OUTRAGEOUS OR JUSTIFIABLE? TEXAS CHEERLEADER HUNTS RARE AFRICAN WILDLIFE

ICTMN Staff

Texas Tech cheerleader Kendall Jones, 19, has been shooting endangered wildlife on safari trips to Zimbabwe and South Africa since age 13. She proudly displayed her trophy kills—namely the “Big Five”: the African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and White/Black rhinoceros—on her Facebook page, until the social media site took down her photos on grounds that they violate the network's animal abuse policies. It took Facebook a couple days longer to pull the "Kill Kendall Jones" page—that thanks to her dad Cody Jones demanding it be removed. And signatures are increasing daily on a number of online petitions to stop Jones' trophy hunts.

The online backlash against "huntress" Kendall Jones is only snowballing, despite her attempts to play damage control by showcasing her softer side on social media—posting photos of herself cuddling live animals.
Critics contend Jones has glamorized poaching, beaming a toothy smile while hugging her dead prey. Some media outlets have inaccurately reported that she even killed an at-risk white rhino, of which only 20,000 remain, but in actuality, she helped veterinarians by tranquilizing the rhino that had likely been injured by a lion, so the rhino could receive medical attention, among other tests.
"The rhino was a green hunt, meaning it was darted and immobilized in order to draw blood for testing, DNA profiling, microchip ping the horn and treating a massive leg injury most likely caused by lions. […]" Jones has said.

Kendall Jones with a tranquilized rhino. (Facebook)

Jones says organized hunting of African game reduces poaching for animal parts like ivory. (Facebook)

Jones also argues that she's killing animals in the name of conservation.

"Controlling the male lion population is important within large fenced areas like these in order to make sure the cubs have a high survival rate. Funds from a hunt like this goes partially to the government for permits but also to the farm owner as an incentive to keep and raise lions on their property. [...] Now to the leopard, this was a free ranging leopard in Zimbabwe on communal land. The money for the permit goes to the communal council and to their village people. […]"
She calls her other hunts "mercy kills"—taking out older lions who would have surely been maimed by a younger one.
Furthermore, Jones says organized hunting of African game costs thousands of dollars, which goes to wildlife and habitat conservation and veterinary bills. Tourists with cameras are not benefitting these causes.
In addition, hunting reserves keep poaching for meat, ivory, rhino horn and other animal products at bay, while pumping money into the rural economy, research and conservation.
But PETA isn't buying Jones' defense. "Her only interest is slaughtering wildlife for a cheap thrill," the organization stated. Her efforts are "in a desperate quest to secure a macabre reality show."
Jones is in fact an aspiring TV star, and recent fame has likely garnered her the opportunity to host her own television show on the Sportsman channel in 2015.
Meanwhile, well-known figures are sounding support for Jones, such as pro-golfer John Peterson, who has raised the question: Are Jones' haters just being sexist?
“What if it was a sixty year old overweight dude posting the hunting pics?” Peterson said on Twitter with the hashtag #ISupportKendallJones.
Jones is one of thousands of trophy hunters, who are typically male Americans. But is she being villainized for normalizing the sport, or to be more straightforward, because she is young, pretty and female?
“Conventional ideals of women dictate that ‘unlike men, women should love animals and be caring and nurturing, not ruthless hunters of endangered species,’” CBC News writer Matt Kwong wrote this week, quoting a women’s studies professor. “Jones’s case has apparently tapped into another level of anger because of who is wielding the weapon.”
Indian Country Today Media Network readers, we want you to weigh in. What do you think: Is Jones actually helping to preserve rare African wildlife, or is she just killing endangered animals for sport?

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/07/12/outrageous-or-justifiable-texas-cheerleader-hunts-rare-african-wildlife-155806

KENYA KUKATA RUFAA KUPINGA ADHABU YA CAF

Kocha Adel Amrouche

Kenya imekata rufaa ya marufuku ya mwaka mmoja iliyopewa kocha wa timu ya taifa Adel Amrouche na shirikisho la soka barani Afrika CAF.

Amrouche alipigwa marufuku hiyo baada ya kudaiwa kumtemea mate afisa msimamizi wa mechi baina ya Harambee Stars ya Kenya na Comoros mwezi Mei.

katibu wa Shirikisho la soka la Kenya FKF Michael Esakwa ameiambia BBC kuwa tayari wameshatuma ombi la kukata rufaa kwa shirikisho la CAF .

"Baada ya kuona video ya tukio hilo linalodaiwa kutokea baada ya mechi nina hakika kuwa hakuna aliyetemewa mate ''.

Sadfa ni kuwa kocha mkuu wa Comoros Amir Abdou amepuzilia mbali uwezekano wa tukio hilo akisema haiwezekani kuwa Amrouche alimtemea mate afisa huyo.

''Mimi mwenyewe nili kuwepo na pia nilitazama video na kwa hakika ninaunga mkono FKF maanake hii ilikuwa ni mechi ambayo tulishiriki.''

Ujumbe huo wa kocha Abdou ulimpiga jeki Esakwa ambaye anasema kuwa taarifa hiyo itakuwa kati ya habari watakazopendekeza kutumiwa katika rufaa hiyo.

Kenya imekata rufaa ya marufuku ya kocha Adel Amrouche

Kufuatia marufuku hiyo ya Amrouche, Kenyasasa inamtegemea Kocha mbadala James Nandwa kuiongoza Kenya katika mechi ya mkondo wa pili ya kufuzu kwa mechi ya kuwania kufuzu kwa dimba la mabingwa wa Afrika dhidi ya Lesotho.

