'Stage set for Dance 100% season'

Vodacom Tanzania public relations manager, Matina Nkurlu said the firm is aware of the fact that music and sports can provide employment to the youth and that is why the telecom company has once again decided to sponsor the Dance 100 competitions.
He said Vodacom is of the view that the issue of addressing unemployment amongst the youth is not only the responsibility of the government but also other stakeholders including private organisations hence that is why the firm has always been on the forefront to sponsor events that give the youth a prospect of getting employment.
“Vodacom believes that the youth have the potential to achieve quite a lot in various sectors once they are empowered, therefore we are supporting these competitions believing that the talented youth who will participate will have a chance to market and eventually be able to employ themselves through arts,” said Nkurlu.

'Tanzania improve in FIFA rankings'

In the previous ranking released on June 2, Tanzania had been positioned 136th after having collected 261 points.
The country’s senior national soccer team, Taifa Stars, have experienced unimpressive results in their recent international matches, in which they conceded a 2-0 loss to Egypt in the 2017 AFCON qualifiers and later managed a 1-1 draw with Kenya in an international friendly.
Stars’ hopes of qualifying for the 2017 AFCON finals, to be hosted by Gabon, were all but over when they lost to Egypt in the group G game played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on June 4.
The defeat left Stars at the bottom of the group G with just one point from three games, managing one draw and losing two. The team will take on Nigeria in the last and formality duel of the qualifiers at the latter’s venue in September.
In the international friendly match against Kenya, played at the Moi Kasarani, on May 29, Stars went ahead through striker, Elias Maguli, and the hosts then drew level from a spot kick converted by Kenyan international, Victor Wanyama. Taifa Stars is under coach Charles Mkwasa.
Uganda still leads the rest of the countries in the East African region, placed 69th, having moved three places up. Kenya has been positioned 86th, whereas Rwanda is in the 111th position.
Argentina remain at the summit of rankings, but only after a tumultuous month of action that resulted in plenty of movement further down.
The impact of three recent major international tournaments – the Nations Cup, Copa America Centenario and UEFA EURO 2016 – is certainly plain to see in a table in which Kosovo are ranked for the first time.

'Arusha junior shines at British Open golf'

Nathwani cruised to top the African division of the championship as he carded a relatively good score of ten over par 156, edging out five handicapper Moroccan Amine Benabdallah by a single shot.
The twelve handicapper Nathwani struggled on the event’s opening day when he failed to control the course with stuttering 12 over par 85, seven shots more than overnight leader who happened to be South African Woo-Jo Son.
However, the Tanzanian woke from a deep slumber in the final round to storm the par-73 course with staggering two under par totals 71 for a cummulative ten over par 156 and emerge victorious.
While Benabdallah slowed to four over par 77 on the final round, third-placed Son who took the opening round lead stumbled to 82, opening the gate for Natwani to dictate terms among African visitors.
Nathwani is the first junior golfer to play in the tournament since 2002 when Dar es salaam Gymkhana Club teenagers Sarfaraz Daya and Ayne Magombe made an impression at the Royal Musselburg Course in Preston pans, close to Mueirfild course where the 131st edition of british Open was held, with South Afrcian Ernie Eels beating the fourman play off on six under par totals.
The Afrcian division winner for junior golfers was Kenyan Christine Andersen from Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi. Nathwani is still in Scotland following through the Britsih Open championship at the Royal Troon on the western coast.

'Prof Ngowi warns against collapse of private businesses'

“The government is the biggest source of business, this talk of giving priority to public institutions that offer services like conference facilities and even the media, I don’t know what will happen to private facilities,” Prof Honest Ngowi told a KPMG budget post-mortem meeting held in Dar es Salaam last Friday.
He said as the biggest source of business, the government should refrain from discriminating against the private sector which is the real engine of growth as it employs millions and provides the bulk of taxes to Treasury.
“If the government conducts its meetings at public conferences or hotels, what will your hotels and conference halls do?” he told a group of business elites, chief executives and politicians who included Kigoma North lawmaker, Zitto Kabwe.
Prof Ngowi also dismissed talk of government going back to engage in profit making business saying such a role should strictly be left to the private sector as previous experience has shown that state enterprises were messed up.
He poked holes in Finance Minister, Dr Philip Mpango’s maiden budget saying it had put a lot of emphasis on introducing new taxes that will likely hurt the majority poor naming excise duty impose on tourism services as bad.
KPMG Senior Tax Manager, Nsanyiwa Donald warned against introduction of value added tax on tourism services arguing that Tanzania will lose out to Kenya which has a far better tourism industry which is VAT free.

'BoT chief says quality education produces competent human capital

Speaking after handing over a 263m/- check to Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa last Saturday, Prof Ndulu said an improved learning environment at public schools is important to nurture motivated, highly qualified manpower needed for the country’s growth.
“Remember, our children who we are working hard to improve their learning environment have a responsibility to work hard and succeed so as to contribute to the development of the country,” Prof. Ndulu said.
He said the huge donation was made by Bank of Tanzania to assist the Fifth Phase Government’s efforts to end shortage of desks at public schools where the majority of the children learn.
BoT which is making 50 years since its establishment in 1960s organised a charity walk to raise money to support various social aspects. Some 10m/- was pledged by supporters of the charity walk which will also be handed over to the government after collection.
BoT was established in June, 1966. Governor stated that the CB will continue to play its critical role of ensuring that there is financial stability in the domestic market.

