Syrian civilians and rebels continue to evacuate Daraya

At least five buses carrying fighters and their families arrives in the rebel-held city of Idlib.

As evacuations from the besieged Daraya area continued for a second day, the first buses carrying Syrian civilians and rebel fighters from the Damascus suburb have reached opposition-held territory in the the country's northwest, a monitoring group has said.
At least five buses carrying fighters and their families arrived in the rebel-held city of Idlib on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as part of the deal that will see control of Daraya handed over to government forces.
Some 300 fighters and their families were evacuated during the first part of the operation on Friday, and activists told Al Jazeera they were expecting up to 1,000 evacuations on Saturday.
Residents of Daraya, believed to number around 8,000, are expected to be sent to government-run reception centres pending resettlement elsewhere.
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said there were concerns for those evacuated to government-held areas as there were "no guarantees they wouldn't be detained or interrogated".

"The Daraya deal is also being viewed as if the international community is turning its back on the Syrian people," our correspondent added.

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Saturday, August 27, 2016 No Comments

Bangladesh police 'kill main Dhaka cafe attack suspect'

Security forces claim to have killed three people, including prime suspect Bangladeshi-Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury.

Bangladesh police have stormed a house outside the capital, Dhaka, shooting dead three people, including the main suspect in the last month's cafe attack that killed 22 hostages.
"We can see three dead bodies here," senior police officer Sanwar Hossain told AFP news agency on Saturday, adding that the dead "most probably" included Bangladeshi-Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury.
A team from the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit and police cordoned off the house in Dhaka's Narayanganj Sadar area this morning on information that suspects were staying there, Mainul Haq, superintendent of Narayanganj police, told The Daily Star newspaper.
As the police tried to enter the house, the suspects opened fire from inside, Haq said.
Al Jazeera's Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka, said it will likely require relatives to positively identify the body or DNA testing to confirm that the person killed was Tamim Chowdhury, as the police have reported.
"The police do claim a lot [of] things but then later we find out that there are a lot of gaps in the information. So we will have to wait until it's confirmed," he said.

Al Jazeera

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Syria: Evacuation of Daraya begins in deal to end siege

Buses carrying residents and rebels leave Damascus suburb, as rebels prepare to cede control of area to Assad forces.

The first buses carrying local residents and rebel fighters left the Damascus suburb of Daraya on Friday under a deal that will see the area evacuated after a four-year siege by government forces.

Aid convoys arranged by the medical charity Red Crescent entered the suburb early on Friday, as part of the deal that grants the control of the area to government forces.
Rebel fighters and government forces agreed to a deal on Thursday to evacuate the town, which pro-government forces have surrounded since 2012. Since then, only one aid shipment has reached the area, according to the United Nations.
Residents were suffering from severe shortages and malnutrition prior to the aid deliveries, according to local activists.

A Reuters news agency witness saw six buses leaving the town, and footage on state television showed buses carefully driving past a large group of soldiers through streets lined with rubble.
The Syrian opposition criticised the evacuation, saying that the international community had failed the people of Daraya.

"Daraya did not fail today," George Sabra of the opposition peace talks team told DPA news agency. "It was the international community who failed, and failed the people of Daraya."
Sources told Al Jazeera that about 8,000 civilians and 800 rebels would be evacuated from the Damascus suburb, which before the war was home to a quarter of a million people.
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said the rebels were "forced to sign the deal".

"For nearly four years, residents of Daraya have lived under siege, with civilians being starved to death by government forces. This is a deal that the rebels had to sign and we will now see civilians moved to Sahnaya - a town in Damascus governorate - under regime control," he said.

The United Nations, which has repeatedly called for the lifting of the siege, said it was "not involved and not consulted in this deal," in a statement put out by the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura's office. 

De Mistura, who met with the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, said the situation in Daraya was "extremely grave and tragic" and that "the repeated appeals to lift the siege of Daraya have not been headed".
Reporting from Geneva, Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor James Bays said the Syrian government's "starvation of surrender policy has actually worked because they have now managed to close down Daraya and remove everyone from Daraya".
Rebel forces from Daraya will be taken to the northern province of Idlib, held by the Army of Conquest, a coalition of armed anti-government groups.

The rebels who controlled Daraya belonged to two rebel groups: Ajnad al-Sham and the Martyrs of Islam, groups allied with the Army of Conquest.
However, activists told Al Jazeera that they were extremely concerned over the safety of civilians, many of whom are relatives of the rebels, as the government offered little to no guarantee.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Jordan, advocacy advisor Charmain Mohamed of the Norwegian Refugee Council said although the end of hostiles in the town was a positive step, her team was "concerned about the protection of civilians" and that any evacuations "should be voluntary in nature". 
"There should be absolutely unfettered humanitarian access and civilians should be protected, according to
international humanitarian law".
Some opposition groups also criticised the deal, calling it a major setback as Sunnis would be forced from their homes, further fracturing the country along sectarian lines.

"This is a pattern by the government to push Sunnis out of communities they control and have been living in for decades. In 2015, there was a similar deal in Zabadani on the outskirts of the capital," our correspondent added.

source:aljazeera

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security officer arraigned for forgery

A Security Officer, Bernard Obeto (35), appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday facing six counts of forgery, unauthorised possession of stamp and unlawful possession of travel documents.

Obeto, who is stationed at the Tanzania Airport Authority, was charged alongside a Ugandan national, Mugabe Moses (37), who was not brought before the court. Before Principal Resident Magistrate Magreth Bankika, Obeto denied the charges.

He was remanded until September 5, when the court will deliver the ruling on application for bail. In the case, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has presented a certificate to object bail to the accused person on grounds that if bailed out the safety and interests of the Republic would be prejudiced.

Prosecuting, State Attorneys Paul Kadushi and Wankyo Simon told the court that on March 11, this year in the city, with intent to defraud, the accused persons forged working permits bearing different numbers.

The prosecution alleged that such permits bore names of Peter Moses Mugabe and Musa Setuba. The accused persons allegedly purported to show that the two documents were issued by Labour Commissioner, while it was false.

It was alleged further that on March 22, this year, in the city, with intent to defraud, the accused persons forged two resident permits bearing different numbers in the names of Musa Setuba and Peter Moses Mugabe, showing that they were issued by Immigration Department, while it was untrue.

Obeto was charged with a separate count of unauthorised possession of stamp, an offence that falls under the National Security Act. The prosecution alleges that such offence was allegedly committed on August 10, this year at Tabata Kinyerezi areas in Ilala District.

The prosecution told the court that without lawful authority, Obeto was found in possession of a rubber stamp closely resembling to the rubber stamp of the Immigration Department.

Such stamp had an impression reading, “Immigration Officer allowed to stay for three months employment with or without pay is strictly prohibited in Tanzania,” an act which is prejudicial to the safety of the United Republic of Tanzania.

The court heard further that on the same day and areas, the security officer was also found in possession of a Tanzania Diplomatic Pass number 0154 issued to Embassy of China, which does not belong to him and failed to hand it over to the holder or Immigration Department.

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Trump, advisers remain split on how far to move toward the middle

Ten days after he appointed new campaign leadership, Donald Trump and many of his closest aides and allies remain divided on whether to adopt more mainstream stances or stick with the hard-line conservative positions at the core of his candidacy, according to people involved in the discussions. 

Trump has been flooded with conflicting advice about where to land, with the tensions vividly illustrated this week as the GOP nominee publicly wrestled with himself on the details of his signature issue: immigration. 
A particular flash point has been whether to forcibly deport an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants from the country, a move Trump long advocated but is now reconsidering. 
“He has been listening to a wide range of opinions on that,” said former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has been at Trump’s side nearly constantly over the past week. “As you might imagine, there are different opinions on this, even in his campaign. In a very thoughtful way, he’s trying to figure what the right position is.” 
“By the way,” Giuliani added, “that’s what everybody criticized him for in the past: that he’s not able to do that. He actually is able to do that.”
The conversations in recent days have featured voices from a range of Republican views, all jockeying to tilt the businessman’s politics in their direction, according to those involved. Trump tends to echo the words of whomever last spoke to him, making direct access to him even more valuable, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk about internal campaign discussions. 
Those pushing Trump to soften his stances and tone — and who have gained immense influence in recent days — include Giuliani, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Fox News chief Roger Ailes, a longtime ally who has no formal role with the campaign but talks to the candidate frequently and attended a strategy session last weekend. At recent private fundraisers, many Republican donors have also urged Trump to adopt a different pitch and rethink his priorities. 
Meanwhile, Trump continues to discuss immigration policy with Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), who is seen as the populist force behind much of his candidacy. While he has defended and encouraged Trump’s deliberations, Sessions is considered a balancing force against more centrist appeals. So is new campaign chief executive Stephen Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, the hard-charging conservative website.
Trump was joined on the trail this week by Giuliani and Sessions, along with Stephen Miller, a former aide to Sessions who has become a well-trusted confidant. His New York-based children continue to play an outsize role. 
But any suggestion of change has alarmed some conservatives and ardent backers. Firebrand commentator Ann Coulter declared this week that it was “a mistake” for Trump to consider abandoning his support for mass deportations and said his tone “sounds very consultant to me.” 
The back-and-forth over immigration comes amid broader efforts by Trump to reach out to voters beyond the disaffected whites who compose his base, including events such as a roundtable Friday with Hispanic business leaders in Las Vegas. Trump also lashed out this week at his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, for accusing him of appealing to racist elements, repeatedly labeling her a “bigot” because he says her policies don’t help minorities.
Last year, Trump cast illegal immigrants as being mostly violent criminals, and he rolled out an immigration plan that embraced ideas that had long dwelled at the fringes of the GOP: no longer granting citizenship to children born in the United States to illegal immigrants, constructing a massive wall along the border with Mexico and perhaps restricting some legal forms of immigration. In interviews, Trump added that he would form a “deportation force” to remove the millions of immigrants living in the country illegally. 
But Saturday, Trump asked a panel of Hispanic advisers for alternate ideas and made clear that he was willing to change on the issue. The next day, newly installed campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who has advised GOP candidates for years on how to win over swing voters, said in a CNN interview that Trump’s position on creating a deportation force was “to be determined.” 
Over the next few days, Trump took a variety of positions that created a frenzy of confusion over where exactly he stands. On Tuesday, Trump said he was open to “softening” the rules for the millions of immigrants who came to the country illegally but are living peaceful and prosperous lives, only to say Thursday that his position is “hardening.” 
At an immigration-focused town hall in Texas on Tuesday, which was later broadcast on Fox News, Trump repeatedly polled his audience on what he should do, allowing his internal conflicts to play out publicly. 
“Can we go through a process? Or do you think they have to get out?” he asked the audience. “Tell me. I mean, I don’t know, you tell me.”
Trump provided the crowd a sympathetic portrait of a theoretical illegal immigrant who has been in the country more than a decade, building a life with children and a stable job. He repeatedly asked if that sort of person should be allowed to stay or be kicked out of the country, getting results that were often difficult to measure. At one point, Trump asked who in the crowd wanted all illegal immigrants thrown out, even the law-abiding ones, and a man stood up and bellowed: “I do!”
Fox News’s Sean Hannity then asked Trump: “You heard from the audience. What does your gut tell you you want to do?”
“Well, look, this is like a poll, this is like a poll,” Trump said. “And I love the guy that stood up and said — where is that guy? I love this guy. That’s my guy. I mean, I get it. I get it. And I understand what you’re saying. But this is sort of like a poll. And this is what I’m getting all over the country.”
Trump’s often contradictory comments on deportations came during interviews with Fox News or CNN, not during his campaign rallies. For two weeks, Trump has been reading prepared remarks from a teleprompter, a machine he had long cursed. As the week progressed, his control slipped and he went off-script more often — saying at a rally in Ohio on Monday that some urban areas are more dangerous than war zones and making a joke in Tampa on Wednesday about Clinton being medicated. 
This week the campaign twice started to plan an event where Trump could give an immigration speech — an opportunity for him to settle on a position and document it — only to cancel without a clear explanation. 
Trump’s comment about being open to “softening” laws to help illegal immigrants came Tuesday, the same day Coulter released her new book, “In Trump We Trust,” in which she writes that anything Trump does could be forgiven, “except change his immigration policies.” During an MSNBC interview that night, Coulter was obviously frustrated and threatened to cancel her book tour if the candidate clearly changed his position. 
“I think this is a mistake. I’ve thought he’s made other mistakes, and I’ve given him constructive criticism when I think he makes a mistake,” she said. “I think this is a mistake.”
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked: “Does he take your criticism?”
“Um,” Coulter responded. “I haven’t had a lot, but yeah. No, he does listen to people. And I’m not advising him or anything, but I did write this magnificent book.”
By Wednesday, Coulter seemed confident again in Trump’s candidacy as she attended a book party in Washington and told Bloomberg News’s Joshua Green: “My worship for him is like the people of North Korea worship their Dear Leader — blind loyalty. Once he gave that Mexican rapist speech, I’ll walk across glass for him. That’s basically it. . . . I’ll criticize him, and I have, but it’s all minor stylistic stuff. We all want to shoot him at various times.”
Thursday, Trump took a different tone in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and said that he foresees “a lot of people being deported,” although he admitted such deportations could not all happen at once. Trump also doubled down on the notion that a majority of illegal immigrants are violent criminals who will be the first to go. 
“And there are probably millions of them, but certainly hundreds of thousands,” he said. “Big numbers. They’re out. They’re out.”
At one point, Cooper asked Trump, “So if you haven’t committed a crime and you’ve been here for 15 years, and you have a family here, you have a job here, will you be deported?”
“We’re going to see what happens once we strengthen up our border,” Trump replied, describing that strength in detail. “And then we’re going to see what happens. But there is a very good chance the answer could be yes. We’re going to see what happens.”

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Tanzania to be EA oil power center

Tanzania aims to become the first in oil and natural gas exploitation in East Africa in ten years, Energy and Mineral Minister Prof Sospeter Muhongo has said. Prof Muhongo said the goal would be achieved only through a rise in the number of experts in the field from the level of diploma to PHD.

“Since the sector is new in the country, we intend to have at least 500 trained experts in the area of oil and natural gas in 10 years time.

“The achievement will lead us to become number one in the area throughout East Africa,” said Prof Muhongo during the handing over of scholarship certification to 20 students who would be going to China for Masters and PHD on natural gas and oil.

He pointed out that the country still lacked enough experts in the area and the demand could not be realised due to lack of enough instructors in the colleges.

“We want the country to acquire enough experts in the field so that they can fill the vacant positions at the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) as well as in other private companies,” noted the Minister.

“And through colleges like the University of Dodoma (UDOM), University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and the Mining College and overseas students that receive funding from China, Norway, United Kingdom and the government the number will be attained.”

Prof Muhongo commended the government of China for providing 20 scholarships on natural gas and oil each year, noting that over 60 students had benefited from the programme since it was introduced in 2013.

Commenting on the criteria for selecting the beneficiaries of the scholarship, Prof Muhongo said chances were usually advertised via newspapers, the ministry and TPDC website for eligible candidates to apply.

“Applications usually go through screening and in most cases a special consideration is given to female students and after selection I personally go through the list and verify their documents.” Minister- Counsellor of China in Tanzania, Mr Gou Haodang called on the students to study hard while in China and portray the good culture of the country.

“Save the day, hour and learn, come back with the spirit of devotion to serve your own country because the economy counts on you,” said Mr Haodang.

The Chinese government provided the scholarships and the Tanzanian government would fund the flight. “I will do well in my studies,” said Ms Fatma Saidi, one of the students for a Masters degree in Oil and Gas.

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Chadema members arrested

2 leaders and 35 followers of Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) in Simiyu and Arusha regions have been arrested and others arraigned in courts of law for incitement.

The party leaders are Deputy Secretary General (Isles) Salum Mwalimu and Arusha MP Godbless Lema. Simiyu Regional Police Commander (RPC), Onesmo Lyanga, told the ‘Daily News on Saturday’ yesterday that Mr Mwalimu was arrested in the region for uttering and enticing members of the public to breach peace.

Commander Lyanga said the members include 17 from Massa and 18 from Bariadi and all were involved in organising closed meetings discussing various issues including conducting demonstrations on September 1, this year.

According to him, apart from arranging the demos contrary to the government directive on the matter, police officers managed to record the meeting proceedings and will use them as evidence against them.

"Yes, we have arrested them and as I speak to you now they are already behind bars and will answer charges before the Resident Magistrate's Court here in Bariadi," said the RPC.

He cautioned the residents to refrain from taking part in restricted political activities especially the demonstrations scheduled for September 1 and warned those behind the agenda to abandon it at once.

Meanwhile, Marc Nkwame in Arusha reports that Mr Lema was arrested by police early yesterday morning after he allegedly uttered inciting statements in the city during the previous day.

RPC Charles Mkumbo, confirmed the arrest and explained that Mr Lema, the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Arusha-Urban constituency, through the opposition party, Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendelea (Charmed), for issuing seditious statements.

“Mr Lema has been circulating written and audio statements through the internet and social media platforms insinuating that the country will be plunged into bloodshed once the opposition’s planned countrywide demo kicks into action,” explained Mr Mkumbo.

The Chadema politician was also quoted as saying higher authorities have reached the end of thinking capacity and that is why the country is going to face disaster and major loss come the first day of September 2016.

The police were also seen searching the residential premises of the outspoken politician in Njiro area of Themi Hills in the outskirts of the city. “Yeah, we are still investigating Lema and is currently still in custody and once we are through with the probing we shall issue an official statement to that effect,” said the Commander Mkumbo.

Lema’s arrest comes shortly after another Chadema politician, Mr Ally Bananga, the Ward Representative for Sombetini, was arrested for trying to mobilise the people to demonstrate in streets during the outlawed September 1 march planned to be conducted countrywide.

Bananga was taken to court and appeared before Resident Magistrate Augustino Rwizile. The State Attorney Charles Kagwira, read the charges against the 40-year-old politician saying the latter committed the offence on August 13, this year in Karatu township.

The court allowed Mr Banning to bail himself out with a bond of 5m/- and is currently out awaiting the second reading of his case coming up on September 22, this year.

source:dailynews

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475,000 children at risk in Lake Chad area (UN)

At least 49,000 in Nigeria's Borno state will die of malnutrition this year if they do not receive help, UNICEF warns.

Nearly half a million children around Lake Chad face "severe acute malnutrition" due to drought and a seven-year violent campaign by the armed group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, UNICEF has warned.

Of the 475,000 deemed at risk, 49,000 in Nigeria's Borno state, Boko Haram's heartland, will die this year if they do not receive treatment, the UN children's agency said on Thursday.
At the start of 2015, Boko Haram occupied an area the size of Belgium but has since been pushed back after Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon formed a coalition along with Benin to fight the group.
Most of its remaining forces are now hiding inside the vast Sambisa forest, southeast of the Borno provincial capital, Maiduguri.

UNICEF said that as Nigerian government forces captured and secured territory, aid officials were starting to piece together the scale of the humanitarian disaster left behind in the group's wake.


"Towns and villages are in ruins and communities have no access to basic services," UNICEF said in a report.


In Borno, nearly two thirds of hospitals and clinics had been partially or completely destroyed and three-quarters of water and sanitation facilities needed to be rehabilitated.
Despite the military gains, UNICEF said, 2.2 million people remain trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram or are staying in camps, fearful of going home.

Appealing for more funds, UNICEF said that, to date, it had only received $41m - 13 percent of what it needs to help those affected in Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon that border Lake Chad.

The war between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government has left at least 20,000 people dead in six years and made more than 2.6 million homeless.
Responding to its battlefield setbacks, Boko Haram has turned to suicide bombings, often involving children.

UNICEF said that it had recorded 38 cases of child suicide bombings so far this year, against 44 in the whole of 2015 and only four the year before that.

Droughts and floods have also played a significant role in food insecurity in the region, creating a multi-layered crisis situation for aid agencies to deal with.

source: aljazeera

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Friday, August 26, 2016 No Comments

Deadly bomb attack hits police HQ in southeast Turkey

Eleven police officers killed and scores wounded in the town of Cizre close to the Syrian border, state media says.

At least 11 police officers have been killed and 70 wounded in a truck bomb attack at a police headquarters in southeastern Turkey, according to a Turkish minister.
The bomb was exploded at a checkpoint outside the headquarters on Friday, after the attackers failed to pass the guards there, state media said. The blast was followed by an armed battle between the police and attackers.


Recep Akdag, Turkey's health minister, said that at least 11 officers were killed in the incident and four of the 70 wounded people were in critical condition.
The ministry said earlier that a dozen ambulances and two helicopters had been sent to the scene.
Predominantly-Kurdish Cizre is in Turkey's Sirnak province and it borders both Syria and Iraq.
Large plumes of smoke billowed from the attack site, footage on Turkish televisions showed. They also displayed a large three-storey building reduced to its concrete shell, with no walls or windows, and surrounded by grey rubble.

State media blamed the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels for the attack.
On Thursday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala accused the same group of attacking a convoy carrying the country's main opposition party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. One security official was killed in the incident.

The PKK, an armed group seen as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, has recently stepped up its attacks in southeastern Turkey.

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TPDC boss ouster after CAG report

CONFLICTING reports are surfacing that the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) Director General, Dr James Mataragio, has been suspended by the parastatal’s Board of Directors effective Wednesday.

Impeccable sources within the oil and gas exploration authority said Mr Mataragio has thus fallen among the high ranking casualties of last year's derogatory audit report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG).

However, as of yesterday, there has not been any official statement from TPDC regarding the new development. But insiders suggested the performance audit on the management of process of awarding exploration and development contracts and licences for natural gas released by the CAG, Professor Mussa Juma Assad, in March this year, would have cost the renowned geoscientist dearly. "The organisation is not safe now. He (DG) was given a suspension letter yesterday (Wednesday) and it is because of the audit report ... the letter came from the board chairman not the minister," sources closer to the TPDC told the ‘Daily News’, preferring anonymity. The audit centred on reviewing how oil and gas exploration contracts were awarded between 2010/11 and 2013/14 revealing serious inefficient management of the contracting and licensing process. It also found there are no adequate controls in place to ensure that procurement in the sector complies with the relevant legislations. Observers rushed to challenge the decision as saying Mr Mataragio was not in office since he was appointed into the post in December 2014. Ministry of Energy and Minerals Permanent Secretary (PS) Professor Justin Ntalikwa told this newspaper that he was aware of the news in circulation but declined further comment. "I am aware of the news but it would be better if you seek clarification from our board chairman. He might give you all the details you want since the decision also came from the board," he told the ‘Daily News’ in a telephone interview. TPDC Chairman Professor Sufiani Bukurura could not be reached by phone yesterday. On his part, Mr Mataragio told the ‘Daily News’ that he was unaware of the new decision, adding; "it happens that you are just giving me this information." Dr Mataragio is among the few experts in minerals, oil and natural gas in the Diaspora who volunteered to offer free advice to the government on development of the sector. He holds a PhD (Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Structural Geology and Petroleum Geology), from Missouri - Rolla University, Missouri, US (2005); Masters in Business Development (MBA), from Charlotte University, North Caroline, US (2008); MSc (Geochemistry and Petrology), from Okinawa University, Japan (1997); and BSc (Hons) (Geology), University of Dar es Salaam (1994). Prior to the post, Dr Mataragio was Senior Geoscientist with Bell Geospace Inc, Houston, Texas, US where he started working with the firm in 2004. Among major international Gas and Oil firms he worked with while employed by Bell Geospace include Petrobras (Brazil); BP; Anadarko; Tullow; Pemex (Mexico); ANP (Brazil), Ecopetrol (Colombia); Petronas (Malaysia) and Vale Rio Doce.

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Louisiana flood victims desperate for volunteers, money

WASHINGTON — Sherry Buresh and a team of volunteers spent three days this week cleaning out a house in Denham Springs, La., that was flooded with seven feet of water. They ripped out cabinets, pulled up carpet and threw out family photos that couldn’t be saved.

“We’re moving out household possessions and throwing everything away, which is so sad and hard to do with the homeowners there,’’ said Buresh, director of U.S. Disaster Response for All Hands Volunteers, a disaster response group based in Mattapoisett, Mass.
Buresh and other relief groups said they could use more help.

“The more volunteers that come in, the quicker we can get people taken care of,’’ she said.
Buresh and others, including President Obama, are pleading with Americans to pull out their checkbooks to help fund recovery efforts in Louisiana, where flooding has killed 13 people and damaged tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
The state is also desperate for volunteers to help with the months-long effort to rebuild devastated communities.

“It does take the whole community to recover from a disaster like this,’’ said Brad Kieserman, vice president of Disaster Operations and Logistics for the American Red Cross. “This is certainly the biggest natural disaster we’ve seen in the United States since (Superstorm) Sandy.’’

Across the country, he said, small faith-based groups and large organizations are organizing food drives and collecting donations.

“There’s nothing that those folks are doing that is not needed in Louisiana,’’ he said. “This is going to be a multi-month operation. If you can’t go now, maybe you can go after Labor Day.’’
Obama, who toured flood-damaged communities Tuesday, urged Americans to “stay focused’’ on the disaster in Louisiana.

”Federal assistance alone is not going to be enough to make people’s lives whole again, so I’m asking every American to do what you can to help get families and businesses back on their feet,’’ he said.

More than 100,000 individuals and households have registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has approved more than $127 million in assistance. 
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said he’s concerned that the need for help hasn’t resonated with Americans. Fugate, who has visited the state twice in recent weeks, including Tuesday’s tour with Obama, said the effort has switched from emergency response to recovery.

"People are kind of like tuned out because of, I think, everything from the elections to the Olympics,’’ he said in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t think people across the nation realize how big or how bad this is or how much help the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Catholic Charities — just a whole bunch of volunteer organizations that are down here — are going to need."

Buresh expects that up to 75 volunteers will sign up to assist All Hands Volunteers in Louisiana in coming weeks. Volunteers already there have come from as far away as the United Kingdom. Ideally, she said, the organization needs about 150 volunteers a day.

Meanwhile, the group has to prioritize which groups to help first. The elderly, disabled and families with young children top the list.

“Right now, it seems like everybody is a high priority, so we’re just trying to get as many volunteers in as we can,'' said Buresh, who also helped in Ocean Springs, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

Earlier this year, All Hands Volunteers spent three months in Washington Parish helping homeowners recover from the March floods. Some of those homes have flooded again.
“It’s so sad we’re back here again,’’ said Buresh.

Kieserman and other relief officials said they need money to buy, ship and distribute non-monetary donations, to house and feed volunteers, and to provide a variety of services to flood victims. It costs about $1,400 to send a Red Cross volunteer to Louisiana for 11 days, he said.
As of Monday, the Red Cross had pledges of $4.4 million for the Louisiana disaster. Kieserman estimated the organization will spend at least $30 million on the disaster.

On Wednesday, the Louisiana State Society, a group composed mostly of Louisiana natives living in Washington, hosted a fundraiser that raised about $5,000 for relief groups in the state. More than 100 people showed up. Others donated online.

Michelle Mott, a native of Lafayette and the group's president, said it's important to help family and friends affected by the flood.
“It’s been an amazing response,’’ she said. 

 “We want to make sure people are taken care of back home,’’ said Neal Kirby, a native of Mandeville. “This is a long-term recovery effort. Once the cameras turn off, it’s not going to go away.’’

 Veneeth Iyengar, a native of Baton Rouge, said Louisiana may be miles away, but it's still home.

“When we see our brothers and sisters struggling ... it just makes sense for us to do a little something,’' he said.

Nicole Morales, a New Orleans native and a contractor with FEMA living in Washington, took vacation this week and flew to Baton Rouge to help clean out houses with Team Rubicon, a group composed mostly of veterans and first responders.
She remembers when volunteers came to help her family after Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s important to do the same exact thing,’’ said Morales, who spearheaded the Wednesday fundraiser. “It’s my turn to pay it forward.’’

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U.S. ship fires warning shots at Iranian vessel

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that approached two U.S. ships, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, in the most serious of a number of incidents in the Gulf area this week

"They did feel compelled ultimately to fire three warning shots and the reason for that is... they had taken steps already to try and de-escalate this situation," spokesman Peter Cook told reporters.

Tensions have increased in the Gulf in recent days despite an improvement in relations between Iran and the United States.

Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran in January after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions but serious differences still remain over Iran's ballistic missile program, Syria and Iraq.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Squall patrol craft fired three warning shots from a .50 caliber gun in the northern Gulf on Wednesday after warning flares did not work.

The incident started with three Iranian vessels, but there was only one around by the time the warning shots were fired, the official said. He described the Iranian behavior as "unsafe, unprofessional, and not routine."

At one point, the Iranian vessel came within 200 yards (193 meters) of a U.S. ship, the official said.

Another interaction took place between an Iranian and U.S. ship on Wednesday, the defense official said but gave few more details.

The Pentagon earlier this week accused Iranian vessels of harassing a U.S. warship near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Iran's defense minister said those Iranian vessels were just doing their job.

"If an American ship enters Iran's maritime region, it will definitely get a warning. We will monitor them and, if they violate our waters, we will confront them," Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said in a statement reported by the Iranian Students' News Agency.

A State Department spokeswoman said it was not clear what the intentions of the Iranian ships were, but the behavior was unacceptable.

"We believe that these type of actions are of concern, they unnecessarily escalate tensions," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told a briefing. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Paul Simao and Alistair Bell)

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linked in dubious Mbowe Hotels Ltd deal

FORMER Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has been implicated in a questionable joint venture agreement between the National Housing Corporation (NHC) and Mbowe Hotels Limited (MHL) entered in 1997 where the latter acquired 75 stake of the building housing Club Bilicanas.

Mr Lowassa ran unsuccessfully for the Union presidency in general election last year through CHADEMA after defecting from CCM where he had been eliminated from the presidential race.

MHL is owned by the National Chairman of CHADEMA, Mr Freeman Mbowe -- and the company is on the verge of being evicted from the building due to outstanding rent arrears amounting to over 1 billion/-.

Mr Mbowe was yesterday quoted by some media outlets describing the debt as ‘political persecution’ meant to silence him, admitting, however, that there have been disputes between the two parties.

The building in question is among structures nationalised by the government through the Building Acquisition Act of 1971 and placed under the then Registrar of Buildings, the predecessor of NHC.

It is located on plots number 725-726/11 along Mkwepu and Indira Gandhi (Makunganya) streets.

“Through the agreement, NHC remained with only 25 per cent. This is not right because such shareholding structure is entered when NHC only provides land to a developer who foots all construction costs,” a source privy to the issue informed the ‘Daily News.’ He added that the MHL was given 75 per cent for the building; not the land.

‘‘This makes the contract questionable; what is worse is that the company pledged to expand the structure by setting up a three-star hotel and conference facilities but nothing has been done,” the source confided.

This newspaper was informed that in his capacity then as Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Lowassa, through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr J. M. Mgwheno, wrote to the then Director of NHC, Mr Haruna Masebu, directing the housing corporation to sell the building to MHL.

The directive was made through a letter dated March 24, 1994, which has been seen by ‘Daily News,’ instructing NHC to sell the building through a tender “but with consideration of MHL.”

It has come to light that the company had way back in 1993 made a request to the State House to purchase the property through a letter dated May 20, 1993 in which it claimed it wanted to expand the structure at a total cost of 720m/-.

“However, the snag (in making the expansion and renovation) is that we do not own the property hence making the whole endeavour a very risky one and that is why we are appealing to your office to give us a permission to purchase the ‘dilapidated’ property,” reads part of the letter to the State House.

According to the letter, MHL claimed it wanted to construct an ultra-modern international multi-purpose function hall by renovating the old backyard and renovating the right wing into an international standard casino. On the proposal there was also a plan to upgrade the left wing into a two-storey 100-room international standard hotel.

Subsequently, the then Secretary to President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Ambassador Paul Rupia, wrote to the Board Chairman of NHC at that time, Mr Emillius C. Mzena, to consider the request, which he eventually advised against in a letter written on August 26, 1993.

Mr Mzena reasoned that allowing the request for purchase by MHL will prompt other tenants to make same demands for NHC buildings in prime areas. After failing to get a nod from the presidency, the company then approached Mr Lowassa who made directives that finally saw MHL and NHC signing the deal with the shareholding structure of 75 and 25 per cent, respectively.

“After too much pressure the board and management of NHC finally allowed for the joint venture in which each party would have 50 per cent stake but this was rejected,” the source confided to this paper.

However, almost 20 years since the joint venture agreement was entered, MHL did not make any expansion as claimed and this prompted NHC to propose a review of the contract which the company rejected.

It was at this juncture that NHC issued MHL with a notice to terminate the joint venture for re-development and co-ownership of the property on February 16, 2015, which, among others, required the company to pay outstanding rent arrears.

Even with the notice, MHL did not settle the arrears and thus on June 24, this year, the state-owned corporation issued a notice to terminate the lease agreement.

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Gun, bomb attack on American University in Kabul kills 12

KABUL, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Twelve people, including seven students, were killed in an attack on the American University in Kabul that sent hundreds of students fleeing in panic, police said early on Thursday, before the assault ended when two gunmen were shot dead.

The attack began at around 6:30 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Wednesday with a large explosion that officials said was a car bomb followed by gunfire, as suspected militants battled into the complex where foreign staff and pupils were working.

Elite Afghan forces surrounded the walled compound and eventually worked their way inside, according to a senior interior ministry official.

Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said seven students, three policemen and two security guards were killed during the attack, the second incident involving the university this month.
Sporadic gunfire could be heard through the night and, before dawn, police said the operation had concluded.

"The fight is over and at least two attackers are killed," a police official at the scene told Reuters. "Right now a clearance operation is ongoing by a criminal technique team."
The Afghan Public Health Ministry said no foreigners were reported among the wounded.
Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Kabul police Criminal Investigation Department, told Reuters that police had evacuated between 700 and 750 students from the university, which is popular with Afghanistan's elite.
DESPERATE ESCAPES
Terrified students recounted barricading themselves in classrooms or jumping from the second floor in order to escape. Most appeared to have got away.
"Many students jumped from the second floor, some broke their legs and some hurt their head trying to escape," Abdullah Fahimi, a student who escaped, told Reuters. He injured his ankle making the leap.
"We were in the class when we heard a loud explosion followed by gunfire. It was very close. Some students were crying, others were screaming," he said.

Ahmad Mukhtar, who also fled, said the gunmen had got into the university buildings despite security measures including armed guards and watchtowers.

"I finished my class and was about to leave when I heard a few gunshots and a huge explosion, followed by more gunfire," he said. "I ran toward the emergency exit with other students, climbed the wall and jumped outside."

Islamist militant groups, mainly the Afghan Taliban and a local offshoot of Islamic State, have claimed a string of recent bomb attacks aimed at destabilising Afghanistan and toppling the Western-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani.

No one has taken responsibility for the university raid.
It was the second time this month that the university or its staff had been targeted.
Two teachers, an American and an Australian, remain missing after being abducted at gunpoint from a road nearby on Aug. 7.

The American University of Afghanistan has about 1,700 students and advertises itself as the country's only not-for-profit, "non-partisan", co-educational university. It opened in 2006 and caters to full-time and part-time students.

Taliban insurgents control large swaths of Afghanistan, and Afghan security forces are struggling to contain them, especially in the provinces of Helmand to the south and Kunduz to the north.
NATO ended its combat mission in December 2014 but thousands of troops remain to train and assist Afghan forces, while several thousand more U.S. soldiers are engaged in a separate mission focusing on al Qaeda and Islamic State.

The United States said it was closely monitoring the situation in Kabul following the university attack and that forces from the U.S.-led coalition were involved in the response in an advise-and-assist role.
State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said the U.S. Embassy was working to account for all of its personnel and to locate and assist any U.S. citizens affected by the attack.

(Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, Susan Heavey and Arshad Mohammed in WASHINGTON; Writing by Mike Collett-White and Lincoln Feast; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Paul Tait)

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oil pipeline preps

The Vice-President of Total East Africa, Mr Javier Rielo, assured President John Magufuli that preparations for the construction of the 1,410-kilometre oil pipeline from Lake Albert in Uganda to Tanga Port in Tanzania are in good progress, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has shown interest in using the facility.

Mr Rielo made the assurance in Dar es Salaam yesterday when he met with President Magufuli to brief him on the progress of work on the construction of the pipeline. He said that his company is determined to ensure that the project is successfully implemented.

The construction of the pipeline, with the capacity of transporting 200,000 barrels per day, will provide 1,500 direct employment and 20,000 indirect employments. Speaking after receiving the report, President Magufuli said he believed the project will be of great benefit to Tanzania, Uganda, Total Company and neighbouring countries.

He assured Mr Rielo of his government’s cooperation in implementing the project despite Tanzania’s geographical position being one of the advantages for the project.