Mechi hiyo itachezwa wikiendi hii mjini Nairobi.

Kenya ilishindwa katika mkondo wa kwanza kwa bao moja kwa nunge ugenini.

BBC

UGONJWA WA EBOLA UNAENEA KWA KASI YA KUTISHA

Zaidi ya watu 700 wamefariki kutokana na Homa ya Ebola kanda ya Afrika Magharibi

Shirika la afya duniani linasema kuwa ugonjwa wa Ebola unaendelea kuenea kwa kasi ya kutisha.

Mkuu wa shirika hilo, Margaret Chan ameambia mkutano wa viongozi wa kikanda kuwa ikiwa watakosa kuudhibiti utasababisha janga la kuogofya kwa binadamu.

Shirika hilo limezindua mpango wa thamani ya dola milioni 100 kupambana na mlipuko wa homa ya Ebola katika kanda ya Afrika Magharibi.Hata hivyo amesema kuwa ugonjwa huo ambao umesababisha maafa utaweza kudhibitiwa ikiwa mpango mzuri wa kufanya hivyo utakuwepo.

Mkurugenzi mkuu Margaret Chan anakutana na Marais wa Guinea, Liberia na Sierra Leone nchini Guinea kudurusu hali ya maambukizi katika nchi hizo.

Ramani ya nchi zilizoathirika kutokana na Ebola

Zaidi ya watu mia saba wamefariki kutokana na Ebola katika nchi hizo tangu mwezi Februari.

Shirika hilo linasema kuwa wataalamu zaidi wa matibabu wanahitajika katika kanda hiyo ikiwa juhudi za kupambana na ugonjwa huo zitafanikiwa.

Shirika hilo limepongeza juhudi zilizochukuliwa hadi sasa kukabiliana na ugonjwa huo ingawa haijulikani namna ambavyo baadhi ya jitihada kama vile kuwatenga wagonjwa zitaweza kutekelezwa

Awali, Rais wa Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf aliambia BBC kuwa mlipuko wa ugonjwa huo ni janga kubwa.

Serikali yake imejipatia siku 60 kuzuia kuenea kwa ugonjwa huo.

BBCSWAHILI

MAREKANI KUISAIDIA ISRAEL KUJILINDA DHIDI YA HAMAS

Marekani imepitisha mswada unaotoa msaada wa kifedha kwa Israel kuimarisha mfumo wake wa kujilinda dhidi ya makombora.

Mswada huo unatoa dola millioni mia mbili na ishirini na tano kuimarisha mfumo huo ambao umetumiwa kuyatungua makombora kadhaa ya roketi kutoka kwa wapiganaji wa kipalestina katika majuma ya hivi karibuni.

Mpango huo wa fedha hatahivyo ni sharti upitishwe na bunge la wawakilishi na kutiwa sahihi na rais Obama.

Waandishi wanasema kuwa wabunge wa Marekani wamekuwa wakiunga mkono Israel hivyobasi mswada huo huenda usikabiliwe na vikwazo vyovyote.

BBC

ELEPHANT POACHERS PENETRATE SOUTH AFRICAN BORDERS

Web photo

A second elephant has been butchered for its tusks by poachers in Parfuri, northern Kruger National Park, 10km in from the Mozambican and Zimbabwean borders. SANParks officials discovered the two day old carcass with its tusks hacked out yesterday morning. No further details regarding the age or sex of the elephant were available and no suspects have as yet been arrested in connection with the crime.

This is the second incident of elephant poaching in the Parfuri region of Kruger in recent months, highlighting the onslaught of elephant poaching predicted by conservationists, who have warned that rampant poaching in neighbouring countries would begin to spill over South African borders, and the urgent need for heightened action by government to step up protection measures and find solutions to a crisis that seems to be not only looming, but already unfolding.

“Elephant poaching has been happening for a while now in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, so we did expect that it would at some stage reach our area,” said SANparks spokesperson William Mabasa.

The Parfuri region of KNP is particularly vulnerable to penetration by poachers because of its proximity to both the Mozambican and Zimbabwean border, which makes it a prime target for criminal syndicates operating on the other side of these borders, and a sitting duck for corrupt customs and parks officials.

A recent report held that rogue South African trophy hunters are also at play in orchestrating poaching operations. Independent intelligence sources allegedly uncovered documents implicating local safari units in aiding and abetting Mozambican poachers by supplying them with ammunition, finding buyers for the horns and bribing South African officials and Mozambican politicians to facilitate the process. They claim to have passed on the information to South African authorities, but not to have received any feedback.

CREDIT: http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2014/elephant-poachers-penetrate-south-african-borders-again/

VERONIKA VAŘEKOVÁ SHINES AS 'MODEL' PROTECTOR OF THE AFRICAN WILDLIFE

Veronika Vařeková is arguably the most beautiful and dangerous protector of African Wildlife that one is ever going to come across. She was named one of the Goodwill Ambassadors to the African Wildlife Foundation in October 2009 and since then has been a beautiful thorn in the side of poachers and hunters of endangered species. 

Veronika Vařeková modelling lingerie

 

Recently the ex-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine cover model was a popular topic on social media as she celebrated the 77 year prison sentence of a South African rhino poacher on her Twitter account. 

 

Fans of the Czech model are smiling and laughing on social media about how it must be galling too many poachers that one of the most beautiful models in the world, someone who because she is associated with a cause brings a large amount of attention to anything she does, is making their lives an absolute misery and doing so while looking gorgeous.

