SOUTH AFRICA: Two SA Safari Destinations Listed In CNN’s Top Ten

A six-hour drive from Johannesburg to the edge of the renowned Kruger National Park, Leopard Hills offers safaris through 10,000 hectares of big beast countryside.

The main lodge is sited on a rocky outcrop in the western sector of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve overlooking an active waterhole and magnificent plains where the Big Five reside.

Rates include two drives per day and optional walking safaris with the chance of close-quarter glimpses of rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo and elephant.

Rangers are established photographers and can advise on taking quality safari snaps.

Leopard Hills (South Africa)

2015 Safari Awards, the Oscars of the Safari industry, are a useful guide to the best available tours. CNN examined the honors roll and gathered 10 of their favorite finalists. These are the adventures that excel in location, animal encounters, social and environmental responsibility and offer something different.

Pumba Private Game Reserve & Spa (South Africa)
Hippo, hyena, wildebeest, kudu, eland and antelope are among the attractions at the family-friendly Pumba Private Game Reserve & Spa.

The big draw, however, is the majestic and endangered white lion.

Pumba, a malaria-free haven dedicated to conservation and boosting the local community, operates a white lion-breeding program and is one of just two homes to the beast in the whole of southern Africa.

Accommodation includes the Water Lodge, overlooking Lake Cariega, or Msenge Bush Lodge, looking out over a waterhole and mountain views.

The other eight destinations chosen by CNN were Fundu Lagoon (Tanzania); Karisia Walking Safaris (Kenya); Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Rwanda); Samode Safari Lodge (India); Tongole Wilderness Lodge (Malawi); African Horseback Safaris (Botswana); Goliath Safaris Luxury Tented Camp(Zimbabwe); Norman Carr Walking Safari (Zambia).

How the 2015 Safari Awards are run

The Safari Awards was founded in 2008. The competition has gone from strength to strength and is regarded by many as the Oscars of the Safari industry.

Over 4,000 vetted tour operators, travel agents and travel journalists are invited to vote for the best safari camps, lodges, house, mobile and riding operators, and wildlife organisations. A panel of 14 highly-respected, knowledgeable and independent judges vote to create the ‘Judges Shortlist’ of about 200 safari camps, people and operators. Further voting takes places to produce the top five per category which are then visited and further voted on to produce the winners.

KENYA: Pope Francis Speaks Out Against Ivory Poaching

Pope Francis has urged global action against the illegal trafficking of blood diamonds, ivory and other natural resources, in the second day of his landmark three-nation Africa trip.

In a speech in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday, the pope said the illegal trade in precious stones and ivory fulled political instability and organised crime.

"We cannot be silent about forms of illegal trafficking which arise in situations of poverty," he said, just two weeks before Nairobi hosts a key ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation.

Figures published earlier this year by Amnesty International showed conflict diamonds, which account for four percent of total global production, have helped finance civil wars and prop up military regimes.

The pontiff's remarks on wildlife trafficking were likely to hit home in Kenya, a country trying to stamp out rampant poaching to protect its remaining elephant population.

Hundreds of elephants are lost to poaching every year, with conservationists warning the African elephant could be extinct in the wild within a generation.

The Argentine pope also warned against "the globalisation of indifference" and the danger of becoming resigned to "new forms of slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, prostitution and trafficking in organs".

Tens of thousands of Kenyans travelled to the centre of Nairobi on Thursday for a chance to attend a Mass with Pope Francis on his first official visit to the continent.

Rain poured down on the crowds which was considered a blessing from Pope Francis, some of whom had spent the night outside the custom-built chapel in central Nairobi.

He next visits Uganda and the Central African Republic to address a number of pressing concerns, including climate change, conflict resolution, corruption and interfaith tolerance.

SUDAN: Bashir Cancels Plans For South Africa Summit Fearing ICC Arrest

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will not be part of next month's summit of the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in South Africa.

While the Sudan embassy said President Bashir had pressing domestic issues to attend to, indications are that he may have been requested to skip the visit by both the South African and Chinese governments.

Highly placed government sources said the two countries fear the Sudan leader's presence would detract attention from the summit.

The Sudanese embassy in Pretoria on Wednesday confirmed its leader would skip the December summit.

Embassy spokesman Saif Ahmed said President Bashir will be represented by his deputy, Mr Bakri Hasan Saleh, at the summit.

