Sudan plane hijackers surrender

Two hijackers of a Sudanese plane flown to Libya have given themselves up in the desert town of Kufra.
The surrender comes almost 24 hours after they seized the plane, shortly after it left Nyala in Darfur.
The crew have also been freed - earlier all 95 passengers on board the Sun Air Boeing 737 had been released.
There are some reports that the hijackers were members of a Darfur rebel group but this was strongly denied by the group's leader.
"The hijackers surrendered without any violence and the crew are safe and sound," a Libyan official said, according to the AFP news agency.

Mugabe 'to form government alone'

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe says he will form a new government despite stalled power-sharing negotiations with the opposition, state media reports.
"The MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) does not want to come in apparently," he is quoted as saying.
The BBC's Karen Allen says such a move would be the death-knell for the South African-brokered talks to end the post-election crisis.
Meanwhile, three MDC MPs were arrested on Tuesday when parliament was opened

BIO-FUEL :Policy considerations with regard to access to land

ON balance, many advocates of land rights especially for poor people are wary of the ongoing drive by investors to take up as much land as possible for growing biofuel feedstock. There are many arguments but many revolve around the observations that the promised goodies (employment, higher incomes, improved rural infrastructure) may not materialize. On the contrary societies stand to lose their land and therefore their identity. Land grabbing is likely to be the norm and environmental damage is likely to increase. Governments are therefore enjoined to be very careful before accepting the sweet arguments from the biofuel lobby. A recent publication (“Fueling Exclusion? The Biofuels Boom and Poor People’s Access to Land”, available on the internet) lists eight areas which all those with a stake in the ongoing growing of biofuels debate should take into consideration. One, Governments need to develop robust safeguards in procedures to allocate land to large-scale biofuel feedstock production where they are lacking (which is the case in most instances) and – even more importantly – to implement these effectively. Safeguards include clear procedures and standards for local consultation and attainment of prior informed consent, mechanisms for appeal and arbitration, and periodic review. Unfortunately, many times land is granted to investors either without consultation with communities, or on the argument that this is idle or unowned land, or on the argument that the land belongs to the state, or that it has been identified for investment. The case of the Tanzania Investment Centre is now being cited by international researchers on land rights. Under the Tanzanian Investment Act 1997, the TIC is mandated, among other things, with identifying and providing land to investors, as well as with helping investors obtain all necessary permits (article 6). This entails identifying land not currently under productive use and directly allocating it to investors. Under this arrangement, the land is vested with the TIC and transferred to the investor on the basis of a derivative title (under article 19(2) of the Land Act 1999). After the end of the investment project, the land reverts back to the TIC (article 20(5) of the Land Act).These conditions were put in the Act to prevent the transfer of land to non-Tanzanians on the one hand, but to make it available to investors on the other. In order to perform this function, the TIC has set up a “land bank” of 2.6 million ha identified as suitable for investment projects out of which some 1.1 million hectares (or 42% of the total land available for investment) is considered available for investors interested in agriculture. The TIC has been active in identifying and negotiating access to land for foreign biofuel investors. One example is a 9,000 ha area for jatropha cultivation for a British firm in Kisarawe District. The TIC has been working with the Kisarawe District Council and the 11 villages that currently occupy the land, so that they move and let the investor take up the land. There has been haggling over compensation but the fact that villagers are to be displaced cannot be good news. While the role of investment promotion agencies in identifying “idle” lands may help bring under-utilised land into production, it may also create risks of dispossession. Where forms of local resource use are perceived as low productivity, land may risk being classified as idle or under-utilised, and therefore available to prospective investors, despite the economic, social or cultural functions it performs for local people (see Section 2.2). Transparency in how this land is identified and allocated is important. Villagers be they agriculturalists or pastoralists must be educated thoroughly before they are considered to be in position to let go of their land or of land to which they have common access. Two, it has been argued that large-scale privately owned plantations are not the only economically viable model for biofuels feedstock production. Producers’ associations, governments and investors may want to explore alternative business models such as joint equity in production and processing. Policy instruments based on financial incentives can help provide for inclusion of small-scale producers in the biofuels industry. Specific biofuels feedstocks may be more or less suited to extensive or intensive production. Biodiesel feedstocks that require harvesting by hand, specifically jatropha and palm oil, are the most suited to small-scale cultivation. Smallholders in West Africa and South-east Asia have a long history of cultivating palm oil while jatropha has traditionally been grown for its oil or as a hedge in India and throughout dryland Africa; both crops continue to be harvested by hand even in large-scale commercial plantations. Bioethanol feedstocks such as sugarcane and maize, on the other hand, can accrue sizeable cost savings through large-scale mechanized harvesting. Even though both of these crops are grown commercially by small-scale farmers (e.g. outgrower schemes for sugarcane exist in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa), economic incentives to concentrate production will be much stronger than for oilseed crops (jatropha and oil palm) where labour remains an important input. Three, as already hinted to in an earlier article, governments need to be extra-careful before they apply the concepts of idle, under-utilised, barren, unproductive, degraded, abandoned or marginal lands (depending on the country context) and are required to avoid allocation of lands on which local user groups depend for livelihoods. Indeed, it is difficult to see whether if the interests of all land users, including agriculturalists, pastoralists and hunters and gatherers are taken into consideration, there is such a think as idle or marginal land. Similarly, productive use requirements in countries in which security of land tenure depends on active use (mise en valeur in French speaking countries; or development in English speaking countries) need to be clarified so as to minimise abuse. The Tanzanian definition of land development under the Land Acquisition Act 1967 is possibly the worst in the world, where clearing, or fencing is not regarded as development. Land which is left fallow, under local systems of land management such as the ngitiri of Shinyanga could easily fall into the category of idle land. In fourth place, land access for rural people requires policy attention not only to land tenure but also to the broader circumstances that determine land use and agricultural economics. Relevant policy areas include taxation and subsidies, regional and international trade, and standards for environment and labour. Five, international policy arenas are also influential on the impacts of biofuels expansion on land access. Certification criteria, such as those under development by the European Union, should incorporate free prior and informed consent, based on secure land tenure of local residents, as a fundamental requirement, disallowing production on contested land. In such respects, governments in poor countries should be seen to come out in support of their peoples, instead of being quick in meeting the requirements of the investors in the hope that there are quick-fix gains to be realized. Attention may need to be given to eligibility rules regarding land use change under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol and its successor negotiated in Bali, Indonesia. International governance of trade and investment should continue to be a major determinant of the economic potential of different forms of land use in producer countries. Six, relevant policies, laws and institutions are important -- but in contexts characterised by strong power asymmetries they are likely to achieve little if they are not accompanied by sustained investment in building people’s capacities to claim and secure their rights. The picture one gets from scanning the situation in eastern Africa is that people know little of their rights and even if the do know, they have little powers of defending them. That is why we can see natural resources such as forests, wetlands and so on being given away without a murmur from the adversely affected peoples. Seven local, national and international NGOs and civil society organizations need to intensify their efforts in defending the rights of the poor and in holding governments and industry to account regarding their promises on protection of land access and food security generally and to specific communities. Finally, “biofuels” is a catch-all term for a set of very different crops and cropping systems, end-products, policy goals (e.g. commercial production versus energy self-sufficiency), business models (different combinations of ownership and benefit-sharing among large-scale and small-scale operations) and local contexts -- all of which significantly affect land access outcomes. A better understanding of this diversity will promote a more balanced and evidence-based debate. Fortunately, there is no shortage of reading materials and for a to exchange opinion. If we have to into putting land for biofuel feedstock growing we should go in from a positin of one who is fully informed.

