Lopes urges Africa to address migration issue

Apache Tomcat/7.0.26 - Error report

type Exception report

message

description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.

exception

org.apache.jasper.JasperException: org.apache.jasper.JasperException: org.apache.jasper.JasperException: java.lang.NullPointerException org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.handleJspException(JspServletWrapper.java:549) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:455) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.TemplateDispatchProcessor.doBefore(TemplateDispatchProcessor.java:106) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:72) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain.filter(LooseFilterChain.java:64) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.CompositeFilter.doFilterImpl(CompositeFilter.java:36) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.BootstrapFilter.doFilterImpl(BootstrapFilter.java:73) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.ndc.usercontent.filter.UserCookieFilter.doHttpFilter(UserCookieFilter.java:72) com.ndc.servlet.AbstractHttpFilter.doFilter(AbstractHttpFilter.java:81) com.escenic.community.filter.UTF8Filter.doFilter(UTF8Filter.java:32) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394)

root cause

org.apache.jasper.JasperException: org.apache.jasper.JasperException: java.lang.NullPointerException org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.handleJspException(JspServletWrapper.java:549) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:455) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.runtime.JspRuntimeLibrary.include(JspRuntimeLibrary.java:954) org.apache.jsp.template.common_jsp._jspx_meth_c_005fotherwise_005f0(common_jsp.java:801) org.apache.jsp.template.common_jsp._jspService(common_jsp.java:152) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:432) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.TemplateDispatchProcessor.doBefore(TemplateDispatchProcessor.java:106) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:72) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain.filter(LooseFilterChain.java:64) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.CompositeFilter.doFilterImpl(CompositeFilter.java:36) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.BootstrapFilter.doFilterImpl(BootstrapFilter.java:73) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.ndc.usercontent.filter.UserCookieFilter.doHttpFilter(UserCookieFilter.java:72) com.ndc.servlet.AbstractHttpFilter.doFilter(AbstractHttpFilter.java:81) com.escenic.community.filter.UTF8Filter.doFilter(UTF8Filter.java:32) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394)

root cause

org.apache.jasper.JasperException: java.lang.NullPointerException org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.handleJspException(JspServletWrapper.java:549) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:470) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.runtime.JspRuntimeLibrary.include(JspRuntimeLibrary.java:954) org.apache.jsp.template.wireframes.default_005fsl_jsp._jspService(default_005fsl_jsp.java:122) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:432) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.runtime.JspRuntimeLibrary.include(JspRuntimeLibrary.java:954) org.apache.jsp.template.common_jsp._jspx_meth_c_005fotherwise_005f0(common_jsp.java:801) org.apache.jsp.template.common_jsp._jspService(common_jsp.java:152) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:432) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.TemplateDispatchProcessor.doBefore(TemplateDispatchProcessor.java:106) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:72) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain.filter(LooseFilterChain.java:64) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.CompositeFilter.doFilterImpl(CompositeFilter.java:36) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.BootstrapFilter.doFilterImpl(BootstrapFilter.java:73) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.ndc.usercontent.filter.UserCookieFilter.doHttpFilter(UserCookieFilter.java:72) com.ndc.servlet.AbstractHttpFilter.doFilter(AbstractHttpFilter.java:81) com.escenic.community.filter.UTF8Filter.doFilter(UTF8Filter.java:32) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394)

root cause

java.lang.NullPointerException org.apache.jsp.template.wireframes.devicedetection_jsp._jspService(devicedetection_jsp.java:142) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:432) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.runtime.JspRuntimeLibrary.include(JspRuntimeLibrary.java:954) org.apache.jsp.template.wireframes.default_005fsl_jsp._jspService(default_005fsl_jsp.java:122) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:432) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.runtime.JspRuntimeLibrary.include(JspRuntimeLibrary.java:954) org.apache.jsp.template.common_jsp._jspx_meth_c_005fotherwise_005f0(common_jsp.java:801) org.apache.jsp.template.common_jsp._jspService(common_jsp.java:152) org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:432) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:390) org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:334) javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.TemplateDispatchProcessor.doBefore(TemplateDispatchProcessor.java:106) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:72) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.ProcessorFilter.doFilterImpl(ProcessorFilter.java:74) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain$Chain.doFilter(LooseFilterChain.java:144) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.LooseFilterChain.filter(LooseFilterChain.java:64) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.CompositeFilter.doFilterImpl(CompositeFilter.java:36) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.escenic.presentation.servlet.BootstrapFilter.doFilterImpl(BootstrapFilter.java:73) com.twelvemonkeys.servlet.GenericFilter.doFilter(GenericFilter.java:208) com.ndc.usercontent.filter.UserCookieFilter.doHttpFilter(UserCookieFilter.java:72) com.ndc.servlet.AbstractHttpFilter.doFilter(AbstractHttpFilter.java:81) com.escenic.community.filter.UTF8Filter.doFilter(UTF8Filter.java:32) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriteFilter.doFilter(UrlRewriteFilter.java:394)

note The full stack trace of the root cause is available in the Apache Tomcat/7.0.26 logs.