Veronika Vařeková

Fans of the model have noted how she is truly committed to this cause as she is one who has made a point of bringing attention to anyone who is endangering the lives of African Wildlife. 

 

A quick look at her Twitter account by fans and one will be surprised by the fact that the majority of her pictures and 'tweets' are about endangered animals and not modelling. 

 

She has found the cause that she is most passionate about and that is a great thing for the African Wildlife Foundation because her reputation as a model, past and present, and the media attention she brings makes life very difficult for poachers and hunters. 

 

Veronika Vařeková, ex-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model is now the gorgeous, passionate protector of African Wildlife bringing attention to the needs of endangered wildlife and putting the fear of God and prison into poachers. 

CREDIT: http://www.fansshare.com/news/veronika-va-ekov-shines-as-model-protector-of-african-wildlife/

SOUTH AFRICAN WILDLIFE RESERVE CONSIDERS RHINO EVACUATION

Officials at Kruger park, South Africa’s flagship wildlife reserve, are considering a plan to move some rhinos out of the park in an attempt to protect them from poachers.
Kruger spokesman William Mabasa said that no decision has been made on the plan. Mr Mabasa says the idea would be to “spread the risk” to other reserves because the Kruger park is heavily targeted by poachers, many of whom cross from neighbouring Mozambique.
The national parks service says about 560 rhinos have been poached in South Africa so far this year. Well over half were killed in Kruger park.

Rhino horn is worth a fortune on the illegal market in parts of Asia. Some Vietnamese and Chinese view it as a status symbol and a healing agent.

CREDIT: http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/south-african-wildlife-reserve-considers-rhino-evacuation-636945.html

AFRICAN WILDLIFE IS IN TROUBLE, AND ONLY AFRICANS CAN SAVE IT

Richard Schiffman

Journalist/Huchington Post

Entering Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve, as I did last March, is like driving up the loading ramp of Noah's Ark. Within minutes, you'll see zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, and herds of antelope. There will be a pride of lions lounging yards away from your safari vehicle. Conga lines of elephants will file past you, looking as if they just trundled out of the first day of creation.
But this Eden of animals only appears untouched. Just beyond the sanctuary gate lies a patchwork of shantytowns and farmland that you rarely see on National Geographic specials. And although it may not look like a war zone, this place is a frontline in Africa's escalating war against the animals that it peacefully coexisted with for centuries.
A new report suggests that peace can be restored--but only if two things happen. First, African governments must get serious about tackling their poaching problem. Second, the ecotourism industry, which has historically benefited only a few, must be transformed so that its profits reach a larger segment of the population, winning allies for wildlife from among Africa's villagers, who often clash with the animals. Those clashes have been increasing, and unless we can find a way to for humans and animals to live in peace, the prospects for Africa's wildlife won't be bright.
Rural Africans are not to blame. There are a lot more of them around than ever before, so conflict is inevitable. As human population soars, the animals, which once roamed unfettered across Africa's vast savannas and trackless rain forests, are being squeezed into a handful of game reserves. When the creatures stray out of their protected islands into newly settled areas--which still contain the water holes and migration routes that their ancestors used--trouble ensues.
Elephants trample crops, lions kill sheep and cattle, wildebeest and zebra compete with domesticated herds for precious grass and water. Rural Africans retaliate by poisoning the big cats, shooting the elephants, and plundering antelope and other ungulates for bushmeat. That is the part of the war where a truce is still possible. If the animals can be induced to stay where they belong, and the people can be convinced that they are no longer a threat, then peace can break out. I saw this happen in Tanzania, where the Living Wall project builds unbreachable fences that keep lions away from livestock. It has cut losses dramatically for the Maasai, who no longer stage retribution attacks against lions--a win-win for both animals and humans.
But there is another war that won't be so easy to win. It is being conducted by organized commercial poachers who are targeting rhinos and elephants. A recent study shows how incestuously intertwined this criminal war on wildlife is with Africa's other wars.
The report, titled "Ivory's Curse," was issued jointly earlier last month by the conservation group Born Free USA and C4ADS, a nonprofit that specializes in defense issues. It documents how terrorist groups like al-Shabaab and Boko Haram are bankrolling their mayhem in part from the spoils of wildlife poaching. It details how rebel militias, organized crime groups and, sometimes, national armies are participating in a slaughter that has driven rhinos to the edge of extinction and already eliminated elephants from many areas where they used to thrive.
Poaching is a uniquely tough nut to crack. There are desperately poor Africans, on the one hand, and, on the other, Asia's nouveau riche, who are willing to pay a king's ransom for rhino horns and elephant tusks--items there for the taking to anyone with a gun. There are also vast wilderness areas, virtually impossible to fully patrol, and governments that can scarcely afford to pay their wildlife guards a living wage. The situation is made even more dire by Africa's ethnic conflicts, civil wars, and rampant political instability.
Worse still is when governments collude with the bandits who are despoiling the wildlife they are sworn to protect. Consider Tanzania, a country with over a third of its sovereign territory set aside for wildlife. Hosting over 1 million visitors a year, Tanzania earns a almost 20 percent of its GDP from tourism, according to the U.S. Library of Congress. Yet its leaders appear torn between the desire to protect this precious asset and the impulse to plunder it.
Ten years ago the Selous Game Preserve in southern Tanzania boasted more elephants that any other park in Africa. Two-thirds of those elephants have been killed since 2009 in a poaching frenzy aided--and perhaps even orchestrated--by officials in Tanzania's Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, according to Ivory's Curse. Varun Vira, one of the report's co-authors, said in an interview with YES! that the agency's previous minister, Ezekiel Maige, somehow managed to build a posh oceanside mansion worth several times his government salary before he was sacked for corruption.
Such graft, however, is the symptom of a larger problem: Africans at all levels of society are not yet convinced that their wildlife is worth preserving. And even when they are convinced, they, understandably, have other priorities--like jump-starting their flagging economies and growing enough food to feed their growing population.
These goals, however, are not incompatible with conservation and the lucrative tourism it can bring. The problem is that the rising tide of tourism in places like Tanzania is not yet lifting everyone's boats. Luxury safari lodges that charge well-heeled guests more than $400 a day are a stone's throw away from the thatched huts of dirt farmers who can't afford to keep food on their table during years when the seasonal rains don't arrive on time.
So the bottom line is that Africa's wild areas will never be safe for the animals until the people who live next door are feeling secure and have got a tangible economic stake in their preservation. For starters, there need to be a lot more locally owned and managed tourist ventures that are committed to plowing back a portion of their profits into community development projects. Granted, community-based conservation enterprises are hard to get right. Rural Africans don't always have the skills to run successful businesses; the benefits of ecotourism are rarely equitably distributed; tribal conflicts, corruption, poor local infrastructure--in short, any of Africa's familiar laundry list of ills can sink idealistic projects in a heartbeat.
But there are notable successes too--like the lion-proof fence project mentioned earlier. There are private game preserves like the Mara North Conservancy I visited in Kenya, which hires locals and operates schools and health clinics in town. Such community-run projects are common in the southern African countries of Botswana and Namibia, which may be one reason that both countries have, according to Vira, so far largely succeeded in keeping the elephant poachers at bay. People who are enjoying the benefits of wildlife tourism don't harbor poachers.
Most hopeful of all is the growing awareness among the growing civil society and educated middle class that something priceless and uniquely African is being squandered. If this unease translates into political will to get serious about protecting wildlife, and a more equitable way to share the benefits of wildlife tourism with rural Africans, then all may not yet be lost.

