PRESS SUMMARIES-14 August 2013 Shein decries corruption, child abuse Zanzibar President Ali Mohammed Shein has said corruption and abuse of children and women are still big problems in society that need concerted efforts to overcome. He said the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar is committed in combating child and women abuse and corruption as advocated by international conventions such as the SADC Protocol against Corruption of 2001 And the UN Convention against Corruption of 2003. This was said at the 11th East African Magistrates and Judge’s Association conference. Dr Shein was eager that the prevalence of some serious and other crimes be prioritized on their discussions and decisions. The president also mentioned about the problems of child abuse, saying that it is high time for judiciaries, law enforcement agencies and the public in Africa to work together to find practical solutions needed to solve the problems. He told magistrates, Kadhis, and other invited guests from Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and the host Tanzania that there have been a lot of debates on the effectiveness of law enforcement in many African countries. (Daily News, Habari Leo, et al) Tackle nature pollution to save our environment For decades, deforestation of upper catchment areas has been the bane of the Tanzania environment and has led to increased runoff of greater sediment loads into rivers, lakes and dams, threatening habitats, freshwater species and causing water sources to eventually dry up. Sadly, no lasting solution has been found to deforestation, which causes a loss of 412,000 hectares of trees annually, equivalent to 1.1 per cent of the total forest area. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has warned that 10 per cent of Africa’s freshwater species are threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture, and 12 per cent due to deforestation, with more than 15 per cent threatened by sedimentation. It notes that habitat loss and degradation due to agriculture, and deforestation are leading threats to African freshwater species. Moreover, pesticides used in agriculture and against human pest vectors are an emerging problem for species survival and water quality in wetland areas. Pollutants from mining activities such as lead, cadmium, iron, and copper and organic wastes from leaking sewage systems can accumulate in rivers and other freshwater bodies and affect water quality and species survival. However, pollution by chemicals or sedimentation of water sources is widespread in Tanzania and local authorities are doing nothing to stop the trend. Sometimes, they actually abet such malpractices! We call on authorities to tackle environment degradation in earnest. (Feature – The Citizen) CDF : We have not hired North Korean technician The Chief of Defence Forces, General Davis Mwamunyange, has dismissed as untrue reports that North Korean military experts are working in Tanzania in violation of UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Gen Mwamunyange said the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) had not engaged engineers from North Korea to repair its Soviet-made MiG-21 fighter jets and other military aircraft as claimed in widely circulated reports. Contrary to the reports, there had been no pressure exerted by either the US or South Korean diplomats on TPDF to end what are claimed to be close military relations between Tanzania and North Korea, he said. Africa Confidential suggests that Tanzania could be in breach of UN sanctions if indeed it was engaging with North Korea. The UN Security Council Resolution 1718 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on October 14, 2006, and imposes a series of economic and commercial sanctions on North Korea in the aftermath of that nation’s nuclear test of October 9, 2006. Scrutiny on North Korea became more intense following more missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang and its threats to attack South Korea and the US. ( Habari Leo, Uhuru, The Citizen, et al)
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 06:40:39 +0000
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