Mkapa, Shivji denounce EU’s trade pacts as retrogressive'

I don’t understand how such a powerful trade bloc can have a free trade agreement with developing economies of Africa,” former President Benjamin Mkapa told intellectuals at University of Dar es Salaam yesterday during a televised Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival debate.
Mkapa warned EA leaders against embracing EPAs which will have a disastrous economic impact on the five countries economies as subsidised agriculture and industrial goods will choke local manufacturers.
“I have not seen enough critical analysis on this subject by anyone,” charged Mkapa whose government led a campaign of least developed countries in 2001that frustrated an attempt by World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Agenda to sign a global free trade pact.
“There is no way that our small economies can have free trade agreements with Europe,” the retired President emphasised.
Backing Mkapa’s arguments, University of Dar es Salaam’s retired law Professor Issa Shivji said who warned that EPAs will reinstate Africa’s colonial role as a raw materials supplier of European factories.

'SUA don says no industrialization without modernized agriculture'

THE country will never industrialize if the government does not invest heavily in agriculture modernization.
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) senior lecturer Prof Lusato Kulwijira said in Morogoro that without improvements in agricultural productivity, industrialization will remain a pipe dream because industries need raw materials including commodities.
Prof Kulwijira said that apart from Liganga and Mchuchuma iron ore and coal resources, a lot more raw materials will come from agricultural produce such as cotton, fish or livestock, cashew nuts and sisal.
The SUA do further noted that if the government wants to eradicate poverty and industrialize, agriculture is the sector to start with.
“There is need to have softer lending terms and close supervision so as to allow many small scale farmers access loans and also get better extension services to produce commercially,” he underlined.
He noted that extension services are critical in modernizing agriculture because smallholder farmers who have access to concessional loans, quality seeds and extension services are capable of feeding industries.

'Tour operators seek JPM’s intervention over disputed new VAT charge

According to Willy Chambullo, founder and managing director of the Kibo Guides tour operating company in Arusha, the office of the president has yet to respond to the letter sent last week.
"We have our fingers crossed (on whether he will honour the audience or not) as we seek to know what vision President Magufuli has for local tourism," Chambullo told The Guardian.
He said the tour operators had no problem with the new VAT charge per se, but were not happy with the government's decision to introduce it on what he referred to as “very short notice”.
The operators are worried that they may well have to start compensating clients who paid for safari packages before the new tax was announced, he explained.
"Tourists have something we call consumer protection, and because of that, we will be the ones who have to pay them because of the abrupt and rushed introduction of the new tax," added Chambullo.
He opined that such levies could end up crippling the potentially lucrative sector for the country's economy.

'$100m tiles factory to contribute 30bn/- govt revenue per year'

The factory dubbed Goodwill Ceramic and located in Mkiu village, Mkuranga district, Coast region is set to generate about 30 billion/- as revenue to the government every year, according to its managing director Frank Yang.
He was briefing Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on a tour of the factory project site this week. He said the factory is being built in two phases with the first phase expected to be completed in December.
In his remarks, premier Majaliwa said the government plans to ensure that more such factories are set up in the country to help ease unemployment problems among the youth.
“Apart from enhancing economic growth and creating more jobs, these factories will help ensure that products we are currently importing and having to pay high prices for can be made locally and hence sold to Tanzanians at cheaper prices,” he said.
The Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, Dr Lu Youqing, commended the government for making the industrial sector one of its priorities for enhancing economic growth.
Dr Youqing said apart from the tiles factory, Chinese investors are also planning to build other small industries in the country.

'New Dar airport terminal to generate at least 5,000 jobs'

According to the Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, Prof Makame Mbarawa, the new terminal will include shopping malls and several other business outlets offering plenty of job opportunities.
It will accommodate at least six million passengers per annum, compared to Terminal II currently in use which can handle between 1.5 and 2 million passengers per year.
“Upon completion, the facility will be 540 metres (just over half a kilometre) long horizontally, making it capable of dealing with 20 flights at a time,” the minister said.
Prof Mbarawa was speaking after inspecting both terminals during a tour of JNIA on Wednesday in order to acquaint himself with the challenges that passengers and staff have to deal with there.
The minister said the cost of construction for phases one and two of the Terminal III project amounted to 254 million euros, with the contractor having completed 45 per cent of the job so far.
According to Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA) acting director general George Sambali, about 20 per cent of all international traffic to and from Dar es Salaam currently passes through the Nairobi connection route, while the South African and Ethiopian connection routes cover 45 per cent of the traffic.