Credit Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiffman/african-wildlife-is-in-tr_b_5618964.html

(This article first appeared in Yes Magazine and is under the title "A Local Economy Solution to Africa's Poaching Problem" and is reprinted here with their permission.)

FAILING TO GRASP DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF AFRICA'S WILDLIFE TRADE

• 

Hong Kong Customs seized about 2,340 kilograms of pangolin scales from a container at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound.

As a conservation biologist from Hong Kong doing research in Central Africa, I am often asked a question some find surprising: "Will Hong Kong and China work to save the wildlife here?"
Hiking through the Dja Faunal Reserve in southern Cameroon last summer, I was in awe of the massive tropical forest canopy overhead. Enormous hornbills flew above and dozens of brilliant butterfly species flew around my feet. But butterflies and birds weren't alone on the trails - I also found scattered shotgun shells.
While I wasn't lucky enough to see any live monkeys, I did meet a woman peddling a dead one in her basket. I also spotted pangolins for sale on the roadside.
This June, Hong Kong customs seized over 2,000kg of pangolin scales concealed in a container marked "timber" from Cameroon. Such stories are depressingly commonplace; illegal shipments of ivory are discovered on a seemingly regular basis.
This demand from Asia has clear consequences and in the past decade Central African elephant populations have declined by a staggering 60 per cent.
If more people on the mainland and in Hong Kong truly understood and deeply felt the consequences of the wildlife trade, the crisis might not be nearly so dire. But often we fail at simple geography (I am frequently asked where Cameroon is located) let alone succeed at understanding the nuances of wildlife trafficking.
The recent decision by major Hong Kong retailers (including Wing On, Yue Hwa and Chinese Arts and Crafts) to stop selling ivory does offer some hope.
This action follows the clear signal sent by the Hong Kong government earlier this year when it began burning its confiscated ivory stockpile.
Though much remains to be done, a critical message is starting to get through. We care about Africa's wildlife.
We want to live in a world where elephants roam the forest, not one where they are violently slaughtered and eventually fade into memory.
Cameroon may seem far from Hong Kong, but we have a responsibility to protect biodiversity in Central Africa.
If we continue to demand an end to the illicit trade in wildlife products in Asia, I am hopeful that the Dja Reserve and other great forests of the Congo Basin will no longer echo with the shots of poachers, but hum with the enormous diversity of life that is our collective trust.

Timothy C. Bonebrake, assistant professor, school of biological sciences, University of Hong Kong

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Source: http://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1562966/failing-grasp-dire-consequences-africas-wildlife-trade

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Failing to grasp dire consequences of Africa's wildlife trade