Africa by Africans for Africans

When will we ever be independent?

The end of the colonial era marked a new beggining, a fresh start. A country lead by its own people instead of that foreigners. How independed are we, really?

Ever heard of Neo-colonialism?

Would we ever be independent? With this so called democracy being preached everywhere, when you have to almost do everything according to the West, or else your government is considered to be a dictatorship. Do elections solve the main issues in Africa? We have had change of leaders from term to term, but the story in most of Africa remain the same.



Is it that we are too selfish to think of others? Maybe we'll just blame it on poverty, since we are all very poor whoever gets the post has to enrich themselves. And may be they(leaders) feel the need to do so, as the lack of security for thier family and the generation to come lead them to do just that. Thus making us all victims of the same manipulation Steem used by the West.Whoever is in power gets a few millions for himself and his family ofcourse to sell the country riches.



Who is to blame, for the failure to come up?

We need to move forward and look for the ways to progress, but again until we figure out why we've been failing, we won't be able to advance and be able to compete in this global economy.

Lessons learned

One must say that in the aftermath of the Richmond power generation scandal, few lessons were learned. No more of the same mistakes should be repeated.

While the Richmond saga had most of us wondering what these leaders had on their mind. Is it that they just don't care about their country and fellow countrymen, or the fact that no action has ever been taken on any corrupt leaders before, thus take Tanzanians for fools. That is they can pretty much do anything and there won't be any consequence.

How stupid can one deal like that?

I think its time for us to wake up, sereve action must be taken on all the culprits!

What do you think. What should be done?