'South Sudan: US sends 40 soldiers to protect embassy, personnel'

The military’s Africa Command says the troops were sent to Juba to safeguard the US Embassy and help carry out a State Department order for non-essential personnel to leave the country.
The US envoy in the region, Andrew Burnett, told VOA that senior US officials also are working with leaders in South Sudan to end the fighting there.
Other countries, including Germany and India, are taking steps to evacuate personnel as a tenuous cease-fire declared by South Sudan's rival leaders on Monday continues to hold.
A spokesman for opposition leader and Vice President Riek Machar says he and his troops have withdrawn from Juba “to avoid further confrontation.” The spokesman told Reuters news agency that Machar is not returning to the bush or organizing for war.
The head of UN peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, said Wednesday that 36,000 people have been displaced by the fighting and that 7,000 have taken refuge on local UN bases.
Addressing the UN Security Council, he said eight civilians were killed in the shelling of a UN protection-of-civilians site, and he called on the council to consider an arms embargo on South Sudan.
The South Sudan situation also is high on the agenda of the African Union summit in Kigali, Rwanda this week.
The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said Wednesday that the fighting in South Sudan “is totally unacceptable.”
“Governments and leadership are there to protect the vulnerable, to serve the people, not to be the cause of the people’s suffering,” she said.
South Sudan erupted in conflict in December 2013, five months after Kiir fired Machar as his deputy. Fighting between supporters of the two men killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people.
Under heavy international pressure, the rival leaders signed a peace deal last August and recently formed a transitional unity government that installed Machar as first vice president

'Four failed 20 years each for hunting in Serengeti'

The verdict was attested by the Resident Magistrate Amon Kahimba of Tarime District who said the prosecution side alleged that the suspects Joseph Marwa Gimase , Nyamore Marwa Gibore, Isaya Ndera Kisunde, Mwita Marwa Chacha and 12 others were found by game rangers hunting without permission within the National Park in July 2015.
He also alleged that the suspects were also found in possession of eight kilogrammes of wildebeest beef and a skin of an ostrich worth 4, 010,800, shillings.
The State Attorney also alleged that the eight kilograms of beef was worth 1,409,200.
Reading the verdict magistrate Kahimba said that, he has gone through the evidence tendered in the court by the prosecution through their four witnesses and other evidence that they were able to proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the offence. During the case, the convicts defended themselves.

How Tanzania helped seize UK’s biggest cocaine haul'

A statement issued yesterday by the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam said more than 3.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized from a Tanzania-registered tugboat, MV Hamal, off the coast of Scotland in the incident which occurred in April 2015.
The decisive interventions of Tanzania's attorney general George Masaju and Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP) Biswalo Mganga made the difference in the bust, according to the statement.
It explained: "The UK authorities were only able to stop this vessel in international waters because of the cooperation of Tanzania. Under international maritime law, Tanzania had to give permission to allow the UK authorities to board the vessel in international waters."
"The permission was given by the Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions (of Tanzania) within 24 hours of the request being made by the UK criminal justice advisor based at the British High Commission in Tanzania. This quick response enabled UK law enforcement to act swiftly to intercept the vessel before it could evade capture."
Some 128 bales of cocaine were found in the ballast tanks on the MV Hamal, each weighing approximately 25 kilos.

Two varsity students, accomplice charged with murder'

The prosecution led by Inspector of Police Jackson Chidunda named the other accused as Haruna Nkuye (24), a student from Open University and Rajabu Ally (41).
Before principal resident magistrate Huruma Shahidi, it was alleged that the accused committed the offence on December 8, last year, at Chanika area, within Ilala District.
It was alleged that on the material day the accused murdered Ramadhani Halili, Shan Rajabu and Thomas Otemu.

Authorities in Iringa Region reject desks over poor quality'

Iringa Regional Commissioner Amina Masenza directed the municipal officials to make sure that better quality desks were manufactured within a month. She took the action during her visit to Ilula Development Centre located in the district where the desks are being made.
“These desks are of low quality. Their finishing is not proper…I do not want to see them distributed in any of the schools in Kilolo District,” warned Masenza, noting that the desks were made using funds collected from the municipal’s internal revenue sources.
Masenza said it was surprising that no single district leader was supervising the construction of the desks. She said the leaders were supposed to supervise the whole process in order to ensure quality was maintained.
She warned that responsible district leaders would be forced to reimburse the government funds if the desks were not re-made and distributed to the intended schools within a month.
She suggested that all the desks be made by the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) to ensure quality.
For his part, municipal Planning officer Joseph Kayanga said the desks were made at a cost of 49m/-, adding that 19.6m/- was taken from internal revenue sources and 30m/- was sourced from the Constituency Development Fund.
However, the Region Defense and Security Committee informed the RC that the desks were made of timber which was not properly dried, hence developing cracks during construction.
Iringa Region faces a shortage of 30,000 desks, but the district authorities have managed to reduce the problem as 1,000 desks have been procured ahead of the July 15, deadline.

'Police operation nabs 265 suspected criminals'

following a two-day countrywide operation conducted by Tanzania Police in collaboration with Interpol.
Dubbed “Usalama III” the operation was initiated and conducted simultaneously in the Eastern and Southern Africa regions (EAPCCO and SARPCCO) member countries.
Addressing reporters yesterday in Dar es Salaam, the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Diwani Athuman said the operation was done between June 29 and 30, this year in all regions which were divided into eight zones namely the Lake Zone, Dar es Salaam, central, southern, northern, western, southern highlands zone and Zanzibar.
The DCI disclosed that legal measures will be taken against them and that they will be arraigned in court soon after investigation completes.
According to him, the operation was conducted to weed out terrorism and drug trafficking, intercept stolen vehicles, human trafficking, illegal firearms as well as illegal immigrants.
“The idea to conduct the operation at the same time was to deny criminals chance to escape operations from one region to another,” he noted.