TANZANIA CONFIRMS TAZARA SPLIT, ZAMBIA NOT AWARE

Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Yamfwa Mukanga (left) addresses new Zambia Railways Board members at his office as the new Board Chairperson Davies Chama looks on in Lusaka
GOVERNMENT has refuted reports that the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) – the joint venture between Tanzania and Zambia – will end on August 1 this year to allow the two countries operate separate railway firms.
Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Yamfwa Mukanga said the reported pronouncement by Tanzania is not what was discussed at a recent TAZARA Council of Ministers meeting in Lusaka.
Mr Mukanga, however, said if that is what Tanzania wants, Zambia is able to operate an independent entity.
“We did not discuss that, but we spoke about a mapping strategy on how we will enhance the operations of Tazara and the introduction of call centres.
“But if they want it that way [to separate], we will stand on our own, although next month, we are having a council meeting in Tanzania. If they agree that that’s what they want, then we will discuss and move forward,” he said.
According to information obtained by the Daily Mail, Tanzanian Minister of Transport Harrison Mwakyembe said the joint venture through Tazara ends on August 1 this year.
Dr Mwakyembe was quoted by The Guardian newspaper of Tanzania as saying the decision to separate the operations of Tazara was reached at the recent TAZARA Council of Ministers meeting in Lusaka.
“Effective August this year, Tanzania will have its permanent leadership [regional manager] and not acting heads as it is now. However, the government is planning on embarking on a new train route from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya without crossing the border to Zambia,” the minister said.
Dr Mwakyembe said the changes would take place despite the exercise of amending TAZARA laws being in progress.
He said Tanzania has already made its recommendations on the amendment of the laws but Zambia is yet to do so.
And the Daily News of Tanzania reports that Tanzania and Zambia have agreed to decentralise and transform TAZARA operations by making it operate ‘commercially and profitably.’
It reports that the two partner states will now change the modality of their ownership in the railway, with a view to increasing the authority’s profitability and self-reliance.
Tanzania, Zambia and China built the railway line to rescue the landlocked Zambia’s economy from dependence on colonial Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and South Africa, both of which were ruled by white minority governments.
It provided the only route for bulk trade from Zambia’s Copperbelt to reach the sea without having to transit white-ruled territories.
Dr Mwakyembe told a press conference in Dar es Salaam that under the new modality, each country could run its business, saying the new modality allows a partner state to run trains without consulting another.
“Previously, we had a passenger train with one route from Dar es Salaam to Zambia but the new modality allows each country to run passenger trains within its borders,” said the minister while briefing reporters on deliberations reached by transport ministers of the two countries in a meeting in Zambia two weeks ago.
Dr Mwakyembe said the meeting, which was also attended by financial affairs and industry ministers of the two countries, had decided that both countries should clear the salary arrears of the TAZARA staff in June.
TAZARA, also known as the Uhuru Railway, is a key transporter of cargo, mostly copper and other minerals from Zambian mines to Dar es Salaam for export to overseas markets.

It also transports passengers. Zambia and Tanzania recently agreed to inject US$80 million into operations of the company for working capital and to pay off salary arrears.

Credit: JamiiForums
Original source: http://www.lusakatimes.com/2014/07/1...-zambia-aware/

CHEZEA MISAADA WEWE: UGANDA YASALIMU AMRI, YAFUTA SHERIA YA KUZUIA USHOGA!

Wanaume wanaounga mkono mapenzi ya jinsia moja Uganda

Mahakama ya kikatiba nchini Uganda imefutilia mbali sheria dhidi ya wapenzi wa jinsia moja ambayo ilisababisha mataifa ya magharibi kuinyima msaada.

Kadhalika sheria hiyo ilizua gumzo sana sio tu Uganda bali kote duniani ambapo mataifa ya Magharibi yalilazimika kuingilia kati.

Mahakama ilisema kuwa mswada huo kabla ya kuidhinishwa kuwa sheria ulipitishwa na wabunge ambao idadi yao haikutosha kupitisha mswada na kwa hivyo ni kinyume na sheria.

Baadhi ya waandamanaji waliounga mkono serikali kwa kuharamisha mapenzi ya jinsia moja

Vitendo vya mapenzi ya jinsia moja, tayari vilikuwa vimeharamishwa Uganda , lakini sheria hiyo mpya pia iliharamisha hatua zozote za kueneza mapenzi ya jinsia moja na wakati huu hata kuwajumuisha wanawake wasagaji kama sehemu ya wapenzi wa jinsia moja.

Mataifa kadhaa ya Magharibi yamesitisha msaada kwa Uganda hasa baada ya sheria hiyo mpya kupitishwa.

BBC

NAIBU WAZIRI MAKALLA AKAGUA MIRADI YA VISIMA VYA MAJI MKURANGA

 Naibu Waziri wa Maji, Amos Makalla (kulia), akipata maerlezo kutoka kwa kiongozi wa Mafundi wa Kampuni ya CDM Smith, John Donoherth, kuhusu ujenzi wa kisima kilichopo Mkwalia Mkuranga ambacho ni moja kati ya visima 8 vinavyofanyiwa utafiti maji wilayani humo. Makalla alifanya ziara ya kukagua miradi ya maji wilayani Mkuranga mkoani Pwani leo. Pia alikagua mradi wa  kisima cha maji cha Nyamato chenye uwezo wa kutoa maji lita 26,000 kwa saa kitakachohudumia wakazi wa vijiji vya  Mvuleni, Nyamato na Kilimahewa. PICHA ZOTE NA RICHARD MWAIKENDA WA KAMANDA WA MATUKIO BLOG

Waziri Makalla akiangalia mradi wa kisima cha Mkwalia ambacho kinafanyiwa utafiti

 Maji yakitiririka kwenye kisima hicho

 Makalaa akijadiliana jambo na Mkandarasi wa kisima hicho,John Donoherth

Naibu Waziri Makalla akielezea namna Kisima kipya cha Nyamato kikianza kufanya kazi kuwa kitakuwa kinatoa lita 26,000 za maji kwa saa na kuhudumia sehemu kubwa ya wananchi wilayani Mkuranga, Pwani. Atakizindua kisima hicho mwanzoni mwezi ujao kitakapowekwa pampu iliyoagizwa Afrika Kusini. Kulia ni Ofisa Mtendaji wa Kijiji cha Nyamage, Abdallah Kiyewehe ambaye pia ni mjumbe wa kamati ya maji kijijini hapo.