Pinda to outline action on Richmond culprits

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda is set to unveil on Thursday a report on execution of 23 House recommendations on the Richmond power generation scandal. Speaker of the National Assembly Samwel Sitta told Parliament yesterday that Pinda would give the report a day before the budget session comes to an end. The wananchi are eager to know what the government has done to implement the proposals. The House Select Committee, chaired by the Kyela MP Harrison Mwakyembe, presented its findings early this year. It implicated former prime minister Edward Lowassa, who together with two ministers former Minister for Energy and Minerals, Nazir Karamagi and East African Co-operation minister Dr Ibrahim Msabaha had to resign. Mizengo Pinda replaced Lowassa in a subsequent cabinet reshuffle. The report also suggested disciplinary measures to be taken against a number of government officers who were implicated in the scandal. The government thereafter formed a task force to work on suggestions of the select committee early this year. Earlier, Speaker of the National Assembly Samwel Sitta had formed the probe committee after Members of Parliament demanded to know reasons that drove the government to enter into a flawed power generation deal. Richmond Development Corporation secured the contract in 2006 when the country experienced power shortage due to acute drought that dried up power generating dams.

Gold mining companies ‘pollute drinking water

Opposition Members of Parliament have warned that hundreds of villagers near gold mines may suffer from life threatening diseases because they are exposed to toxic effluents. Presenting the views of the Opposition in Parliament late on Tuesday, Mr Ali Khamis Seif (Mkoani – CUF), said the Geita Gold Mine (GGM) was discharging wastes into Mtakuja Dam. He said the North Mara Gold Mine in Tarime District, Mara Region was also discharging wastes into a river close to the mine. Mr Khamis said processing of gold was done using highly poisonous substances, including cyanide and mercury. “People use the water for cooking, drinking and washing,” the MP told the House and urged swift action to solve the problem including compensation to victims. The legislator further told the House that many industries in urban centres discharged effluents into rivers, lakes and other water bodies posing health risks to millions of people. He said the effluents included residues of mercury, chromium, lead, cadmium, cyanide, nitrates and other substances. He said some of the substances like mercury were heavy metals and their consumption posed lethal consequences. The opposition urged the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC), to enhance control of industries and mines to ensure they strictly adhere to the law and environmental regulations. The MP also said that apart from water and land, there were industries including cement manufacturers which pollute the air. He said the Kiwira Coal Mine in Mbeya Region was among the culprits in polluting the air

Behind President Kikwete`s smiling face...

