Day: March 12, 2022

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Crurated Partners With More than 50 World Renowned European Winemakers to Raise Funds for Ukraine Relief Efforts

Coveted producers including Louis Roederer Cristal, Domaine Meo-Camuzet, and Domaine Dujac offer up lots of wine for auction with the initial pre-auction value at $100,000

Each bottle sold includes access to an exclusive NFT that verifies authenticity, ownership history, vintage, vineyard location, varietal, and more

LONDON, March 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The world’s top wine producers are responding to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine in an innovative way. Crurated, the London-based membership wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers, has announced it is dedicating the week of March 14-20, 2022 for The All Heart Auction, an online event auctioning rare wines from world renowned producers to support humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people. Selected producers donating wines for the auction include Louis Roederer Cristal, Domaine Meo-Camuzet, and Domaine Dujac among many others. The initial value of the more than 250 bottles of wine pre-auction totals $100,000. A full list of all producers participating is below.

Members and non-members alike are encouraged to participate and bid. Interested bidders are invited to register for an account at www.crurated.com. Non-members can sign-up for a free Explorer membership, allowing anyone to submit bids on the Crurated platform and participate in the fundraising event.

100% of the funds raised from the auction will be distributed to Red Cross, Save The Children, UNHCR, and UNICEF.

The team from Crurated has also developed a unique platform that offers clients an accompanying NFT with each purchase. Recorded forever on the blockchain, the NFT verifies authenticity of the bottle and provides other important details including ownership history, vintage, vineyard location, varietal, and other key details. The NFTs are easily accessible by tapping on an NFC or RFID enabled phone. The bottle history is also updated via a new blockchain recording anytime the wine is resold and the token moves from one client to another. The company uses Polygon technology for NFTs and blockchain.

“It has been amazing watching the world unite to help the people of Ukraine. Our auction initiative represents how I feel about wine and its ability to offer such a generous gift to the world,” said Alfonso de Gaetano, Founder of Crurated. “Our platform is also perfectly suited for this initiative because we automatically assign an NFT for every bottle that is brought into our warehouse and loaded onto the platform. We are anticipating an exciting auction with generous donors pitching in to help lessen the humanitarian crisis.”

“We have had a special link to Ukraine for more than 20 years and have sponsored a charitable event to help young dancers and their families in Lviv. We’ve also raised funds for the Lviv pediatric hospital,” said Jean-Nicolas & Nathalie Méo, of Meo-Camuzet. “Some of the children we had at home for summer vacation are probably old enough to be fighting now, and we dread the thought of their involvement in this war. We hope that the very special wines we have donated for the auction will receive an appropriate welcome and help support the needs of the Ukrainian civilians.”

Other world-class winemakers participating in the auction include: Larmandier-Bernier, Pascal Agrapart, Pierre Péters, Suenen, Bérêche & Fils, Doyard, Moussé Fils, Salon, Vilmart & Cie, Billecart-Salmon, Geoffroy, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Caroline Colin-Morey, Robert Groffier, Père & Fils, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Caroline Colin-Morey, Robert Groffier Père & Fils, Georges Mugneret-Gibourg, Arnaud Baillot, Duroché, Fourrier, Denis Mortet, Dujac, Chateau Pavie, Tenuta Sette Ponti, Ceretto, Massolino, Poderi Aldo Conterno, Grattamacco, Casanova di Neri, Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Bartolo Mascarello, Biondi Santi, Argiano, Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio, Il Marroneto, Giacomo Conterno, Montevertine, Tenuta di Trinoro, Elio Altare, Fontanafredda, Borgogno, and Roberto Voerzio.

About Crurated
Launched in 2021 with an emphasis on France and Italy, Crurated is a membership-based wine community designed to connect connoisseurs with world-class producers. A team of specialists provides personalized services and authentic experiences, while Crurated’s seamless logistics service guarantees quality and provenance thanks to secure wine cellar storage and innovative blockchain technology. For more on Crurated, visit crurated.com.