 Mama mkazi wa Kijiji cha Mvuleni, wilayani Mkuranga akielezea mbele ya waziri jinsi wanawake wa eneo wanavyopata taabu ya kuata maji karibu umbali wa Km 5, na kuonesha furaha ya kupata kisima hicho kitakachowaondolea adha waliyokuwa wanaipata.

 Eneo la Kisima cha Nyamato kilichogauliwa. Kisimamhicho kinasubiri pampu tu ili kianze kufanya kazi.

 Naibu Waziri wa Maji, Amos Makalla akihutubia mkutano wa hadhara katika Kijiji cha Mvuleni baada ya kukagua kisima cha maji cha Nyamato, wakati wa ziara yake wilayani Mkuranga leo.

Sehemu ya umati mkubwa wa wananchi ukimsikiliza Makalla akihutubia kwa kuwaeleza mikakati ya Serikali ya kuwaboreshea wananchi sekta ya maji., ambapo  zimetengwa zaidi ya Bilioni moja kwa ajili ya wilaya hiyo.

 Wananchi wakisikiliza kwa makini hotuba ya Makalla

 Katibu wa Kamati ya Maji ya Mradi wa Nyamato, Ali Salum akielezea jinsi mradi wa Nyamato unavyosuasua kuzinduliwa, akidai anayesababisha hivyo ni Mkandarasi wa mradi huyo ambaye hatoi taarifa yoyote juu ya ucheleweshwaji huo.

 Mkandarasi wa mradi wa maji wa Nyamato, Jamila Chibwana wa Kampuni ya Mac Consultant  akitoa majibu ya ucheleweshwaji wa mradi huo, ambapo alisema moja ya sababu zilizosababishwa ni kutopewa fedga za ujenzi kwa wakati na uagizaji wa pampu kutoka Afrika Kusini.

Makalla akiagana na wananchi baada ya mkutano kumalizika.

Credit Source: Fullshangweblog

UNICEF PRESS RELEASE ON WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK

Dar es Salaam, 1 August, 2014 –World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1-7 to highlight the vital role breastfeeding plays.  Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is one of the simplest, smartest and most cost-effective ways to support children to grow healthy and strong.

This year’s theme is, ‘Breastfeeding: a winning goal for life!’ which underscores the critical link between breastfeeding and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 

This linkage is particularly clear in relation to MDG 4 (reducing child mortality), where globally the number of children under-five dying from preventable causes declined by a remarkable 47 per cent since 1990. In Tanzania, under-five mortality decreased from 81 per 1,000 live births in 2010 to 54 per 1,000 live births in 2012. The decline in child mortality can be attributed to (among other factors) improved breastfeeding practices in the country. The proportion of children under six months who benefit from exclusive breastfeeding increased from 41 per cent in 2005 to 50 per cent in 2010. However, the reality is that one out of twenty Tanzanian children still dies before their fifth birthday from preventable causes. 

UNICEF Tanzania Deputy Representative, Paul Edwards said that this week presents an opportune moment to reflect on strategies to save child lives and ensure children are provided with the best start in life. “UNICEF is focusing on breastfeeding as the most effective and inexpensive way of saving a child’s life. But with only a half of all children under six months benefitting from exclusive breastfeeding in Tanzania, strong leadership in promoting and supporting breastfeeding is essential.” 

Scientific evidence shows that children who are exclusively breastfed are 14 times more likely to survive the first six months of life than non-breastfed children. Starting breastfeeding on the first day after birth can reduce the risk of new-born death by up to 45 per cent. 

Neema Makuga (20) delivered her first child, Grace (six months) in a health facility in Iringa and was advised by the health worker to breastfeed her baby immediately after birth. “I have been exclusively breastfeeding my child from day one for six months now and I see the advantages of it, my child is growing well and healthy and she rarely falls sick,” she said. 

Breastfeeding also supports a child’s ability to learn and helps prevent obesity and chronic diseases later in life. Breastfed children fall ill less often than non-breastfed children resulting in large health care savings. Apart from the benefits to the baby, mothers who breastfeed exclusively are less likely to become pregnant in the first six months following delivery, recover faster from giving birth, and return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner.

Despite these well documented benefits of breastfeeding, only 50 per cent of children aged less than six months in Tanzania are exclusively breastfed and 49 per cent of children are breastfed within the first hour of birth. This is partly due to general lack of a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers.

The President of Tanzania made a strong commitment to improve maternal health and child nutrition, and reduce child deaths from preventable causes, particularly stunting – a promise which was renewed in May 2014 with the launch of the sharpened One Plan and scorecards to monitor progress. A High Level Steering Committee for Nutrition was created within the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate multi-sectorial interventions to reduce child malnutrition and promote optimal breastfeeding. The joint efforts of the Government and its partners, including UNICEF, have already produced important results in nutrition, but there is still more to be done, as the stunting (when a child is too short for their age) prevalence in the country is still high, affecting 42 per cent of children under-five. Stunting undermines both the physical and cognitive development of children and prevents them from growing as healthy, productive adults. 

