PRESS SUMMARIES 8-10 NOVEMBER 2014 National news JK undergoes surgery in US President Jakaya Kikwete has been successfully operated on in the United States, Ikulu announced yesterday. An official a statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communication said the Head of State had underwent a prostate surgery at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr Kikwete left the country on Thursday evening for the US for what his handlers said was a medical check-up. The operation under specialist doctors was carried out on Saturday and lasted one and a half hours. The State House said medical experts who checked the President recommended a surgery. The statement noted that the operation took about one hour and a half and it has been a successful surgery. The President is doing well though he is still in the ward under close supervision of doctors for further observation. The communiqué pledged that Tanzanians will be given proper updates with regard to the health of their leader. The prostate is an organ forming part of the male reproductive system. It is located immediately below the bladder and just in front of the bowel. Its main function is to produce fluid which protects and enriches sperm. In younger men, the prostate is about the size of a walnut. It is doughnut shaped as it surrounds the beginning of the urethra, the tube that conveys urine from the bladder to the male organ. The nerves that control erections surround the prostate. (All media-Monday) We’re facing threats over IPTL, says Zitto Members of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) claim they are being intimidated by powerful politicians with vested interest in the Tegeta escrow account saga. According to a statement released yesterday by PAC chairman Zitto Kabwe, the hate messages aimed at mudslinging and preventing the committee from tabling a report by the Controller and Auditor General on the controversy are being circulated among MPs and the general public through social media. The committee’s report scheduled for tabling at the end of this month is poised to shed light on what transpired in the withdrawal of $122 million (Sh207 billion) from the Tegeta escrow account to purportedly pay for the sale of IPTL to a private company. Even though the content of the report has not been made public, insiders say the investigation is likely to send shock waves within the corridors of power owing to the positions of those implicated in the controversial deal. According to Mr Kabwe, some forces are out to intimidate PAC members with the intention of intimidating them into shelving the tabling of the report. They are reportedly using indirect threats and tactics aimed at deflecting the attention of the committee and the public from the matter. Among them, according to Mr Kabwe, is a Cabinet minister who played a key role in the transaction. Mr Kabwe said in the statement that with a few days remaining before PAC tables a special audit report on the Tegeta Escrow, there have been underground campaigns within Parliament and on social media against him and other MPs known to be against the theft of billions from the Bank of Tanzania escrow account. In what he said was a propaganda attack entitled ‘Zitto and Filikunjombe are being used by Kenya and UK to derail investments in the country’, the Kigoma North MP is said to have collaborated with his friend from Kenya and registered a company in 2011 in order to do business with oil and gas companies operating in the country. In that partnership, the friend receives directions from the Kenyan government on how to sabotage investments in the country. But Mr Kabwe dismissed the allegations as lies. It has also been claimed that the outspoken MP has been for a long time been on the payroll of the British government, which is also alleged to be bankrolling Kigoma South MP David Kafulila. Mr Kabwe said he had never been bought and would never be bought, adding that he was a patriot with unquestionable integrity. It has further been claimed that Mr Kabwe and Mr Kafulila were being vocal on the IPTL scandal not because they care about the country but because of personal gain as they have been promised billions of shillings. (The Citizen, Jambo Leo,Majira et al-Monday) Over 200 irregular Ethiopian migrants choose to return home voluntarily The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Tanzania has orchestrated the voluntary return of at least 220 Ethiopian irregular migrants this year alone. IOM made the announcement over the weekend at a three day migration dialogue conference held in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Speaking at the opening of the event, IOM Tanzania Chief of Events, Damien Thuriaux emphasized that migrants have the same human rights as everyone else. Thuriaux urged that the migrants should not go through situations in which their lives are threatened, the root causes of migration in the Horn of South Africa ought to be addressed by the governments concerned and they must develop sustainable solutions to the migration crisis. In his presentation, IOM’s Head of Migrant Assistance Division in Geneva, Switzerland, Laurence Hart explained that the organisation, through its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme, provides logistical and financial support to migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in their host countries and who volunteer to return to their countries of origin or opt to relocate to another country. He said the AVRR programme ensures respect for human rights, takes into account migrant’s decisions and puts into consideration vulnerabilities faced by trafficked victims and abused migrants. He clarified that the assistance is not extended to known migrant smugglers and traffickers as well as migrant criminals serving prison sentences in the host countries. He mentioned challenges facing the programme especially in relocating children include inadequacy of legal guardianship systems in many countries as well as the fact that unaccompanied migrant children are being detained countries. Conducted through IOM’s ‘Voluntary Return Assistance to Migrants in Tanzania’ project, the Japanese funded initiative focuses on protecting the human rights of migrants. The project aims to facilitate the voluntary return of some 800 Ethiopian irregular migrants currently leaving in Tanzania by the end of this year. Tanzania is known to be a transit country for migrants seeking to make the journey to South Africa and reports of irregular migrants being intercepted by authorities in Mbeya, Tanga and Coast region are common. According to IOM, this month, the organisation concluded a verification mission in response to a caseload of 453 Ethiopian migrants detained in Tanzania. 