Apache Tomcat/7.0.26
Source: Lopes urges Africa to address migration issue

Kenya: Among the Top Logistics Destinations

509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later. Apache Server at geeskaafrika.com Port 80
Source: Kenya: Among the Top Logistics Destinations

Ethiopia tourism’s 2020 vision

The tide is turning for Ethiopia's tourism industry, as the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently announced it aims to triple the number of foreign visitors, to more than 2.5 million, by 2020, with an ultimate goal of making Ethiopia one of Africa's top five tourist destinations by 2020.

To achieve that goal, Ethiopia has given the nod of approval to an ambitious five-year tourism marketing plan and strategy, developed by The Journey, a tourism consulting and marketing company.

To travelers, Ethiopia is perhaps best known for the Omo Valley, in the south of the country, where visitors can encounter a number of extraordinary tribes. Cultural experiences abound as the tribe's traditions, songs and dances are still as vivid as they have been for hundreds of years; the valley is as close as anyone can come to "untouched" Africa.

In the north, Ethiopia's historical route takes visitors from the current capital of Addis Ababa to the former capitals of the Gonderite and Axumite Empires as well as to the sacred city of Lalibela and the rock churches of Tigray. Lalibela, a medieval settlement in the Lasta area of Wello, is home to 11 Ethiopian Orthodox churches that were built in the 13th century on the orders of King Lalibela, not from the ground up but chiseled out of the town's red volcanic rock hills.

"So far, Ethiopia has not really promoted its tourism very aggressively," said Mike Fabricius, tourism strategist at The Journey. He explains that this is about to change as Ethiopia is poised for rapid tourism growth, thanks in part to the development of Ethiopian Airlines as one of the fastest-growing airlines on the continent and Addis Ababa as an aviation hub.

During the coming year, Ethiopia will roll out an international marketing campaign, which will focus on the traditional target markets, including the U.S. This marketing campaign will address common misconceptions, such as the fact that Ethiopia is a dry and arid country and that it is unsafe.

Fabricius explains that these misconceptions are already fading fast and that people are starting to see that Ethiopia is a lush and green country with fantastic scenery. He adds: "The country is scenically diverse, and it is safe and stable. The people are amazing and hospitable."

Engagement with travel agents will be a focal point for Ethiopia, according to Fabricius, and fam trips are in the pipeline. He says: "An important part of the marketing plan is to educate the travel trade. There is major scope for Ethiopia to get more operators and agents to understand and know the destination."

Dave Herbert, CEO of Great Safaris, explains that Ethiopia is indeed not a destination that Great Safaris currently markets, except for stopovers en route to other destinations. "In our experience, there is little demand from American luxury travelers for Ethiopia," he said.

Fabricius explains this lack of interest is linked to a lack of knowledge. "Very few people understand the diversity that Ethiopia is offering. Once the travel trade becomes more knowledgeable, they can better inform the consumer," he said.

Ethiopia also plans to develop new travel routes and circuits, which will help spread tourism to the lesser-known parts of the country. "It's a very big country, so it's quite difficult to just hop around," Fabricius said. "You need to plan your journey. The main southern and northern route are already on the program, but now the country will also be developing circuits that branch off the main spine routes."

Ethiopia will invest in the development of visitor information infrastructure throughout the country to help visitors find their way through Ethiopia. A new app is also in the cards, which will enable visitors to get information quickly and easily on their phones.

Investment in the country's infrastructure is definitely a necessary step if the country wants to be a consistent competitor for the "Western tourist," according to Michael King, co-president of Great Getaways Travel, a Virtuoso agency. He says: "The country still needs more widespread infrastructure; better security measures, especially given who a couple of their neighbors are; more upscale camps in and around the parks; and a curriculum for guides and those wanting to be guides with some type of national recognition (guide quality is still too haphazard). In short: consistent product and delivery across the country is needed."

Not everyone is happy about Ethiopia's resolve to massively increase tourism numbers. Tour operators in Ethiopia have warned that an increase in tourism numbers could potentially impact on the beauty of this pristine destination.

Betty Jo Curry, founder and CEO of Currie & Co, a Virtuoso agency, has her doubts about increasing tourism to Ethiopia, saying she would hate the destination to become too popular and "kill what makes it special." She says: "Approach it like Bhutan and Botswana. Keep tourism small and limited to protect the cultures and tribes."

However, Fabricius explains that sustainability is a key priority for everyone involved in the development of Ethiopia's tourism. "The government will need to keep an eye on tourism numbers as well as manage the relationship between tourists and the local population, especially when it comes to popular sites such as Lalibela which is a place of worship for the local community."

The development of the country needs to be properly landscaped so that the tourism numbers don't impact on the value and sustainability of the destination. This could mean that the country needs to look at introducing entry numbers for example, says Dr. Fabricius. He adds however, that Ethiopia is not at that point yet. "Ethiopia is a very big country and can take large numbers, but the idea is not to blindly chase numbers. It will be a challenge and Ethiopia will have to focus on this."