As President Jakaya Kikwete continues to count the remaining days before the 2010 general elections, one question that still lingers among Tanzanians, especially his closest allies is; did they know him well when they overwhelmingly supported him in 2005? Some of his close allies who strongly supported him in 2005, believed that� ``the soft spoken politician`` was going to be a conduit for their planned dubious deals, but the unfolding events are proving them wrong. After delivering his much-awaited speech this week, President Kikwete managed again to prove that ``he is a master of the game`` who plays his cards carefully to maintain his popularity and leadership as well. However, to his critics especially the opposition camp, nothing has really impressed them, citing the move to negotiate with EPA suspects as unjustifiable. Professor Ibrahim Lipumba, Dr Wilbrod Slaa and Zitto Kabwe, have strongly questioned the grace period extended to EPA looters who pocketed a total of Shs.133billion in 2005/6. Although to his critics he might not fare well, Mr Kikwete this week proved that, ``he is a man who knows how to play his cards especially when confronted with a tough situation``. He was facing a series of threats for a countrywide workers ``strike that could have paralysed the economy as well as his government. In the political arena, the debate on Zanzibar`s statehood was posing a real threat to one of the oldest unions in Africa. Not only that but there was also the EPA scandal that has rocked his government during the past few months, plus other key economic issues facing the country. Knowing what he was facing, Mr Kikwete this week tried to play his political cards carefully to maintain his popularity and leadership ahead of 2010. ``Take the mining issue, Richmond deal plus EPA scam and you realise that Mr Kikwete chooses his words and actions to deal with critical situations,`` a senior official from the ruling party, CCM, told The Guardian on Sunday. Beyond his smiling face lies another image of somebody who is ready to take tough actions even if in so doing, he is sacrificing some of his closest buddies who played an instrumental role in facilitating his victory in the presidential race in 2005, or angering the party on whose ticket he sought the highest office in the land. By speaking openly about the External Payments Arrears scandal that cost the country a staggering Shs. 133billion, Mr Kikwete played another crucial card in his life as a politician and the head of state. Knowing that Thursday was another crucial day to his political life since he became president, Mr Kikwete assured the nation that all culprits who swindled the EPA billions would face the court of law after October 31st deadline. Will they be allowed to walk freely simply because they have managed to return the looted billions or is this another trap set by Mr Kikwete to gather credible evidence that could be used to nail all suspects before the court of law. Mr Kikwete followed the path of the former Zambian President, the Late Levy Mwanawasa, when he declared that `his government has confiscated about Shs.90 billion looted by 13 companies that used fake or fabricated documents to justify the dubious deal. And, the looted billions will then be used to fund economic activities, including agriculture, which is the source of livelihood for about 80 per cent of the total 38 million plus population. Just a few years ago, Zambia used the money recovered from corrupt deals to fund the crucial health and education sectors, raising the popularity of the late Mwanawasa a notch higher amongst his compatriots. During his three years in office, Mr Kikwete has taken some critical decisions that have even shocked his own political allies as well as the ruling party. A few months ago, some culprits tried to block the EPA`s investigation by claiming that the looted billions were used to finance the political activities during the 2005 general election. But little did they know that the actual budget for the ruling party during the 2005 campaign didn`t exceed Shs. 25billion. Therefore by claiming that the looted billions were used to fund the political activities, the suspects were fighting a lost battle. Following this situation, Mr Kikwete took tough decisions that angered even some of his close allies, after authorising the investigation on the EPA accounts. After three months, Ernst and Young, an international auditing firm, submitted a report that revealed how the culprits looted EPA billions during the third phase regime. Mr Kikwete fired the former BOT governor Daudi Ballali, sending an alarming message to those who swindled the EPA billions. The game didn`t end there. Mr Kikwete, knowing that the public was eagerly waiting to see how he will handle the EPA scandal, ordered criminal investigations to be conducted, under Attorney General Johnson Mwanyika. Finally he briefed the nation on what the committee has unearthed so far, promising to recover all looted billions. Early this year , Mr Kikwete took another critical decision in what he described as `a political storm`, when he okayed the resignation of former premier and his close ally, Edward Lowassa, after the latter was named in a report submitted to Parliament by a select committee that probed the Richmond scandal. It wasn`t easy for Mr Kikwete to `sacrifice` a man who has been his closest ally during the past two decades, but to defend the nation`s interests, the former premier was given the greenlight to quit. In October last year, the same man took another decision that shocked his party and close allies, when he decided to form a presidential mining review committee in order to thoroughly investigate the all contracts sealed by the government as well as the sector in general. ``This was a shocking move to most of us within the party as well as the government�it happened at the moment when we thought that by suspending the Mr Zitto and defending mining sector, we were right�but he proved us wrong,`` one cabinet minister told The Guardian on Sunday this week. In that committee, he also picked the opposition MPs, including Mr Zitto Zuberi Kabwe, who was suspended mid last year by parliament simply because he had tried to question the legality of the Buzwagi mining deal. Whether measures by his success or any other means, it is quite clear that behind the smiling face of Mr Kikwete, lies hidden colour. It is for this reason that Mr Kikwete, a soldier- turned-politician, has managed to nail some of his political allies to defend his leadership.
SOURCE: Guardian

Idadi ya samaki aina ya sangara katika Ziwa Victoria inazidi kupungua-Magufuli

Waziri wa Maendeleo ya Mifugo na Uvuvi Mheshimiwa John Magufuli amesema idadi ya samaki aina ya sangara katika Ziwa Victoria inazidi kupungua kutokana na uvuvi haramu. Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari jijini Mwanza amesema idadi ya sangara katika ziwa hilo imepungua kutoka tani 750,000 mwaka jana hadi kufikia tani 350,000 Februari mwaka huu. Kwa mujibu wa Mheshimiwa Magufuli kutokana kutokana na hali hiyo serikali imeanza kusimamia kikamilifu utekelezaji wa sheria ya uvuvi ya mwaka 2003 na kanuni nyingine ili kudhibiti uvuvi haramu wa kutumia makokoro, sumu na nyavu zisizoruhusiwa. Aidha amewataka amewataka maafisa uvuvi nchini kusimamia kikamilifu waraka uliotolewa na wizara yake kudhibiti uvuvi haramu ili kuongeza mchango wa sekta ya uvuvi katika pato la taifa. Amebainisha kuwa mchango wa sekta ya uvuvi katika pato ni asilimia 1.3 tu wakati nchi nyingine kama Namibia mchango wa sekta hiyo ni asilimia 23.