Contact:
Michael Volpatt
michael@larkingvolpatt.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/55b86cad-5691-4932-825d-2db421ba1005

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4144ffac-f7ef-4b74-bcd0-cd2e5bb5ef78

PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/0f1d1375-a96e-4baa-9585-d3c7484b85f3

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Coronavirus – Eritrea: Announcement from the Ministry of Health (11 March 2022)

Published by
TDPel Media

One patient has been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 in tests carried out today at Testing Station in the Central Region. On the other hand, three patients who have been receiving medical treatment in hospitals in the Central Region have recovered fully and have been discharged from these facilities. The total number of recovered patients has accordingly increased to 9,616 while the number of deaths stands at 103. The total number of confirmed cases in the country to date has increased to 9,720.Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea. Continue reading “Coronavirus – Eritrea: Announcement from the Ministry of Health (11 March 2022)”

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Malaria Detecting App

Eng. Negusse is described by many of his colleagues as hard working and creative. His passion for Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fascinating, his commit¬ment to use his knowledge for the greater good is evident and his collaboration is amazing. Eng. Negusse and Dr. Nahom are an incredible team who bring out the best in each other. Their recent project is a proof of that.

• Thank you for your time. Please tell our readers who you are.

My name’s Negusse Berhane and I was born in 1993 in Massawa. I did my elementary and junior and senior secondary education at St. Francis School and went to Sawa with the 25th round. There I sat for and passed the high school leaving certificate exam to join Eritrea Institute of Technology at Mainefhi. I studied computer engineering in college and graduated in 2018. Then I was assigned to work with the Ministry of Defense at Beleza. After working there for over a year I was reassigned to work at the Ministry of Information in the IT department.

• Why did you want to study computer engineering?

I have always been passionate about computers and curious to know how they are operated. When I was in the 7th grade I was very sure that my career should have something to do with computers. But as we all know the technology in Eritrea then was not updated and some devices were not easily available. Back in 2007 and 2008, the Internet was very slow and not widely available. So I was not able to create the things I had in mind. Now that the problem is being partially solved I am encouraged to work on projects that I believe can bring about change.

• What projects have you worked on?

I have created many apps on my own and some with friends. I have so many projects underway, and my most recent project is a Malaria Detecting app. But the main one that is ready for use is called ‘Point of Sell.’ It’s an app of a system for managing restaurants and took me three years to complete.

• Tell us more about your most recent project?

Malaria Detecting app is an AI. The idea came when my friend, Dr. Nahom Daniel, and I were talking about medicine and how technology is enhancing it. Nahom told me about the big manpower needed to detect malaria because it is done manually. So, we decided to find a solution, and Nahom suggested that we create a static app. But I was more focused on machine learning, which is more efficient and useful. That is how we decided to create an AI.

• What was the process of creating it like?

We started the project by referring to a recently published paper, Yolo Architecture. We were provided with several cell images by the National Health Laboratory (NHL), so we started teaching the machine the three species of malaria that are common in Eritrea. Right now the results are 82% accurate.

• How useful is it?

There is no doubt the app is vital to lab technicians, whose work load will be reduced a lot. To elaborate it more, any lab technician using a microscope takes 40 to 45 minutes to identify malaria in one blood sample, but by using our app a technician can process 200 blood samples in just 45 seconds. Using our app also helps detect the severity of the diseases, very important in the diagnosis process. Moreover, the number of errors is bound to increase in an environment where the technicians’ work load is big. We are also working to upgrade the level of accuracy from 82% to 99%.

• Has your type of technology ever been created; if so what makes yours different?

As far as we know there is one that was created back in 2015 in Uganda. However, ours is different and the latest. As we all know AI is a field that is developing every second, so whenever we create an AI the type of architecture we apply is important. Taking that into consideration we all agree the AI from 2015 is not comparable to ours. Also ours tells the severity and type of malaria, which the other app could not accomplish.

• What difficulties have you faced in the process of developing your app?

Actually we have faced a lot of difficulties. One was getting sufficient cell images in order to teach the machine. The NHL, in general, and Mr. Asmerom, head of quality control regarding malaria, in particular, were great supporters. Friends who work in labs supplied us with images. But we had shortage of data which was very crucial to our project. The other problems we faced were in programming because of the type of hardware we used. Our hardware was not ideal for the AI we were trying to create. Most AI is created on a server called Graphical Processing Unit, and Google can lend you that kind of server. But it’s expensive, so for us to reach the 82% accuracy was a long and difficult process.