Source: Ethiopia tourism's 2020 vision

Sandy beaches, luxury hotels that make Kenya the ideal destination

A view of the Medina Palms. PHOTO | FILE 

By Doreen Wainainah and Sandra Chao-BlastoPosted  Thursday, January 28  2016 at  13:22

From its pristine sandy beaches and luxurious hotels to adventurous game drives, Kenya's reputation as a top leisure destination remains high despite recent security challenges.

The 2016 Travellers Choice Awards by American travel review website operator, Trip Advisor, confirms preference for Kenya's sandy beaches and hotels.

Hotels and beaches in Malindi and Ukunda were voted among the top destinations in Africa.

Hotels in Nairobi too feature among the continent's finest luxury sites, especially after the capital hosted several dignitaries ast year including US President Barrack Obama, Pope Francis as well as the dignitaries who attended the Global Entrepreneurship Summit(GES) and the World Trade Organisation(WTO) ministerial conference.

Travellers' Choice award winners are determined based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travellers worldwide.

Hotels in the country were selected and ranked in various categories including top hotels, bargain, bed and breakfast (B&Bs) and inns, luxury, service and small hotels.

In the awards 14th edition the website which provides reviews of travel-related recognised over 7,000 properties globally in 97 countries.

In the recent past Kenya has been a top focus in Africa, given its growing hospitality sector and while insecurity had given the sector a run for its money, its slowly remerging as a global choice destination.

The prospects of the sector are expected to improve as soon as the government rolls out support, including Sh 1.2 billion rebates for charter flight operators who fly their clients to the coast.

From the sampled travellers views here are this year's top hotels in the country.

Kola Beach Resort in Malindi

Located at Mamburui in Malindi, the hotel has 17 villas that can be booked on full board and half board accommodation as well self-catering villas appropriate for families as they are those with three bedrooms and others with four.

The high-end hotel consists of 40 units whose architecture borrows heavily from the rich coastal heritage. These comprise of two luxury villas, eight beach villas, two ocean view lodges, 16 penthouses and 22 apartments that are surrounded with courtyards and tropical gardens.

Source: Sandy beaches, luxury hotels that make Kenya the ideal destination

Where Africa’s infrastructure spend is coming from

South Africa

Majority is funded by development capital, not private investors.

Sungula Nkabinde |&nbsp27 January 2016&nbsp12:25

South Africa is the top destination for Infrastructure funding on the continent, according to a recent Economist Corporate Network (ECN) report, taking up 28% of funding from development funding institutions (DFI) between 2009 and 2014. The lion's share of that capital, some $16.3 billion, went towards the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme, which also accounted for 43% of all power-related funding commitments in the period. South Africa was followed by Egypt, Nigeria, Morroco, Kenya and Ethiopia as the largest receivers of development capital.

The ECN and Baker & McKenzie, researched African infrastructure funding over the six-year period, finding that an overwhelming majority of capital that is required for infrastructure projects was funded by DFIs, and export credit agencies, which accounted for around $93 billion.

Top DFIs for Africa infrastructure investment

Organisation       

Funding commitments 2009-14 in US$bn

% of total focus DFI commitments

World Bank

$20.8

22%

Development Bank of South Africa

$16.5

18%

African Development Bank

$16.2

18%

Agence Francaise De Développement

$9.1

9%

Others (nine)

$30

33%

Total

$92.7

100%

Although annual private-sector investment of $10 billion is viewed as too little, Baker & McKenzie partner Kieran Whyte, said DFIs played a huge role in making infrastructure projects bankable by bringing capital, technical expertise and capacity where private-sector players were unable, ill equipped or unwilling to do on their own. Speaking at a media roundtable about the report on Tuesday, he noted that the DFI also had the know-how of jumping through compliance hoops and red-tape often associated with infrastructure projects.

Unlike some people may expect, much of the spend did not go into commodity-related projects, in order to exploit resource endowments. Instead, it was power and transport-related projects that received the most funding approvals, receiving $37.1 billion and $24.6 billion respectively. South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya received around 55%, or US$10.7 billion, of DFIs' transportation sector funding approvals over the period.

Funding to Africa in 2013

The role and influence of China-based DFIs in Africa are likely to increase. In 2013, more than 85% of all Asia-sourced funds came from China-based institutions, according to the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, with South Africa the common destination for funding allocation. Already, $12 billion of China's investment stock has come to South Africa. Baker & McKenzie's Whyte said China had stockpiled mineral resources and was looking to grow its influence in the world by growing its influence on Africa. And this meant diversifying into other sectors on the continent.

"China is trying to offset influence of the US and other western democracies," he said. In the past we've seen them invest in transport in the form of airports or off-road travel. I think we'll see the Chinese moving more into ports.

In 2009, the World Bank estimated that sub-Saharan Africa alone needed more than US$90 billion annually to meet its infrastructure requirements. A figure, which the reports states, is likely to have increased since.

Zhao Changhui, chief country risk analyst of the Export Import Bank of China, is quoted in the report saying Chinese investment in Africa over the next ten years will cumulatively amount to at least US$1 trillion.