Obama introduces Biden as running mate

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama introduced Sen. Joe Biden to the nation as his running mate Saturday, telling supporters that he is "a leader who is ready to step in and be president."
"For months, I've searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and join me in making Washington work for the American people. I searched for a leader who understood the rising costs confronting working people and will always put their dreams first," Obama said.
"Today, I've come back to Springfield to tell you I've found that leader," he said.
The rally is the pair's first joint appearance since Obama announced that Biden, the senior U.S. senator from Delaware, would be his running mate on his Web site and in a text message to supporters early Saturday morning.
Democrats hope that Biden's working-class roots and foreign policy experience will help Obama, who informed Biden of his decision Thursday.
Thousands of cheering supporters gathered Saturday for the rally in Springfield, Illinois, where Obama announced his candidacy last year. It will be their only public appearance together before next week's Democratic convention in Denver.
As he took to the podium at Saturday's rally, Biden invoked the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, who was from Illinois.
"President Lincoln once instructed us to be sure to put your feet in the right place and then stand firm," said Biden, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Today in Springfield, I know my feet are in the right place, and I'm proud to stand firm with the next president of the United States of America, Barack Obama."
Obama stressed those roots, introducing 65-year-old Biden as "still that scrappy kid from Scranton who beat the odds."
He noted hardships in Biden's life, including the deaths of Biden's first wife and infant daughter in a 1972 car wreck and his struggle to overcome a brain aneurysm in 1988
"That's the kind of fighter I want by my side in the months and years to come," Obama said.
Known for his plain-spoken approach and penchant for speaking from the cuff, Biden wasted little time taking to the traditional vice presidential candidate's role of political attack dog.
"John McCain ... served our country with extreme courage, and I know he wants to do right by America," he said of his Senate colleague and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. "But the harsh truth is loud and clear: You can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95 percent of the time."
He also seized on a McCain comment from this week when he could not remember how many houses he owns and said McCain was out of touch with the "kitchen-table" issues that working families face.
"It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at," Biden said

Mugabe rival fears talks collapse

Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that power-sharing talks may collapse if parliament is convened.
It was announced earlier this week that MPs would be sworn in next Monday, with President Robert Mugabe to open the first session the following day.
Mr Tsvangirai said this would repudiate the agreement governing the talks.
He made the comments on a visit to Kenya to find out about the country's experience of power-sharing.
A grand coalition was formed in the East African country earlier this year after violent post-poll clashes.
So far, Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change and Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party have failed to reach a deal to resolve Zimbabwe's post-election crisis.
Leaders from the Southern African Development Community failed to help them end a deadlock at their summit in Johannesburg over the weekend.

Mkapa, Kikwete are worlds apart

There are many ways to deal with problems. One can pretend that there is nothing unusual, play the ostrich game of hiding one`s head in the sand and wrongly believing that the storm would soon finally be safely over, take things in stride, or choose rough means of changing the status quo. Those in positions of leadership can choose to allow people under their command to discuss the problems or challenges openly, treat any attempts to elaborate on the problems as criminal, or pretend that the people are so naive and ignorant of the situation on the ground as to be easily fooled. These facts ought to be considered whenever attempts are made to compare and contrast the performance of different institutions or agencies like governments or individual players. The same should thus apply in the particular respect of the findings of a study by the Research and Education for Democracy in Tanzania (Redet) project covering the last 16 years as released in Dar es Salaam yesterday. According to the study, public discontent over accountability in the government peaked during the second-phase (Ali Hassan Mwinyi) presidency, things improving appreciably during the next (Benjamin Mkapa) tenure from 1995 to 2005 and deteriorating again during the current (Jakaya Kikwete) leadership. Granted, the Redet experts behind the study have their own time-tested scientific ways of conducting research and it would be rash for anyone to dismiss their findings as roundly untenable. However, it would help to know the extent to which the experts went in establishing the comparative nature of the social, political, economic and other conditions characterising the three eras evaluated as well as that of Founding President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and their impact on the lives of our people. Merely comparing the number of public complaints levelled against particular government agencies or in relation to particular acts of commission or omission in or by those agencies does not paint a complete enough picture of the level or nature of their performance. There would obviously be much fewer overt media and public complaints against a dictatorship overly allergic to or intolerant of criticism than against a truly democratic government. Similarly, even the most repressive and corrupt of regimes could register impressive economic wealth without that necessarily translating into a higher standard of living for the populace. Some of the things Tanzanians have witnessed during the last 16 years tell stories that belie the Redet study findings. The most notable examples include the flawed belief by some leaders that few locals outside the government have enough brains to contribute to the development of their nation as outstandingly as some of their compatriots in ``the system`` or as expatriates. The Redet study has doubtless come up with interesting findings. However, it involved a tiny percentage of the Tanzanian population � perhaps acceptable for research purposes but obviously far from representative enough, and hence the need for caution in digesting and internalising the findings so as to give credit where credit is due. Mkapa assumed the presidency promising, in his words, to lead by example by working hard, being as open as possible consistent with government regulations, meeting the people � not just lecturing them � and meeting the press regularly. He not only never kept the promise for long nor showed any respect to his own country`s media institutions and practitioners. In fact, the twilight years of his presidency saw him enjoy being interviewed by foreign media agencies as greatly as he abhorred speaking to Tanzanian journalists, whom he brushed off as irredeemably incompetent. The Mkapa government will also be remembered for brooking no nonsense at the slightest indication of looming dissent such as opposition, however justified, to official policies. He once publicly declared that he just had no time for the opposition. A ready example is how it used heavily armed contingents of paramilitary police to install South Africans as the new managers of the strategic state-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) in implementation of a hugely controversial contract that was later to prove a disastrous embarrassment. Mkapa took over Tanzania's leadership promising corrupt elements zero tolerance. But by the end of the show the monster was threatening the country's very survival and he was himself acknowledged as one of the causes of the tornado. The rest is a history we are still learning bitter lessons from. And how does the Kikwete government rank on these scores? It is common knowledge that the President took off as a darling of the Tanzanian media who held local journalists in very high esteem and they, in turn, knew him as a ready partner and friend whom they now fondly refer to only as JK. He said as much in his maiden address in the National Assembly in Dodoma only days after his election. Like Mkapa before him, Kikwete promised to give corrupt elements a very hard time. Has he delivered on the promise? Very much so, despite hiccups one can explain, as anyone with eyes that see and ears that hear will admit. With respect to transparency, there isn't the slightest doubt that the Mkapa government died a sudden mid-stream death but the JK one is soldiering on despite having inherited a mountain of problems from the one it succeeded. The State House has become a lot more approachable. It is talking more appealingly and credibly on issues like the war on AIDS, serious crime and grand corruption - and listening more attentively. Indications are that it will keep its doors open. Finally, the nation is awaiting with immense eagerness, enthusiasm and hope President Kikwete`s address in the National Assembly in Dodoma today because they know that he has a message of national importance. And what more would a national leader wish for than that his or her people should rally behind him or her through thick and thin? Mkapa said he would be appeased if history remembered him as a president who had led an Administration that demonstrably fought corruption and strengthened leadership that promoted good governance and discipline in the sense of law, order and regulations but consistent with fundamental freedoms. In the main, the wind blew in the wrong direction. JK�s vision and dream should be much similar. So far, he has lived up to popular expectations without bragging so much about it. He has quite some time to go. We should evaluate his mid-term performance as seriously and fairly as we have done all along while wishing him all the best and helping him to steer the ship of our state safely even through rough seas.

Mt. Kili snow will not disappear - researcher

A local researcher has said snow on Africa`s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, will not disappear around 2017, as suggestively pronounced by foreign scientists. The pollster, Prof Ernest Njau from the University of Dar es Salaam`s Physics Department, sounded yet another theory on Mt. Kilimanjaro during an interview yesterday at the Hill in Dar es Salaam. The don said most scientists still held reports provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which he faulted, saying that they contained prediction errors due to imperfections in the climate models used. According to the don, recent scientific reports had taken sunspot-climate relationship into account and came up with a prediction that a 430-year-long global cooling trend was due to start at about year 2060, and the Ice on the Kilimanjaro would resume to its original state. ``This is contradictory to the predictions by the IPCC that had been holding that temperature will always be increasing over and over, because the IPCC does not use sunspot-climate relationship in its predictions,`` he said. He said the averaging processes used to make the models were unable to simulate any sunspot-related climate variations. As a result, he said, all the climate predictions issued by the IPCC so far did not take into account the recently proved relationship between terrestrial climate variations and solar cycles. The don said climate predictions made in the past using similar methodology had proved true, as predicted in 1998 using similar methodology that globally averaged temperature would halt its post-1970`s increase trend for about 30 years from 1998. He said it was true that average global temperature had not increased since 1998, despite the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide by 4 per cent over the same period. Prof Njau insisted: ``It is on the basis of the prediction above that the snow on Mount Kilimanjaro will not disappear in 2017.`` The don, an active pollster over the last 23 years, said climatic variations that had taken place so far had natural and not man-made frequencies, and had taken place at frequencies related to those of solar cycles or sunspots. He further explained that sunspot-related global climate variations had not been detected or simulated by computer models upon which IPCC rely on. Just last week, another scientific theory linked the loss of snow on the Kilimanjaro to deforestation and dismissed suggestions that the dwindling of the glaciers was due to global warming. The ``deforestation theory`` is highlighted in a recent study report compiled by two researchers from Britain`s Portsmouth University, Nicholas Pepin and Martin Schaefer, who surveyed the mountain`s glaciers for 11 days. Last year, another study on the dwindling ice on the mountain`s cap suggested that global warming had nothing to do with the alarming loss of its beautiful snows. The scientists who conducted the study, US-based Philip Mote and Georg Kaser, assertively linked the problem to a process known as sublimation-that occurs at below-freezing temperatures and converts ice directly to water vapour with the liquid phase skipped. Kibo volcano is widely acknowledged as located at the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro at about 5,895 metres (19,340 feet) above sea level. According to a rough 1889 survey Kibo`s icecap occupied about 12.5 square miles but this had dwindled to about 7.5 square miles by 1912, to about 4.3 square miles by 1953, and just over 1.5 square miles by 2003.

