed that blood plasma levels of angiotensin II are higher in H7N9 patients and could be used to predict their physical deterioration. The new finding could help in clinical practice. Medical personnel could adopt more effective and reliable treatment measures for patients suffering different conditions. The study was led by researchers of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. CA
China
Home-Made Jetliner
China moved closer to making its own large passenger jetliner as the first large part of the domestically developed C919 rolled off the assembly line on May 15. The forward fuselage, or front section, of the airplane, which typically includes the first-class cabin, will be delivered to the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China soon for its C919 narrow-body airliner, the county's latest attempt to break the Airbus and Boeing duopoly. The aircraft is set to compete against the Airbus A320, the Boeing 737 and the Irkut MS-21. The component was developed and manufactured by Hongdu Aviation Industry Group in southeast China's Jiangxi Province, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp. of China, the nation's leading aircraft maker. CA
Numbers
4%
GDP growth of Morocco in 2014 projected by IMF
$2.56 billion
Online book sales in 2013
3.44 million
New jobs created in urban China in Q1
$17.8 billion
Total revenue from China's mobile Internet in 2013
134,000
autos recalled in the first quarter in China
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