11 prisons from different regions were visited by representatives of IOM - Dar es Salaam and IOM – Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Consulate General and the Prisons and Immigration department. All the 453 irregular migrants were verified to be of Ethiopian nationality and issued with travel documents for voluntarily return home by the end of this month. (The Guardian et al- Monday) Task force formed to tackle cancer The Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI), the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and nutrition experts have formed a joint national strategic cancer control task force to educate the public on effective ways to combat the illness. The Acting Executive Director of Ocean Road Cancer institute, Dr Diwani Msemo, informed the Sunday News in Dar es Salaam this week that the persistent misconception that cancer was a terminal illness should be eradicated to intensify the fight. Again, the fallacy that radiation treatment facilitated death was misleading and early symptoms should be reported for timely medical attention. Dr Msemo observed that slow response to early symptoms of cancer, remained the biggest challenge that caused silent suffering among family members especially in rural areas. Giving an example of the level of community awareness on the ailment (cancer), Dr Msemo said out of 45,000 registered cancer patients in Tanzania, about 10 per cent report at ORCI. However, 80 per cent of the patients reported when the disease was at an advanced stage. In recognition of the need for timely response by the community, he said, the need for adoption of the National Cancer Control Strategy arose. The approach is designed to make the disease a national health agenda as people are equally informed about ways to avoid being infected. (Sunday news et al- Sunday) Govt: Ivory report false The government has strongly refuted claims of illegal ivory acquisition by the Chinese delegation that accompanied President Xi Jinping during his visit to Tanzania last year March 2013 terming them as groundless. Addressing the House on Friday in Dodoma, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Benard Membe said the allegations are meant to tarnish the country’s good image and strain the otherwise flourishing relations the country enjoys with China. Minister Membe was prompted to make the statement when responding to a question raised by Dr Hamisi Kingwangala (CCM), a Member of Parliament for Nzega constituency, who wanted to know the government’s stand over the allegations. He said the two countries actively participated in the recent International Wildlife Conference where among other things they both signed an accord to stop ivory trade as stipulated in United Nations conventions. Membe said Tanzania will continue its bilateral relations with China in every sphere of economic development, bearing the fact that, China and Tanzania have a long standing relationship. Mid this week, international media and social network was awash with the allegations if ivory smuggling. A report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a UK based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) said when president Jinping of China and his entourage arrived in the country in March 2013, Chinese diplomatic and military staff bought illegal ivory. While issuing the government statement on the matter, Membe discredited the authenticity of the report, saying the people interviewed were just found on the streets and do not have any valid information on the matter. The minister said that those spreading the false information are just out to cause diplomatic rows. The government is also investigating the source of the reports alleging the Chinese delegation bought ivory while in the country. Speaking ahead of the Regional Summit to Stop Wildlife Crime and Advance Wildlife Conservation themed A call to Action, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu described the reports as a serious attempt to sabotage the ongoing efforts to combat poaching and illegal ivory trade. (The Guardian, Daily News, The Citizen, Mwananchi, Nipashe, Habari Leo et al - Saturday) International News China and Japan leaders hold talks in Beijing Chinese president and Japanese PM meet ahead of APEC summit as they seek to end ongoing row over disputed islands. The leaders of China and Japan have held one-on-one talks for the first time since they took office, signaling willingness to put on the back burner a bitter row over disputed islands and Japans war-time aggression. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on Monday in the Chinese capital, Beijing, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit of world leaders, Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown reported. The meeting was not confirmed right up to the last moment, our correspondent, who is reporting from Beijing, said. The two leaders were photographed shaking hands with uncomfortable expressions on their faces. He said that handshake is a powerful symbolism, and could mark a turning point between the two world economies. He added that it represents the most significant breakthrough in the APEC summit. During the 30-minute meeting, Abe said he asked his Chinese counterpart to establish a hotline aimed at preventing clashes at sea, after frequent sparring between paramilitary vessels in the waters around the islands disputed by both countries. Both China and Japan claim ownership of a tiny group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, called the Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China. Last Friday, China and Japan agreed to work on improving ties, paving the way for their leaders to meet on the sidelines of the summit. The two countries acknowledged on Friday they held different views on the territorial dispute. (World Media) Gorbachev: World leaders must work together for common good Twenty-five years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall, much has changed. But former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says the lessons learned back then could help restore calm to todays increasingly volatile world. Speaking to CNN in Berlin, where he is attending anniversary celebrations, Gorbachev called for efforts to rebuild trust between East and West and for leaders to again work together for the common good. He said that a lot depends on America, Europe, Russia, they have to work together more productively. Gorbachev, now 83, is often praised for his decision to avoid using force to quell uprisings in Eastern Europe, helping pave the way for Berlin Wall to fall in 1989. While Soviet leader from 1985 until his resignation in 1991 he embarked on a process of change and increased openness to the West that became known as perestroika. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for helping end the Cold War. Now, with the conflict in Ukraine plunging East-West relations to their lowest point since then, many wonder what might happen next, as a bullish Russia seems determined to forge its own course despite pressure from the West. While the nuclear weapon reduction agreements signed at the end of the Cold War still have a positive influence, Gorbachev said, current events in Europe could undermine the situation. (World Media)
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:59:24 +0000
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