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Zimbabwe hope despite stalemate

Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition have failed to reach a power-sharing agreement at a summit of Southern African leaders in Johannesburg.
But the secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said he believed a deal with the Zanu-PF would be reached "very soon".
South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating in the crisis, earlier said talks would continue.
The MDC is insisting President Robert Mugabe surrender his executive powers.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is said to have agreed in principle to take on a powerful prime ministerial role in a new national unity government, although the exact balance of power is undecided.

BREAKING NEWS

Pakistan's Musharraf steps down

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, facing impeachment on charges drawn up by the governing coalition, has announced that he is resigning.

for more please follow the following link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7567451.stm

Let’s talk unity, Mkapa counsels

Retired President Benjamin Mkapa has cautioned against wasting time in idle talk and picking issues from the ‘grapevine’ as if they were gospel truth. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the Singida Roman Catholic Diocese, Mr Mkapa said Tanzanians should instead spend their time defending the country’s hard-won peace and unity – and shun divisive politics. Mr Mkapa who supervised over landmark economic reforms during his third-phase government tenure, was the guest of honour at the centenary celebrations held at the Jesus Holy Spirit Church in Singida municipality. The retired head of state observed that some people were out to divide the country - despite prevailing harmony and peace the country was enjoying now. Mr Mkapa’s call comes at a time when there is heated public debate on whether Zanzibar is a sovereign state, most of them rejecting the defining principle that the Isles are but one side of the United Republic of Tanzania, as originally penned by the founding statesmen, Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere and the late Abeid Aman Karume. The retired leader further observed that Tanzanians professed to various spiritual beliefs and religions and that the country itself was home to over 120 tribes and more than 160 dialects. He added that used wisely, the country’s diversity could consolidate unity, peace and harmony. However, he cautioned that the same diversity could turn things awry if abused or polluted with divisive politics. He strongly condemned a section of people whom he said had developed a habit of collecting issues from the grapevine - and spreading them as though they were the most pressing issues of the day. He urged them to show love and tolerance instead, in order to sustain the prevailing unity among Tanzanians. Earlier, the head of Tanzania Roman Catholic Church, Polycarp Cardinal Pengo urged Tanzanians to convey a message of peace to those who use weapons to destabilize the country and bring disharmony. He stressed that such task - of conveying message of peace - would continue forever and that the anniversary was just the beginning of such noble task for the Catholic Church and other churches across the world. The on-going war of words between politicians over the status of Zanzibar has since ignited hot debate throughout the country. Last week, Kyela Member of Parliament, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe took issue with Zanzibar ministers over what he described as open disrespect for their public utterances on the official stand on the status of the Isles within the United Republic – most of them scoffing at that stand with near-hostile dissenting views. Last Saturday, the Minister of State in the Chief Minister’s Office, Mr Hamza Hassan Juma, retorted that Dr Mwakyembe should apologize for what he said in Parliament – also accusing him of disrespect to Zanzibar leaders – insisting that the Isles constituted a sovereign state. The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) had earlier closed the debate – only to re-emerge within the past fortnight.

Olympic Games team bubbles with confidence

Athletes who will represent the country in the Olympic Games set to open in Beijing, China on Friday, have pledged to bring to an end the country's 28 years medal drought in the games. Speaking on behalf of others, marathoner Samsom Ramadhani, who is the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, said yesterday that the team is in great shape and ready to shock the world. He said although, Tanzania is not given much respect same as Kenya and Ethiopia especially in marathon, Ramadhan believes that the current team has all it takes to compete at same level with runners from the two countries. Ramadhan said; "We will approach this event differently with the major objective being to snatch medals and bring to an end 28 years without medals. We have been undergoing rigorous training everyday as we strive to reach the summit in the world class athletics. In the history of Olympic Games, Tanzania only managed to win medals during the 1980 event in Moscow, where Filbert Bayi and Suleiman Nyambui won silver and bronze in 3,000metres steeplechase and 5,000metres respectively. Ramadhan said; "Personally, it has been a tough road to prepare for the event. Injury setbacks made it hard for me but now I've fully recovered. I got back to business in Singida during the national athletics championships and was unlucky to finish third in half marathon," he said. Ramadhan, along with other marathoners Getuli Bayo and Msenduki Mohammed will face stiff challenge from top runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. However, this time around the world marathon record holder Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie has pulled out of the event. Gebrselassie, who won two Olympic gold medals in 10,000 meters in Atlanta and Athens, told western media on March 10 that he will not compete in the Beijing Olympic marathon because the city's air pollution may damage his health. But the Ethiopian runner said he would still take part in the 10,000 meters of the global sports fiesta. National athletics coach Juma Ikangaa, said the team is in great shape and he does not fear big names. He insisted that the team just need to be encouraged and supported."The aim is to win medals and we believe that this time around we have the best team. They have qualified with category 'A'. This is a plus to us and we should expect a lot from them," the former world class marathoner said. Swimmer Magdalena Moshi said Tanzania should expect the very best from her. "People should be the best from us. We have been training hard for so long and we think we are now ready to compete with the world best," she said. Tanzania will be represented in athletics and swimming. The games squad consists of ten athletes (eight athletics and two swimmers). Boxer, Emillian Patrick, who had also qualified for the games, was dropped recently after he was implicated with drug trafficking in Mauritius. The athletics team also consists of track event runners. They are Dickson Marwa who will compete in 10,000 and 5,000 metres. The list also has Samson Kwang'w (10,000m), Zakia Mrisho (5,000) and Samwel Mwera (800m) The swimming team has Khalid Rushaka and Magdalena Moshi.