Paul Edwards concluded that UNICEF is committed to working with the Government to have supportive programmes that reach all communities and mothers so that the country is able to increase breastfeeding rates significantly. There is no other single health intervention that has such a high impact for babies and mothers as breastfeeding and which costs so little for governments. Breastfeeding is a baby’s ‘first immunization’ and the most effective and inexpensive life-saver ever in history.” 

In Tanzania, World Breastfeeding Week 2014 will be celebrated in Iringa Region with various activities in health facilities and communities. The Government of Tanzania in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners is committed to intensify its efforts to promote optimal breastfeeding across the Mainland and Zanzibar. On August 7, a special event to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding will be held in Mufindi District Council and officiated by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Hon. Dr. Seif Seleman Rashidi.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF Tanzania and its work visit: www.unicef.org/Tanzania

For further information, please contact: 

Sandra Bisin, UNICEF Tanzania: +255 787600079 sbisin@unicef.org

Jacqueline Namfua, UNICEF Tanzania: +255 787600115 jnamfua@unicef.org

CHUO CHA CBE CHAZINDUA MAADHIMISHO YA MIAKA 50 JIJINI DAR

         

Mbunge wa Ilala Mh. Mussa Zungu ambaye alikuwa mgeni rasmi wakati wa Uzinduzi wa Maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam (CBE) akikata utepe kuashiria uzindunzi wa maadhimisho ya chuo hicho kutimiza miaka 50 tangu kuanzishwa kwake katika hafla iliyofanyika leo jijini Dar es salaam.

Viongozi mbalimbali waliohudhuria hafla ya uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam (CBE) wakiangalia moja ya picha ya kumbukumbu ya Baba wa Taifa Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere iliyopigwa wakati akifungua Chuo hicho Januari, 1965. Kutoka kushoto ni Mkuu wa chuo hicho Prof. Emanuel Mjema, Mh. Musa Zungu (Mb) jimbo la Ilala,Mke wa Waziri Mkuu Mama Tunu Pinda,Mwenyekiti wa Bodi ya Chuo hicho Prof. Mathew Luhanga na Prof.Eliuta Mwageni Makamu Mkuu wa Chuo Utawala na Fedha.

Viongozi mbalimbali waliohudhuria hafla ya uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam (CBE) wakiwa katika picha ya pamoja wakiongozwa na Mbunge wa Ilala Mh. Mussa Zungu na Mke wa Waziri Mkuu, Mama Tunu Pinda (katikati). Nyuma ni bango lenye picha ya kumbukumbu ya Baba wa Taifa Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere iliyopigwa wakati akifungua Chuo hicho mwaka 1965.

Mke wa Waziri Mkuu wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania Mama Tunu Pinda kwa niaba ya wanafunzi waliosoma katika chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam akizungumza na wadau na wanajumuiya wa Chuo hicho wakati wa  uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya Chuo hicho jijini Dar es salaam. 

 Mkuu wa Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam Prof. Emanuel Mjema (kulia) akiwaongoza wageni mbalimbali waliohudhuria hafla ya uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya chuo hicho jijini Dar es salaam.

Mke wa Waziri Mkuu wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania Mama Tunu Pinda (katikati) akizungumza akizungumza jambo na Mwenyekiti wa Bodi ya Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam Prof. Mathew Luhanga (kushoto).Wengine Mkuu wa Chuo hicho Prof. Emanuel Mjema.

Baadhi ya Wanafunzi wa Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam wakiendelea na shughuli mbalimbali chuoni hapo

Mkuu wa Chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara Dar es salaam Prof. Emanuel Mjema (kulia) akiwakaribisha wageni mbalimbali waliohudhuria hafla ya uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya chuo hicho jijini Dar es salaam.

Wadau mbalimbali  na Wanajumuiya wa Chuo Cha Elimu ya Biashara wakifuatilia matukio mbalimbali wakati wa hafla ya uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya chuo hicho jijini Dar es salaam.

Kikundi cha ngoma kutoka Jeshi la Polisi kikiongozwa na Afande Juma Boha Mnyaa kikitoa burudani ya ngoma ya asili ya ya Kibati kutoka Kusini Pemba wa uzinduzi wa maadhimisho ya miaka 50 ya chuo cha Elimu ya Biashara (CBE) jijini Dar es salaam.

Credit Source: Fullshangweblog

AFRIKA KUSINI KUCHUNGUZA AJALI YA TWIGA

Twiga

Taasisi inayolinda haki za wanyama Afrika ya Kusini wanachunguza kifo cha Twiga ambaye hapo awali taarifa zilikuwa zikidai alijeruhiwa alipokuwa akisafirishwa kwa njia ya barabara.

Mashuhuda wa tukio hilo wamesema Twiga huyo, mmoja kati ya wawili waliokuwa kwenye Lori, alijigonga kichwa kwenye Daraja.

Tukio hili limezua mjadala mkubwa kwenye mitandao ya kijamii.Twiga wote wawili walipelekwa kufanyiwa uchunguzi lakini chombo cha serikali kinachozuia ukatili juu ya wanyama kimesem mmoja alikufa mara tu baada ya kufikishwa katika eneo la matibabu.

Shuhuda, Thinus Botha aliandika katika ukurasa wake wa mtandao wa Twitter kuwa alikuwa akiendesha nyuma ya Lori hilo akashuhudia namna Twiga huyo alivyojigonga kwenye Daraja la Garsfontein barabara ya N1 ya Johannesburg's.