"It is worth mentioning that the Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir is currently engaged in highly important domestic issues, including the following up of the national dialogue, as well as the Addis Ababa round of negotiations between the Sudan and the armed groups," Mr Ahmed said.

The South African government has been under pressure to avoid hosting President Bashir after the June debacle at the Africa Summit in Johannesburg when it failed to follow enforce a local court order to arrest the Sudan leader.

The court order was subsequent to a demand by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to hold the Sudanese leader.

The ICC wants him arrested for crimes against humanity, but the South African government defied the North Gauteng High Court's ruling ordering his detention.

Mr Ahmed stressed that President Bashir recently participated in three consecutive summits, suggesting he did not need to be part of the FOCAC summit in South Africa.

The summits were the China-Africa, conference in Beijing, the India-Africa Forum in New Delhi, and the summit of Arab-South American held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Last month, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said it had taken preemptive action to ensure that South Africa arrests Bashir, if he comes to South Africa again.

This seemed to refer to the possible attendance of the Sudanese leader at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) which is taking place in Sandton on December 4 and 5.

She appeared to be concerned that the continuing legal wrangles over Bashir's June visit might give Pretoria a pretext not to arrest him if he does enter South Africa again.

The ICC originally gave Pretoria until October 5 to submit its reasons for disobeying an explicit request from the court, on June 13, to arrest Bashir.

The court would then decide if South Africa had violated its obligations to the ICC to arrest Al-Bashir.

If so it would be referred to the UN Security Council for possible punishment.

STILL AWAITING EXPLANATION

On October 2, the South African government asked the ICC for more time to submit its reasons for not arresting the Sudanese leader, as it said the South African courts were still dealing with the same issue.

The South African government has appealed the decision by the North Gauteng High Court that the government violated the South African constitution by failing to arrest Bashir.

On October 15, Judge Cuno Tarfusser, presiding over the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber II granted Pretoria's request for an extended deadline to submit its reasons.

He ordered South Africa to promptly inform the ICC of any relevant developments in the South African court case.

If there were no developments by December 15, South Africa should inform the ICC by December 31 of the state of the legal proceedings.

TANZANIA: Four Chinese Smugglers Appear In Court Over Sh900 Million Smuggled Rhino Horns

Four Chinese nationals who were arrested a fortnight ago with 11 rhino horns were yesterday charged in Mbeya with economic sabotage.

Mr Song Leo, 33, Xiao Shaodan, 29, Chen Jianlin, 34 and Hu Liang, 30, were arrested on November 16 at the Tanzania-Malawi border post of Kasumulu in Kyela District hiding the horns worth over Sh900 million in a car they were driving from Malawi.

At least 11 rhinos would have been killed to gather that number of horns seized with the Chinese. The haul is the largest ever in Tanzania's history of fighting poaching.

State lawyers Achiles Mulisa and Simon Wankyo told Mbeya Resident Magistrate's Court that the accused committed an economic sabotage offence and asked the court to deny them bail.

He alleged that the four conspired to smuggle the horns into Tanzania without a permit from authorities. They are also charged with organised crime including collecting and possessing government trophies without licencing from authorities, according to the prosecution. The case against the four Chinese, who have denied the charge, will be heard for two consecutive days starting today.

This came after Mr Mulisa informed the court that investigations into the case has been completed and asked resident Magistrate Michael Mteite to start hearing the case today.

Following the prayer, the lawyer defending the Chinese, Ladslaus Lwekaza asked the court to grant his clients bail, arguing that the offences they were facing were bailable under Tanzanian laws.

The argument was strongly opposed by Mr Mulisa and Wankyo who gave several reasons why the court should deny the accused bail.

They argued that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had filed a certificate to ask the court not to grant bail to the accused due to the gravity of the offence and the fact that the defendants are not Tanzanian citizens.

Magistrate Mteite sided with prosecution to reject the bail application and the accused were remanded in custody.

The arrest of the rhino horn smugglers could be pointing to a resurgent of Chinese interest in a business that has proved lucrative for south-east Asian criminals.

Statistics shows that in the 1960s, there were roughly 100,000 black rhinos in Africa. By the time China imposed its ban on trade in 1993, those numbers had fallen as a result of rampant poaching to just over 2,000.

More than 4,000 rhino horns, about 12 tonnes worth, are believed to have been smuggled out of Africa between 2009 and 2012.

SOUTH AFRICA: 12 Rhino Poachers Arrested

Twelve people believed to be the kingpins of a rhino poaching syndicate operating in Gauteng and North West have been arrested. This after a joint operation by law enforcement agencies.