• What are your future plans?

I have so many projects that I have to complete. I intend to create more AI related to healthcare. When it comes to the Malaria detecting app, we have plans to upgrade it. We are talking with WHO for financial support so that we could achieve our intended accuracy level.

• Any last few words?

I would like to thank my friend, Dr. Nahom, for his beautiful ideas and his desire to see the lab technicians’ workload reduced. I would also like to thank Mr. Asmerom and all the people who helped us at the NHL.

• We wish you luck. Thank you again!

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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President Isaias met and held talks with China’s Special Envoy

President Isaias Afwerki met and held talks, at State House in the morning hours of today, 12 March, with the Special Envoy of the People’s Republic of China to the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Xue Bing.

At the meeting President Isaias Afwerki underlined Eritrea’s appreciation for the constructive role of China in bolstering the ongoing endeavors by the Horn of Africa countries for regional integration.

Regarding international issues, President Isaias expressed Eritrea’s support to the proposal of China for the Horn of Africa Summit in the first half of this year and emphasized China’s indispensable role in the maintenance of crucial balance.

President Isaias also elaborated Eritrea’s development projects for the period ahead.

Ambassador Xue Bing, on his part, underlined China’s readiness to deepen bilateral ties with Eritrea as well as to promote regional security, development and good governance.

Ambassador Xue also underscored Eritrea’s vital role in China’s earnest initiative for peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Presidential Adviser Mr. Yemane Gebreab, and Mr. Hagos Gebrehiwet, head of Economic Affairs of the PFDJ, as well as Mr. Cai Ge, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Eritrea.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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Reaching Remote Areas: Social Service in Adobha Sub-zone

After Eritrea’s independence, the Government of Eritrea took initiatives to improve the standard of living of rural people based on the tenets of social justice and equal development.

In pursuit of this objective, the government has made substantial investments in rural areas based on the belief that unless these areas are given attention, the benefits of economic growth and development are not likely to trickle down to the majority of the population, particularly those in rural areas. This article gives an account of the development activities in Adobha sub-zone.

According to the local inhabitants, Adobha was difficult to pass through let alone to settle in for a long time due to its desert-like climate with little rainfall and difficult-to-access underground water. The name of the sub-zone is indicative of its climate. The name Adobha was originally Adoha, which means the enemy of the cattle. When herders were crossing Adobha in their migration from Barka (southwestern part of Eritrea) to the east in search of water, their cattle were dying there due to lack of water. That’s why it was named Adoha.

Mr. Mohammed Omer Drar, Administrator of the sub-zone, said that as there was not any social service in the past it all “had to start from scratch. Since then the sub-zone has grown fairly and its population is now increasing.”

After independence, lots of projects have been implemented to improve the livelihoods of the people of Adobha sub-zone. Until the administrative restructuring was made in 1996, the local administrations of the sub-zone were under different subzones, causing the people to incur additional costs of service. Then Adobha was founded as a sub-zone in 1996 with Etaro as its center. It is the farthest most and largest but least populated sub-zone of the Northern Red-Sea region. Some of the main problems of the sub-zone were transport, education and water supply.

Adobha sub-zone is one of the places where village regrouping is promoted due to the scattered nature of settlement of the population. Village regrouping is aimed at creating relatively larger settlements by bringing together several scattered villages to make it easier for the government to provide facilities and services.

For people to lead a sedentary life, the availability of potable water is critical. To ease the problem of potable water supply in the sub-zone, water is supplied using generators, solar panels, and manually-operated pumps. This has been a motivating factor for the regrouping of villages. During the armed struggle for independence, the area around Adobha served as one of the bases of the EPLF. The fighters fetched water from the wells dug around Etaro, Himbol and Ela-babu, which are still serving the local population. Agriculture was also developed around Badin but ceased to function after the end of the armed struggle. When the people of the sub-zone regrouped they have benefitted from the services provided, including education, healthcare and drinking water that have been made available near the areas they live in.

One of the sectors that have made major progress in this sub-zone is healthcare. There is one health center in Drit and one health station in Ela-Babu. In the remaining localities, healthcare service is given through foot medics. Healthcare professionals are giving commendable service in terms of raising community awareness and disease prevention. Though there is one ambulance in Drit health center, it is not sufficient to serve all the communities within the administrative areas because they are far from one another, Mr. Mohammed Omer said.

