No stand-off among Union partners on oil, gas exploration, Bunge told

THE government has ruled out any stand-off on exploration of oil and gas as well as boundaries between the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar Revolutionary Government, the National Assembly was told yesterday.

Minister of State in the President’s Office (Union Affairs and Environment), Mr January Makamba, made the assurance in the House here yesterday when responding to a question by Mr Jaku Hashim Ayuob (Zanzibar House of Representatives - CCM).

In his question, the MP had claimed that the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) had granted exploration licences for block number 7 and 8 bordering Latham (Fungu Maraca) Island without the consent of the Zanzibar government.

Mr Ayoub went on to allege that there was a crisis on the ownership of the island between the two governments, stressing that the dispute was due to possible oil and gas reserves at the area.

However, Mr Makamba said there was neither border nor ownership disputes on the island as all borders have been stipulated in the constitutions of the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar Revolutionary Government.

“Among the 14 contested issues between the two governments, which have been solved while others are being worked on, there hasn’t been any matter related to borders,” the minister explained.

Mr Makamba elaborated further that TPDC had in the past granted licences for exploration of oil and gas for the blocks in question in line with Petroleum and Gas Exploration Act of 1980 since at that time the search for the precious liquid were considered Union Matters.

“However, at this moment the two governments have agreed to exclude exploration and production of oil and natural gas from the Union Matters,” Mr Makamba said during the Question and Answer session, which was chaired by Bariadi West MP, Mr Andrew Chenge (CCM).

He added that as the constitutional process to exclude the matter from Union Matters was in progress, the two parties have agreed to put in place legal arrangements to allow Zanzibar to start exploration and production of the resources.”

According to the minister, Section 2 (2) (b) of the new Petroleum Act of 2015 allows the government of Zanzibar to conduct the search of the precious liquid in the islands. “It is on this backdrop that the government of Zanzibar is currently working to enact its own legislation for exploration and production of oil and gas,” he explained.

Mr Makamba noted that even if a crisis arises between the two parties, there were modalities to address it as the two parts of the Union “are made up of people with historical and close relations.’’

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Thursday, September 8, 2016 No Comments

National debt soars, still within sustainable level, says Treasury

AS the government conducts sovereign rating to access soft loans from foreign sources, the national debt has increased from 19.69 billion US dollars in June, last year, to 23.2 billion US dollars by June, this year, with the Treasury stating that the debt levels are still sustainable - going by international standards.

What is more, the Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, assured parliamentarians here yesterday that the lion’s share of the debt was spent to implement development projects across the country.

Dr Kijaji made the explanation when responding to a basic question by Ubungo MP, Mr Saed Kubenea (Chadema), who expressed concerns on the ballooning of the national debt.

The question was asked by Hai MP, Mr Freeman Mbowe (CHADEMA), on behalf of Mr Kubenea. The deputy minister said the government had secured loans from both foreign and domestic sources to implement infrastructure projects, including the natural gas pipeline from Mtwara to Dar es Salaam as well as gas processing plants.

She mentioned other projects construction of roads and bridges, a 400KV power transmission line from Iringa to Shinyanga as well as the infrastructure for the Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid project in addition to implementation of sustainable city projects.

In addition, the funds were used for the ongoing construction of Terminal 3 at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam and expansion of Upper and Lower Ruvu Water processing plants in Coast Region, she stated.

“The government, however, has put in place measures to check spiraling of the debt by strengthening revenue collections and curbing wasteful spending of public funds,” Dr Kijaji explained.

During the financial year 2010/2011, she said the government had borrowed soft loans from foreign sources amounting to 1.3 trillion/- and 2.3 trillion/- during the fiscal year 2014/2015.

The explanation by the deputy minister sought to clarify claims by the Ubungo MP that the government had borrowed a staggering 15tri/- and 9tri/- during the period in question.

In a supplementary question, Mr Mbowe claimed that going by the current rate of the debt, each Tanzanian owed over one million shilling. The claims was rubbished by the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba, who explained that there was nowhere in the world where citizens are subjected to pay the national debt.

At this juncture, the Presiding Chair of the session, Mr Andrew Chenge, said there was a need to conduct awareness among the parliamentarians and the general public as it was obvious that majority of people were not aware on computation of the liability.

Mr Chenge said sustainability of debts by nations is pegged on international standards, observing that many people were ignorant of such issues.

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Study to determine cause of farmer pastoralist conflicts

THE government is studying conflicts between farmers and pastoralists to determine whether they emanate from greater pressure on grazing land due to increased livestock population or is a product of poor land planning.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries has also held discussions with pension funds to invest in fish processing industries and construction of cold rooms for fish storage.

Speaking during the ‘Tunatekeleza’ programme aired by Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Charles Tizeba, said although the issue of land conflict was cross cutting, his ministry wants to know the root cause of the conflict, whether is due to small grazing land with large livestock population or it is just poor planning.

He, however, cautioned those engaging in conflicts that they were breaking the law by destroying property and sometimes killing people, urging security organs to ensure that perpetrators face the wrath of the law.

“People need to understand that this country is governed by laws and no one is above the law. It is a criminal offence to destroy property and life and those perpetrating this must be held responsible and face the laws of the country,” Dr Tizeba explained.

The minister faulted some local administrative officials for fueling land conflicts by accepting bribes from some of the perpetrators, forcing the parties that do not have money to bribe to take the law in their own hands.

On fishing, Dr Tizeba said the government was encouraging fish farming to reduce pressure on lakes, which are currently facing scarcity of fish, especially in Lake Victoria, due to illegal fishing methods.

“Fishing communities know the repercussions of Illegal fishing but they still do it. But greed is at the centre of these illegal fishing methods, which are destroying breeding areas for fish ... all these they know but fish farming would provide farmers with an alternative source of income,” he explained.

On deep sea fishing, Dr Tizeba said Tanzanians have not benefited much with deep sea fishing as there are no are local fishing boats that venture into deep sea for fishing except for foreigners. Currently, 104 foreign fishing boats are fishing in the deep sea.

The minister said he had suspended issuing of licences for deep sea fishing until the current ones expire, noting that the regulations governing deep sea fishing were not beneficial -prompting the need to change them.

“We will start issuing the licences with new regulations that will require we do it in partnership or increase charges so that we as a nation can benefit. We will also look for ways for locals to get employment,” he explained.

Following President John Magufuli’s advice to pension funds to invest in other areas, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries has been encouraging investments in fish processing factories and cold rooms.

He added that the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces, Naval Command, was in advanced talks with their counterparts in China to engage in grand-scale commercial fishing.

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34 unethical court officials fired

THIRTY-four judicial officers, including magistrates from different levels have been sacked for misconduct, the Chief Justice (CJ), Mr Mohamed Chande Othman, announced in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

He told a news conference that sacked officers include 11 magistrates from the resident magistrate to primary court magistrate level, while others were ordinary officers serving in different capacities within the judiciary.

Justice Othman said he had reached such decision after receiving two different reports on acceleration of cases from the primary court to the Court of Appeal presented by High Court Registrar Ilvin Mgeta and Court of Appeal Registrar John Kahyoza respectively.