"In the next three to five years, there will be at least US$500 billion of trade between African countries and China, so the investment will naturally open up new frontiers for investments in all countries in Africa," says Changui in the report.

Source: Where Africa's infrastructure spend is coming from

South African Airways Vacations Adding Honeymoon Registry

PHOTO: Beautiful Cape Town, South Africa, makes for a gorgeous honeymoon getaway. (Photo by David Cogswell)

In order to make weddings and honeymoons even more beautiful, South African Airways Vacations has partnered with Honeymoon Wishes to help couples create a dream celebration in Africa with a new online registry.

Honeymoon Wishes is a full-service honeymoon registry designed to help couples plan the perfect post-wedding vacation. In addition to adding wedding gifts to a bridal registry, family and friends can contribute to a honeymoon fund for a trip to Africa.

South African Airways Vacations is looking to entice travelers to take their honeymoon to a continent filled with romance and excitement. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include Mauritius, Namibia, Mozambique, Cape Town and more.

With the favorable exchange rate between the United States and South Africa, the nation offers serious value to customers who are looking to experience an unforgettable international adventure during their honeymoon.

South African Airways Vacations president Terry von Guilleaume released a statement on the partnership with the honeymoon registry specialists:

"A couple's honeymoon is an extremely special trip in their life, and there is no better place than Africa to make it the unforgettable trip of a lifetime. Africa has it all: iconic wildlife, intrepid adventure, natural wonders, gourmet cuisine and award-winning wine, an incredible variety of cultures, along with luxurious accommodations. By partnering with Honeymoon Wishes, we help bring a couple's dream honeymoon to reality, and make it easy for friends and family to give the gift of Africa."

Even if travelers aren't visiting Africa for their honeymoon, South African Airways Vacations is offering air-inclusive packages starting at $2,299 per person and running all the way up to $4,599 per person.

For more information, check out the official South African Airways Vacations website.

Source: South African Airways Vacations Adding Honeymoon Registry

South African Airways Vacations® Launches Honeymoon Wishes Online Registry

⌂Home

Mail

Search

News

Sports

Finance

Celebrity

Weather

Answers

Flickr

Mobile

More⋁

Politics

Movies

Music

TV

Groups

Health

Style

Beauty

Food

Parenting

Makers

Tech

Shopping

Travel

Autos

Real Estate

Try Yahoo Finance on Firefox »

Skip to Navigation

Skip to Main content

Skip to Right rail

👤 Sign In

✉ Mail

⚙ Help

Account Info

Help

Suggestions

Source: South African Airways Vacations® Launches Honeymoon Wishes Online Registry

East Africa Wins Global Tourism Award

East Africa has again proven its charm as a preferred tourism destination after emerging first runner-up at the 12th UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism.The awards ceremony held in Madrid, Spain, recognized the East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP), an organisation of the region's tourism stakeholders, for developing a multi-destination knowledge management tool. Competition for the award was stiff with 109 submissions from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Of these, 17 were selected as finalists.

The (UNWTO) award recognizes initiatives that are highly innovative and managed by a public or public-private institution that reflects tangible and sustainable improvements in policy, processes, and governance. EATP won for its multi-destination knowledge management tool that helps stakeholders package tourism products without borders.

EATP is made up of tourism players from the East Africa region among them Uganda Tourism Board, Burundi National Tourism Office, Kenya Tourism Board, Rwanda Development Board, and the Tanzania Tourist Board."We are one people, but with a rich cultural diversity that needs to be tapped and harnessed for the benefit of developing tourism and our economies at large," said Carmen Nibigira, the EATP Regional Co-ordinator, after receiving the award on behalf of the five East African countries.

"Through this tool, regional tourism stakeholders have started trading each other's products, packaging tourism products without borders, bench-marking among themselves and learning from each other," added Ms Nibigira.

"EATP was very instrumental in advocating for East Africa's single tourist visa which is now used between Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda," says Stephen Asiimwe, the CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB).He added that through the same platform the three nations now allow their citizens to use national IDs as travel documents for citizens, free movement of tourism services, and joint marketing initiatives which run alongside the national marketing efforts.

Mr. Asiimwe says that on the marketing front, East Africa is now holding joint marketing initiatives, with the first for 2016 being the ITB Berlin tourism expo that runs from 9-13 March in Berlin Germany. At least 18 Uganda tour operators and organisations will be attending the expo this year.

Source: East Africa Wins Global Tourism Award

Carlson Rezidor Sees Africa as Continent of Opportunity With New Hotel Openings

Several African economies like Nigeria and Mozambique are among the fastest growing in the world but that is hardly related to its potential for increased tourist arrivals, as Carlson Rezidor's CEO argues. Given recent terror attacks in Europe and Asia and backlash from last year's Ebola outbreak, the mostly unknown continent is sadly being lumped into the danger category even if many of its destinations are safe and ready for tourists.

— Dan Peltier

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which manages 1,370 hotels in more than 110 countries, is building 35 outlets in Africa as it bets on economic growth rates forecast to be among the fastest in the world, Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Neumann said.