'Police nab top pastor in Dar, later ‘release’ him'

The outspoken leader of the Glory of Christ church was nabbed by airport police as he was about to hop onto his helicopter shortly after arriving at JNIA from Nairobi, police and other sources confirmed.
According to the airport police commander Martin Otieno, Gwajima was arrested at around 8 a.m. “Upon arresting him, we handled him to the Dar es Salaam police special zone where he was interrogated,” Otieno told The Guardian.
But when contacted for comment, special zone police commander Simon Siro appeared to listen carefully to our reporter’s questions, only to subsequently respond that he was in a meeting and there were too many people around so he couldn’t speak comfortably.
Gwajima’s lawyer Peter Kibatala also confirmed that his client underwent police questioning and was released at around lunch-time.

Osama bin Laden's son, 25 year old Hamza bin Laden promised to take revenge on the US

Osama bin Laden's son, 25 year old Hamza bin Laden, promised to take revenge on the US for the assassination of his dad. In a 21 minute video footage released by Al-Qaeda on twitter Hamza said the United States will be targeted in terror attacks similar to 9/11. 

He said:

'We are all Osama'. "We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people, and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression.As for the revenge by the Islamic nation for Sheikh Osama, may Allah have mercy on him, it is not revenge for Osama the person but it is revenge for those who defended Islam."

Hamza bin Laden who was once called 'The Crown Prince of Terror' by a British parliamentarian vowed to continue with al-Qaeda’s work.

His father, former Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden had been the world's most wanted man since the 9/11 terror attacks on America in 2001. He was tracked down to a compound in Abbottobad, Pakistan, and killed on May 2 2011 in a raid by US special forces

Police hold Chadema youth for plotting defamation

Dodoma Regional Police Commander (RPC) Lazaro Mambosasa told The Guardian on Sunday yesterday that the trio including BAVICHA national chairman Patrobas Katambi, Secretary Julius Mwita and Mbeya wing chairman George Tito would stay behind bar until tomorrow.
“It is true that the police have arrested the BAVICHA leaders and they shall stay in custody until Monday when they will be arraigned in court,” he said.
But Joseph Kasambala, a member of the Chadema Central Committee told journalists in Dodoma yesterday that the trio who were on a routine regional tour were arrested on Friday night on reaching Dodoma from Mara and Mwanza where they had started the countrywide tour.
He said the group had planned to hold a press conference in Dodoma yesterday to update the public on their preparations to block Chama cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) general meeting scheduled for July 23.
“They were arrested when I was away. I left them at Cape Town hotel in the evening when I went out to see a friend,” he said, adding that the police did not allow him contact with the detainees.

'TGNP to Magufuli: ‘Consider women first in replacements

At the same time, through the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), about 10 activists’ associations expressed their satisfactory over the president’s efforts to fight embezzlement of public funds and block loopholes facilitating massive loss of taxpayers’ money.
TGNP Executive Director Lilian Liundi told reporters yesterday that the decrease in women presence was noticed after associations analysed by gender the most recent appointments, noticing that women acquired low positions compared to the fourth-phase government.
However, activists said that the strategy to ensure balance in appointments hasn’t yet been delayed despite the fact that appointments are mostly over, expressing doubts over possible drop-outs of some recently appointed civil servants through failure to cope with the president’s speed of accountability.
They therefore urged Dr. Magufuli consider women whenever replacements are needed so as to fill the gender balance gap.
The TGNP chief executive released the data yesterday in Dar es Salaam pointing out that in Dr. Magufuli’s cabinet, there are only four women out of 19 ministers, a neat reduction of what there was earlier last year.

'Police find niche to allow CCM congress'

The clarification was made in Dar es Salaam by the Commissioner of Police for Training and Operations, Nsato Mssanzya at a press conference held at Police Headquarters.
The clarification comes one week after the opposition youth wing made an announcement that it would mobilize thousands of youths to stop CCM from holding a general congress in Dodoma later this month.
Chadema Youth Council (Bavicha) said it would be unfair for CCM to hold that meeting while all their meetings are proscribed by the police, both outdoor and indoor meetings.
Mssanzya said that the statement issued by police on June 7 explaining ban on political rallies no single sentence stated that the police force banned political parties’ meetings and administrative operations being done in accordance with the constitution and regulations of the respective parties.
The commissioner has also explained that although political parties have schedules of holding administrative and operational meetings, the police in accordance with the law has the authority to prevent such meeting when it is revealed that these meetings aimed to encourage provocation that could endanger the peace and stability of the country or the area concerned.