Meanwhile, the DR Congo government has shown interest in using the pipeline for transporting its crude oil. DRC Minister In-charge of Hydrocarbons, Mr Ngoi Mukena, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that his country has discovered a lot of oil and preferred to use the crude oil pipeline because the area where the oil has been found is close to it.

“I believe that if my country will succeed in using the pipeline, it will be beneficial to both countries in addition to being one way of strengthening our bilateral relations,” he remarked.

According to Mr Mukena, his country will start transporting 30,000 barrels per day, the amount to increase up to 100,000 barrel per day. The Minister for Energy and Minerals, Professor Sospeter Muhongo, said that the pipeline will transport not only crude oil from Uganda, which the DRC government has shown interest in using it.

He said that the Congolese government had shown interest even before the construction of the pipeline has started to allow Tanzania to consider its request when the work begins. Prof Muhongo said that upon completion, the pipeline will have the capacity of transporting 200,000 barrels per day, with Tanzania benefitting through taxes and tariffs from the companies, which will be using the pipeline.

In another development, Prof Muhongo reported that they have agreed to conduct joint exploration of oil and gas along Lake Tanganyika and share the revenue upon the discovery of the natural resources.

He explained that Lake Tanganyika is shared by four countries, including Tanzania, DRC, Burundi and Zambia and hence experts from the countries will convene several meetings between this month and October to see how the agreement can be implemented. In April, the government said that construction of the 1,403-kilometre pipeline is expected to be completed by June 2020.

The companies with stake in the discovered oil in Uganda include Total E&P of France, Tullow Oil of United Kingdom as well as China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

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mourns

The Minister for Home Affairs, Mwigulu Nchemba, leads hundreds of mourners to pay last respect for the three slain police officers today.

The police officers were gunned down by bandits in Mbande, Temeke in Dar es Salaam while changing guards at CRDB Bank Microfinance unit.
Three police officers will be buried in Coastal, Ruvuma and Iringa Regions respectively. One officer was transported Wednesday to Zanzibar where he will be buried.
The bandits did not rob the bank but took two guns.

The last respect ceremony is held at Kilwa Road police barracks. Attorney General, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner also attended the ceremony and some other government officials.

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killings of four policemen at D’ Salaam bank

It has been a second major post-dusk robbery in less than five months. It was also different from previous major bank heists in the country as this time around the bandits had targeted the police and their weapons.
CRDB Microfinance Bank, Mbande Branch, in Temeke Municipality, Dar es Salaam Region, had just closed for business less than 30 minutes back when disaster struck, according to residents and local leaders.

Four on-duty policemen were killed while two civilians sustained injuries when well-equipped armed robbers surrounded the microfinance facility and started firing shots at a police van that had just arrived at the bank.
The Commissioner of Operations and Training of the Police Force, Mr Nsato Mssanzya, confirmed the incident that occurred at around 7:00pm at Mbagala-Mbande area. some 40 metres from the Mbande police post.
He named the deceased as Corporal Yahaya E.5761, Corporal Hatibu F.4660, Police Constable Tito G.9524 and Police Constable Gaston G.9996.
“The civilians, Mr Ally Chiponda and Mr Azizi Yahaya, were injured on the leg and arm respectively,” the commissioner of police told reporters.
Mr Chiponda was rushed to Temeke District Hospital where he was admitted, while Mr Yahaya, who was discharged after receiving medical treatment, is recuperating at his Mtongani residence in the municipality.
Eyewitnesses said the bandits arrived at the scene a few minutes before the change of guard at the bank.
“Shortly after the police car arrived with on-duty cops, a suspected bandit who had been eating chips at a nearby chips joint fired shots at the vehicle.
Two other gunmen who were on either side also went on opening fire at the vehicle,” a witness said.
Mr Abdullah Salum, who runs a restaurant adjacent to the building that houses the bank, told the ‘Daily News’ that one of his workers was shot in the arm while out preparing the fries for evening customers,” he narrated.
According to Mr Salum, the bandits maintained the shoot-out for nearly seven minutes before disappearing.
“There were countless gunshots. We were all stunned it all,” a businesswoman, Ms Salma Msuya, added.
Home Affairs Minister, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba, who toured the scene on Tuesday night, wrote in his Facebook page; “We will not end up just cursing.
I urge all those responsible to surrender to the police.” He called on the general public to cooperate with the police force in the war against bandits.
The Police Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit arrived early in the morning yesterday where, among other things, interviewed bank officers and neighbours.
According to the police, the bandits did not target the bank as they escaped without breaking in.
They took away two Sub-Machine Guns (SMG) and 60 rounds of ammunition belonging to the police force.
Observers and security experts described the police killing ‘as indeed disgusting’ urging thorough investigations into the matter, including taking precautions on terror-related threats.

Mbande, a neighbourhood bordering Dar es Salaam and Coast Region, had no full-time operating police station, a glaring omission given its growing population and trade.

Magengeni Street Chairperson, Mr Sadick Makanwa, told reporters that the armed robbers had two unlicensed motorcycles, which they had parked near the police post prior to the attack on Tuesday evening.
Outlining immediate measures to be taken, the Temeke District Commissioner (DC), Mr Felix Jackson, said the district will immediately start construction of permanent police station in the area.
He said residents had so far contributed 45,000 bricks, 33,000 bags of cement while the District Executive Director’s office had issued roofing materials for the planned station.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Chairperson, Ambassador Adadi Rajabu, said the Bunge committee will hold a meeting this week with the Ministry of Home Affairs and that of Defence and National Service to deliberate on the matter.

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