The head of the judiciary further pointed out that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) was also considering the fate of about 28 to 34 other magistrates who were acquitted of corruption cases.

“We have also filed disciplinary complaints of 34 other magistrates before the Disciplinary Committee headed by the Principal Judge. These magistrates were previously charged with criminal offences - but they won their cases,” he explained.

The CJ pointed out that though the number of officers sacked could be seen as small compared to the total number of about 6,406 of total employees within the judiciary, they were committed to ensure they weed out all irresponsible persons within the institution to protect its good image.

Among reasons behind the disciplinary measures taken against the officers include using court seals for personal benefit against the law and procedure, helping individuals to open cases in two different courts, which amounts to abuse of court process and judicial mischief.

The CJ also explained that advocates, who are also essential partners in the administration of justice, have not been spared either - as the Advocates Disciplinary Committee, headed by a High Court judge, was scrutinising 88 cases filed by different people against such members of the bar. “We have directed the committee to fast-track the hearing of cases to ensure justice is done on time.

It sat in March and June to discuss the matter.

Hopefully, such complaints will be determined and as soon as possible,” he stressed. The report presented by the Registrar of the High Court on progress of cases from the primary court to the high court level shows that the achievement has reached 100 per cent.

Registrar Mgetta pointed out that at the end of last year; they inherited a total of 66,448 unresolved cases.

Between January and August, this year, he said, about 167,855 cases were opened countrywide, while 197,794 cases have been disposed off within the same period, while only 55,711 cases were still pending. Regarding the Court of Appeal records, Registrar Kahyoza disclosed that cases inherited from last year were 2,378.

Referral cases opened between January and August, this year, were 980, while those determined to finality were 957 cases, which is about 97 per cent of the work successfully accomplished

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EPA-EU compromise high on agenda as EA heads of state meet

PRESIDENT John Magufuli is today leading East African Community (EAC) Heads of State at an extraordinary meeting to be held at the State House in Dar es Salaam.

The meeting will mainly concentrate on Tanzania’s reluctance in signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU).

Tanzania has exclusively maintained that it will not append its signature on the agreement ‘’until the country’s demands that focus on the best interests of the people are met.’’

Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga, said Tanzania would not sign the EPA agreement until crucial amendments are included in the agreement.

Among other issues that are delaying the signing of the agreement, Dr Mahiga said Tanzania wants to ensure that the country is currently focusing on the industrial economy as well as sorting out the effects that the country faces after the exit of Britain from the EU.

According to him, the EU was pushing for the EAC member states to sign that agreement that was drafted 14 years ago, whereas Kenya and Rwanda have already sealed their signatures on the Agreement. Uganda has expressed its intention to sign that agreement but it is waiting for today’s deliberations.

The agreement was expected to be signed by EAC member states as a block in July, this year, but it was pushed until October 1, after requests from the member countries. However, Dr Mahiga said the signing of EPA by Kenya and Rwanda meant nothing as it was supposed to be signed jointly as a block.

“This agreement is very strong and prior to signing we need to consider the EAC treaty and by signing differently we are likely to kill the EAC customs union,’’ he insisted.

The EAC Council of Ministers met in Arusha on Monday for more than 18 hours deliberating on the agreement, but they failed to agree on the joint signing. Therefore, all eyes and ears will be directed at State House today as Dr Magufuli leads the EAC top leaders to deliberate on the matter.

Apart from that, the EAC extraordinary meeting will also receive a report from the facilitator of the mediation on the Burundi crisis, former president Benjamin Mkapa. Mr Mkapa was in March named by the EAC Chairperson as the mediator for talks to end the long crisis in neighbouring Burundi.

He is today expected to present his report on the EAC heads of state meeting. Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni is the mediator of the crisis. The meeting will also receive a report on the steps taken to accomplish the official membership of South Sudan as member of the regional bloc.

According to Dr Mahiga, President Museven and Paul Kagame had confirmed their attendance. Mr Museveni was expected in the country yesterday while Mr Kagame is expected to arrive today morning.

Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi and Salvar Kiir of South Sudan will send their representatives.

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Corruption court starts its operations

THE Economic, Corruption and Organised Crime High Court’s Division has started to operate following the decision by President John Magufuli to assent the bill passed by the Parliament to establish such special court.

Chief Justice (CJ) Mohamed Othman Chande said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the president endorsed the bill to become law since July, this year and the same has already been published in the government gazette. He pointed out that the rules governing the operation of the court have been prepared.

“These rules are ready and will be published next week to guide how the court will operate,” the head of the judiciary told a press conference. Such rules, according to the CJ, indicate how witnesses that would be called to testify during the trial would be protected and provide the procedure on how the cases to be determined by the court should be filed.

He pointed out further that cases that would be filed before the court dealing with economic crime and corruption in the country would be determined without any delay and that they were committed that the mission for establishing the court is achieved.

The establishment of the court comes after a heated debate, with most people alleging it would help address graft problems in the country and speed up dispensation of justice. Currently, there are three special courts established as divisions of the High Court, specifically handling labour, commercial and land cases.

But there are critics who say that such courts have not been able to reduce the disputes that are pending in the country on the areas for which they were created.

Meanwhile, the CJ pointed out that the president has allowed the judiciary to proceed with the process of recruitment of judges, considering available shortage and pilling up of old cases that were still pending before all divisions of the High Courts.

He gave an example at the High Court’s Land Division where there were only seven judges who are each required to determine a total of 442 cases annually. “Under such circumstances, there is a need to recruit more judges.

Already, the president has given us the green light to proceed with the process and about 145 people have already applied for the post in the arrangement that was announced by the Judicial Service Commission,” he said.

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Zimbabwe court overturns protest ban in Harare

Zimbabwe's high court has overturned a two-week ban by police on demonstrations in the capital Harare.

The challenge was brought by activists, who are opposed to President Robert Mugabe and his government.
They described the court's ruling as "a brave judgement", coming days after President Mugabe, 92, condemned a previous court ruling allowing a demonstration that turned violent.
Zimbabwe has seen a wave of protests recently over the declining economy.

BBC world

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Mkapa presents Burundi peace map to EAC leaders

THE Burundi mediator, Tanzania ex-President Benjamin Mkapa, has presented a document that mapped out to restore peace in Bunjumbura.

East African Community (EAC) Chairperson and President of Tanzania, Dr John Magufuli, said they have received the document that came after rallies of meeting in and outside the bloc.
The EAC chairperson said during the bloc 17th extraordinary meeting in Dar es Salaam that the mediator has done a commendable job on restoring peace in Burundi.

Burundi peace was shuttered after President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for the third term, which opposition said it was against the constitution.

However, Nkurunziza said the first term was during peace transition period and not the first term in office.

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Chinese dies while scaling Kilimanjaro

A CHINESE national, Zhu Yush (27), has died while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, police have confirmed.

Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Willbrod Mutafungwa, said the incident occurred on Wednesday at Kijiweni Kabamba in Kibosho, Moshi District.

He said the late Yush arrived in the country on September 3 via the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) with intention to climb Africa’s highest mountain.