'From forced marriage to fulfilling her medical doctor

For Nemris Olkimbei (17) education is the only way for someone to attain riches and a good life.
Nemris, a Maasai girl hailing from Mkuranga district, escaped her forced husband in her village after staying at his home compound for three days and is now in form three at Chanzige Secondary School in Kisarawe district, Coast region.
“I was 15 years old when my father decided to marry me off contrary to my wish after receiving 35 heads of cattle as dowry from my supposed husband,” she says.
At that time, she says she already had the joining instructions in her hands, however hardly a day before her departure in the evening when assisting her mother to milk cows, a group of five hired Maasai young men (Morani) descended on her, lifted her up and disappeared with her to her supposed husband.
“I stayed there for three days crying for the whole day and night to prevent the old man from touching me,” she says.
Luckily enough the family had a visit of local leader who heard me crying in the house and ordered my release.
“I escaped without explaining to them what had befallen me because there was no time to do that,” she said.

'Police chief accountant fired over ghost pays'

The communications unit in the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement yesterday that Msaki had been reportedly paying the ghost civilian staff members a total sum amounting to Sh305,820,000 since the start of the 2013/2014 financial year.
“According to police standing orders only police officers are entitled to food ration allowances,” said the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Major General Projest Rwegasira who initiated the suspension pending investigations.
In April, the government said it had saved about Sh16m that would have been otherwise paid to 8,000 ghost workers as salaries and allowances in the previous two months that marked the start of the ongoing crackdown on mysterious civil servants.
Angela Kairuki, the Minister of State in the President’s Office responsible for Good Governance and Public Service Management told the-then National Assembly in Dodoma that at least 1,614 ghost workers had been exposed within the central government and 6,622 others revealed from local government authorities.

Gunmen Target Police in Several US States

As the United States reflects on the killings of two African-Americans by police and the deadly ambush on officers in Dallas, a rash of police shootings in the last few days left two people dead and multiple others wounded in Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Missouri.

None of the incidents reached the scale of the shootings in Dallas, Texas, where one gunman killed five police officers — the deadliest attack on officers since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.

It remains unclear the extent to which the shootings were related to the killing of the two African-Americans by police in separate incidents earlier this week. But the incidents underscored the high-level of tension between law enforcement officers and many black citizens.

The latest reported shooting happened early Saturday when two officers were on routine patrol in southeast Houston when they saw an armed African-American man standing in the street.

According to Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jody Silva officers stopped their vehicle and shouted at the man to put his gun down.

Law enforcement personnel investigate a mass shooting scene after an attack that killed and wounded Dallas police officers, in Dallas, Texas, July 8, 2016.

Silva said the suspect had a revolver pointed "straight up towards the sky" before he pointed the gun at the officers.

"It is there that it stops. It wasn't as if he was putting on the ground. ... But he pointed directly at officers," she said.

The officers fired numerous times. The unidentified man died at the scene.

Silva said internal affairs along with the Houston District Attorney’s Office will conduct separate investigation.

Tennessee shooting

Authorities in Bristol, Tennessee, said Thursday that a man opened fire on a highway because he was "troubled" by the shootings involving black people. The man killed one person and wounded three others, including a patrol officer.

Investigators said the suspect is being treated at the hospital, and no charges have been filled yet.

Another law enforcement official in Valdosta, Georgia was shot multiple times. One of these shots hit the police officer in the abdomen, below his bulletproof vest.

"He is out of surgery now....and I’m happy to report he's going to be fine. He's in stable condition, but he's in the ICU as a precaution," Valdosta Police chief Brian Childress said.

FILE - Roswell Police officers stand guard next to his patrol car in Roswell, Ga., Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015.

In Roswell, Georgia, a gunman in a passing vehicle shot a patrol officer. According to police, the 21-year-old suspect opened fire but did not hit the officer, who chased the suspect and arrested him.

The officer "jumped right into action and did a great job chasing this guy down and catching him," Roswell Police Detective Zachary Frommer said.

Missouri suburb

Another officer was shot in Ballwin, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Local news outlets report he was wounded in the neck during a morning traffic stop.

Fox News reported the suspect was arrested after a foot pursuit, and a handgun was recovered. The officer's condition is unknown.

In Selma, Alabama, a police officer was wounded when law enforcement exchanged fire and killed a man who shot his girlfriend after police arrived at the scene.

Officials in Dallas County, which surrounds Selma, said the suspect shot his girlfriend in front of her children Thursday night because "he felt like she came home too late."

The officer's injuries are not life-threatening, and the woman is expected to survive.

Presidential Candidates Vow to Rebuild US in Wake of Police Shootings

With much of the United States still reeling from this week’s shootings by police in Minnesota and Louisiana and the sniper attack in Dallas that killed five police officers, the two leading 2016 presidential candidates offered prayers and condolences Saturday but also vowed to rebuild the nation and help Americans pull through the tragedies.

The major parties' presumed nominees, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, both postponed major campaign events after the enormity of the attack in Texas became clear early Friday, but they have since issued statements on Twitter, Facebook and their own websites.

The ambush-style attack in Dallas by a single military-trained gunman wounded nine people and killed five police officers. Before the attacker was killed, he said he was specifically trying to kill white police, apparently in an outburst of rage after controversial incidents earlier in the week in which two African-American men were gunned down by police at point-blank range.

The sniper attacked Thursday evening as a peaceful protest against the incidents in Louisiana and Minnesota was ending in downtown Dallas.

"I mourn for the officers shot while doing their sacred duty to protect peaceful protesters, for their families & all who serve with them. –H," Clinton said in a note on Twitter.

Many are 'devastated'

Trump tweeted, "Prayers and condolences to all of the families who are so thoroughly devastated by the horrors we are all watching take place in our country."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the African Methodist Episcopal Church national convention in Philadelphia, July 8, 2016.

Clinton postponed a joint appearance with Vice President Joe Biden at a rally scheduled for Scranton, Pennsylvania, but she did appear Friday evening at a meeting in Philadelphia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Convention in Philadelphia.

Clinton called for “ending the systemic racism that plagues our country” and an effort by all Americans to rebuild police-community relations damaged by this week's events.

“White Americans need to do a better job of listening when African-Americans talk about the seen and unseen barriers" against them, Clinton said. " ... None of us can afford to be indifferent toward each other. Not now. Not ever.”

 Follow

Hillary Clinton 

✔@HillaryClinton

"In my first budget, I'll commit $1 billion to find and fund the best training programs [and] support new research." —Hillary

1:22 AM - 9 Jul 2016

 
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The former secretary of state pledged that she would, if elected president, commit to spending $1 billion on training programs for police throughout the country, and for research into ways to reduce violent confrontations.

More police training

Whether or not individual police officers have been guilty of using excessive force in specific incidents, Clinton said Americans must not vilify all law enforcement personnel, because they are protecting the nation.

“Remember what those officers were doing when they died" in Dallas, she said. "They were protecting a peaceful march.”

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, pictured at a campaign rally in Cincinnati on July 6, 2016, called on all Americans to stand in solidarity with U.S. police and remember that law enforcement is the “force between civilization and total chaos."

Trump said the Dallas shooting was an “attack on our country ... a coordinated, premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe.” He called on all Americans to stand in solidarity and remember that law enforcement is the “force between civilization and total chaos.”

However, Trump also condemned the circumstances in which two African men — Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota — died this week, shot by police.

“Every American has the right to live in safety and peace. The deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota also make clear how much more work we have to do to make every American feel that their safety is protected,” the Republican candidate said.

Speaking in a Facebook video released Friday, Trump lamented that racial divisions in the United States appear to have deteriorated. Too many Americans, he said, live in terrible poverty and violence.

“We need jobs and we are going to produce those jobs,” the real estate entrepreneur said.

Obama's view

President Barack Obama was in Poland when the Dallas shootings occurred, but he referred to events at home several times while he was at the NATO summit in Warsaw. The president said he feels that Americans are not as divided on racial issues as some have suggested.

The gunman who shot the five police officers in Dallas was a “demented individual,” Obama said, and he was not at all representative of African-Americans.

"When we start suggesting that somehow there's this enormous polarization and we're back to the situation in the '60s and. ... That's just not true. You're not seeing riots, you're not seeing police going after people who are protesting peacefully,” Obama said.

The president, cutting short his trip to Europe, is scheduled to return to Washington Sunday night.

Obama: US Has 'Strong Foundation' to Recover From 'Painful' Shootings

sought Saturday to reassure Americans shaken up by what he acknowledged was a "painful week" following two fatal police shootings of African-Americans and an ambush that left five policemen dead in Dallas.

Obama was speaking at a NATO summit in Warsaw, but he devoted much of his news conference to events back home. The president is cutting his trip to Europe short by one day and will return to Washington Sunday night. He said he planned to travel to Dallas early next week at the invitation of Mayor Mike Rawlings.

The city remained on edge Saturday, especially after Dallas police received an anonymous threat against officers across the city. The threat led officials to lock down the headquarters and several blocks surrounding the building as a "precautionary measure," a police statement said.

In Poland, Obama opened his remarks with the aftermath of the Dallas shooting, saying, "I firmly believe America is not as divided as some have suggested." He said the country has a foundation to build on to tackle the very real problems it faces, including tensions between law enforcement and minority communities.

Asked about how he would characterize the Dallas shooter, Obama called him a "demented individual."

BREAKING NEWS: ITS BIG SUPRISE LOWASSA AT THE FIRST TIME ATTACK CHADEMA FOR THIS ISSUE.....

BREAKING NEWS: THIS IS THE BIG MISTAKE WHICH HAPPEN IN WHITE HOUSE OF PRESIDENT MAGUFULI.....

BREAKING NEWS: THIS MAN KILLED FIVE POLICE.....

Micah Johnson

The man who shot 12 police officers, killing five, at a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Dallas on Thursday night has been named as Micah Xavier Johnson, a 25-year-old Army reservist with no criminal history or ties to terror groups.

Johnson, from Mesquite, Texas, a 20-minute drive from Dallas, reportedly told law enforcement that he was a veteran, and claimed to have acted alone, countering initial reports that as many as four gunmen were involved in the massacre.

'The suspect said he was upset about Black Lives Matter. He said he was upset about the recent police shootings of black suspects. He said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,' Dallas Police Chief David Brown revealed at a 7.30am press conference.

Cops cornered Johnson at El Centro College at around 11pm on Thursday and attempted to negotiate, but four hours later the talks failed and a robot was brought in to detonate a bomb and kill the suspect. This was after shots had rung out at a previously peaceful protest in downtown Dallas with demonstrators screaming and running for their lives as cops dropped dead one by one.