The 12 were arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday during Operation Ringleader which was conducted in conjunction with Crime Intelligence, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory as well as the National Prosecuting Authority in the two provinces.

Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said law enforcement officers had been on the trail of the group for two years.

"The high flying group has been the subject of an investigation since 2013 and is alleged to have contributed to the illegal poaching of rhinos and illicit dealing of rhino horns in Klerksdorp, Rustenburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg," he said in a statement.

During the operation, 13 illegal firearms (eight rifles and five pistols), three small scales, one electrical hacksaw, four rhino horns, chopped rhino horns, R1.1m in cash and eight luxury vehicles were found and confiscated.

The value of the seized items, including the money, was estimated at R6m.

The National Head of the Hawks Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza praised the team for securing the arrests. He said no stone would be left unturned as they continued to clamp down on rhino poaching.

"I want to warn poachers that the Hawks will leave no stone unturned in the fight against rhino poaching and we will ensure that poachers are brought to book and convicted. The broom is still sweeping. This operation is continuing until all syndicates are wiped out," he said.

The suspects would face charges of money laundering and racketeering, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition as well as corruption.

SOUTH AFRICA: Weak Rand Impact Lifts SA Tourism

As a whole it looks like the South African tourism industry is picking up and now is the time for the industry to make full use of the opportunities the weaker rand brings, Danny Bryer, director of sales, marketing and revenue management for Protea Hotels, told Fin24 on Wednesday.

He said so far in 2015 it would seem that the rand devaluation has not brought the direct positive impact for the tourism industry as a whole one would have expected.

This was due to factors like the visa-related issues and the impact of the Ebola scare on bookings for long haul destinations, which are usually done further in advance.

"Therefore, the general pick-up in international tourism due to the weaker rand did not happen to the extent one would have expected," said Bryer.

"We have seen it picking up now, however, and our forecast over the short term until about February and March 2016 looks like the country is getting more tourists."

Apart from the rand value that international tourists can get, the relaxation of the visa restrictions are also bringing a more positive result, in his view.

"If 2016 looks like it would be a stable economic year and if there are fewer strikes in the country, it could be positive for inbound tourism," said Bryer.

He pointed out that the positive trend due to a weaker rand is not in relation to leisure tourists, but also regarding the film industry. This is due to the value for money the film industry can get in Cape Town, for instance, compared to its main competitors Prague and Miami.

Another sector benefiting from the weaker rand is the incentive industry, according to Bryer. It is also now cheaper to host conferences in SA.

"There could be lots of opportunities in 2016 across the whole spectrum of the tourism industry," he said. SA's main feeder markets are still Germany, the UK and the US, with India and China holding big opportunities. The growth in Chinese tourism to SA was, however, negatively impacted by the new visa regulations.

"SA is a brand destination. Look at your specific market - for instance seniors, baby boomers or new age travellers," advised Bryer.

"Understand your target market. Build on the opportunities created for the next three to four months by the combination of the weaker rand, the reduction in visa restrictions and the positive climate."

KENYA: Kenya Tourism Board Launches TV Series To Boost Destination In West Africa

Kenya Tourism Board has partnered with Nigeria based Wakanow to launch a programme featuring the country in a bid to create awareness in the region. The programme dubbed The Destination Africa Series, was launched on Tuesday at the Akwaaba Exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria.

The 30 minute programme will be aired on MNET channels – Africa Magic, Ebony Life and MNET. One minute vignettes will also air on Super Sport magazine programs and repeated over a period of three years to maximize viewer-ship.

The series, which will mainly feature the product offering in Nairobi and Mombasa, is part of a partnership KTB has with Wakanow, a Nigeria based online travel company with presence in Ghana, UAE, US and London.

The content was collated after a filming session done in partnership between Kenya Airways, KTB, the Ebony Travel Channel and Wakanow. “Nigeria is a key market for Kenya boasting a lot of potential. It is one of the fastest growing markets in Africa and we are certain that this strategic partnership will play an even bigger role in growing the country’s visitors from the region,” said KTB’s Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa.

In the period January to September 2015 arrivals from Nigeria stood at 6,255 compared to 5,765 the prior year. Ghana recorded a slight increase from 2,608 to 2,838 in the first six months of 2014 compared to same period last year. “This initiative is one of the many initiatives we are taking to diversify our markets and grow tourist numbers,” said Mr. Ndegwa.