The company officially starts operating the Radisson Blu Hotel in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Friday. The hotel was developed by a Kenyan investor and three Scandinavian funds at a cost of 9 billion shillings ($88 million), Neumann said in an interview in the city. The other outlets will be built by 2020, he said.

"We see Africa as the continent of opportunity," Neumann said. "We have been focusing on Africa for some time and we are now recognized for having the largest amount of hotel rooms under development" in sub-Saharan Africa.

Growth in sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to accelerate to 4 percent this year and 4.7 percent in 2017 from an estimated 3.5 percent last year, according to the International Monetary Fund. That is faster than any other region in the world except the Emerging and Developing Asia region that includes China and India, according to data on its website.

Carlson Rezidor will open a second hotel in Kenya under the Park Inn brand in the Nairobi suburb of Westlands at the end of this year and a third one under the Radisson Blu Residences brand next door to the official residence of Kenya's president in 2017, Neumann said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Ombok in Nairobi at eombok@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christopher Kingdon at ckingdon@bloomberg.net Paul Richardson, Helen Nyambura-Mwaura.

This article was written by Eric Ombok from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

Source: Carlson Rezidor Sees Africa as Continent of Opportunity With New Hotel Openings

CDC expands tropical virus alert; 22 destinations on list

Though common in Africa and Asia, the disease only began spreading in the western hemisphere last May, when an outbreak began in Brazil. "But there we no reports of any serious illness associated with it".

In an attempt to reduce the spread of Zika, along with other unsafe viruses such as Dengue Fever, scientists were tasked with developing genetically modified and sterile mosquitoes that they hope will curb insect populations in infested areas.

A spate of babies born with unusually small heads in Brazil has been linked to the Zika virus.

A woman infected by a mosquito bite in the first few weeks of pregnancy may not even know she is pregnant yet.

The ministry's emergency response official, Wanderson Oliveira, said at a news conference in Brasilia on Wednesday that the reported cases are being investigated to determine whether they are really cases of microcephaly.

"We expect an expansion similar to what we had with the chikungunya virus previous year, to finish with between 600,000 to 700,000 cases", Gaviria said. However, health officials are advising the public not to worry, as all of the USA cases so far were contracted overseas from mosquitos in countries affected by outbreaks.

New cases of the Zika virus infection are now starting to be reported from different parts of the US mainland. As of writing this, countries included in the warning are Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

About one in five people infected with the Zika virus become ill.

-Zika is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes and can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby.

The CDC has issued an alert asking women at any stage of pregnancy to postpone travel to 14 destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This 2006 photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host.

A traveller returning from El Salvador in November fell ill with fever, rash and joint pain.

The CDC urged doctors to ask pregnant women about their travel history.

We revealed zika cases had been confirmed in Europe and the U.S. - but these are the first British cases.

Source: CDC expands tropical virus alert; 22 destinations on list

East Africa tourism platform wins global innovation award

The tourism sector in East Africa has received a major boost after the East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP), an organisation of the region's stakeholders, received an international endorsement.

EATP emerged first runners-up during the 12th UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism.

The awards ceremony was held in Madrid, Spain Wednesday night.

EATP was recognised for developing a multi-destination knowledge management tool.

The event was attended by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.

EATP developed the tool that made it easy for tourists to tour numerous destinations across East Africa from a point of information.

Speaking after receiving the award on behalf of the five East African countries, EATP Regional Co-ordinator Carmen Nibigira said the tool was "nominated and awarded for its works towards an inclusive model of tourism governance which involves diverse tourism stakeholders."

EATP Regional Co-ordinator Carmen Nibigira after receiving the award on behalf of the five East African countries. PHOTO | COURTESY

It was among 17 projects which were selected from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe as finalists from 109 worldwide submissions.

According to a press release from EATP, the global award "recognises initiatives that are highly innovative and managed by a public or public-private institution that reflect tangible and sustainable improvements in policy, processes, and governance."

"Through this tool, regional tourism stakeholders have started trading each other's products, packaging tourism products without borders, bench-marking among themselves and learning from each other.

"We are one people, but with a rich cultural diversity that needs to be tapped and harnessed for the benefit of developing tourism and our economies at large" said Ms Nibigira.

The tool is an online product that aims to reach over 10,000 tourism operators across East Africa.

They will be trained and exposed to selling products across the five countries.

Mr Balala praised the win as a big boost for the East Africa tourism products.

Source: East Africa tourism platform wins global innovation award

SA still an attractive investment destination – Gordhan

Fast News

For business on the continent.

Zandi Shabalala, Reuters |&nbsp20 January 2016&nbsp19:41

DAVOS, Switzerland – South Africa is still an extremely good preposition for anyone who wants to do business on the continent despite its challenges, finance minister said on Wednesday.

"South Africa is still an extremely good proposition for anyone who wants to do business in this country and in the African continent," said Pravin Gordhan, appointed late last year after the sacking of former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene triggered financial turmoil that sent the rand, bonds and stocks plummeting.