According to the RPC, preliminary investigations into the death of the late Yush, who held passport number E43941406, show that his death came as a result of altitude sickness.

Mr Mutafungwa said the body of the deceased has been preserved at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), where a postmortem will be conducted as procedures to transport the body are underway.

Two tourists have so far died this year.

On July 18, a South African race car driver, Gugu Zulu, died while attempting to climb the mountain after experiencing breathing problems.

Zulu was part of a group of people, including his wife, Letshego Zulu, who were part of the Trek4Mandela expedition

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Mom admits to killing her blind, autistic teen

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  Police say they found her Aug. 29 in a Polk County field lying about 20 feet away from a dead teenager wearing a diaper.

The woman, who was only wearing underwear, said she needed water and started yelling about God, according to court documents.

As Kimberly Lightwine drank water in a deputy sheriff's car and calmed down, she began to recount, police say, how she killed her 19-year-old son, who was blind and autistic, court documents said.

An autopsy showed the son had a swollen brain from dehydration and could have gone into shock after not taking a vital medication, court documents say.
The encounter, and follow-up interviews, were described in a probable cause statement written by a Polk County sheriff's deputy.


Polk County Sheriff Kay Williams said he's been in law enforcement for 40 years, but this case stands out.
"People are shocked," he said.

According to the statement, Lightwine, of Aldrich, Missouri, told police she didn't know how she got to the field, though she remembered using meth beforehand and had been using drugs off and on for years, according to court documents.

"I'm a terrible mother, I got high, and I got depressed, and I think I am going to throw up," she told investigators according to the statement. "I killed my kid, I killed my kid, I killed my kid, I killed my kid."

According to the statement, she recalled telling her son to "get out of the car and go reach for help."

"Put your hands in front of you for help, and God is going to take care of you."
Her son had trouble walking, the statement said, but kept coming back to her saying "mom." According to the statement, Lightwine said she would push him away and tell him: "No you don't want to love me, please let God take you."
At one point, the statement said, Lightwine clambered atop the Ford Expedition she had driven into the field and yelled: "You mother(expletive), I'm sick of your (expletive). ... Come and bring it on."

The statement said Lightwine thought "bad mother(expletive) were coming."
It's unclear how long the whole ordeal lasted.
"I don't know how many days, I don't know how long he'd been on the ground. He cried for me," she told police, according to the statement. "I just blocked it out. I just kept thinking that God or somebody came and got him and took him where he needed to be."
The statement said Lightwine and her son were reported missing by a family member on Aug. 28.

"He kept saying I want to go home mommy, I want to go home," Lightwine said, according to the statement. "This is a crazy (expletive) world that I chose to live, and I killed my kid. ... It's my fault, and you should charge me with murder right now for my son's death, and I'm not joking."

Lightwine also recalled pushing her son through a barbed wire fence, the statement said.
A Bolivar motel room Lightwine had recently checked into was searched by police who found her son's medication and a substance that tested positive for meth, the statement said. A motel employee recalled last seeing Lightwine at the motel at 2 p.m. on Aug. 27, according to the statement, two days before she was found in the field.

The son's father was interviewed by a police a few days later, the statement said, and told them his son had a limited vocabulary and the mental capacity of an elementary school student. According to the statement, he also said Lightwine had a "very bad and violent temper."
Lightwine is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to online court records.

Graveside services for her son, Austin Anderson, are scheduled for Wednesday morning, according to Fohn Funeral Home.

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Wednesday, September 7, 2016 No Comments

Gabon's Ali Bongo hits back at EU over poll 'anomalies'

President accuses EU observation mission of bias and insists that only the country's top court can order a recount.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo has denied EU observers' calls for a recount of last week's disputed presidential vote, saying it was a matter for the country's top court to decide.
On Tuesday, an EU mission observing the August 27 polls reported a "clear anomaly" in voting in Haut-Ogooue province, Bongo's heartland.



Official results gave turnout in the province at more than 99 percent, with 95 percent backing the incumbent against rival Jean Ping.
"I would also have liked them to have noted some anomalies in the fiefdom of Mr Ping. If we are raising anomalies, we have to be clear, balanced and raise all the anomalies that have been noted," Bongo told France's RTL radio, in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. 
"What people should be asking me to do is apply the law. I cannot violate the law. As far as a recount is concerned ... that's done at the level of the Constitutional Court."

Bongo, whose family has ruled Gabon for nearly half a century, won a second term by a slender margin of fewer than 6,000 votes over Ping.
The opposition leader, however, says that the election was a sham and has demanded a recount - a call echoed by Manuel Valls, prime minister of Gabon's former colonial power, France.

Post-election clashes between his supporters and security forces have resulted in the deaths of between 50 and 100 people, Ping said on Tuesday. The government's official casualty count stands at just three dead.

The parliament in the capital, Libreville, was also torched in protests over the result.
Ping, a 72-year-old  former African Union Commission chairman, has yet to announce whether he will challenge the election result in the Constitutional Court.

The deadline for doing so is 15:00 GMT on Thursday.

In their analysis, the EU election monitors said the number of non-voters and of blank and disqualified votes revealed a "clear anomaly in the final results in Haut-Ogooue".
In an interview with Europe 1 radio, Bongo accused the EU observers of "overstepping their mandate" and said he too was preparing to challenge some of the results.
"Ping committed fraud" in his home constituency and others with the help of "cyber-criminals", he told Europe 1.

Bongo, 57, is under increasing pressure at home and abroad after Justice Minister Seraphin Moundounga resigned on Monday, demanding a recount "polling station by polling station".

Bongo also accused Ping of attempting "massive fraud" and said it was difficult to envisage dialogue with "people who ask the Gabonese to go into the street to loot and destroy and burn things".

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Turkish soldiers killed in ISIL rocket attack in Syria

Turkish army says three of its soldiers were killed in an attack by ISIL near the town of al-Rai in northern Syria.

Three Turkish soldiers have been killed and four wounded during clashes with ISIL fighters in northern Syria, according to Turkey's armed forces.

The deaths are the first to be blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, also known as ISIS, since the launch of Turkey's cross-border operation two weeks ago.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Turkish military said ISIL "elements" had targeted two of its tanks "in a rocket attack" near the Syrian town of al-Rai.

The army initially said that two of its troops had been killed, but later said another soldier had succumbed to his wounds.
Two Ankara-backed Syrian fighters were killed and two wounded in clashes with ISIL in the same region, it said.

Turkey first sent tanks across the border on August 24 as part of a two-pronged offensive against ISIL and Kurdish-led forces.

Four days later, the Turkish army suffered its first fatality in northern Syria in a similar rocket attack blamed on Kurdish militia. 

The army said on Tuesday that the ISIL attack took place in the Wuquf village, south of al-Rai, where Turkish tanks opened a second front in their Syria operation at the weekend.

The area is west of Jarablus near the Turkish border which was taken from ISIL by the Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) at the start of the operation.
Meanwhile, Turkish media reported that Wuquf and Sadvi villages, both near al-Rai, were seized from ISIL by FSA fighters.

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MV Magogoni resumes operation after 1.1bn/- repair

MV Magogoni, ferrying people across Magogoni creek, has resumed operation after undergoing 1.1bn/- refurbishment.

Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication, Deputy Permanent Secretary Eng Joseph Nyamhanga said today during the inauguration that the repair works took almost four months.

MV Magogoni, which is the country’s biggest ferryboat, would simplify transport logistics between Kigamboni and City Centre.

Most of Kigamboni residents faced creek crossing hardship when the ferry was being repaired.

They were depending on a single ferry—MV Kigamboni.

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Trump’s Donation Is His Latest Brush With Campaign Fund Limits

Donald J. Trump, who has repeatedly denounced pay-to-play politics during his insurgent campaign, is now defending himself against claims that he donated $25,000 to a group supporting the Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi, to sway her office’s review of fraud allegations at Trump University.

Mr. Trump’s payment of a $2,500 penalty to the Internal Revenue Service over that 2013 campaign gift amounted to only the latest slap of his wrist in a decades-long record of shattering political donation limits and circumventing the rules governing contributions and lobbying.

In the 1980s, Mr. Trump was compelled to testify under oath before New York State officials after he directed tens of thousands of dollars to the president of the New York City Council through a myriad subsidiary companies to evade contribution limits. In the 1990s, the Federal Election Commission fined Mr. Trump for exceeding the annual limit on campaign contributions by $47,050, the largest violation in a single year. And in 2000, the New York State lobbying commission imposed a $250,000 fine for Mr. Trump’s failing to disclose the full extent of his lobbying of state legislators.

For the most part, Mr. Trump has seemed unrepentant. Testifying in 1988 about a $50,000 bank loan he had first guaranteed, and then repaid, on behalf of Andrew J. Stein’s successful campaign for New York City Council president, Mr. Trump made no bones about the move.
“I was under the impression that I was getting my money back,” he told the New York State Commission on Government Integrity.
In the Florida case, Mr. Trump is accused of using a large and timely political donation in 2013 to ward off a potentially thorny investigation by Ms. Bondi’s office: Days before the donation was made, The Orlando Sentinel reported that the New York State attorney general’s office had sued Trump University and noted that Ms. Bondi’s office was weighing whether to join in that litigation.

A political aide to Ms. Bondi told The Associated Press earlier this year that the attorney general had solicited the donation in a conversation with Mr. Trump weeks before the Sentinel’s article. But Mr. Trump made the donation from his charitable foundation, in violation of tax regulations, and paid the penalty, as first reported by The Washington Post reported last week.
Mr. Trump and Ms. Bondi, who is supporting his campaign, have denied any connection between his donation and her office’s decision not to proceed with an investigation. Asked about the subject on Monday, he called Ms. Bondi “beyond reproach” and said he “never spoke to her about that at all.”

A spokesman for the Florida attorney general’s office, Gerald Whitney Ray, said the office’s inquiry never came across Ms. Bondi’s desk: Lower-level staff members made the decision not to proceed with an investigation of their own. Mr. Ray also said the office never gave any thought to joining in the New York attorney general’s case.
But Democrats and liberal watchdogs seized the opportunity to accuse Mr. Trump of practicing exactly the sort of corrupt politics that he rails against on the campaign trail.
Campaigning in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton demanded details of the conversation in which Ms. Bondi solicited Mr. Trump’s donation. “The American people deserve to know what was said, because clearly the attorney general did not proceed with the investigation,” she told reporters.

And Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for the liberal-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Mr. Trump’s donation to Ms. Bondi gave new meaning to his more recent boasts about the efficacy of his political giving. “It sure looks like that is what is going on here,” said Mr. Libowitz, whose group filed a complaint about the donation with the I.R.S.
Though Mr. Trump denies it in the case of Ms. Bondi, he has been brazen in asserting that he has used political donations to buy influence  and routinely asks voters to trust that, because he possesses that insider’s knowledge, he can reform a system that he calls “rigged.”

During a Republican debate last summer, Mr. Trump responded about his ability to curry favor with public officials when he was confronted with one of his own statements: “When you give, they do whatever the hell you want them to do.”

“You’d better believe it,” Mr. Trump responded. He added: “When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me.”
Indeed, Mr. Trump’s history of political giving stretches back decades — and has repeatedly drawn regulatory scrutiny.

When a New York State commission investigated contributions to state and local officials in the 1980s, it subpoenaed Mr. Trump, who had contributed $150,000 to candidates in 1985. Under oath, he said he had circumvented the state’s $50,000 individual and $5,000 corporate contribution limits by disbursing his contributions to Mr. Stein, the city councilman, through 18 subsidiary companies.

“My attorneys basically said that this was a proper way of doing it,” Mr. Trump testified.
In an interview, Mr. Stein said he did not recall what Mr. Trump had sought in return for his contributions, or for a $50,000 campaign loan that Mr. Trump first guaranteed and then repaid. He denied ever agreeing to do Mr. Trump any favors.

Years later, Mr. Trump came under fire from the Federal Election Commission for violating a $25,000 annual limit on contributions in the late 1980s. Mr. Trump resisted paying a fine, insisting that he had been unaware of the federal limit and that, once informed of it, he sought refunds.

Only when the commission threatened to take him to court did Mr. Trump agree to a $15,000 civil penalty, records show.
It was with similar reluctance that in 2000, Mr. Trump apologized for failing to disclose to New York State officials that he had spent $150,000 to finance ads opposing a proposed casino in the Catskills, which he saw as a threat to his Atlantic City properties. The ads were created and placed by a political consultant, Roger Stone, and appeared under the name of a front group, the Institute for Law and Society.

A settlement led to what, at the time, was the largest penalty imposed by the state lobbying commission: Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts paid $50,000, and Mr. Stone and the front group each paid $100,000, without admitting wrongdoing. In a statement, all three said they “apologize if anyone was misled.”

In recent years, Mr. Trump has made tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to at least four state attorneys general  Ms. Bondi of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas, both Republicans, and the Democrats Eric Schneiderman of New York and Kamala Harris of California  whose offices have looked into complaints about Trump University.

Mr. Abbott, whose office  considered a lawsuit against Trump University before the company left Texas in 2010, is now supporting Mr. Trump  who donated $35,000 to Mr. Abbott’s successful 2014 campaign for governor.

Ms. Harris’s office said it, too, was investigating the company, and an aide said she donated the $6,000 from Mr. Trump to charity.
Mr. Schneiderman’s fraud lawsuit is still pending. But Mr. Trump, whose donation of $12,500 to Mr. Schneiderman preceded his election, filed a state ethics complaint alleging that Mr. Schneiderman continued to seek donations, calling the fraud case a “shakedown.”

The state ethics panel declined last year to pursue Mr. Trump’s complaint.

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UNICEF: 50 million children uprooted by crises

Latest figures underscore need to address global humanitarian crises affecting vulnerable youngsters, says UNICEF.

War and poverty have forced 50 million children around the world from their homes, according to UNICEF.
Up to 28 million of the children have been uprooted by violent conflict, with nearly as many abandoning their homes in search of a better life, says a report released by the UN agency.
The report, entitled Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children, also says that the number of child refugees has more than doubled in the past 10 years from four million to 8.2 million.
UNICEF describes the children as some of the most vulnerable people on earth and gives warning that if governments do not act, the numbers are likely to grow.