The partnership saw 350 Wakanow staff from Accra, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja and UAE, trained on the destination. The staff will be certified as Magical Kenya specialists in a bid to increase awareness of the Kenyan product offering to the trade across the region and boost numbers.

Kenya will be represented at the launch by Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Ambassador Amolo and KTB Ag. Director of marketing, Jacinta Nzioka.

BELIGIUM: Cats To Lure Back Tourists To Beligium After Terrorist Attack

Belgium's tourist boards have latched onto a social media craze of cats that gave Brussels light relief during a tense five-day security lockdown in the wake of militant attacks in Paris.

Images of the city's streets deserted as security forces hunted suspected Islamist militants have dealt a blow to Belgium's tourism industry, with hotels reporting many cancellations.

When police on Sunday asked the public in Brussels not to share details of their operations on social media, Belgians took to tweeting each other pictures of their cats.

Capitalising on the social media hit, Belgium's three tourist authorities have now released a 20-second video showing cats at Brussels's landmarks such as the historic Grand Place or the Atomium, which they said was filmed at the height of the lockdown.

The video depicts cats dancing all over the city, some wearing black bowler hats or with green apples in front of their faces in a nod to paintings of the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte.

In the background, a saxophone is heard, an invention of the Belgian Adolphe Sax. The original trend drew a warm response on social media, and the tourist authorities said they wanted to show how proud they were of Brussels and its residents for their good-humoured response to the crisis.

Belgium's capital has been on maximum alert since Saturday over the threat of a possible Paris-style attack. A coordinated assault in which 130 people were killed in Paris on Nov. 13 was claimed by Islamic State.

Brussels, home to the European Commission, reopened its metro system and schools on Wednesday, albeit with armed police and soldiers still patrolling.

"Tourism Flanders, Visit Brussels and Wallonia-Brussels Tourism are proud of the people of Brussels and wanted to give them an extra boost," they said. "Their winking cats evoked great sympathy at home and abroad."

INDIA: Female Pakistani Commando Guards Indian Sikhs As They Visit ‘Nankana Sahib’ On Religious Tour

Nankana Sahib is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan, where Baba Guru Nanak Dev was born.

A picture of female Pakistani commando guarding Indian Sikhs has gone viral on social media as the Sikhs are on a religious tour to Pakistan.

According to reports, the picture was captured at Wagah Railway Station which reflects many things. The picture which went viral on social media had sparked two serious discussions among India and Pakistan. On one hand the photograph dissolves the religious differences between the two countries and on the other side it is burying the stereotypes about Pakistani women.

Hundreds of Indian Sikh every year arrive at Pakistan to celebrate birth anniversary of spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak,in Lahore. This year on Wednesday Sikh’s across the world celebrated 547th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.

Smitha Deepak who first shared the picture, wrote on her Facebook post, “I absolutely love this pic, so much power in this one pic! A Pakistani female police commando stands guard as Indian Sikh pilgrims arrive at Wagah railway station near Lahore, Pakistan, on Friday. Hundreds of Indian Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan by a special train to participate in the three-day festival to celebrate the 547st birth anniversary of their spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, at Nankana Sahib near Lahore”.

Nankana Sahib is a city and capital of Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab province of Pakistan, where Baba Guru Nanak Dev was born. The city holds a high religious importance and is famous among pious Sikhs across the world.

When it comes to religion, both India and Pakistan are on the different sides. Experts believe that the idea of Pakistan came into existance as some Muslims wanted a separate country.

INDIA: India, Bulgaria Discuss Ways To Promote Tourism

India and Bulgaria on Monday discussed issues of mutual cooperation for promoting tourism in the two countries. The discussion took place during a meeting here between Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolina Angelkova.

“They discussed the issues of mutual cooperation for the promotion of tourism sector in both the countries,” the tourism ministry said in a statement. Sharma assured the visiting minister of the cooperation of his ministry in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, saying “all possibilities would be explored for promoting tourism”.

Lack of direct air connectivity between India and Bulgaria was one of the major reasons for the small number of tourists travelling between the two countries, the statement said.

SOUTH AFRICA: Bad News, South Africa Lifts Ban On Domestic Rhino Horn Trade

Game farmer who had brought the application says it is a ‘monumentous’ day for the survival of the animals, and that costs of defending the rhino has sky-rocketed.

From today it will be legal to trade in rhino horn in South Africa after the High Court in Pretoria this morning set aside government’s 2009 ban on domestic trade in rhino horn, with those supporting the move arguing it is the only way to prevent the otherwise-inevitable extinction of the animals.

Judge Francis Legodi read out his court order in less than five minutes before handing down his 37-page judgment in the application by Malelane game farmer John Hume and Limpopo farmer Johan Kruger. Although government is expected to appeal the ruling, Hume said he hopes “sanity would prevail”.

Rhino breeder John Hume’s attorney Izak du Toit gave an indication of what it is like trying to protect rhino from poachers. “You really need an army to protect your rhino,” he said. You need soldiers with automatic firearms, night vision, helicopters… If you don’t, you’re simply outgunned.”

Meanwhile, Hume was very happy. “This is a momentous judgment. I would just hope that the world understands that if I don’t sell rhino, my whole rhino herd would be dead within the next ten years.”

He said the security costs of safeguarding his rhino had gone up dramatically and was at this stage costing far more than feeding or any other costs.

“It the court order lifting the moratorium is not a magic wand that has been waved. You still need a permit to sell and we will have to ask government what their conditions are.

“Hopefully government will also eventually understand that unless we get that money, we will have many dead rhinos.”

Hume said he would fight any appeal by the government, but hoped that sanity would prevail and that they would not drag out the process any further.

In his judgment, Judge Legodi said: “The applications by the applicants for the review and setting aside of the moratorium on domestic trade in rhino horns are hereby granted and the moratorium is hereby reviewed and set aside for substantial non-compliance with consultative and participatory process by the members of sections 99 and 100 of NEMBA (The National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act).”

The Judge said the exact percentage attributable to the moratorium is not known, but clearly its role in adding to the surge in poaching could not be excluded.

“Furthermore the extent of smuggling or illegal export of rhino horns due to lack of implementation of the applicable measures is not known.

“The next question is, on what basis should this court suspend the setting aside of the moratorium?

“Put differently, what disastrous implications would be brought about by the immediate lifting of the moratorium? I cannot think of any.

“The solution appears to lie in the effective implementation of applicable and envisaged measures,” Judge Legodi said.

Hume’s legal representative GF Heyns said he did not want to speculate what the Water and Environmental Affairs Minister planned to do with the ruling and if there would be an appeal, but for now regulated domestic trade in rhino horn was legal.

Hume, who farms in the area south of the Kruger National Park, is the largest rhino farmer in the world, but told the court he could no longer afford to spend R5 million a month to preserve his herd and would be forced to dispose of 1200 rhinos if the ban remained in place.

He maintained the moratorium was directly to blame for a sharp spike in rhino poaching since 2008.

His advocate argued in court that it was a “cold hard fact” that our rhino would be extinct by 2021 under the present government regime.

Kruger’s advocate argued that the moratorium should be set aside as the Minister failed to comply with her obligation to properly notify the public about the proposed ban or to give members of the public a chance to make meaningful submissions.

The Minster conceded that a notice of the proposed ban was never published in a national newspaper, but maintained there was “substantial compliance” through publication in the Government Gazette and news articles in newspapers in the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The court was told that rhino horn was selling for as much as $65 000 per kilogram.

Only 5 black rhino may be hunted in South Africa per year, but an unlimited number of white rhino may be hunted, although individual hunters may only hunt one white rhino per year, the court was told.

Healing Pope, Some Miracles Perfomed By Pope Francis

Pope Francis may yet earn the accolade "The Healing Pope" for the miracles he has been performing when touching people with serious health problems.

When the Pope flew to New York as part of his six-day apostolic visit to the United States, he once again showed his healing power when he blessed a 12-year-old girl who was one of those who greeted him at JFK Airport.

Julia Bruzzese of Brooklyn, New York was in a wheelchair when the smiling Pope stopped by, touched her face and blessed her. She had been using the wheelchair ever since she suffered a sudden paralysis whose cause puzzled her doctors no end.

Her doctors said she seemed to exhibit symptoms of Lyme disease. But the problem was that her blood tests showed she was negative for that disease. Early symptoms of the inflammatory Lyme disease include a rash, headache, fever, and chills, according to WebMD. The sufferer then develops arthritis and neurological and cardiac disorders. The disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by ticks, according to the medical website.

While her doctors were still trying to figure out what exactly caused her paralysis, Julia, together with her mother Josephine, decided to meet Pope Francis, hoping and praying for a miracle to enable her to walk again.