Source: SA still an attractive investment destination – Gordhan

Africa Needs to Focus on Sound Immigration Policies

Anna Twum

Anna Twum is a research analyst at the International Monetary Fund. She holds a BA in Economics from Pomona College.

.... Read more

Africa is on the fast track of economic growth, but the continent must reform its internal immigration policies.

In 2015, South Africa was shocked by xenophobic attacks, a startling déjà vu of similar attacks in 2008 that led to the killing of over 60 South Africans and was met with worldwide condemnations. Following that, at least five foreigners were killed and thousands forced to seek refuge.

This brings the issue of immigration in South Africa to the forefront, but also provides an opportunity to analyze the current state and future of immigration policy on the African continent in the face of unequal economic growth among nations and changing cross-country immigration dynamics.

Since the continent's wave of independence, African governments and regional organizations have done very little to address immigration policy within Africa. For many governments, the facts on the nature and consequences of immigration are largely unknown, and the appropriate language and policy frameworks for tackling this inevitable aspect of the economy and society of African countries are largely non-existent. Even with government focus on remittances, other key aspects of immigration policy are severely underdeveloped or are focused more on the diaspora. This is in sharp contrast to the realities of immigration on the continent.

Immigration is an African story. The press around African immigration tends to be focused on immigration of Africans to the Global North. However, according to a World Bank report, the number of African immigrants who move to other African countries are in the majority two-thirds of total immigration in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This intra-Africa immigration is attributed to lower immigration costs and lack of resources and the skills needed to succeed in more competitive labor markets outside of the continent.

Over the last three decades, the most common destinations for African immigrants have been Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria in West Africa, Gabon in Central Africa, Kenya in East Africa, and South Africa in southern Africa. According to the same report, immigrants tend to be mainly young African males (15-40 years), with some level of education beyond the primary level, whose main reasons for migrating are to seek employment, education and for family reasons.

Unequal Growth

Given the challenges with obtaining data on immigration and the proliferation of informal immigration channels, it is very plausible that these numbers only capture part of the story that has and will continue to take on different dimensions in the face of Africa's other more sensational story: African growth.

© Shutterstock

In recent years, the African continent has been described as the next hub of growth and the new frontier market. With a continent-wide average GDP growth rate of 4% in recent years, this notion is empirically supported.

However, a look at country level economic data tells a story of masked unequal growth, high levels of unemployment, and persistent poverty in many African countries. In addition, some African countries are still plagued with political instability and drawn out effects of civil war and terrorism.

Against this backdrop of challenges and inequality, many affected Africans are increasingly drawn to the relative stability of their sister countries with hopes that they can reap the benefits of better job security, education and standard of living. However, inside the borders of prime immigrant destination countries, the hopes of migrants are met with the struggles of locals who are also looking for hope and opportunity. This growing dichotomy has the potential to pose serious economic, policy and social challenges for immigrants and destination countries.

Immigration policies for African immigrants in many African countries has been shaped by reactions and sentiments to mismanaged immigration systems that fail to address the immigration challenges at their core, or fail to proactively nurture the benefits that can accrue to a well-managed immigration system.

A case in point is the mass expulsions of immigrants of African ancestry—from Ghana in 1969, Nigeria in 1983, and Côte d'Ivoire early in the past decade—which resulted in economic and social upheaval. These expulsions were largely motivated by growing impatience with undocumented African immigrants, and failed to fully tackle the problem of border control, unaffordable documentation processes and trafficking.

Creating Change

This poor structuring and management of immigration has a catalytic effect on xenophobic sentiments toward other Africans. As immigrant flows to and from other African countries continue under shaky immigration frameworks, locals more readily cast African immigrants under stereotypes of "illegal," "criminal" and "free rider." What this does, in addition to the unacceptable and tragic loss of life, is create a hostile environment among citizens, which can undermine any sort of regional, inter- or intra-country cooperation.

Realizing that immigration is an African story with accompanying policies that are lacking is the first step to creating change. The next step, and where a good number of challenges also lie, is mobilizing a concerted effort among African nations to facilitate better immigration policies for immigration flows across African country borders.

This is where the African Union (AU) and other African regional groups come in. In recent years, there have been working groups on internal immigration policies, and the AU has published some reports. However, action is forthcoming.

The work of other non-African nations who face immigration challenges can serve as a blueprint for these efforts, but ultimately the focus needs to be on creating homegrown continental policies that African countries can use as a benchmark for their own immigration frameworks.

With Africa on the fast track of economic growth, immigration within the African continent is becoming more nuanced. There has never been a better time to take action.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer's editorial policy.

Photo Credit: Monkey Business Images / Michael Jung / Shutterstock.com

We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible. Join over 400 people to become a donor or you could choose to be a sponsor.

Comments

comments

Source: Africa Needs to Focus on Sound Immigration Policies

Winky D breaks into BBC chart

By Dakarai Mashava

HARARE – Zimdancehall star Winky D's hit 'Disappear' – produced by Oskid at KeNako Muzik- has made it into the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 1Extra Destination Africa Top 5.

