Top American movie star Ashley Judd has lauded President Paul Kagame and the First Lady Jeannette Kagame for their courageous and dedicated leadership.

Speaking at a press conference at the Kigali Serena Hotel, the Hollywood star said that Rwanda was a country blessed with a unique leadership.

"I thank Mr. and Mrs. Kagame for their courageous and dedicated leadership to the country"...

She was in Rwanda from mid last week and visited several programs run by the International NGO Population Services International (PSI), including the launch of Eau Sur, a water purifying solution in Rubavu district, Western Province.

One tiny cap-full of Eau Sur liquid purifies twenty litters of water- enough for to a family of six- for Frw 300.

Judd who is active in humanitarian and political causes, is a Global Ambassador for Youth AIDS, an education and prevention program for PSI promoting AIDS treatment and prevention. She is also a board member of the organization.

Full Article allafrica.com

Renowned Hollywood actress, Ashley Judd, has criticized western countries for not doing something to stop the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.

She said this after visiting Kigali Genocide Memorial Thursday. Judd is in the country to assess the activities of health and social marketing firm, Population Services International ( PSI).

"Some countries like the US just looked on while others like France are implicated in the Genocide, yet they have not come out to apologize to the victims," She said.

Judd added that while the Genocide was happening in Rwanda, it was given very little coverage in the U.S. media.

"While the genocide was happening here, I never heard much about it in the US," she said, adding that she got to know much about the genocide through the movie Hotel Rwanda.

Judd said Former Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt did a good thing to have apologised to Rwandans on behalf of Belgium saying it was a good example for Europe.

Verhofstadt made a public apology to Rwandans who died in the genocide for Belgium's failure to help the country in its time of need. In the visitors' book, Judd thanked the Rwandan government for setting up a profound and clear memorial.

"I will do my part to ensure such a tragedy never happens." she promised, adding that she almost fainted twice while walking inside the memorial.

Full Article allafrica.com

A high-powered alliance of women from government, faith-based organizations, advocacy groups and Hollywood will launch a major drive Sunday to help impoverished women and girls around the world.

Hundreds of supporters are expected to attend a summit at Washington's National Cathedral on Sunday where the WFDA will ramp up a campaign aimed in part at changing the policies of governments and multilateral institutions to help eradicate female poverty.

The alliance is also supported by Laura Bush, wife of US President George W. Bush, the former prime minister of Canada, Kim Campbell, and Hollywood actress Ashley Judd.

"Women and girls in poverty are not asking for new rhetoric or promises. They want action that will mean something in their daily lives and have a ripple effect with governments, multilateral institutions, and other organizations," Albright said ahead of the weekend gathering.

Information on the campaign is available at the www.wfd-alliance.org website

On April 23 an Ashley Judd trading card will debut in the new Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts trading card set.

Fresh on the heels of the successful release of its historic one-of-a-kind Americana collection, Donruss is again tapping into the world of entertainment, politics, sports and pop-culture with Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts. The collection, releasing on April 23, includes even more heavy hitters from film, sports and classic television, capturing the flavor of America ’s rich and storied history like never before. Each pack (SRP $150) includes six cards: two autograph or memorabilia cards, three commons or parallels and one insert. For more information, visit www.Donruss.com

“Think about it,” the name of the YouthAIDS funded youth centers in Rwanda, is one of our greatest success stories. Centre Dushishoze provides young people with a friendly and confidential environment where they can receive life-saving health peer education, products and services. Since opening in 2005, the three centers see over 4,500 youth per month.

YouthAIDS Global Ambassador Ashley Judd will visit Center Dushishoze during her journey to Rwanda in April to explore the innovative and effective strategies YouthAIDS/PSI employs to address the transmission of HIV. In Rwanda, more than a quarter of a million people are estimated to be living with HIV, women aged 15 - 24 have five times the HIV prevalence rate than men and there are 1.25 million orphans - one of the highest proportions of orphans in the world.

"So I hope she's our good luck charm, and you'll win Texas for Hillary"...

Judd, clad in a summery red dress, briefly touted the New York senator's record, notably calling her "a feminist." Full Story

There was a bit of a hubub about the dress Ashley Judd wore last week during qualifying. It was a low-cut black dress with tulips on it that came below her knees. The actress wife of driver Dario Franchitti also wore some closed toed high-heels and a wide-brimmed black hat.

ESPN's David Newton posted this story last week on the brewing controversy.

The high-heels were fine, NASCAR just asks that toes be covered. But Judd's dress was a safety concern. NASCAR's dress code for garages and the pits requires long pants and sleeves on shirts.

Well, despite the fact that shots of Ashley Judd in a dress on TV during races might drive up NASCAR's sagging ratings, there will be no movie-start treatment for Judd here. NASCAR officials spoke to the team to make sure they knew the specifics of the dress code.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston sighed and leaned back in his chair when I asked about it.

"It's not a big deal," Poston said. "We're confident it won't be an issue."
OrlandoSentinel.com

It's that time of year again! Same style different series. The big sunglasses and floppy hat are back... in black!! The press is all over Ashley's track-side glamour. I think she is looking super hott, as always.

Ashley Judd just rewrote the NASCAR wives' stylebook, but she might need a little relief from the organization's rule book.

The actor and wife of Sprint Cup driver Dario Franchitti, who is beginning his first full season, strode pit road before Daytona 500 qualifying on Sunday in a knee-length black dress, black sun hat and heels. NASCAR rules require those in the garage or areas where cars drive to wear pants, but at least her shoes were closed-toe. sptimes.com

ON TV TONIGHT:
10 p.m. (HBO) "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel." Correspondent Mary Carillo profiles Indy 500 champion turned NASCAR driver Dario Franchitti, who is now preparing for the Daytona 500. Franchitti, by the way, is married to Ashley Judd.

Updated gallery (4 pics)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of Bug on 25th February 2008. William Friedkin directs this horror based on the play by Tracy Letts. Having escaped her abusive ex-husband Goss (Harry Connick Jr.), Agnes (Ashley Judd), a lonely waitress with a tragic past, moves into a sleazy motel where her lesbian co-worker R.C. (Lynn Collins) introduces her to Peter (Michael Shannon), a peculiar, paranoiac drifter. They begin a tentative romance but things aren't what they seem and Agnes is about to experience a claustrophobic nightmare reality as the bugs begin to arrive.

Features include:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD5.1 Surround and DD2.0
English HOH subtitles
Director’s Commentary
A Discussion with William Friedkin (28:05mins)
Bug: An Introduction (11:52mins)

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