Micah Johnson (right) pictured with his brother Tevin (left) and sister Nicole (center) 

Johnson wore body armor, which would suggest why a cop was not able to kill him when he confronted him in a one-on-one situation which was caught on camera. It resulted in the cop being executed. He also carried an AR-15 assault rifle and a handgun, and several rounds of ammunition.
During a search of his home, detectives found bomb making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics.

A black SUV found at the scene of the shootings was listed as registered to Delphene Johnson, also of Mesquite, who is understood to be his mother. Police gathered at the address of Ms Johnson on Friday and were seen searching the property.
The casualties include Dallas police officers Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens and Michael J. Smith, as well as DART Officer Brent Thompson.

UNFPA on why we need to invest in teenage girls

POLITICAL leaders have been advised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) that it is inevitable to invest in teenage girls if the country is to attain the needed stability and peace
Such investment would help to protect girls from sexual violence and dangers to their reproductive health while expanding their income opportunities to attain self-reliance early in their lives.
UNFPA Executive Director Dr Babatunde Osotimehn said in a statement in preparation for the World Population Day on Monday next week that “a teenage girl whose rights are respected and who is able to realise her full potential is a girl who is more likely to contribute to economic and social progress of her community and nation.”
He urged governments to invest in teenage girls to enable them make important decisions while equipping them with skills to enable them earn a living.
“Let the girl child engage in the affairs of their communities and be on equal footing with their male counterparts,” the statement underlined.
“When she has no say in decisions about her education, health, work or even marital status, she may never realise her full potential or become a positive force for transformation in her home community and nation,” he emphasized.
Dr Natalia Kanen, the country representative for UNFPA was of the view that educated and healthy girls stay in school longer, marry later, delay childbearing, have healthier children, develop life skills, and earn higher incomes.
“In fact this helps to lift themselves and their present and future families out of poverty, so investments should make them literate and develop basic skills, critical health care knowledge, obtain access to social services including sexual and reproductive health, gain vocational and employable skills for work, and have access to friends and mentors,” she pointed out.
Results of a current demographic survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show among teenage girls, those from 13 to 19 ages, at least 42 percent of girls who never received formal education have given birth while 26.8 percent of girls in primary schools have delivered babies, she said.
The rate of teenage girls in secondary school that have also given birth stands at 7.5 percent. With all the numbers, the survey discloses that around 27 percent of the country’s teenage girls have already conceived.
“When investments in girls are made, everyone benefits; their families, communities, and most importantly, the girls themselves… When a teen girl conceives, she knows nothing, she can’t face her parents…sometimes the situation forces her to conduct unsafe abortion which in fact is very dangerous to her health,” said Dr Kanen.
“This is why UNFPA works with governments and partners at all levels to foster supportive policies, legislation and dialogue about adolescent girls’ human rights and dignity,” she observed, noting further that UNFPA brings greater attention to their needs and realities, “given the harmful and life-threatening risks they face from child marriage.”
It is said that the UN agency also works with communities by supporting programs that enable elders, parents, faith-based organizations and other influential leaders to identify the dangers of child marriage to girls, promote their rights, and find community-owned solutions to collectively discourage and eventually end the practice.
UNFPA also assists the most marginalized and vulnerable girls in deferring marriage by advocating that girls stay in school, that they build their life skills. It also seeks to provide them safe spaces to learn, play and make friends, providing sexual and reproductive health and HIV information and services, and improving their overall economic and social well-being.
“There is a huge cost for inaction on child marriage. It is time for policy makers, parliamentarians, communities, families and young people to address this issue head on. Let’s deliver a nation where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Let’s let girls be girls,” she appealed.
The UNFPA’s message is; ‘educate a girl to realise her dreams, protect a girl to realise her dreams, inform a girl to realise her dreams, empower a girl to realise her dream.’ The dreams are better life, good health, have a happy family, good education, decent income, a contributing citizen and making her a parent happy and proud.
On the other hand the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says: “Despite significant gains made in reducing poverty and improving opportunity and well-being for many people around the world, hundreds of millions remain desperate for a chance of better future.”
He adds: “Among those least served by previous development initiatives are girls, particularly those in their formative teenage years. Just when girls should be in school and imagining the possibilities ahead, too many are held back from pursuing their ambitions by social and cultural traps.”
According to Ban, half of all sexual assaults worldwide are committed against girls aged 15 or younger and in developing countries, one in every three girls is married before reaching 18. Teenage girls are less likely that teenage boys to start or finish secondary school.
He therefore urged all governments, business and civil society to support and invest in teenage girls. “Everyone deserves the benefits of economic growth and social progress. Let us work together to ensure a life of security, dignity and opportunity for all,” the world’s top civil servant intoned.