As far as education is concerned, Adobha sub-zone had no schools although literacy campaigns used to be carried out by the EPLF. Mr. Mohammednur Osman, director of the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) branch in the subzone, said that nine schools have been opened since 1991. The schools, which include pre-school, primary and junior levels, are registering promising results in terms of increasing access to schools. School enrollment in the subzone is still very low, and Mr. Mohammednur said that they are working to increase the number of students who should be enrolled in the next academic year.

One of the endeavors of the MoE in the sub-zone has been to motivate students to be committed to their studies by providing assistance such as free meals during school days and stationery.

Adult education is also given and is playing a key role in reducing illiteracy. Most of the students are women and some will sit for the upcoming eighth-grade general examination, which is given at the end of junior secondary school education. Mr. Mohammednur said that there is a plan to open programs for students who couldn’t go to school at the appropriate young age.

The predominant economic activity in the sub-zone is pastoralism, with subsistence farming and few commercial agricultures that are operational. Most of the people of the sub-zone buy food products from Sudan. As an alternative, the administration of the sub-zone plans to expand agriculture in Badin to increase local production.

The biggest problem in the sub-zone is that of communication and transportation. Mr. Mohammed said that the roads need renovation and expressed his hope that this will be done in the coming few years.

Mr. Mohammed Omer said that as Adobha and surrounding areas were the rear base of the EPLF throughout the independence struggle, the Ministry of Tourism’s branch of the region should give due attention to preserving the historic places because of their significant value and contribution to domestic tourism.

Adobha sub-zone is one of the 16 sub-zones of the Northern Red Sea region. It is inhabited by around 12 thousand people in six local administrative areas — Adobha Nues, Mdgag, Hasta, Ela-babu, Ararb and Hager. Adobha sub-zone is mainly known for its mountainous landscape around the plateaus of Rora-Habab, Nakfa and Ayget and dry plains along the borders with Sudan. Eitaro (which is also called Drit) is 75 Km to the northwest of Nakfa. The remotest parts of the sub-zone are Ararb and Hager, 112 km west from the center of the administration. Most of the people live as pastoralists and a small percentage engage in trade and agriculture. The sub-zone is home to Bidawyeet and Tigre ethnic groups.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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Education and Jobs for Eritrean Women’s Empowerment

Although the world has come to realize that women are equal to men and that they play an important role in development, gender discrimination remains prevalent in the world and women continue to be affected by prejudice. We know social change takes time to materialize, especially in societies where the culture of patriarchy and subordination of women is deeply rooted.

Dedicated to improving the status of Eritrean women, the government of Eritrea has been providing opportunities for education and jobs. As a result, the number of female college graduates has been increasing, leading to an increase in the number of jobs taken by women. Realizing the importance of gender equality, Eritrea has been working relentlessly to empower women, who have proved to the world that they are capable of doing things just like men can.

We have witnessed how Eritrean women fought along with men to liberate Eritrea.

The National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), which was established in 979, played an important role in drafting the constitution of Eritrea by organizing workshops and sensitizing women to the crucial issues that concern women.

During colonization, Eritrean women workers were subjected to low-paying jobs, which changed during the armed struggle. Women were given an education that enabled them to work in factories set up in the liberated areas. The role of Eritrean women in the thirty-year war of independence brought about major changes which are reflected in the present demography and economy of Eritrea.

Women have been key players in Eritrea’s nation-building process, including their participation in the independence struggle and their ongoing contributions to the development of the nation. The government of Eritrea has made the empowerment of women a national priority, and it is committed to a development agenda grounded in social justice and gender equality. The relentless efforts of the people and government have resulted in many more women enrolling in schools, having jobs and actively participating in the national service and development programs.

In spite of the progress, women have made their number in high-skills jobs is still way below what is expected. They are not paid as well as their male counterparts. Despite the growing importance of women in the formal economy, they tend to be clustered in low-productivity and low-status industries. But the NUEW works hard to change this based on its principle that there should be no occupation that excludes women, With a view to assessing Eritrea’s current situation regarding gender equality and to raise women’s awareness about the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment, the NUEW cooperates with institutions and ministries.