Whether it is from war, violence, poverty or climate change, the youngsters have been uprooted by crises they are not responsible for, or have little influence over, says UNICEF.
The report, published on Tuesday, says that children make up about a third of the world's population as of 2015 and accounted for nearly half of all refugees. 

Speaking in Geneva, Ted Chaiban, UNICEF director of programmes, said: "What's important is that these children on the move are children. And they should be treated as children.

"They deserve to be protected. They need access to services, such as education."

According to the report, there were 10 million child refugees and one million child asylum seekers whose status had not yet been determined.
The remaining 17 million children displaced by conflict remained within their home countries' borders.

The report said 45 percent of the children refugees came from just two countries, Syria and Afghanistan.
Increasingly, these children are travelling alone, with 100,000 unaccompanied minors applying for asylum in 78 countries in 2015, three times the number in 2014, the report found.
Because these children often lack documents, they are especially vulnerable.

The report estimates another 20 million children are migrants, driven from their homes by poverty and gang violence among other things.

Refugee and migrant children face a host of risks including drowning during sea crossings, malnourishment, dehydration, kidnapping, rape and murder.
When they arrive in other countries they often face discrimination and xenophobia, the report stated.

"The world hears the stories of child refugees one child at a time and the world is able to bring support to that child, but when we talk about millions it provokes incredible outrage and underscores the need to address the growing problem," said Emily Garin, the UNICEF report's author.


The report calls on the international community to provide protection, education and health services to these children and asks governments to address the root causes contributing to the large-scale movements of refugees and migrants.

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Dry spells are here as La Nina beckons, says TMA

THE Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) has predicted possible La Nina weather phenomenon during October and December, meaning dry spells are more likely to dominate over most areas in the country.

TMA Director General, Dr Agnes Kijazi, told a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that most parts of the country were also expected to experience below normal rains associated with late onset of short rainfall season (Vuli) 2016.

“A weak La Nina and cooling ocean temperatures in the Indian Ocean indicate that less humid air masses are likely to occur over the country during much of the October to December,” said the TMA boss.

Dr Kijazi explained that the weather conditions were likely to result in inadequate moisture for crop production; pointing out that such a condition could adversely impact crop production and pastures for livestock.

“Farmers are, therefore advised, to prepare their farms and acquire agricultural inputs early enough while making appropriate land use management and right choice of crop varieties,” she pointed out.

Dr Kijazi noted that farmers should store and plan proper use of available yield so as to sustain their household in case of shortage of foods and that disaster management authorities should take necessary measures such as good practice of environmental conservation.

She added that soil moisture levels were likely to be suppressed due to expected frequent dry spells  and that normal cropping season in most parts of the country may be affected.

“River flow discharges and water levels in rivers and dams are likely to drop from current levels during the ‘Vuli’, 2016 season, due to shortage of rains in most river catchment areas,” she observed.

Dr Kijazi cautioned over the outbreak of water-borne diseases because of water shortage and poor sewerage management as well as the increased likelihood of insufficient pasture in most livestock keeping and agricultural areas.

“The drying of livestock water infrastructures such as dams and boreholes are also expected to occur in most areas,” she said.

Dr Kijazi mentioned the few areas expected to experience sufficient rainfall as the Lake Victoria Basin regions (Kagera, Mara, Mwanza, Geita, Mara, Simiyu and Shinyanga) and the southern parts of the country, including Mtwara and Lindi.

“The rains in Lake Victoria Basin are expected to start during the first week of October in Kagera Region and then extend to other regions in the zone. The rains are expected to be normal to below normal in most parts of Kagera, Mwanza and Geita regions,” she reported.

• It is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation climate pattern.
• The name La Niña originates from Spanish, meaning “the girl”, analogous to El Niño meaning “the boy”. It has also in the past been called anti-El Niño, and El Viejo (meaning “the old man”). 
• La Nina impacts the global climate and disrupts normal weather patterns, which as a result can lead to intense storms in some places and droughts in others

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Revenue take soars at Dar port

TANZANIA Ports Authority (TPA) has explained the decline in cargo volume at the Dar es Salaam Port, attributing the situation to enhanced supervision aimed at controlling tax evasion. It, however, noted that despite the drop in cargo traffic, the port has continued to perform well in terms of revenue collection.

According to a TPA report presented recently to the Parliamentary Committee for Industry, Trade and Environment, between 2011/2012 and 2015/2016, the authority’s revenue collection increased by an average of 16.85 per cent per year.

In 2015/2016, a total of 694,383bn/- was collected, compared to 679,331bn/-, which was raised in 2014/2015. Dar es Salaam Port has been attracting cargo from the neighbouring landlocked countries of Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, DRC and Zimbabwe.

TPA Director General Deusdedit Kakoko told the ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the drop in cargo volume was not only being experienced in Tanzania but also in other countries such as Kenya and South Africa.

Mr Kakoko said that according to a report by TPA officials who visited the countries, the Port of Durban in South Africa registered a 10 per cent decline in cargo volume in the first quarter of this year while at Mombasa Port, it dropped by 1.5 per cent for the same period.

He cited China's economic downturn as one of the reasons behind the decline of cargo volume in many ports, since 34 per cent of the world’s economy depended on the Far-East country.
The DG explained that cargo traffic at the Dar Port has decreased by 800,000 tonnes between 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. He added that despite the high volumes recorded in the past, some traders tended to evade from paying taxes thus denying the Authority revenue.

"It is true that cargo volume at the Dar es Salaam Port has dropped. But the situation has not affected our revenue collections because even with the high volume recorded in the previous years, TPA could not get its fair revenue because some traders were not paying taxes as required by law. We have strengthened supervision to ensure tax compliance," the DG said.
Mr Kakoko said, however, that the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on transit cargo should not be considered as the main reason contributed to the decline in cargo volume at the port because the mechanism became effective in this financial year.

"The drop in cargo volume started to be experienced even before the introduction of VAT, although some traders may have decided to shun from using the port but this should not be regarded as the main reason for the drop in cargo volume because it became applicable in the past two months," Mr Kakoko noted.

The Tanzania Revenue Authority’s Director of Education and Taxpayers' Services, Mr Richard Kayombo, told the 'Daily News' that the drop in cargo volume involved mainly cargo for domestic consumption and to a lesser extent on transit cargo to DR Congo as fuel cargo and those on transit to Zambia and Burundi went up.

Mr Kayombo said that the government’s initiatives to control tax evasion loopholes at the port may be the main reason for the fall in cargo volume.

"It is obvious that revenue collection could drop with the decline in cargo volume but it has not been so ...it seems that traders who shunned using our port are the ones who were evading taxes," Mr Kayombo charged.

TRA statistics show that while cargo volume at Dar Port has dropped, customs revenue in 2015 ranged between 200bn/- and 300bn/- while in the period between December last year and August this year, the average of customs revenue per month has been between 400bn/ and 550bn/-.


Last week, the Parliamentary Committee for Industry, Trade and Environment said it plans to invite the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, key stakeholders and ministries responsible for ports’ management to a meeting to find a solution to the decline of cargo volume at Dar es Salaam Port.