Tanzania to field 10 in Beijing Olympics

Tanzania will send eight runners and two swimmers to Beijing to attend the 29th Olympic Games which are scheduled to open on Friday next week. The eight runners include Samson Ramadhani (marathon), Getuli Bayo (marathon), Msenduki Mohamed (marathon); Dickson Marwa (10,000meters), Samson Kwang'w (10,000 meters), Fabian Joseph (10,000 and 5,000 meters), Zakia Mrisho (5,000 meters), and Samwel Mwera (800 meters). The Beijing-bound swimmers are Magdalena Moshi and Khalid Rushaka. Tanzania's sport minister and the country's national Olympic committee officials will accompany the athletes and their coaches to Beijing. Tanzania first attended the 1964 summer Olympiad and has been attending each and every summer games except for the 1976 games which it joined other African countries to boycott due to apartheid in South Africa.

Mramba amlipua Mkapa!

Katiaka kile ambacho pengine hakikutazamiwa kutokea, Waziri wa zamani katika Serikali ya Awamu ya Tatu ya Rais Benjamin Mkapa na ambaye pia ni Mbunge wa Jimbo la Rombo, Mheshimiwa Basil Mramba, amemlipua kiaina Rais Mstaafu Mkapa kwa kuiponda Serikali yake kuhusu sera ya viwanda. Mheshimiwa Mramba amesema Serikali hiyo ya awamu ya tatu ( iliyokuwa ikiongozwa na Rais Mkapa), kamwe haikuwahi kutekeleza sera ya viwanda. Akizungumza bungeni jana wakati akichangia bajeti ya Wizara ya Viwanda, Biashara na Masoko, Mheshimiwa Mramba akazidi kueleza kuwa kwa kasi iliyokuwepo katika serikali ya awamu ya tatu, nchi ingechukua muda mrefu sana kuwa na viwanda. ``...Nina tatizo. Najua watu watauliza, si (nawe) ulikuwepo. Lakini wacha niseme,`` ndivyo alivyoanza kueleza Mheshimiwa Mramba kabla ya kuchangia zaidi. Aidha, Mheshimiwa Mramba aliwageukia wajumbe wa Halmashauri ya CCM ,NEC na kuwahoji kuhusu sera ya viwanda vidogovidogo. ``Simuoni Bw. Yusuf Makamba, Katibu Mkuu wetu wa CCM... lakini nawaona wajumbe wengi wa Halmashaurii Kuu ya Taifa. Nauliza, hivi CCM ina Sera ya viwanda vidogo vidogo?`` Akahoji Mheshimiwa Mramba ambaye aliwahi kuwa Waziri wa Viwanda na Biashara. Akasema viwanda vilivyopo sasa ni matokeo ya sera za Serikali ya Awamu ya Kwanza iliyokuwa ikiongozwa na Rais wa wakati huo, Marehemu Mwalimu Nyerere. Akasisitiza kuwa viwanda vingi vilivyopo leo ni vya Nyerere na kwamba sera yake ilikuwa ni viwanda vya awali, ambayo amesema kamwe haijatekelezwa katika serikali ya awamu ya tatu (ya Rais Mkapa). Hata hivyo, Mheshimiwa Mramba akasema anafurahia kuona Waziri wa Viwanda, Biashara na Masoko ameipeleka bungeni, huku akishauri kuwa Serikali ya sasa ya awamu ya nne, ijielekeze katika jitihada za kuchochea uanzishaji wa viwanda. Pia akaishauri serikali kusamehe kodi kwa viwanda vidogo vidogo kama inavyofanya kwa viwanda vikubwa ambavyo vimekuwa vikipata msamaha. Aidha, ametaka kuanzishwa kwa benki maalum kwa ajili ya viwanda vidogo ama kuziagiza benki kutenga fungu maalum kwa ajili ya kuwakopesha wanaoanzisha viwanda hivyo.

SOURCE: Alasiri