The future for Eritrean women in the labor market looks promising, given the rapidly increasing education level of girls. Women should have good education to increase their chances of landing good jobs and use all the opportunities the government provides for women’s empowerment through education and placement at workplaces. If need be women’s representation in all sectors should be ensured through affirmative action. And with an increase in the number of female-headed households, Eritrea needs to increase the earning potential of women.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

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Eritrean Woman’s Story is all about the love of her Country

Two days ago I was listening to a song by a famous Eritrean female singer, Abeba Haile. The song’s title is ‘eritrawit’ (the Eritrean woman) and my four-year-old daughter asked me about the meaning of the song. I just looked at her thinking about where to start and asked myself who ‘eritrawit’ is. I tried my best to make my daughter understand but I couldn’t reach an endpoint. It is really important to remember all the history that Eritrean women went through during the colonial period, the armed struggle and the 30 post-independence years.

Eritrean women stood up against colonizers, got armed and wiped out tyrants. They made a lot of sacrifices. They tolerated hunger, thirst and harsh weather, and climbed mountains wearing a pair of plastic sandals. They ensured their equality by doing their part along with their male comrades. Eritrean women gave their precious lives for their rights and liberty. They said ‘no laying down of arms’ to both the irrational gender bias in the society and to the external oppressors.

Eritrean fighters were not only warriors on battlefields but also leaders, mothers, mentors and lovers. They carried out every mission given by the EPLF with great passion and diligence. They break the burdens of Eritreans imposed by colonizers. In his book, ‘The tenacity and resilience of Eritrea,’ Tekeste Fikadu gave a broad account of the hardships Eritrean female fighters faced during the war, including challenges associated with their reproductive cycle and the very pervasive gender bias.

A friend of my mom’s, who is a veteran fighter, once told me that there were mothers who fought along with their daughters. Eritrean mothers gave both their lives and the lives of their offspring. Some mothers have four to five martyrs and some gave their only offspring because the existence of the nation takes precedence over their own lives.

Eritrean women in Diaspora did a good job in mobilizing Eritrean communities and funding the armed struggle. They gave whatever they had in their pocket, including their jewelry. Their contribution was so much that it is really difficult to imagine Eritrea’s independence without their sacrifices.

Eritrean women fighters made up 30% of the EPLF’s fighting force. This level of participation of female fighters was a stepping stone toward ensuring the transformation of the role of women to social, economic, political and cultural development of the nation. In order to build on the achievements earned during the struggle for independence, the government of Eritrea codified in the 1994 national charter the rights of women and their equal participation in nation-building.

The heroism of the freedom fighters has been passed down to the new generation, ‘warsay,’ who have made extraordinary sacrifices in the war of aggression waged by the TPLF. They have accomplished their duty in preserving Eritrea’s sovereignty. In the book ‘kaleay gedli nmklikal hager,’ the writers illustrate their bravery by saying “female fighters annihilated the invaders who came to erase the Eritrean identity and liberty. The enemy was left exposed to the bullet of ‘Eritrawit.’” They dealt with the adverse conditions of the battlefields and successfully defended the nation. They did this not for money or fame, but for the love of their nation.

The National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), which was born and flourished during the armed struggle, engages in empowering women to preserve their history and liberty and works for the equality of women. It also works to eradicate harmful cultural practices such as early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation and conducts campaigns all over the country to achieve its mission.

In the past twenty years many women have participated in national development programs such as the building of infrastructure, farming, industrial activities and the national service. Eritrean women all over the country are doing their part for national development. This is their promise to build their nation from the devastation of war and sanctions of the West.

The story of Eritrean women will continue as the story of love of the land. It is this history that makes me proud to be an Eritrean woman.

It is apt to close with a quotation from Dr. Tekeste’s book. He wrote: ‘’To the Eritrean female fighters for their unique history which deserves world respect in the historic war of independence; they fought heroically and with extraordinary determination, steadfastness and perseverance in the pursuit of liberty on an equal footing with their male counterparts; and to all the martyred female fighters for whom present and future generations bear the torch of integrity embodied by their lives!

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea