Five feared dead on Lake Victoria

FIVE people are feared to have drowned in Lake Victoria after the boat they were using for fishing capsized and sank on Monday night. Efforts to search for the missing bodies were on progress when the paper went to press last evening.

Chairman for Rubiri village in Muleba District’s Mazinga Island, Mzamiru Iddi, named the missing fishermen as Avitus Clemence (29), Alistides Dioniz (20), Majid Said (47), Muksin Theonest (46) and 39-year old Nickson Leopold.

According to Mr Iddi, the missing fishermen were plying between Mazinga and Kerebe Islets when strong winds hit the engine boat at around 9 pm on Monday.“

The boat capsized and all the five people on board are feared to have drowned. The matter had been reported to Muleba police station,” he said.

Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC) Augustine Ollomi confirmed the incident, saying the rescue team was already on the scene of accident looking for the missing people.

Meanwhile, a five-month-old baby boy died when the room he was sleeping in caught fire.

Mr Ollomi said the accident occurred on December 9, this year, at around 8.30pm at Igabiro fish landing site, Kaagya ward in Bukoba Rural District.

The RPC explained that the 21-year mother of the child identified as Lilian Johansen had rented a room at Upendo Guest House and had left to watch a television, leaving the child inside the room.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2016 No Comments

Bring to justice those behind Ruvu killings: PM

PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa condemned the killing of seven unknown people and dumped at Ruvu River in Kibaha saying it’s not acceptable.

“These incidents are not acceptable in the society,” Premier Majaliwa said when addressing Maulid Baraza in Singida.







He directed the police to do thorough investigation the incident and bring to justice those behind the killing.

The decomposed male bodies were discovered by fishermen floating on Ruvu River, around Makurunge ward, five days ago and buried immediately. He also said the government is serious in dealing with those intending to infringe on national security.

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Monday, December 12, 2016 No Comments

Theresa May rules out Brexit vote for MPs

A Conservative Leave MP likens Theresa May's Brexit approach to "EU tyranny" as the PM rules out a Commons vote on the issue.

Theresa May has said MPs will not get a vote on Brexit because to "second guess" the British people would be "unacceptable".

The Prime Minister's spokesman said it was "absolutely necessary" for the MPs to scrutinize the "process" of leaving the EU but that MPs should not be given a vote.

He said: "Parliament is of course going to debate and scrutinize that process as it goes on. That is absolutely necessary and the right thing to do.

"But, having a second vote, or a vote to second-guess the will of the British people is not an acceptable way forward."

Conservative MP Stephen Phillips has demanded an urgent debate on whether the terms of Brexit are discussed in Parliament before the negotiations with the EU formally begin.
He accused the Prime Minister of adopting a "fundamentally undemocratic, unconstitutional" approach to leaving the EU.

In a letter to House of Commons speaker John Bercow he wrote: "I and many others did not exercise our vote in the referendum so as to restore the sovereignty of this Parliament only to see what we regarded as the tyranny of the European Union replaced by that of a government that apparently wishes to ignore the view of the house on the most important issue facing the nation.

He added that the Government has "no authority or mandate to adopt a negotiating position without reference to the wishes of the house and those of the British people expressed through their elected representatives."

Mr Phillips' intervention is significant because he campaigned for the UK to leave the European Union.

MPs from both sides have been increasing pressure on Mrs May for a Commons vote on the terms of Brexit.

Former Conservative ministers Anna Soubry and Nicky Morgan, both remain campaigners, have joined with the Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Nick Clegg and former Labour leader Ed Miliband calling for MPs to have their say.

Mrs Morgan told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "There are a lot of us that feel it would be extraordinary - given that the Brexit vote was about the sovereignty of Parliament, about making our own laws, taking back control - for Parliament not to have a big say in the Brexit negotiations." 

She said that the Conservatives had been elected on a manifesto that very clearly stated the UK "would say yes” to the single market.

Brexit Secretary David Davis is on Monday afternoon expected to give a statement in the House of Commons on Article 50 and the Great Repeal Bill that will transfer all EU laws into British law so the Government can then decide what to ditch and what to keep. 

Mrs May, who is in Copenhagen meeting her Danish counterpart, said in a joint statement that she was hoping for a "smooth" departure.

She said she expected to "be able to guarantee the legal right of EU nationals already in the UK so long as British nationals living Europe receive - in countries who are member states of the EU - the same treatment."

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: "We should aim for a friendly divorce."

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Monday, October 10, 2016 No Comments

DC orders arrest of village leaders over 18m/- rip off

POLICE have arrested eight leaders of Kapunga village in Mbarali District over the disappearance of the village’s 18m/-.

Mbarali District Commissioner (DC) Reuben Mfune ordered the arrest of the village leaders when he addressed a village meeting, saying he will never tolerate any corrupt acts in the district.

“I will not tolerate this kind of acts because they are impeding our efforts to bring development in our area. And, for those who intend to do the same, get prepared for stern legal measures,” he said.

District Administrative Secretary Ezekiel Kilemile named the leaders who were arrested as Brighton Mwinuka (Village Chairman), Selemani Mwakanyamale (Finance Committee Chairman) and Rhoida Pole (Treasurer).

Others are Geoffrey Mwinuka, Zamda Nyoni, Joseph Mwinuka, Siliko Mwinuka and the Ward Executive Officer Peter Kita. On the other hand, the DC called for thorough investigations against those involved in the sale of farms and plots at Kapunga village soon after the government repossessed the area that was earlier under an investor.

The government repossessed the area on January 4, this year through the Minister of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Mr William Lukuvi. Talking about the land conflict pitting Kapunga and Ukwavila villages, the DC ordered the two parties to use their respective elders to end the problem amicably.

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Inflation drops to 4.5 pc in September(TANZANIA)

HEADLINE inflation slightly dropped by four percentage point to 4.5 per cent in September from 4.9 per cent of August.

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attributed inflation drop in September to the “ongoing reduction of food prices and gasoline.”

According to GlobalPetrolPrices.com, diesel average prices in the country were 1,745/93 between 27 June 2016 and 03 October 2016. While the global diesel average in the same period was 2,294/17.

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Trump fends off sexism claims in Clinton debate

In the ill-tempered second presidential debate, Donald Trump hits back at revelations of his boasts about how he treats women

Donald Trump has launched a televised assault on former president Bill Clinton in a bid to salvage his own White House hopes.

The Republican presidential candidate went on the attack in his second debate with Hillary Clinton in St Louis.

In an ill-tempered 90-minute clash, Mr Trump responded to revelations of his boasts about how he treats women.
"Mine were words, his was action," he said of Bill Clinton.

"What he's done to women, there's never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women."

He said Mrs Clinton "should be ashamed of herself" for her support of her husband.
Mr Trump had invited four women who have made accusations against the Clintons to take seats in the debate audience. They included Paula Jones and Juanita Broaddrick, who have both made high-profile claims.

Mrs Clinton quoted Michelle Obama in her response: "When they go low, we go high."
She accused Mr Trump of diversion tactics "because of the Republicans deserting his campaign".

Dozens of senior Republican figures have distanced themselves from Mr Trump over the recording of his 2005 comments. Some have urged him to leave the race.
He said he had never assaulted women and repeated his apology for the 'locker room banter'. He said: "I'm not proud of it."

"I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women."
Mrs Clinton said: "He says this is not who he is. I think it is clear to anyone who has heard it, it is exactly who he is."

The debate was held in a town-hall style, with questions from members of the public.
It was closely contested and packed with cheap shots.
A massive social media response included mention that the pair did not shake hands at the start of the debate.

A CNN/ORC snap poll of people who watched the contest found that 57% thought Mrs Clinton was the victor, compared to 34% for Mr Trump.

A YouGov survey meanwhile had 47% of respondents saying Mrs Clinton came out on top, with 42% saying Mr Trump performed better.

Mrs Clinton was asked about paid speeches she had given to Wall Street bankers and which have been leaked by WikiLeaks.

In one she she talked of having different positions in public and private. She said she was quoting lessons from Abraham Lincoln.
Mr Trump joked that "Honest Abe" didn't lie - "big difference between him and you".
The pair clashed on familiar territory of immigration, dealing with Islamic State and taxes. Mr Trump again came under fire for not revealing tax returns.
On Mrs Clinton's email scandal, Mr Trump said: "If I win, I'm going to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there has never been so many lies and so much deception.
"You should be ashamed of yourself."
He said she would be "in jail" if he were in charge of the country's legal system.
Mrs Clinton again called out Mr Trump's statements for fact-checking and she again faced repeated interruptions from her rival. He claimed the debate moderators were acting in her favour.
He also publicly disagreed with his running mate Mike Pence on Syria policy and apparently confirmed he has not paid federal tax for years.

Mrs Clinton said she had received letters from teachers about the "Trump effect" and an increase in bullying because of the rhetoric Mr Trump has used.

He insisted his Twitter row with a former Miss Universe did not show a lack of discipline to be commander in chief.

Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton had "tremendous hate in her heart" after she called half of his supporters "deplorables".

The biggest laugh of the night came when they were asked if there was anything they respected about each other.

Mrs Clinton said she admired Mr Trump's children. He said he admired that "she never quits".

With a month to go until the election, Mrs Clinton's poll lead over Mr Trump has increased since she was judged to have won the first debate. She leads in national surveys and in critical swing states.

The two will face off again in Las Vegas on 19 October, their last televised clash before Election Day on 8 November.

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DSE domestic market cap up 4pc in Q3

DAR ES SALAAM Stock Exchange (DSE) domestic market capitalisation has increased by 4.0 per cent pushed by bourse self-listing in the third quarter of this year.

According to DSE Chief Executive Officer, Mr Moremi Marwa, the market cap increased from 7.912tri/- by end of June to 8.103tri/- end September.

“This was a result of both DSE listing its shares as well as the increase in prices on some of the counters,” Mr Marwa said in a CEO’s Quarterly report. The DSE Index also increased by 4.0 per cent from 3,706.15 points as of June 2016 to 3,855.90 points as of 30th September 2016.

“Market depth (measured by market cap) from domestic listed companies and liquidity, trading turnover, increased during the quarter,” Mr Marwa said. Anderson /Ends

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Suspected PKK bombers blow themselves up to avoid arrest in Turkey

Police swoop on a remote building outside Ankara after a tip-off, prompting two people to detonate their explosives

A "huge disaster" has been averted after two people believed to be preparing a car bomb attack detonated their explosives when challenged by police, Turkish officials say.

The explosion took place as police swooped on the pair at a remote building in Haymana, about 20 miles from Ankara.

Justice minister Bekir Bozdag said it was likely they were plotting a bombing in the capital.
"A huge disaster has been prevented. It is probable they would have attacked Ankara," he told CNN-Turk. "All signs are pointing to the PKK terrorist organisation."
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been fighting the Turkish government for more than 30 years.

Ankara governor Ercan Topaca also linked the blast to the group, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and European Union. 
"The materials used, the construction and the way it was planned point to the PKK," he said.
He added that police moved in after a tip-off from Diyarbakir, a predominantly Kurdish province in the southeast.

"The security forces launched the operation and warned (them) to surrender. A short while later (and) before any intervention, two terrorists confirmed to be a man and a woman detonated themselves," his office said in a statement.
A third person is being hunted by police.

Turkey has been hit by a series of bomb attacks since last summer that have been blamed on either the PKK or Islamic State.

Monday is the anniversary of the deadliest attack, which killed 103 people attending a peace rally, including many Kurdish activists.

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Sunday, October 9, 2016 No Comments

Gunman kills two police officers and injures third in California shooting

The officers were attempting to resolve a family dispute when a man they had been speaking calmly to suddenly opened fire.

Two police officers have been shot dead and another wounded in Palm Springs, California.

They had been attempting to resolve a family dispute when a man they had been speaking calmly to suddenly opened fire, according to police chief Bryan Reyes.

He said the armed man was still at large and could still be at the house where the shooting happened.

Specialist firearms teams had surrounded the property and Mr Reyes urged people not to stream live video of officers' movements on social media, warning it could put them in danger.
A cordon was in place and some residents had been evacuated.

Mr Reyes said: "Understand that we're actively looking for a cop murderer."
The dead officers have been named as Jose "Gil" Vega and 27-year-old Lesley Zerebny.
Officer Zerebny only recently returned to the force from maternity leave after giving birth to a now four-month-old daughter.

Officer Vega was a father of eight, who was a 35-year veteran of the Palm Springs force and was due to retire in December.

While the armed suspect has not been named, police indicated he was known to them.
A neighbour, Frances Serrano, said she had alerted the authorities after the father of the suspect came to her home and told her his son was "acting crazy".

She said the father had warned his son had threatened to shoot police if they arrived.
The deaths comes just days after a Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant was shot and killed in the desert town of Lancaster.

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Hurricane Matthew: Haiti in mourning as burials for dead begin

Concerns are growing in Haiti over an increase in cases of cholera following widespread flooding unleashed by Hurricane Matthew.

Haiti is beginning three days of national mourning for the hundreds of victims of Hurricane Matthew, amid a developing humanitarian crisis.

Almost 900 people died when the storm battered Haiti and with outbreaks of cholera in the aftermath, at least 13 others have lost their lives.

Around 60 more have contracted the disease, the head of the Haitian health ministry's cholera programme said. 

Christian Aid told Sky News the situation was "critical" - and was likely to remain that way for 18 months. 

Prospery Raymond from the charity said: "The south part of Haiti is really affected by Hurricane Matthew. 

"The population are really in need of water, shelter, materials. Compared to the earthquake this emergency is very, very critical."

Britain is giving £5m to help the initial relief effort. 
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said: "We are now beginning to see the full scale of the devastation wrought by the worst storm to hit this region in almost a decade.
"The absolute priority right now is to reach those who are injured and provide them with water, sanitation, shelter and protection."

Meanwhile in the US, six people have died in Georgia and North Carolina after Matthew tore across the southern US states. 

Four deaths had previously been reported in Florida.
North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory said: "This is a very, very serious and deadly storm."
In Fayetteville, the National Weather Service said 8.5 inches of rain had fallen in around 12 hours.

Heavy rainfall last week had already caused the ground to become saturated. 
Two people were killed in Bulloch County, Georgia, by falling trees. 
President Barack Obama has declared emergencies in North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia and ordered that federal aid be provided.   

He has also spoken to the four states' governors. 
The eye of the storm had remained offshore until it made landfall near the town of McClellanville in South Carolina.

It also hit Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina.
There was flooding in the historic town of Savannah, Georgia, and in Charleston, South Carolina. 

The storm's winds, though, had dropped to around 75mph, way below the 145mph recorded when it bore down on Haiti. 

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Donald Trump campaign in crisis ahead of second television debate

Donald Trump will face Hillary Clinton in the second televised debate tonight, with his campaign in renewed crisis over "horrific" comments he made about women.

The Republican presidential candidate has faced a wave of criticism following the broadcast of a video from 2005 - but insisted he will "never withdraw" from the race for the White House.

The billionaire was recorded describing his attempt to seduce a married woman and boasting in vulgar terms of what he can do to women as a "star".
He cancelled a planned appearance in Wisconsin on Saturday after an invitation by House Speaker Paul Ryan was withdrawn as a result of the controversy.
Mr Ryan said he was "sickened" by the tycoon's comments, 
In a video statement, Mr Trump promised to be a "better man". 

He said: "Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong and I apologise."

But senior Republicans, including former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator John McCain, have distanced themselves from the candidate.
Mrs Clinton, his Democratic rival, tweeted that the remarks were "horrific". 

Mr Ryan's fundraising chief Spencer Zwick said he had been fielding calls from donors who "want help putting money together to fund a new person to be the GOP nominee".

Mr Trump's wife, Melania, who he had recently married at the time of the recording, has described her husband's comments as "unacceptable and offensive", but said she had accepted his apology.

The tycoon's running mate, Mike Pence, who many Republicans have said should now be the party's nominee, also put out a statement saying he could not condone or defend the remarks.

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Dar, Kinshasa trade pact saves jobs

THE restoration of trade relations between Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to boost freight forwarding companies’ capacity to re-employ about 6,000 workers who were previously laid off

The workers fell victim after the logistics companies opted to reduce the number of employees in order to reduce operation costs following the drop in cargo volume through the Dar es Salaam port.

Among other factors, the companies diverted their consignments to other ports, such as Mombasa. Cargo traffic through the port dropped by 13.3 per cent in March, this year, compared to the same period last year.

Cargo to and from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia dropped by 14.4 per cent and 27.9 per cent, respectively.

The market segments of the two countries contributed about 60 per cent of the port’s transit market share. But, a new chapter was opened after DRC President Joseph Kabila visited the country on Tuesday this week during which he and his host, President John Magufuli, sorted out some of the challenges that afflicted the traders of the two countries.

Yesterday, Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association (TAFFA) described the move by Dr Magufuli to foster stronger ties with DR Congo as ‘new hope’ for their businesses. “We are now expecting that our member companies would bring back their 6,000 workers whom they laid off,” the secretary general of TAFFA, Mr Tony Swai, said.

Mr Swai said the recent development over modalities in using the port would open up the doors for business people, not only from the DRC but also elsewhere. “On behalf of the association, I thank President Magufuli for facilitating and attracting the Congolese traders to revert to Dar es Salaam port,” he said.

He pointed out that the decision was welcome since the Dar port was fundamental for the country’s economic growth. “President Kabila when he came here he said the port was not only ours,” he recalled.

“I commend Dr Magufuli for extending the grace period for DRC-destined cargo from 14 to 30 days in which cargo at the port will be exempted,” he said. He added that this was among challenges that deterred the traders from using the port.

He praised Dr Magufuli for improving the central railway line. The railway is not capable of carrying more cargo to Kigoma and neighbouring countries. He said the move would help in addressing delays in moving cargo from Dar es Salaam port to other destinations, considering that Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) currently has enough cargo wagons. “We would encourage our members now to use the railway to transport their goods,” he pledged.

The decision to make Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB) serve the traders at the port was also a good idea, according to him. He said that since the bank has arranged to work from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm and could extend more time for service if there could be congestion of cargo at the port.

“He has done a very good job, though there are some minor challenges that he also promised to address. We support him,” he said.

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Moshi plans to kill quelea quelea

MOSHI District Council (MDC) is undertaking a major operation to exterminate about three million quelea quelea birds that threaten 2,135 hectares of paddy on three irrigation schemes in Moshi Rural District.

In an exclusive interview with the 'Sunday News' yesterday, MDC Executive Director (DED), Ms Butamo Ndalahwa, said the government was acting fast to avert losses of yield, as paddy is now in maturing stages and the red-billed weavers have proved to be hazardous.

Ms Ndalahwa said the exercise would start today as they have already secured 325 litres of pest-killing poison from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries in Dar es Salaam.

She revealed that on October 3, this year, she consulted a coordinator with the Arusha Plant Health Centre as well as the Kilimo Anga Arusha manager to get an airplane that was expected to arrive any time from Nairobi, Kenya.

Quele quelea, the world's most populous wild bird species, have been devouring paddy at the Lower Moshi Scheme that spans 440 hectares; Mandaka Mnono Scheme with 270 hectares and the biggest one – Mawala Scheme that covers 1,425 hectares.

"We have completed the groundwork using MDC agricultural experts in conjunction with experts from the Northern Zone Plant Health Centre in Arusha. They estimated the number of birds when entering canopies of trees to sleep or other sites in the evening and now we are ready to exterminate them," said the DED.

Ms Ndalahwa noted that the experts found out that there are four bird sanctuaries that are situated in TPC Company sugarcane plantations and the specialists were going to find out if there were other locations.

She said that towards the end of August there were about two million quelea quelea birds, but the management of TPC sprayed a poisonous liquid and eliminated most of them. However, by September 21, new groups of birds were seen arriving at Lower Moshi Scheme and Mawalla.

MDC Chairman, Mr Michael Kilawila, DED and agricultural experts toured Lower Moshi, Mandaka Mnono and Mawala to assess the situation. They discussed with farmers about the tragedy and way forward.

The birds are always seen during morning and evening hours feeding on paddy but spend nights in colons in sugarcane plantations.

“The last time MDC killed quelea quelea was in 2013 but this time around we have found it important to do a major operation as farmers are in danger of losing their crops. The red-billed birds have an estimated adult breeding population of 1.5 billion pairs. The overall world population is expected to be as large as 10 billion.

They are found in sub-Saharan Africa but are absent from thickly forested regions and the southern reaches of South Africa. They live mostly in steppe and savanna regions, but do not avoid human settlements. While foraging for food they may fly large distances each day without tiring.

Their life expectancy is two to three years. Their food consists of annual grasses, seeds and grain. As soon as the sun comes up, quelea quelea come together in huge flocks and co-operate in finding a suitable feeding place. After a successful search, they settle rapidly and can cause serious damage to crops

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horrors left by Hurricane Matthew become clear in Haiti

Nearly 900 people killed in Haiti, fears of cholera outbreak and panic as crops are wiped out following hurricane.

The full scale of the devastation in rural parts of storm-hit Haiti became clear as the death toll soared to nearly 900 three days after Hurricane Matthew levelled huge swaths of the country's south.

As Matthew threatened the US coast on Saturday, US President Barack Obama urged Americans to mobilise in support of Haiti, where a million people were in need of assistance after the latest disaster to strike the western hemisphere's poorest nation.

The number of deaths in Haiti surged to at least 877 late on Friday as information trickled in from remote areas previously cut off by the storm, according to a Reuters tally of death tolls given by officials. Authorities expec the death toll to rise even further.
While the capital and biggest city, Port-au-Prince, was largely spared, the south suffered devastation.

Aerial footage from the hardest-hit towns showed a ruined landscape of metal shanties with roofs blown away and downed trees everywhere. Brown mud from overflowing rivers covered the ground.

Herve Fourcand, a senator for the Sud department, which felt the full force of Matthew's impact, said several localities were still cut off by flooding and mudslides.
A scene of desolation greeted visitors to Jeremie, a town of 30,000 people left inaccessible until Friday.

"Thousands of houses have been destroyed, and there is not enough food and drinking water," Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo, reporting from a Jeremie, said.
At one of the town's poorly-equipped medical centres, doctors said they are desperate for help.
"We don't have anything; no bandages, no penicillin," Dr Dessous, of the Saint Antoine hospital, told Al Jazeera. "We had to sent people home because we couldn't treat them here."

Cholera threat

But it's not just the lack of medicine and equipment threatening Jeremie's hurricane-hit residents - disease is also a major hazard for the people living here.
"One of the biggest fears here is the threat of cholera," said Al Jazeera's Bo, citing a cholera epidemic introduced by UN peacekeepers following Haiti's 2010 devastating earthquake.
"Thousands of people have previously died because of this disease."
Watch: Haiti: After the Quake

In one ward, at least 12 patients had cholera, five of them children.
The Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday it was preparing for a possible cholera surge in Haiti after the hurricane because the flooding was likely to contaminate water supplies.

Residents of the town were also concerned about their crops, levelled by Matthew's heavy rain and winds.

"We already didn't have enough food, now we have lost our crops," Junot Clerveau told Al Jazeera. "We have lost our trees that give us mangoes and coconuts. I don't know how we're going to deal with this." 

On the aid effort, Mourad Wahba, of the UN Mission in Haiti, told Al Jazeera: "We would like the Hatian government to be the coordinating authority. We don't want to repeat the experience of confusion of 2010."


The Caribbean nation was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than 200 years six years ago, causing a catastrophe and killing more than 220,000 people. Back then, political wrangling stalled reconstruction efforts.

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Saturday, October 8, 2016 No Comments

Family members die after consuming ‘ugali’

FIVE members of the same family died on the spot on Thursday afternoon in Muleba District shortly after eating hard porridge (ugali) which is suspected to contain poison.

The Chairman for Nyamilanda village of Kyebitembe ward, Trasias Baltholomeo, identified the deceased as Julitha Julius (35) and her four children – Haujen Julius (14), Steus Julius (10), Debora Julius (4) and Paschazia Julius who was five months old. According to Mr Baltholomeo, the five family members took lunch of cassava ‘ugali’ at around 3 p.m. on Thursday.

However, shortly after eating the poisoned ‘ugali’, they started vomiting. Efforts were made to rush them to Rubya District Designated Hospital (DDH), but they died on the way.

Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC), Augustine Ollomi, confirmed the incident, adding that samples of the ‘ugali’ have been sent to the government chemist to establish the type of poison. Nobody has been arrested so far in connection with the incident, he said.

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HakiElimu commends state for swift action on Mbeya incident

A local non-profit civil society organisation, HakiElimu has commended the government for taking quick response in ensure legal measures are taken against three teachers appearing in a video clip battering a Form Three student of Mbeya Day Secondary School.

in line with that, the organisation called for the state to ensure security is well instituted to a teacher, Ms Esther Harembo of Iringa University who disclosed the information to the public through the video clip that went viral on social media.

The Executive Director of HakiElimu, Mr John Kalage, made the call yesterday in Dar es Salaam, commending Ms Harembo for disclosing the incident to the public. “We (HakiElimu) highly commend the teacher who disclosed the incident to the public, helping the government to take measures.

The state should ensure security to the teacher in order to protect her from harm following the incident,” he said.

In another development, Mr Kalage expressed need for the government to put up a better system that would ensure bad acts against teachers and students are quickly reported to the concerned authorities.

Mr Kalage said the incident in Mbeya Day Secondary School is among many and unreported incidents highly practiced in public schools, with some teachers practising atrocious acts against students. He said that a research conducted by UNICEF 2011 on violence against children in the country indicated a high number of violence incidents against children in schools.

“In the report, teachers were pointed as the main people involved in violation acts against their students, “ he said, adding that the government should also ensure rules and procedures that would oversee and ensure discipline to both teachers and students are adhered to in order to avoid such acts in school.

On the other hand, the Manager of Research and Policy Analysis Unit, Mr Godfrey Bonventure, asked the state to speed up the formation of Teachers Professional Board meant to oversee better management of teachers in the country.

Mr Bonventure said formation of the board would help oversee teacher’s conducts, thereby taking legal measures to ensure employment of teachers with sound and good conducts and adherence to their professional ethics.

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Syria's war: John Kerry wants war crimes probe

Call by US secretary of state comes as the number of Iran-backed Shia militias battling Sunni rebels in Aleppo swells.

Syrian government troops are advancing gradually against opposition fighters inside Aleppo, even as the US secretary of state calls for Russia and Syria to face a war-crimes investigation for alleged attacks on Syrian civilians.

John Kerry spoke on Friday in advance of discussions on a draft UN Security Council resolution that would call for an end to the Russian-backed onslaught on Syria's second city.

The two-week assault by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces has led to a global outcry after air strikes on hospitals and a UN aid convoy.

"These are acts that beg for an appropriate investigation of war crimes, and those who commit these would and should be held accountable for these actions," Kerry said in Washington, DC.

UN envoy says eastern Aleppo faces "total destruction"

"They are beyond the accidental now … way beyond … years beyond the accidental. This is a targeted strategy to terrorise civilians and to kill anybody and everybody who is in the way of their military objectives."

The assault on rebel-held districts of Aleppo has elicited a warning from Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy, that eastern Aleppo could be "totally destroyed" by the year's end.

Fierce fighting on Friday rocked several districts of the city, which has been divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since 2012.

Government forces captured a hilltop in the Sheikh Saeed district in the south of Aleppo, but the rebels retook other parts of the neighbourhood previously captured by the government, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and rescue workers on the ground.

The UK-based monitoring group also reported clashes in the Salaheddin, Bustan al-Basha and Suleiman al-Halabi neighbourhoods on the city's frontline.

"This morning regime forces tried to take over several points in the Skeikh Saeed area, but rebel forces managed to push them out, taking more than 10 fighters prisoners, all of them from Iraqi Shia militias," Ibrahim Abu Leith, spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence in Aleppo, told Al Jazeera. 

Also known as the White Helmets, the volunteer rescue group operates in rebel-held areas across Syria.

Iraqi militia presence

For their part, rebels in Aleppo said on Friday that they had killed at least 23 pro-government fighters, injured dozens and captured at least six Iraqi Shia militia members deployed on behalf of the Assad government.

Thousands of Iraqi Shia militia members and members of Lebanon's Hezbollah are fighting alongside government forces in Aleppo against primarily Sunni rebel forces.

More than 1,000 Iraqi Shia fighters have travelled to Aleppo from Iraq since early September, joining the ranks of another 4,000 already on the ground in the area, militia leaders and Syrian rebels told the Wall Street Journal earlier this week.

  

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Friday, October 7, 2016 No Comments

Shocking revelation as CDA gets only 6m/- for plot sold at 240m

THE Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has uncovered irregularities in the sale of a government plot located at Kikuyu East here, which was sold at 240m/- but out of which only 6m/- was remitted to the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

He has, therefore, directed the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy and Parliamentary Affairs), Mr Juma Uledi, to make a follow up on the matter to find out officials who pocketed the funds.

“I want you to find out who sold Plot Number 26 Block AA at Kikuyu East, pocketed 234m/- and remitted only 6m/- to CDA,” Mr Majaliwa instructed the PS yesterday during a meeting with the management and workers of CDA at the Treasury Sub-Head Office.

The premier did not go much into details but explained that the plot in question was meant for the construction of a filling station, urging the PS to speed up inquiries into the matter.

In a related move, Mr Majaliwa instructed the PS to look into a leasing contract for a building belonging to CDA, which is currently occupied by a private firm, Tunakopesha Limited.

According to the premier, there are allegations that the occupant was leased the property for free but now wanting to sub-lease it to other people. During the meeting, Mr Majaliwa as well warned employees of CDA against conspiring with middlemen on the sale of plots.

He challenged them to work hard to enable the government realise the plans of relocating the capital to Dodoma from Dar es Salaam.

“There has been a trend by some CDA employees to conspire with brokers in selling plots and this should end. However, I am pleased to learn that the authority has put in place an electronic system for some services, which should be extended to the sale of land,” he stated. The PM further urged the authority to speed-up land survey given the fact that the demand for plots in the designated capital was very high.

He warned that as the surveying exercise is being executed, residents who bought plots but have not made all payments should not be removed from the land. “We want more surveyed plots in Dodoma.

But this should not be a pretext to remove land owners who are yet to make all payments just because we want the government to be impressed with increased surveyed land,” he warned.

He added that if one has been given an offer or a title deed for respective piece of land, he/she should not be removed just because he/she has not completed the instalments.

These people should be urged to make good on their end of the deal.” The PM pointed further that the CDA has so far surveyed 70,000 plots since it was established in 1973, urging it to speed up the exercise to achieve the target of new 100,000 surveyed plots.

Earlier, briefing the premier, the Director General of CDA, Engineer Paskasi Muragili, said a blueprint for surveying 20,000 plots had been completed, noting that the plan is to survey 100,000 plots by June, 2017.

Meanwhile, Mr Majaliwa received a total of six million/- from a crosssection of residents in Dodoma Region to support people who were affected by the earthquake in Kagera Region on September 10, in which 16 were killed and scores injured in addition to the massive destruction to infrastructure.

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breaking news:Nobel Peace Prize for Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Judges in Norway praised him for his peace deal with Farc rebels, signed last month after four years of negotiations.

But the agreement was narrowly rejected by Colombians in a referendum last weekend.
The 52-year conflict has led to the deaths of an estimated 260,000 people with more than six million people internally displaced.

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Hurricane Matthew: Death toll soars in Haiti

Number of dead in Haiti rises sharply into the hundreds as Hurricane Matthew leaves behind trail of destruction.

The number of people killed in Haiti by Hurricane Matthew has risen sharply into the hundreds, as coastal villages and towns began making contact with the outside world two days after being hit by the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade. 

Bodies started to appear late on Thursday as waters receded in some places after Matthew's 235 kilometres-per-hour winds smashed concrete walls, flattened palm trees and tore roofs off homes, forcing thousands of Haitians to flee.

With the numbers increasing quickly, different government agencies and committees gave contrasting death tolls. Earlier on Thursday, officials had said the number of dead stood at 283, but a later Reuters news agency tally of deaths reported by civil protection officials showed the storm killed at least 339 people.

Most of the fatalities were in towns and fishing villages around the western end of Tiburon peninsula in Haiti's southwest, with many victims killed by falling trees, flying debris and swollen rivers.

At least 50 people were reported to have died in coastal Roche-a-Bateau, which local officials described as "devastated".

"I've never seen anything like this," Louis Paul Raphael, a central government representative in Roche-a-Bateau, told Reuters.

Inland in Chantal, the toll rose to 90 late on Thursday evening, the town's mayor said.

'Everyone is a victim'

In the Sous-Roche district of Les Cayes, Haiti's third city on its exposed southern coast, residents tried to help their neighbours.

"I've been on my feet for two days without sleep. We need to help each other," Dominique Osny told AFP news agency amid the debris and destruction left when the storm passed through on Tuesday.

"Everyone is a victim here, houses have been washed away, we lost all the roofing. I lost everything, right up to my birth certificate," he said, citing a vital document hard to replace in Haiti.

"I thought I was going to die. I looked death in the face," said 36-year-old Yolette Cazenor, standing in front of a house smashed in two by a fallen coconut palm.
Along with the human devastation, the storm killed livestock and destroyed crops in parts of the impoverished nation.

"We have nothing left to survive on. All the crops have gone, all fruit trees are down. I don't have a clue how this is going to be fixed," Marc Soniel Noel, the deputy mayor of Chantal, told Reuters.


Matthew is the strongest hurricane in the Caribbean since Felix in 2007 and was closing in on Florida as a Category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Four people were killed over the weekend in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

Cholera fears

The devastation in Haiti prompted authorities to postpone a presidential election scheduled for Sunday.

Poverty, weak government and precarious living conditions for many of its citizens make Haiti particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

In 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake wrecked the capital, Port-au-Prince, killing more than 200,000 people.

Following the earthquake, UN peacekeepers inadvertently introduced cholera to the country, killing at least 9,000 and infecting hundreds of thousands more.


The Pan American Health Organization said on Thursday it was preparing for a possible cholera surge in Haiti after the hurricane because the flooding was likely to contaminate water supplies.

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Bridge built at 364m/- disappears in Ngorongoro

NEWLY built bridge linking Oldonyosambu Ward in Ngorongoro District has disappeared with the regional authorities here ordering the contractor arrest.

Arusha Regional Commissioner Mrisho Gambo has ordered the arrest of the contractors and all officials who participated in the project that has left more questions than answers, despite costing the government about 365m/-.

Oldonyosambu residents told the RC who is touring the district that the newly built bridge lasted for just 12 months, leaving the new village of Jema marooned in a remote island separated by a large gushing river.

They were on view that as short rains season settles, transport will be a serious problem in the area and the situation is bound to get worse with the monsoon long rains expected in March next year.

In a different development, Mr Gambo has relieved from duty, three officers of Ngorongoro District Council over the misallocation of 628m/- reportedly transacted dubiously.

The District Council Director, Mr John Mgalula is also expected to report back to the Regional Headquarters for further investigations while the sacked officials include Ngorongoro District Treasurer Evance Mwalukasa, Legal Officer Sembele Siloma and Electoral Officer in the precinct Khadija Mkumbwa, all said to have had a hand in the 628m/- deceitful transaction.

Others to be investigated over the issue are the Area Planning Officer Mr Aloyce Chambi, Primary Education Officer, Mr Natangiapo Mollel and District Engineer, Mr Benjamin Maziku.

Surprisingly, notwithstanding earlier reports that the entire Arusha Region has completed furnishing all its schools with desks, the RC has discovered that Ngorongoro District was still facing a shortage of 1500 desks.

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Police arrest woman among rape, murder suspects

POLICE in Rukwa region have arrested two people, including a woman, accused of raping and strangling a pregnant woman to death

The law enforcers are still looking for another suspect linked to the death of 34-year old Beatrice Kalula, the pregnant woman who resided at Ichese area, Mtowisa Ward, Lake Rukwa Basin in Sumbawanga District.

Regional Police Commissioner (RPC) George Kyando identified the suspected man as Adrian Maliati (30) and his female accomplice Ester Mwandila (30) who allegedly assisted the former to beat and choke to death the pregnant woman.

The RPC said the other offender, identified as Mama Gulo had fled the scene of the incident after committing the crime, and the police have mounted a manhunt for her. The RPC further said that on October 04, this year at around 9:00 am the body of the victim was found sprawling on a farm of one Job Malingumu at Ichese area, in Sumbawanga District.

It was further alleged that after the man had raped the victim on the presence of the two women, the three people turned violent and buttered their victim to death.

“The body of the deceased had severe injuries on her right eye and bruises on the neck, while bleeding from her private parts. The postmortem was conducted at Mtowisa Health Centre, with the report attributing the death to the chocking,” said the RPC.

\He said the two suspects will be arraigned before the court once preliminary investigations of their case are complete. Meanwhile, Police in Rukwa have arrested 21 people, seized 25 firearms, with 16 homemade guns surrendered following special police swoop against crimes at Wampembe Division along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Nkasi District.

Mr Kyando said during the nine-day operation, 22 home made firearms, popularly gobole, a shot gun and a pistol were seized from illegal owners. Among the 21 suspects arrested over illegal possession of firearms, were 72-year Fredrik Mariseco and the only girl, Yasinta Pesa (19).

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Teacher, 16 children in police custody over terrorism training

A RELIGIOUS institution named Akha Laagul Islam has come under the spotlight after one of its orphanage has been implicated of training children on terrorism at Nianjema Ward, Bagamoyo District.

Coast Regional Police Commander Boniventure Mushongi said yesterday that police were holding a woman, who is a madrasa teacher at the centre. “We’re also holding 16 children who attempted to run away after a swoop by our officers at the madrasa,” he said.
He named the suspect as 48-year-old Ashura Said, a resident of Kimarang’ombe area in Nianjema Ward. “Police had discovered a bomb with registration number G2020c.SSTC at the teacher’s Kimarang’ombe home, he said.

The madrasa called Arahma has been housing orphans from Dar es Salaam, Handeni, Tanga, Mlandizi and Bagamoyo. Police launched the crackdown following a tip-off from Good Samaritans.

In another incident, Mushongi said unknown people on Tuesday killed a resident of Kimanzichana and injured another person at Ukwama area Mkuranga District. He said a 45-year-old man, identified as Bakari Said, met his death while he was filling up loan application forms from Akiba Commercial Bank at Kimanzichana village local government offices.
“Two unknown people gunned down Said and injured another person at the local government offices,” Mushongi said. The two suspected assassins, Mushongi said, disappeared in a motorcycle without taking anything from the victims.

Police are investigating the incident to establish people behind the crime.
The deceased’s body has been preserved at Mkuranga District Hospital pending postmortem. The senior police officer named the injured person as 55-year-old Omary Ally, a Kimanzichana local government official.

He is now receiving treatment at Mkuranga District Hospital.

source dailynews

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100bn/- sugar plants to address sugar shortage

TWO-plant multibillion shilling sugar factory is set for commissioning soon, with the investor already having acquired ample land for the project.

 The two sugar plants are planned for Mkundi in Morogoro and Pemba in Zanzibar. The 50 million US dollar (over 100bn/-) investment will have an annual installed capacity of 280 metric tonnes, according to the Quality Group Limited (QGL) Project Technical Advisor, Mr Stavros Isaakidis.

