Top US army officer visitsThe Commander of the Djibouti-based United States Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Rear Admiral Michael T. Franken, was in the country on a working visit. During his stay, he paid a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi where he paid tribute to over 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.  The Admiral also visited the United States African Command staff in Rwanda and also held discussions with top Rwandan military officials. IMF pledges to support regional integration The International Monetary Fund (IMF) pledged to continue providing assistance to the East Africa Community (EAC).  the pledge was announced by Antoinette Sayeh, IMF‘s African department Director, while speaking at the closure of an EAC conference called to brainstorm about the way forward on the envisaged Monetary Union. She observed that the Community had demonstrated capacity to achieve the set goals, adding that what is needed is support from external stakeholders for the bloc to fully realize its integration ambitions. She also mentioned that she intends to meet all regional finance ministers in Washington to further discuss the proper formulation of a monetary union. Mukabaramba elected to head parties’ forum The Party for Progress and Concord (PPC) president, Dr Alvera Mukabaramba, was on Thursday elected spokesperson of the Consultative Forum for Political Parties (FFPP). Mukabaramba, a former presidential candidate, is also the State Minister in charge of Social Affairs. She replaced Gonzague Rwigema, who completed his six-month mandate. Rwanda Patriotic Front’s (RPF) Specioza Mukandutiye was elected deputy spokesperson. Both Mukabaramba and Mukandutiye sailed through unopposed. Anicet Kayigema (Liberal Party) was retained as FFPP’s Executive Secretary. Ten political parties are members of the Forum.Dutch Princess urges pupils to strive for excellence Princess Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst of the Netherlands was, impressed by Groupe Scolaire de Mayange pupils after a quiz and encouraged them to always strive for excellence. The 46-year-old princess had visited the school which is in Muyange sector, Bugesera District, Eastern Province. Accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the Netherlands Embassy in Kigali, the Dutch royal first visited pupils in primary three where she observed their lessons.  She then took the primary three pupils through a quiz to test their reading and counting skills. After addressing the pupils, the pprincess donated to the school a book she wrote titled ‘Mr. Finney’. New appointments at the UN tribunals welcome, says NgogaThe Prosecutor General of Rwanda, Martin Ngoga, welcomed the UN Security Council’s appointment of experienced senior officials to help finish work of the war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and former Yugoslavia when their mandates expire. The Security Council on Wednesday appointed Hassan Bubacar Jallow, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), as prosecutor for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. US judge, Theodor Meron, was appointed president of the mechanism for a term of four years with effect from March 1. Jallow will continue to serve as ICTR prosecutor. The Residual Mechanism was set up in 2010 by the Security Council to complete the remaining tasks of the UN war crimes tribunals once their mandates expire in 2014. Arrests made over murdered couple Police in Kirehe District has arrested several people suspected to have played a role in the murder of an elderly couple. Those arrested include Gilbert Sindayigaya, a son to Mohammed Kanyabigega, 75, one of the victims. The other victim was the suspect’s step mother only identified as Mukarwego, 65. The elderly deceasedcouple were residents of Kaduha village, Rwamagana District.Sindayigaya was arrested in Cyunuzi village of Kirehe District after a tip off from local residents. Sindayigaya admitted to killing his father after being refused to sell timber from the family land. French judicial system in genocide fiascoCivil society and human rights groups expressed anger over the manner in which the French justice system is handling the trial of a Genocide suspect, Hyacinthe Rafiki Nsengiyumva.The cause of their wrath is the fact that a case file for an extradition request from Rwanda mysteriously disappeared from French courts late last year. As a result, the extradition proceedings have stalled. A French court this week suspended judicial control over the fugitive accused of playing an active role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, especially in his home region of Gisenyi (now Rubavu District).According to Alain Gauthier, head of the France-based civic group, Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), the disappearance became public during a January 11 hearing in the chambre d’instruction of the Paris appeals court.