Kulikuwa na damu nyingi, Thinus Botha aliandika.

Meneja wa chombo cha serikali kinachozuia ukatili juu ya wanyama Afrika ya Kusini, alikuwa amejeruhiwa kichwa chake lakini uchunguzi unapaswa kufanyika kujua chanzo cha kifo.

Amesema pia wanyama hao walikuwa wakisafirishwa kuelekea bustani ya wanyama iliyoko Warmbarths, kama Kilomita 160 yaani maili 99 nje ya Johannesburg.

BBC

ISRAEL, HAMAS KUSITISHA MAPIGANO KWA SAA 72

Mashambulizi Israel na Hamas

Marekani na Umoja wa mataifa wamesema Israel na Hamas wamekubaliana kusitisha mapigano kwa saa 72 katika Gaza kuanzia alfajiri leo Ijumaa.

Taarifa ya wizara Ya afya ya Gaza,tangu kuanza kwa mapigano julai 8 wapalestina 1,422 wameshauawa wengi wao wakiwa raia.

Israel inasema operesheni yake ndani ya Gaza imeundwa ili kuwalinda watu wake na mashambulizi ya majeshi ya Palestina.Israel nayo imepoteza wanajeshi 56 na raia wawili.

Katika tamko la pamoja, Waziri wa mambo ya nje wa marekani John Kerry na Katibu Mkuu wa umoja wa mataifa Ban Ki Moon wamesema wakati huu wa usitishaji mapigano kwa saa 72 vikosi vitabakia katika eneo hilo na wakazitaka pande zote mbili kutulia bila kuyavunja makubaliano hayo lengo likiwa kuwapa nafasi wananchi wasio na hatia kutafuta maeneo ya kukimbilia kuzikwepa ghasia.

Karibia robo ya wakazi wa Gaza wamejikuta nje ya maeneo yao kutokana na ghasia hizo.

BBCSWAHILI

BALAA HILI, MTOTO WA RAIS KIZIMBANI KWA UFISADI

Karim Wade

Kesi ya ufisadi dhidi ya Karim Wade, mtoto wa rais wa zamani wa Senegal Abdoulaye Wade imeanza kusikilizwa huko Dakar Senegal.

Hata hivyo kesi hiyo inaanza kusikilizwa mshitakiwa akiwa kizuizini katika gereza kuu la Dakar, Rebeuss kwa mwaka mmoja sasa.

Hata hivyo kiwango hicho cha fedha kinadaiwa kuwa kidogo ikilinganishwa na kile kilichosababisha kukamatwa kwake ambacho ni Euro bilioni moja.Waziri huyo wa zamani atatakiwa kuieleza mahakama vyanzo vya utajiri wake wa Euro milioni 178.

Seydou Diagne, mmoja wa wanasheria wa Karim Wade, amelalamikia mashitaka hayo na kuyaita ya kisiasa akidai kuwa kitu pekee kinachowasukuma wanao mshitaki mteja wake.

Wanasheria wake pia wamedai hata hiyo mahakama itakayotumika kuchunguza matumizi mabaya ya ofisi haina uwezo wa kuisimamia kesi hiyo.

Hii ni moja ya kesi za kuwatafuta vigogo waliozitumia vibaya ofisi zao wakati wa utawala wa Rais Abdoulaye Wade.

BBC

MKENYA DAVID RUDISHA AAMBULIA FEDHA, M-BOTSWANA ATWAA DHAHABU GLASGOW

Rudisha alikuwa bingwa wa Olimpiki mjini London mwaka 2012

Bingwa wa Olimpiki na ambaye pia anashikilia rekodi ya dunia katika mbio za mita 800 Mkenya David Rudisha aliambulia medali ya fedha katika mashindano ya Jumuiya ya Madola.

Hii ni baada ya kushindwa na mshindani wake wa karibu Nijel Amos mwenye umri wa miaka 20 katika mashindano hayo yanayoendelea mjini Glasgow Scotland.

Kwa kawaida, Rudisha alikuwa mbele wakati wa mbio hizo kwa mita 150 na kudhibiti mbio zenyewe kama alivyofanya alipovunja rekodi mwaka 2012.Amos, ambaye alishinda medali ya fedha katika mashindano ya Olimpiki mjini London alimaliza mbio hizo kwa kishindo baada ya kutoka nyuma ya Rudisha na kumpiku.

Lakini alikiri kuwa mbio hizo hazikuwa ngumu , ila mita miamoja za mwisho ndizo zilizomtatiza na hapo ndipo Amos aliweza kumpiku Rudisha.

Nigel Amos ana miaka 20

Baada ya kupata jeraha baya la goti mwaka 2013, Rudisha amekuwa mbioni kuuguza jeraha lake na pia umekuwa wakati mgumu wake kwani washindani wake wamekuwa pia wakifanya mazoezi wakilenga kumshinda.

Alionekana kuishiwa na nguvu wakati Amos kutoka Botswana alipompiku na kuanza kusherehekea na kushinda dhahabu.

Rudisha mwenye umri wa miaka 25 alimaliza mbio hizo kwa dakika 1:45.48 nyuma ya Amos huku Andre Olivier wa Afrika Kusini akinyakua Shaba.

Amos aliambia BBC kuwa ana raha sana ingawa Rudisha daima atasalia kuwa bingwa wa mbio za miata 800.

Mbio hizo zilikuwa moja ya mbio zilizosubiriwa kwa hamu kuu katika mashindano hayo ya Jumuiya ya madola.

BBC