The facility whose construction is expected to take 24 months, effective December 2016, will sit on the 20,000 hectares.

“We have received great cooperation from the ministry of agriculture, Sugar Board of Tanzania, Tanzania Investment Centre and all other stakeholders,” he said, adding: “The investment is part of efforts to heed President John Magufuli’s call for industrial led economy across the country.”

The advisor said the project will be implemented in phases, with the first phase covering the installed capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes, and the second phase’s 180 metric tonnes.

“QGL has collaborated with world-renowned international experts from the sugar industry, who have developed almost 300 of such sugar cane mills globally,” Mr Isaakidis told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Tanzania’s demand for sugar has been increasing dramatically, with the government directing the ministry of agriculture and its trade, industries and investment counterpart to conduct a thorough assessment of the actual sugar demand.

Initially, the demand for the sweetener stood at 450,000 tonnes, with domestic producers just producing a combined total of 300,000 metric tonnes, leaving a deficit of 150,000 metric tonnes.

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Police probe teachers beating student incident in Mbeya

POLICE are interrogating Mbeya Day Secondary School staff after a video clip showing three teachers battering a form three student went viral on social media.

The three teachers, Frank Msigwa, John Deo of university of Dar es Salaam and Sanke Gwamaka of Nyerere Memorial, were on field training at the school. Reports from Mbeya said the police launched the investigation after seeing the video and a directive from Minister for Home Affairs, Mwigulu Nchemba.

It is alleged that Mr Msigwa gave the English class an assignment but some students did not do the work, including Sebastian Chinguku. The teacher, during class, slapped student Chinguku for failing doing his work.

Mr Chinguku asked the teacher why he slapped him. Mr Msigwa was annoyed by Mr Chinguku and he dragged him to staffroom, where he and other two teachers started the beating.

Another teacher, on field also, Ms Esther Harembo of Iringa University begged for the teachers to stop beating the student but her call was unheard.

The incident happened on September 28, and the student failed to attend school the next day to date. Mr Nchemba has directed the Dar es Salaam Police to arrest and interrogate the teachers over the beating incident.

The trio completed their field works and have reported back to their respective universities in Dar es Salaam

open this https://www.facebook.com/sufian.bojo.7/videos/780250645448514/

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Thursday, October 6, 2016 No Comments

US: Millions flee as they brace for Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane which has already killed at least 65 people in Haiti could have "catastrophic" impact, Florida governor says.

The fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade slammed into the Bahamas early on Thursday, intensifying as it barrelled towards the southeast US coast where millions of residents heeded warnings to flee inland.

Roadways in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina were jammed and gas stations and food stores ran out of supplies as Hurricane Matthew approached, packing storm surges, heavy rain and sustained winds that accelerated overnight to around 205 kilometres per hour.
Matthew, which killed at least 65 people and damaged swaths of homes in southern Haiti, has strengthened from a Category 3 to 4 storm en route to eastern Florida. Four more people were killed in Dominican Republic.

Landfall was expected in Florida on Thursday night, the US National Hurricane Center said, extending its hurricane warning area further north into Georgia in its 6am EST (10:00 GMT) advisory.

"Everyone in our state must prepare now for a direct hit," Florida Governor Scott told a news conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday. "If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic and you need to be prepared."

The four states in the path of the hurricane, tracked 410km southeast of West Palm Beach, declared states of emergency enabling their governors to mobilize the National Guard.Shelters in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina opened their doors after authorities, along with President Barack Obama, urged locals to evacuate their homes.

Federal emergency response teams were coordinating with officials in all four states and stockpiling supplies, Obama said.

Scott requested that Obama declare a pre-landfall emergency for Florida, which would bring resources including food, water and waterproof coverings and double the active National Guard force to 3,000.

Schools and airports across the region were closed on Thursday and some hospitals evacuated patients, according to local media.

'All boarded-up'

In all, more than 12 million US residents were under hurricane watches and warnings, according to the Weather Channel.

In Florida, fuel stations posted "out of gas" signs after cars waited in long lines to fill up."Every gas station I went to is empty," said motorist Charles Bivona in a Tweet late Wednesday. "Here comes Hurricane Matthew. Um, yikes."

Others, meanwhile, prepared to wait out the storm.

People stocked up on water, milk and canned goods, emptying grocery store shelves, footage from local media showed.

Residents and business owners boarded up windows with plywood and hurricane shutters and placed sandbags down to protect property against flooding.

"All boarded up and ready to bunker down. God be with us," West Palm Beach Florida resident Brad Gray said in a Tweet.

The National Hurricane Center said it was still too soon to predict where in the United States Matthew was likely to do the most damage.

On Tuesday and Wednesday the storm whipped Cuba and Haiti with 230km/h winds and torrential rains, pummelling towns and destroying livestock, crops and homes.

The devastation in Haiti prompted authorities to postpone a presidential election.

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Tanesco cuts power at Rev Rwakatare’s Tabata-Bima property

TANESCO has disconnected power at Dr Getrude Rwakatare’s Tabata-Bima former orphanage centre for failure to settle power bill arrears amounting to 23.7m/-.

The centre, however, was closed down some years back by Dr Lwakatare, who is also, the Head of Mikocheni B Assemblies of God Church and a former Member of Parliament.

This comes in the wake of reports that some 183 individuals in 17 regions countrywide owe the parastatal a total of 1.2bn/- arising from illegal connections and arrears, among others.

Technicians from the power utility arrived at the premises today and disconnected the line providing electricity to the compound which comprises several housing units.

“The owner of the property inherited the arrears when she acquired the property from National Insurance Corporation in the year 1978,” according to the Chairman of Tanesco’s Special Audit Team, Mr John Manyama. 

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