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MP asks govt to suspend sports due to poor results

THE government has been asked to suspend sports at all levels in the country after the sector failed to yield any tangible results for decades.

During the question and answer session in the National Assembly today, Kilolo legislator, Venance Mwamoto, demanded the government to act immediately by suspending sports at all levels for the country to reorganise.

However, the Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Nape Nnauye, dismissed the idea, instead he said, the government will continue investing more in the sector to attain success.

“I know, deep in his heart, the MP, who is a well known sportsman does not want the government to do away with sports rather, he wants strategies of improving the sector,” Mr Nnauye said.

He said the government in collaboration with a number of stakeholders including private sector and local governments wants to develop the sector from the grass root level.

During his hey days, MP Mwamoto, the current head coach of ‘Bunge Football Team’, played for nation team, Taifa Stars and number of Mainland Premier League teams including Majimaji FC of Songea and RTC Kagera.

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Standard seven candidates up 4pc this year

A total of 795,761 pupils are expected to sit for primary schools leaving examination (PSLE) in this year.

The number of pupils sitting for PSLE has slightly increased by 4.2 per cent in comparison with last year's figures.

In 2015 some 763, 602 wrote the leaving exams where 518,034 passed.
NECTA Executive Secretary Charles Msonda said today that the pupils will write their examination for two days starting Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th of this month.

The pupils will be tested on five subjects namely; Kiswahili, English, Science, Mathematics and Domestic Science.

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Two new ‘high courts’ in offing

THE Constitution and Legal Affairs Ministry intends to construct two additional High Courts in Tanzania and five other referral courts to increase access to justice in the country.

The Minister, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, announced today in the ongoing National Assembly that his ministry had set aside some 34bn/- to construct more courts countrywide.

Responding to a question raised by Mbagala MP Issa Ali Mangungu (CCM) Dr Mwakyembe said that apart from the Referral and High Courts, the government will also construct 54 primary courts and 20 other district courts across the country.

According to the minister the government had allocated 13bn/- for the construction works in addition to the approved budget of over 22bn/-.

“We are encouraging the MP, Dar es Salaam region and its districts to allocate authentic land portions so we can include the submission as an emergency appeal during the construction of primary courts,” the minister said.

The lawmaker had demanded that the government had failed to construct courts of law in Mbagala constituency in Dar es Salaam despite immense population.

He questioned the government’s readiness to build primary courts in Chamazi, Mbande, Kijichi, Kibondemaji, and Tuangoma wards under emergency plan. But the minister explained that under Section 4 of the Judicial Act No 2 of 1984, the district court is established after an existence of a district authority.

However he said it also depends on the availability of funds and human resources as well as other related infrastructures.

“Primary Courts demands at least every ward in a district to have a primary court. Depending on demand there is no restrictions in numbers of primary courts in a specific ward.”

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India set to fund water projects

THE government of India has agreed to provide a 500 million US dollars (1.094 trillion/-) concessional loan to finance water supply projects in 17 councils in Tanzania, the National Assembly was told here yesterday.

The Deputy Minister for Water and Irrigation, Engineer Isack Kamwele, told the House that the funds acquired from the development partner will be spent by the government on implementation of the projects as opposed to earlier arrangements.
The money was to be allocated to councils for the purpose. “All the projects will directly be implemented by the ministry.

This means the money will no longer be allocated to councils to implement the projects,” the minister said when responding to Manyoni East Lawmaker Mr Daniel Edward Mtuka (CCM). According to the Deputy Minister implementations of the projects awaits final approvals.
“India and Tanzania signed an agreement last July to finance implementation of water supply and both parts are now working on final arrangements to release the funds,” he said.

He named councils to benefit as Manyoni town council, Muheza, Wanging’ombe national water supply project, Makambako, Kayanga- Karagwe, Songea, Zanzibar, HTM national water supply project, Njombe, Mugumu, Kilwa Masoko, Geita and Chunya.

Others are Makonde national water supply project, Sikonge, Kasulu and Rujewa.
Earlier the lawmaker had questioned the government on the timeframe to release some 17 million US dollars out of the approved 500 million US dollars concessional loan from India to implement various water projects.

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State keen on improving health care nationwide

HE government said yesterday it is well committed to confront major challenges in the funding and delivery of rural health care, stressing that plans are underway to improve the health sector across the country.

The Deputy Minister of State President Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments), Mr Selemani Jaffo, issued the government position in the National Assembly while responding to a supplementary question by Special Seats legislator Ms Azza Hillal Hamad (CCM).

The lawmaker had enquired for a the government’s position regarding the state of health care delivery in Shinyanga Rural District.

“The cost for setting up a district hospital is too high. Construction of the district hospital has taken more than seven years yet the project hasn’t been completed. Why has the government failed to consider initiating a special fund for hospitals?” she questioned.

She went on to say, there has only been one hospital in Shinyanga offering health care services. “When will Shinyanga and Kishapu Districts get district hospitals?”

In response, Mr Jaffo admitted that there are challenges in funding and delivery of rural health care but added that: “The government is aware of the growing demand for services and is committed to addressing it by allocating funds.”

He explained that construction of a referral hospital in Shinyanga is going on. While the government could not raise the three billion shillings requested last year, the deputy minister said arrangements are being made in a quest to increase revenue collections to finance construction of health care delivery units.

He explained, however, that construction of Shinyanga District Hospital is going on well.

The work, according to Mr Jaffo, includes construction of two wards, Outpatient Department (OPD) building and doctors’ consultation rooms which all costs 368m/-.

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China interested in local tobacco

TANZANIA is contemplating selling its Tobacco produce to China but cautioned producers over a likely price drop of the traditional crop which constitutes 40 percent of the total export earnings.

The Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr William Ole Nasha, said in the National Assembly yesterday that the government was in talks with Chinese business firms to explore the possibilities of selling the crop in the Hong Kong market.

But Mr Ole Nasha was quick to caution that the crop had received criticism across the globe and it is high time farmers consider other alternative crops to farm.

“The Ministry (Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries) is in discussions to see if we can secure the Chinese market for our locally produced Tobacco,” he said noting that in the meantime, the government was also considering to sell its locally banned Shisha in the United Arab Republic.

Even though the deputy minister said the government had also embarked on encouraging private sectors to invest in tobacco processing industries to cater for the growing demand of the crop.

Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) figures indicate that tobacco contributed 252 million US dollars in export revenues. The sector accounts for over 70,000 jobs in direct employment to farmers across the country.

Deputy Minister Mr Ole Nasha, when responding to a basic question from Serengeti Member of Parliament Ryoba Chacha Marwa, who wanted to know how the government supports the availability of tobacco firms in Seregeti said: “there are a few companies involved in tobacco business countrywide and on the globe.”

He said while Tanzania had only four companies including Alliance One and JTI, worldwide there also four largest companies dealing with Tobacco business. In Mara Region, Tobacco business farming started in 2008 after the government embarked on a plan to enable famers to involve in agribusiness— allowing them to sell their produce in the local market.