Dancehall chanter Winky D

The track, off the Ninja president's 10-track latest album 'Gafa Life,' which was arguably the most played song during the just-ended festive season, debuted on number five in the continental chart presented by DJ Edu last Monday.

Position one on the chart, also known as the Afro Boss Airlines Destination Africa Top 5, was occupied by 25-year old Nigerian music star Wizkid with his hit 'Final (Baba Nla)' while number two belonged to South African artiste Ashley 'DJ Shimza' Raphala.

Ghanaian star's Shatta Wale's self-produced tune titled "Hol' It" claimed third place with Zambian star Kaladoshas' 'Nipaseko Chance' landing on position four.

Winky D has always been a favourite of (BBC) Radio 1Extra Destination Africa Top 5 presenter DJ Edu. Five years ago, during a tour of the United Kingdom, the Ninja president did a freestyle on the programme at the invitation of DJ Edu.

Disappear's entry onto the BBC chart is yet another feather in the cap for a song that has courted both popularity and controversy in equal measure. So popular is the track that local artistes are falling over each other to do cover versions of the hit.

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Tariro neGitare added a jazzy feel to the song while a duo going by name Us Two-made of Chido Chigwedere and Mutsa Chiromo- teamed up with one Zviko to create their own cover version of the self-styled Zimdancehall president's hit song.

Social media has been inundated with various versions of the song with one of the most interesting being a cover of 'Disappear' in a Roman Catholic style by an unidentified group. The cover is so well done that one can easily mistake it for a church hymn. 'Disappear' also has several apostolic style versions.

Winky D's manager, Jonathan Banda has welcomed the accumulating cover versions of 'Disappear.'

"You can't stop art. The artists who are doing their own versions of the song 'Disappear' are endorsing the greatness of the song. It happens worldwide whenever a song with cross-cutting appeal is released.

"The fact that covers are being dropped daily including Catholic and Apostolic versions goes on to show that the artiste has won the hearts of many a listener,"  Banda told the Daily News recently.

Banda added that they knew the song would be a hit before it was released.

"We knew that the track was going to shake the industry because it really speaks to our daily realities and the people's efforts to revitalise and better their lives in the face of challenges. People remain hopeful that our problems will disappear," Banda added.

Apart from 'Disappear,' Winky D's latest album carries hits like  'Mirror,' 'Woshora,' 'Idya Mari,' 'Ngoma Futi,' 'Survivor' featuring Shinsoman, 'Copyrights,' 'Holiday' featuring Guspy Warrior and 'Not Nice.' Daily News

Source: Winky D breaks into BBC chart

Why Djibouti is Africa's hottest new travel destination

Djibouti is out of this world. It's a claim no travel writer should ever make, but it really is as if a great chunk of Mars has been carved out and jigsawed on to the Horn of Africa. Seated on the Afar Triple Junction – the meeting point for three of the Earth's tectonic plates, which are pulling slowly away from one another – Djibouti is a jostle of black volcanic rock, flat plains haunted by dust devils and a brilliant-blue coastline bulging out into the Gulf of Aden. These are the raw lands that 20-year-old Wilfred Thesiger travelled through in the 1930s and later featured in his Danakil Diaries travelogue.

Until recently, travellers have been slow to follow in his footsteps. Images of the civil war that broke out in the region during the 1990s linger – as do concerns about pirates in the Gulf. But these impressions are outdated. Aside from the occasional pickpocket, Djibouti is safe and unassociated with the problems that persist in neighbouring Somalia and Eritrea, its coastal towns insulated from marauders by the Gulf of Tadjoura.

It offers intrepid travellers a new frontier. Outside the colonial-style capital, Djibouti city, development is in its infancy: accommodation and services are relatively frill-free, there's no public transport and it's expensive. But the real draw is the wealth of adventure activities on offer, from trekking up the dormant Ardoukoba volcano and snorkelling with whale sharks in the Bay of Ghoubbet, to floating in the briny waters of Lac Assal – the lowest point in Africa.

One of its most impressive landmarks is Lac Abbé – a salt lake on the border with Ethiopia. It's the terminus of the 750-mile-long (1207-kilometre-long) Awash River, which starts life west of Addis Ababa. Droughts and extraction for irrigation upstream have caused the water level to drop 20 feet (6 metres), leaving behind copper-coloured flats studded with jagged limestone chimneys that bite the skyline. It's so otherworldly they were used as a filming location for the first Planet of the Apes.

The lowest point in Africa: Lac Assal in Djibouti, Africa.

As we drive towards the plains, heat warps the air and the chimneys appear on the horizon like a long caravan of humped camels marching through the desert. In the distance, Afar women draped in cloths of purple, orange, red or blue flash bright as birds against the sandy sky.

I lean out the window of the 4x4 as we navigate the scabs of sparkling salt that encrust the dirt and pop like bubble wrap beneath the tyres. A boy, leading his two camels, walks past us; arms dangling over the herding stick slung across his shoulders. We wave, and he nods his head in reply. Off to the left, a jackal nips at the ground. He's cornered a rodent of some kind and darts back and forth, unsure of us but unwilling to abandon his hard-won lunch. We stop the car. He races back and plunges his snout into the earth, emerging with a furry gerbil between his teeth and darts behind a rock to eat in peace as we crackle onwards. Further on we see a pair of pug-nosed warthogs with tusks white and curved like smiles, but they quickly trot away into the haze.