"Meeting the pope was the most precious moment of my life," the young girl said. Josephine recalled the moment when the Pope saw and approached them. "He looked me right in the eyes; I kissed his hand and thanked him, and I walked away saying 'she's gonna be okay,'" Josephine said.

Five days later, the doctors decided to subject Julia to another blood test. To their utter surprise, they finally found the cause of her ailment. Their initial suspicion turned out to be right—she had Lyme disease, an ailment that can easily be treated with medication.

"The miracle has begun," Julia said. "Yesterday, I went to the doctor and for the first time they saw Lyme disease activity in my blood, and that just shows a miracle can happen if you believe, just like I did. If you believe and pray everything can happen." In another interview with NBC New York, Julia said she is now brimming with optimism that she will be able to walk again soon. "I know I will walk again because of him [Pope Francis]," she said.

Julia is already starting to plan her activities once she gets to walk again. She said she wants to play softball and soccer again and sing in the choir as well.

"It's unfortunate that this has happened. This experience has made me wiser, made me look at life in a different perspective. Life is precious," she said. Performing miracles is nothing new to Pope Francis. Last March, authorities attested that he turned the dried blood of St. Gennaro into liquid in Naples, Italy.

Just before he began his visits to Cuba and the US, Pope Francis abruptly stopped his motorcade in the rain and asked his aide to bring to him the baby he saw being lifted at the barricade by her parents at St. Peter's Square. The Pope briefly placed his palm on the chest of the three-month-old girl who was suffering from Down's syndrome and had two holes in her heart. Later when the doctors checked on the baby, they found one of the two holes had completely closed while the other one was reduced to half its former size.

Lynn Cassidy, the mother of the baby, said that what happened to her child made her believe that "God can act through the pope's blessings in miraculous ways."

KENYA: Thousands Brave Rains To Attend Pope’s Public Mass

Thousands of Kenyans braved the Thursday morning rains and cold as they gathered at University of Nairobi grounds, ready for Pope Francis’ 10a.m. public mass.

Others were forced to camp at the Central Park, almost 500 m away from the main mass place watching huge screens that had been mounted.

This is because the main venue had been filled by 9 a.m. Security was tight as contingents of police backed by National Youth Service screened those getting into the venues. The queues snaked close to a kilometer as the faithful braved the rains that were being experienced. A police helicopter hovered the venue with security officials declaring the city had an incident free night.

Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome was leading the more than 15,000 security personnel in controlling the crowds that started streaming in by 4 a.m.

“So far we have had good times as there is no incident worth attention,” said Koome. Buses that had ferried the faithful were allowed into the city centre as other personal vehicles were locked out.

Police were rained on and did not have umbrellas as other pedestrians who were headed for the venue. The Pope mobile, which he was scheduled to use to the venue, was stationed at the Kenyatta Avenue/Uhuru Highway roundabout with an escort car and a motorbike to lead it and ready for action.

Those at venue played Catholic hymns as the crowds milled in. There had been heavy rains from Wednesday morning but they did not deter the enthusiasts who wanted to get to the venue.

Police had announced they would block the roads into the CBD. The Pope was in a meeting with inter religious leaders in Lavington by 8 am ahead of the 10 am mass at University of Nairobi.

KENYA: Pope Francis Lectures Humility To African Leaders

In a region where presidents speed past slums in cavalcades of luxury vehicles and the public complain about corruption in high office, the pope was cheered as he drove in a small Honda and told national leaders to act with integrity.

Kenya's prolific Twitter users were quick to notice the contrast. "Thieving politicians arrive in their SUVs and Mercs to listen to @Pontifex who will arrive in a Honda. Shameless 'leaders'," wrote @Kunj_Shah. Francis, who has spurned many of the institutional perks of the Vatican, shunned the armoured cars with tinted glass driven by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his entourage.

Nor did he follow the example of visitors like U.S. President Barack Obama, who turned up in Nairobi in July for an official visit with an army of security personnel and a bullet-proof limousine, dubbed "the Beast". Instead, the pope waved to rapturous crowds from his white popemobile with open sides despite pouring rain and was ferried around Nairobi in the Honda that local media said cost a modest 1.5 million shillings ($14,700).

"The pope is down to earth," said a by stander, who braved a downpour to attend open-air Mass in a sodden Nairobi University sports field. "It is good for our leaders to notice."

"They like the wealth of the world but they can't understand the people of our country," she said. "It is vanity."

The pope lives in a small apartment in a guesthouse in the Vatican rather than the spacious papal apartments in the regal and frescoed Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors.

The day after his election in 2013, he returned to a Rome hotel to personally pay his bill and recently went to a Rome optician to pick up his own eyeglasses.

In September, he rode around Washington DC in a small Fiat on his state visit there.

His Africa trip will take the Pope to Uganda and the Central African Republic, a nation mired in sectarian conflict. He dismissed security concerns, joking with reporters that the "only thing I'm concerned about is the mosquitoes".

Barely two hours after arriving in Nairobi on Wednesday, Francis told the president and dignitaries they had a duty to care for the poor and support the aspirations of the young.

"I encourage you to work with integrity and transparency for the common good, and to foster a spirit of solidarity at every level of society," he said, speaking in the elegant surroundings of State House, the Kenyan president's official residence.

A day earlier, Kenyatta reshuffled his cabinet after several ministers were embroiled in corruption allegations. Kenyatta, a Catholic like 30 percent of Kenya's 45 million people, also spoke of the challenge of graft in his welcome to the pope.

"Your Holiness, like you, as a nation we want to combat the vices of corruption which sacrifice people and the environment in the pursuit of illegal profit," Kenyatta told Francis. "Holy Father, I ask for your prayer as we fight this war."

Scandals in past months have ranged from a ministry buying ballpoint pens for $85 each and probes into multi-million dollar government contract awards. It has angered Kenyans, even though they are long used to corruption sagas where top officials never seem to be convicted.

When he was finance minister Kenyatta tried to address ostentation among officials, demanding they use smaller cars but there has been little lasting impact.

"The sheer humility of the Pope, the simplicity of his message, I fear may be lost on the most rapacious elite on this side of Africa," John Githongo, Kenya's former anti-graft tsar and now an outspoken anti-corruption activist, said.

KENYA: Pope Urged To Intervene For Muslim Students In Catholic Schools

The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) has appealed to Pope Francis to help address what it termed as lack of freedom of worship for Muslim students in schools run by the Catholic church.

The council's National chairman Sheikh Ibrahim Ateka said Wednesday that Muslim students in Catholic-run schools in Kenya are often compelled to attend church services against their will, or prevented from praying in the Islamic way.

He added that the students are usually prevented from covering their hair with the Muslim headscarf (hijab) as enjoined by their religion.

“Addressing those issues will go a long way in enhancing good relations between the Muslim and Catholic communities in Kenya.

Currently, the issues are a source of unnecessary friction," he said. Sheikh Ateka noted that the denial of the rights of Muslim students in catholic-run schools is rife and are not just isolated incidents.

He cited the recent suspension of all Muslim students from Bura Girls High School in Taita-taveta County for allegedly failing to attend church service.

’’Compelling the Muslim students to attend church services and observe Christian way of worship is contrary to the constitution and contravenes the rights of Muslim students to manifest their faith as stipulated in the constitution,’’ Ateka said.

He appealed to the Pope to advice the Catholic Church leadership in the country to uphold the freedom of worship for Muslim students in Catholic-run schools.

Catholic leaders have in the past defended their policy of requiring all students including Muslims to attend church services in Catholic-run schools saying it is part of school regulations.

But critics have termed the regulations as unconstitutional claiming they go against freedom of worship.

The critics add that since Catholic schools are partly supported by public funds, they are bound to uphold the rights of all their students regardless of religion.

KENYA: Newborns To Be Named After Pope Francis

Kakamega County Referral Hospital maternity ward recorded 13 new births since Wednesday 4.30pm when Shepherd One touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Excited mothers at the hospital said they will name their children after the Pope saying they wish their children to have characters similar to those of the catholic president, who is visiting Africa for the first time.

A woman who delivered her baby boy at 1.00am and named the child Pope Devin but she also wanted to name him Francis to take all the names used by Pope Francis. "Francis is a beautiful name with deep history and very significant as the Pope has visited Kenya.

It is worthy being considered in naming children, who will be a blessing to the society, "she said. Even though some of the mothers did not have a clue on who the Pope is, they vowed to name their children after him saying they want the children to be famous and successful like the Pope.

"I want my son to be blessed and famous like the Pope himself. I want him also to touch the lives of many people across the world," said one of the mothers.

She said she will use the name because of its uniqueness and attributes which the Pope Francis have like conserving the environment, promoting peace, love and unity in the world.

TANZANIA: Etihad To Commence Flights To Tanzania

When on the 01st of December Etihad makes its maiden flight from Abu Dhabi to Dar es Salaam, closing a destination gap their closest competitors in the Gulf already serve multiple times a day, will travelers from Tanzania be in for not just a new kid on the aviation block but also news that the national airline of Abu Dhabi and the UAE is now flying their Airbus A380 to New York.

This aircraft type is now daily on the route to the big apple, offering the splendor of a First Class apartment in the sky, at the cool cost of 32.000 US Dollars one way between Abu Dhabi and JFK.

Few East Africans will be able to afford spending this sort of money on an airticket but the airlines’ highly acclaimed business class offers travel at much more competitive prices similar to what Etihad’s competitors charge.

The airline, after Nairobi, which it serves in code share with Kenya Airways, also comes to Entebbe, albeit not daily as initially thought and will from next Wednesday commence services to Tanzania’s commercial capital.

NAMIBIA: FlyAfrica Namibia Grounded For Flying Ineligible Aircraft

Namibia flyafrica
Type Scheduled Carrier
Base Windhoek Int'l
Destinations 3
Routes 2
Daily Flights 4

Contagion from the Zimbabwe flyafrica (Z7, Harare Int'l) fiasco has spread to Namibia where the Namibian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has now grounded Namibia flyafrica (N6, Windhoek Int'l) for using ineligible aircraft.

In a statement issued November 5, the DCA said its decision was premised on Namibia flyafrica wet-leasing B737-500s from its Zimbabwean sister carrier despite the latter's Air Operators Certificate (AOC) having been suspended late last month.

"The DCA has now also received official communications from the civil aviation authorities in South Africa and Zimbabwe regarding the operations of FlyAfrica," the DCA said. "In fact, Bay Air Aviation’s partner in Zimbabwe which enabled their Namibian operations have had their Air Operators Certificate suspended by that country’s civil aviation authority. Despite this development FlyAfrica continued, without consulting the DCA beforehand, with flights utilising planes not authorised by the Namibia DCA."

The carrier has since been forced to suspend operations until the DCA has successfully completed a re-validation mission and given it the greenlight to resume commercial services.

flyafrica has issued a statement in which it alludes to resuming operations from Thursday, November 19 though this is still subject to the outcome of a court case in Harare. flyafrica says it is in talks with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) to reinstate its AOC, surrendered in late October by local shareholder and now former CEO, Chakanyuka Karase. flyafrica Ltd has also filed serious fraud and theft charges totalling more than USD140,000 against an unspecified member of the Karase family.

"Unfortunately we are still waiting for court rulings and are working with Namibian and Zimbabwean civil aviation authorities to resolve the matter," the LCC said in an official statement. "The length of wait is uncertain and we are advised it can take between 1 to 5 days for a decision to be reached, currently we are at day 4 of the process. We acknowledge that judicial processes take time and we kindly ask our loyal passengers to have patience as we let the judicial process run its course."

A Word of Warning from St. John Paul II

Ave Maria Meditations

We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian Community realize this fully.

We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence.

It is, therefore, in God’s Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously.

We must prepare ourselves to suffer great trials before long, such as will demand of us a disposition to give up even life, and a total dedication to Christ and for Christ.

With your and my prayers, it is possible to mitigate the coming tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because only thus can the Church be effectively renewed.

How many times has the renewal of the Church sprung from the shedding of blood? This time, too, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong and prepared and trust in Christ and His holy Mother and be very, very assiduous in praying the holy rosary.

St. John Paul II

CHINA: China Southern,Air France-KLM And Martin Air Sign Cargo Deal

China Southern Airlines
Type Scheduled Carrier
Base Guangzhou
Aircraft 516
Destinations 208
Routes 867
Daily Flights 1732

The cargo division of China Southern Airlines (CZ, Guangzhou), China Southern Cargo and Air France-KLM cargo (which includes cargo operations of Air France (AF, Paris CDG), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam) and Martinair (MP, Amsterdam)) have entered into a strategic network partnership agreement, the two parties have announced on September 19.

China Southern will offer its European partners cargo services to Australia and Vietnam via Guangzhou while Air France, KLM and Martinair will provide capacity to China Southern Cargo from Paris CDG and Amsterdam to the Ameriecas and Africa.

In addition, the Skyteam alliance partners also agreed to provide each other with ground handling services in France, the Netherlands and China. They also plan to "intensify their cooperation on the Express and Mail premium products in response to the substantial increase in e-commerce trade between Asia and Europe, and beyond."