Stamico, Kiwira coal operations set for beef up

THE government plans to revive State Mining Corporation (Stamico) and Kiwira Coal operations as part of strategies to enhance their contribution to the national economy.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Prof James Mdoe made the comments on his visit to the just concluded Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) at Sabasaba grounds in the city yesterday.
The minister said the mining sectors’ contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) was 3.5 per cent and was providing employment and business opportunities to local suppliers in areas surrounding the mines.
He said the government was determined to engage Stamico in strategic projects to increase the contribution of the sector to the economy.
“Stamico was doing well in the 1970s and we now want to restore its past glory in order to facilitate its participation in investment,” he said.
He said the Kiwira Coal Mine in Mbeya region was under Stamico, adding that the company planned to revamp it to start generating power using coal.
Other projects under the mining corporation include Biharamulo Gold Mine in Kagera region, which is owned by Stamico’s subsidiary, StamiGold.
According to him, the company also had TanzaniteOne in Manyara region and was in the process of establishing a tin mine at Kyerwa in Kagera region.
Prof Mdoe said the country was set to open up new mines for iodine in Songwe as well as graphite in Mahenge and Ruangwa.
“Graphite is of high value at present as it is used in manufacturing of batteries to run motor vehicles,” he explained.
He said Tanzania Mineral Audit Agency (TMAA) plans were underway to expand its offices in the country to enable it collect all due revenues from the mining industry.

Tanzania backs out of EU-sponsored EPAs

TANZANIA has become the first among East African Community (EAC) member countries to pull out of the much-touted Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU) bloc
The EPAs were meant to allow the EAC bloc to trade directly with the European Union countries.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East Africa, Regional and Internation Cooperation Aziz Mlima disclosed this at a meeting in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the move aimed at protecting the country’s infant economy now that the government was spearheading the establishment of an industrial economy.
According to political and economic observers, Tanzania’s pullout from the EU-sponsored economic agreements will likely spell a big blow to Kenya, a member of the EAC bloc which had intense interest in the deals as they benefited its flower exports to EU countries.
In January 2015, a German member of the European Parliament, Ska Keller, who had expressed displeasure at the way the European Union had brokered the trade agreements with the East African Community, was quoted as saying that developing countries had a gun pointed at their (EAC) chest – either they signed or their market access to the EU would be restricted.
The gun was specifically pointed at Kenya which has been benefiting from its cut flowers industry, a lucrative business worth more than £7.7bn annually.
PS Mlima said besides protecting local industries, there was still some confusion following the United Kingdom’s vote to withdrawal from the EU about two weeks ago.
“The possible biggest negatives derived from signing the EPAs is turning small countries’ economies into international markets for developed countries’ products, hence killing their local industries,” said the PS.
He added that apart from economic interests, signing of EPAs on July 18, this year, for Tanzania was too early given that it needed more time to study the agreements by various public departments and private stakeholders.
After this, the PS said the government would have to seek public approval, insisting that the time for signing the agreements had not yet come.
He said individual countries were free to sign the EPAs if they felt they would benefit from them.
Renowned economist and former University of Dar es Salaam dom Prof. Samuel Wangwe commended the move, saying the EPAs had no benefit to Tanzania as they favoured Kenya’s flowers and vegetables exports to EU countries where they would enter duty free.
“EPAs won’t help in promoting our local industries but rather will benefit the EU a lot, given that developing countries have standard goods to sell in EA markets,” commented Prof Wangwe.
Asked about the matter, Minister for Industry and Trade Charles Mwijage hailed the move, saying EPA agreements were tricky as EU allowed goods exports despite being quite aware that African countries couldn’t possibly meet international standards due to their infant economies.
He said allowing EU goods to freely flood the EAC market meant the killing of local industries while turning the bloc into a source of raw materials.
The Agreements were also categorical that in case EAC countries got in another economic agreement with anyone else and found that the set amount for the products’ duties and levies were lower than those operative in EPA, the amount would have to be downsized.
EPA further had a condition that there would be no reverse for products’ duties and levies amounts once set, according to Mwijage.
“Generally, the APAs are tricky. It is like someone offering something but sets a condition that an applicant should be 100 years old and must be accompanied by both parents,” said the minister.
He added that it was difficult to sign the EPAs because small industries are protected the world over, adding that investing in industries meant creating employment to all Tanzanians.
According to Mwijage, industrial goods production was the government’s second mission, the third being the promotion of economic growth and the last one being tax collection given that people would be willing to pay tax as long as they were employed.
In May, this year, during a televised Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival Debate at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian former president Benjamin Mkapa warned East African leaders against embracing EPAs, saying they could negatively impact the countries’ economies.
The signing of EPAs, according to Mkapa, could hinder the development of EA countries and lead them to de-industrialization, adding that he did not understand how such a powerful bloc (EU) could have trade agreements with developing countries.
European countries have been soliciting EA countries to sign the EPAs through offering customs-free access to their markets, especially for Kenyan products.
In October 2014, the media reported that exports from Kenya to the EU would no longer be duty-free after failing to sign EPAs.
The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) said that earnings from the EU market would drop by close to 35 per cent due to severe import taxes.
According to the manufacturers, Kenya was likely to lose approximately KSh7.64 billion annually in taxes imposed by the EU, adding that the county’s products would start attracting export duty of between four and 24 per cent.
Over 67 per cent of Kenyan exports to Europe would be affected, losing a total of €24.7 million, which was revenue from the European market.
Goods to Europe would now be subjected to customs duties of approximately Ksh 7.64 billion annually, or about Ksh 637 million per month.