However, the government failed to regulate the business in the region threatening to spread pests to both Kenya and Tanzania which had been sharing the same trade. This according to the minister, this pushed the government through Tobacco Board to formalize tobacco farming in 2011/2012 farming season.

“We invited all the companies in the country to buy Tobacco produced from Mara’s Serengeti region yet only one firm—Alliance One had been buying the crop.

The government will continue inviting all interested parties to buy tobacco produced in the country."

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Soldiers promised health insurance

President John Magufuli has approved provision of health insurance to uniformed military personnel in the country, according to Deputy Minister of Health, Social Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Dr Hamis Kigwangala.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Defense and National Service, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, in the National Assembly, Dr Kigwangala said the President and the Commander in Chief has okayed the plan which now awaits proper arrangements to be implemented.

“We’re preparing health insurance for the uniformed service personnel. This is part of plan to improve health service benefits for the military,” he said when responding to a supplementary question from Special Seats MP Angelina Malembeka (CCM).

The legislator had sought explanation regarding government plans to medical benefits for active duty personnel. In response Mr Kigwangala said the government has been allocating funds for improving health services in the military including training medical doctors. He said already some 143 medical doctors were hired this year is apparent attempt to cover the gap from medical personnel in the military.

“The government is also working on extending the newly constructed health institution under German’s support to offer medical degrees. The institution currently offer certificates but we have agree to the suggestion by the parliamentary committee on peace, security and international relations to offer degree courses.”

However, Mr Kigwangala said there some challenges with regard to health centres in the military which include lack of professionals, reagents and drugs. The minister emphasized that the challenge will soon end following the government’s plan to offer health insurance.


“We also hope the problem to be solved after all the medical doctors currently on training get back to their working stations,” he said adding the government also plans to register more health experts at paramedics’ level shortly after the approval of new recruitments.

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New Magomeni Kota deal sealed

The government yesterday announced its decision to construct new structures to accommodate over 600 former tenants at Magomeni Kota in Dar es Salaam who were evicted more than five years ago to allow construction of modern residential buildings.

It is a climax to the prolonged wrangle between the tenants and Kinondoni Municipal Council that resulted from the breach of their agreements. According to the agreement, the ex-tenants were required to vacate the area to pave way for the construction of modern residential structures.

Furthermore, the council is obliged to pay rent to each tenant for one year after which the tenants could move to the new structures as owners or tenants on completion of construction work.

Speaking to the ex-tenants and other residents in Dar es Salaam yesterday, President John Magufuli said that upon completion of the buildings, the 644 tenants will move to the new structures and stay for free for five years as compensation while the government will be working on modalities of selling the houses to them. The president assured the residents that he will disburse funds this month for the construction work to begin in the next two months.
“Give us time to decide whether the structures should be built by the Tanzania Building Agency (TBA) or National Housing Corporation (NHC),” the president said.

He directed the contractor who will be awarded the tender of building the houses to complete the work as soon as possible to allow the tenants to move to the new buildings. “I am giving you one year to complete this work … although you can do it even in less than one year.
If we have managed to build 20 flats with four floors each at the University of Dar es Salaam within six months to accommodate over 4,000 students why not the construction of these residential buildings,” Dr Magufuli insisted.

He said the government decided to intervene over the dispute, which lasted for many years without getting a proper solution, causing anguish among 644 former tenants who have been fighting for their rights.

“These people were evicted to allow the construction of multi-purpose complex structures. But many years have gone without any development. As a result, this area has been turned into a parking lot. And worse enough, plans were underway to sell it to an investor,” President Magufuli remarked.

He added: “This is unfair. Where should these people go? I will make sure that what has happened here will not occur in other areas.
This is why we have decided that these plots and others in 20 regions should be administered by the central government.”
Reading a speech on behalf of ex-Magomeni Kota tenants, Reverend John Raymond informed the president that failure by Kinondoni Municipal Council to fulfil their agreement has caused a lot of inconveniences and even deaths to some tenants who could not bear with the situation.
“We agreed to vacate the area since 2012 to allow construction of modern structures but until today, the Kinondoni Municipal Council has done nothing.
As a result, we have been turned into refugees in our own land … most of us were government employees but we could not manage to build our own houses due to limited income,” he noted. Rev Raymond called upon the government to build houses which will be affordable to them to enable each tenant to a new structure.

The Minister for Lands, Housing and Human settlement Development, Mr William Lukuvi, said that he had already fulfilled the government’s directives, which required all housing units that were being administered by local government authorities to revert to the central government’s jurisdiction.

“We have revoked the ownership of these three plots of Magomeni Kota with 33 hectares and others in 20 regions.

Therefore, they are currently under the central government we are ready to fulfil all directives by the president regarding the use of all the plots,” Mr Lukuvi pledged.
The government, through the Government Notice Number 323 of August 9, 1991, authorised local government authorities in 20 regions to take over housing units previously under the NHC on grounds of redeveloping the structures.

Meanwhile, President Magufuli has given a seven-day ultimatum to all government institutions and ministries to clear their debts with the NHC before they are evicted.

He said that NHC needs money to implement more projects to curb the shortage of houses in the country and hence would fail to fulfil its mission if it will not collect due rent.

“I commend NHC for its recent move to evict rent defaulters this should also apply to all people regardless of their status. Whether a president or minister; evict them from the buildings if they fail to pay rent,” Dr Magufuli insisted

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Retail, wholesale price for fuel spirals down

Retails prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene have been reduced by 3.43 per cent, 3.50 per cent and 4.88 per cent respectively, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), announced yesterday.

Likewise, wholesale prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene have decreased by 3.63 per cent, 3.72 per cent and 5.20 per cent respectively.

A statement issued in Dar es Salaam by the EWURA Director General, Mr Felix Ngamlagosi, cited the slight decrease in world market prices for fuel as well as the decrease in freight and premium charges as the main contributing factors.

The retail and wholesale prices are applicable effective today in all Tanzania Mainland regions, except Tanga. Retail and wholesale prices of petrol and diesel for Tanga Region have increased compared with prices in the publication of August 3.

Retail prices for petrol and diesel have increased by 2.64 per cent and 1.03 per cent respectively. Likewise, wholesale prices for petrol and diesel have increased by 2.8 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.

According to the DG, the slight increases of both petrol and diesel prices in Tanga have mainly been contributed by receipt of new products (petrol and diesel) in August 2016, which was to be received in July 2016.

Another reason is late arrival of the ship, which was expected to discharge such fuel products in Tanga within August 2016 but instead shifted to September 2016. “These cap prices can be accessed through mobile phones by dialling *152*00# and then follow provided instructions.

This service is free of charge and is available at all mobile phone service providers in the country,” the EWURA statement said. In line with the prevailing sector legislation (Petroleum Act, 2015, Section 166), prices of petroleum products are governed by rules of demand and supply.

The regulator affirmed in the statement that it will continue to encourage competition in the sector by making available pricing information for petroleum products, including price caps.

Such information on prices is intended to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions on petroleum prices at any particular time. It further read that the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) were free to sell their products at a price that gives them a competitive advantage, provided that such price does not exceed the price cap for the relevant product as was computed using the approved formula - which was gazetted through the Government Notice No. 70 published on February 12, 2016.