Hussein, our quiet Afar guide who sits in the passenger seat, holds up his hand and signals for our driver to stop. He speaks French – the national language alongside Arabic – and I translate for the others. "Follow my footsteps; be careful where you walk: there's areas of quicksand." So we pace after him, eyeing up the contorted formations. One is over 200 feet (61 metres) high and is nicknamed – rather unimaginatively – La Grande Cheminee (The Big Chimney). It's utterly silent save for the warm, whispering wind.

Djibouti's otherworldly landscapes are starting to attract tourists.

At the base of another, Hussein points to a fumerole – a pool of boiling water that bubbles and steams invitingly like a Jacuzzi. "See. This place really is heaven and hell," he smiles. "It comes from so deep that it reaches halfway up the vents," he says, pointing to nooks further up where I notice pigeons roosting. "They have to be careful not to cook themselves" Hussein says, grinning and rubbing his tummy hungrily.

Leading away from the pool is a thin, shallow channel carved through the salt and dirt. "What's this for?" I ask. "Afar adults build them to steer the hot water – which cools enroute – to small fields where they grow grass for their animals," he explains. "Then the children bring the goats and sheep here."

The Muslim Afar – or Danakil – make up a third of Djibouti's population of under a million, and have a fierce reputation. One of their most beloved proverbs reads: "It's better to die than live without killing." Today, their attitudes are softening, but smiles are not easily won.

A Djibouti nomad leads camels loaded with salt for sale.

We return to the car and drive up to a small escarpment where a basic campsite sits overlooking the chimneys and fumeroles. Accommodation is in the form of ari – traditional Afar huts built from a matrix of branches bent into a dome with a woven mat slung over the top to act as a roof. Beneath this is an Army-style camp bed.

Ad Feedback

We wander into the cool, dark interior of the main tent. Its dark-green canvas walls flap in the wind. The only decoration is a dried leopard pelt – head and ears intact – splayed across a side table; its regality all the more poignant amid the barrenness.

Inside are four travellers – two men, two women – sitting around a simple table on folding chairs; their legs splayed out in rest. The camp cook offers us small, scratched glasses of piping-hot coffee, which we pincer carefully between fingers and thumb. I sip at the brown water and let out a long, quiet whistle; it's so sweet my fillings rattle.

Salt water laps at the shores of Lac Assal in Djibouti.

"What brings you to Djibouti?" I ask the group of newly assembled friends who had met in Ethiopia. "Adventure!" they cheer in unison. "I can't wait to sleep in my hut tonight," beams an Irishman called Enda, his sun-reddened cheeks blending into his russet beard.

The sun is starting to set so we them bid farewell and drive back down to the plains. The low light casts silhouettes making the chimneys appear as dark mountains from a distance; serrated like the backbone of a dinosaur.

As we wander towards one of the grassy patches, we notice two girls and a younger boy grazing their goats. They stare at us unflinchingly. I crouch down to run my fingers through the turf and, looking up, lock eyes with the eldest. She leans her head against the shepherding branch clasped in her hands. I can just make out the tribal markings on her face; two blackened stripes, as if a bird had lightly perched on either cheek. I nod and smile, but she doesn't respond.

The light is fading fast now. Hussein says it's time to go and starts walking back to the 4x4. I hang back to take in the surroundings and realise the children are following me. I turn and greet them in French, but they stay silent; I take pictures on my smartphone and flip the camera so they can see themselves, but they peer at the screen wordlessly. And then I have it. Fastened to the fraying satchel slung around my body is a gold Omani badge pin featuring two crossed khanjars (daggers); a small token I picked up on my travels. I take it off and attach it to the dress of the eldest girl, near her shoulder. It glints in the sun and she runs her fingers over the small button. Before she can stop herself, her lips crack and curve into a smile revealing bright-white teeth. Quickly, she whips her hand up to her mouth to cover it and her eyes settle into a tough stare again. We're nearly at the car. She grabs my hand and gives it a quick, firm squeeze and runs back towards the grass a nd goats.

Djibouti can be disconcerting at first. It's unlike any other African country: in place of the cool eucalyptus forests and green terraced valleys found in Ethiopia, are unique gnarly landscapes forged from rock, sand and salt. It's wild and totally alien, but it offers something rather precious nowadays: the chance for raw adventure as yet untainted by multitudinous tour operators. Give it a few days and it will – as with the young girl – elicit the sincerest of smiles.

The writer travelled to Djibouti as part of a new 12-day Addis to Djibouti Adventure with Explore Worldwide (explore.co.uk).

MORE INFORMATION

The only guidebook currently on the market is Lonely Planet's Ethiopia, Djibouti & Somaliland (June 2013).

Traveller.com.au

Source: Why Djibouti is Africa's hottest new travel destination