EWURA insisted that all petrol stations should publish petroleum product prices on clearly visible boards and price boards should be clearly visible and should clearly show prices charged, discounts offered as well as any trade incentives or promotions on offer. “Consumers are advised to purchase from stations that sell products at the most competitive prices.

It is an offence not to have prices published on boards located in clearly visible places in front of petrol stations and it will attract punitive measures from EWURA,” the statement read in part.

According to the statement, retailers must issue receipts with respect to all sales that they make and consumers are required to demand and keep receipts that clearly show the name of petrol station, date on which such purchase was made as well as the type of fuel and price per litre for every purchase they make.

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Bunge Standing Orders stressed as session starts

NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Job Ndugai has reminded MPs on the need to adhere to Standing Orders and tolerance to facilitate suitable deliberations as opposition legislators returned to the House yesterday, ending their boycott that lasted for weeks during the previous session

Mr Ndugai went on to shower praise on the Deputy Speaker, Dr Tulia Ackson, alternate presiding chairpersons and Speaker’s Office staff for ensuring smooth running of the legislative assembly during the budget session, which took off on April 19 and ended on June 30.

“As MPs, we all know our obligations – that we must adhere to regulations and maintain tolerance amongst ourselves,” Mr Ndugai, who doubles as MP for Kongwa, told legislators.
Opposition MPs had shunned meetings during the previous budget sessions that were chaired by Dr Tulia, who they accused of bulldozing them until they made a turnaround recently and agreed to take part in the House business.

Mr Ndugai spent most of the time during the previous sessions in India where he underwent treatment. He took time yesterday to appreciate the support given by President John Magufuli and all Tanzanians when he was sick.

“President Magufuli made close-follow ups of my treatment when I was in India. I really appreciate this. I offer my sincere appreciation to him, religious leaders, my constituency members and all Tanzanians who prayed for me during that time,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Ndugai informed the MPs that President Magufuli has assented to the five Bills passed by the National Assembly during the last session.

They include the Finance Appropriation Act number 2, 2016, the Finance Bill Act number 2, 2016, the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) number 3, 2016 as well as the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) number four 2016 and the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act number 5, 2016.

Mr Ndugai noted further that the Steering Committee of the House was currently deliberating on a proposal to shun introduction of guests in the National Assembly to save time. The Speaker explained that the move will not involve foreign dignitaries.


It has been a tradition for local guests to be introduced after the question-and-answer sessions. Most of such guests are invited by their respective MPs.

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What happens when you die with debt?

Dealing with a loved one's financial struggles can be hard enough when the person is alive. But who's responsible for any debt left behind? 

That depends on the particular type of debt, but the answer usually is: Not you. 
"I've had clients truly believe they might have to pay their [deceased] parent's debt," said Kathryn Hauer, a certified financial planner with Wilson David Investment Advisors. "But unless you are a co-signor on a loan, you typically are not liable for the debt or have to pay anything out of your pocket."

Comprehensive data on debt held by individuals at death is hard to come by. But according to the Federal Reserve, total U.S. household debt stood at $12.29 trillion in June. And with just 20 percent of Americans carrying no debt, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts 2015 study, it stands to reason that most Americans die owing something (you can download the report here).
But before you delve into the particulars of a loved one's debts, experts say it's important to first understand the legalities of what happens to assets and liabilities at death. 

When you die, your assets become your estate, regardless of value. The process of paying off all your debt and then distributing the remaining assets to heirs is called probate. 
Each state has its own laws governing how long creditors have to make a claim against the decedent's estate. For instance, it's three months in Indiana and nine months in New Jersey. Other states have additional requirements for both creditors and estate executors, and the process can last a couple years. 

But not all of a person's assets necessarily are counted as part of an estate for probate purposes. For instance, as long as the beneficiary named on any life insurance policies and qualified retirement accounts remains alive, those assets go directly to the beneficiary and are not subject to probate. 

Asked if a creditor can reach those protected assets, Gary Altman, founder and principal attorney at Altman & Associates, said, "the answer is generally: Not easily, if at all."
Additionally, debt that was only in the decedent's name is paid by the estate. If a person's liabilities exceed the value of their estate, the creditor typically is out of luck. 
However, a handful of states have community property laws, which require a surviving spouse to be responsible for any debt incurred during the marriage, whether the survivor incurred it personally or not. 
Remember, too, that when you co-own the debt, it's a different story. 
"If you cosign a loan, you are the co-owner," said Hauer at Wilson David Investment Advisors. "If the other person dies, that loan is not forgiven." 
One kind of debt that concerns family members, financial advisers say, is of the credit card variety. Federal reserve data shows that Americans carry an aggregate $953.3 billion of such debt.

If your loved one leaves his share of that behind, the card-issuing bank will seek repayment from the estate. Again, if the estate runs dry before the bank is paid, the bank cannot come after family members for repayment. 

Even if the account holder allows an authorized user to carry his or her own card, that extra user is not responsible for the credit card debt if the owner dies. 
Auto loans are treated the same as credit card debt, although the lender can repossess the car if the estate cannot pay off the loan. 

Housing debt the bulk of Americans' debt at a collective $8.75 trillion is a bit more complicated upon a homeowner's death. If the mortgage and deed are jointly owned by, say, a husband and wife, there usually is less of a headache. 

Cynthia Turoski, a CFP and managing director and owner of The Bonadio Group, had a client whose situation illustrates the snags that can arise if the decedent is the sole homeowner.
The client, a stay-at-home mom with a young child, lost her husband unexpectedly in his late 30s. Because the house and mortgage were in the husband's name only, the lender called the mortgage and sought payment from the estate. 

But the estate lacked the funds to pay off the mortgage. Moreover, because the client had no income, she could not qualify for a mortgage on her own. 
Luckily, a life insurance policy on the husband covered the mortgage balance so the client and her child could remain in the house. 

"At a time when you're grieving, it's unsettling to have to worry about losing your house, too," Turoski said. She added that when there is a joint mortgage and joint ownership of a house, as long as the mortgage continues being paid, the lender usually takes no action on the loan. 
Meanwhile, student loan debt, which stands at about $1.3 trillion, also has become an increasing concern at death, as more and more parents cosign their children's student loans.
Federal student loans are forgiven if the student dies. PLUS loans often held by parents to help pay for education expenses not covered by other forms of financial aid are forgiven if either the student or the parent dies. 

When it comes to private student loans, along with some loans offered through states, it's a different story. 
Turoski had a situation where a cosigner of about $150,000 worth of student loans died and the lender threatened to call the loan. 

"The issue for the bank was that the cosigner was their security, and now they didn't have that," Turoski explained. The family was able to refinance the loans before the lender acted. 
The bottom line is that while your loved one's assets might dwindle as banks and other institutions make claims against the estate, the person's liabilities will not fall to you. 

"Technically, your inheritance is decreasing as creditors are paid," said Hauer of Wilson David. "But even if the [estate] is reduced to zero, you are not responsible for any remaining debt." 

By Sarah O'Brien, special to CNBC.com

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Sunday, September 4, 2016 No Comments