TANZANIA DISAPOINTED OVER CITES REJECTION ON IVORY SALE BID

THE government has expressed its disappointment over the decision by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to reject its plea to sale 100 tonnes of stockpiled ivory while blaming Kenya for spearheading negative propaganda.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Ladislous Komba, said that the government was therefore planning to renew the request, saying that misinformation had failed the proposal.

“We were right and confident but what happened is that Kenya spearheaded negative campaign and all other nations relied on wrong information from Kenya and that is why the conclusions were not in our favour,” he said.

Dr Komba noted that the country was doing better in preventing elephants from being killed and that could be proven by the fact that it has a big population of elephants than any other country in the Southern and Central Africa.

Last Saturday the government blasted the CITES Secretariat for its report on the Tanzania's wildlife survey, saying it was biased, inadequate and incorrect, hence unsatisfactory.

Reports say that the 175-national convection also rejected a similar proposal from Zambia to sell off its ivory stocks which were considered later in the day (yesterday).

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Shamsa Mwangunga, said earlier that the country is committed to conservation of its wildlife including elephants. Ms Mwangunga noted that the government planned to use proceeds from the trade for strengthening anti-poaching activities.

She argued that elephant population had reached the point where they were trampling crops and killing too many people. The proposal also said preventing selling of the stocks which come from natural deaths or controlled culling of problem animals would increase anger toward the beasts that are seen increasingly as pests by affected communities.

The country was asking to sell almost 90,000 kilogrammes of its stockpiled ivory that would have generated as much as 20 million US dollars (over 23bn/-). It was noted in the proposal that the elephant population has risen from 55,000 in 1989 to 110,000 last year.

The neighbouring Kenya and six other African countries, proposed a halt in what limited international trade in ivory is currently allowed and a 20-year moratorium on any attempts to relax international trade controls on African elephant ivory.

Opponents led by the United States, the European Union and several central and west African countries say the country has not done enough to combat poaching and slow the illegal trade in ivory.

They also wanted more time to assess whether a 2008 ivory sale by Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia had contributed to the illegal trade. Ivory sales have in recent years been among the most contentious proposals at CITES and this time around African countries, and even some environmental groups, are divided.

The ivory would be sold to China and Japan — the only countries which have asked to purchase it. The proposal would have been the third ivory sale following ones in 1999 and 2008.

TRANSPORT IN DAR ES SALAAM REMAINS A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS

A TRAFFIC policeman (centre) helps students to board a commuter bus, daladala, at the Kivukoni Bus Stop in Dar es Salaam this noon. The students, who had finished their day at school, had to wait for several hours pleading with conductors to let them into the buses.

WANAFUNZI WA CHUO CHA IFM DAR ES SALAAM WAGOMA KUPIGA ONGEZEKO LA ADA

WANAFUNZI wa Shahada ya kwanza na ya pili katika Chuo cha Usimamizi wa Fedha [IFM] jana waligoma kueneelea na masomo kutokana a ongezeko la ada lililipanda ghafla. Wanafunzi hao jan waligoma kuenela na masomo na kuweka migomo baada kupinga ongezeko la ada zaidi ya asilimia hamisini chuoni hapo.

Wanafunzi hao walionekana kutka kuandama kwend kutaka kumuona mfadhili wea chuo hicho Waziri wea Fedha ili weakamueleze tatizo hilo kama ana taarifa nalo.

WAnafunzid hao waliweka mgomo huo baada ya kutopata majibu ya maokeo ya mitihani baada ya kuambiwa hadi wamalize ada na kushangazwa na kauli hiyo.

Wanafunzi hao walidai kuwa ada zimepand kutoka shulingi milioni moja hadi kufika milioni moja na laki sita jambo ambalo limewshangaza kupanda kwa ada hizo bila ya kupewa taarifa rasmi.

AKATAA ZAWADI YA SHILINGI BILIONI 1.3

Akataa Zawadi ya Tsh. Bilioni 1.3

Mwanaume wa nchini Urusi ambaye anaishi maisha ya kifukara katika nyumba yake iliyojaa mende kibao, amekataa zawadi ya dola milioni moja aliyopewa baada ya kulipatia jibu fumbo la hesabu lililowashinda wataalamu wa mahesabu kwa miaka 100. "Nimetosheka na kile nilicho nacho", alisema Dr Grigory Perelman, 44, mwanaume anayesemekana kuwa yeye ndiye Genius wa hisabati kwani yeye ndiye mtu pekee aliyefanikiwa kulifumbua fumbo la hisabati linaloitwa "Poincare Conjecture" ambalo wanahisabati wote duniani kwa kushirikiana walishindwa kulifumbua fumbo hilo lenye miaka 100.

Dr Grigory Perelman anaishi mjini Petersburg katika nyumba yake ambayo imejaa mende wengi sana kiasi cha majirani zake kutoa malalamiko kuwa mende hawaishi kuingia kwenye nyumba zao toka kwenye nyumba ya mtaalamu huyo wa hisabati.

Dr. Perelman nyumbani kwake ana meza moja, stuli moja na kitanda chenye godoro chafu lililochakaa lililoachwa na wamiliki wa nyumba hiyo ambao walikuwa walevi kupindukia ambao ndio waliomuuzia Dr.Perelman nyumba hiyo.

Pamoja na maisha anayoishi, Dr. Perelman ameikataa zawadi ya dola milioni moja aliyopewa na taasisi ya hisabati ya Marekani akisema kuwa hana shida ya pesa ametosheka na alichonacho.

Miaka minne iliyopita, Dr. Perelman alikataa kwenda kuichukua tuzo maalumu aliyotunukiwa na umoja wa kimataifa wa wanahisabati kwa kulipatia jibu swali hilo gumu la hisabati.

Wakati huo Dr. Perelman alisema "Sina shida ya pesa wala umaarufu, sitaki nionyeshwe kwa watu kama vile wanyama kwenye bustani za wanyama".

"Mimi sio shujaa wa hisabati, sijafanikiwa kwa kiasi hicho ninachoongelewa, na hivyo sitaki watu wote wawe wananiangalia mimi", alisema Dr. Perelman.

Ilikuwa ni mwaka 2002 wakati Dr. Perelman alipokuwa akifanya kazi kwenye taasisi ya utafiti wa hisabati nchini Urusi wakati alipoanza kutuma majibu kwenye internet ya fumbo la Poincare Conjecture ambalo ni miongoni mwa mafumbo saba magumu ambayo kila fumbo moja limetengewa zawadi ya dola milioni moja kwa mtu atakayelipatia jibu.

Kupatikana kwa jibu la fumbo la Poincare Conjecture kutawawezesha wanasayansi kuweza kujua umbile la ulimwengu.

Mwaka 2003 Dr. Perelman aliacha kazi kwenye taasisi hiyo ya utafiti wa hisabati na inadaiwa na marafiki zake kuwa ameachana kabisa na masuala ya hisabati.

KAHABA AFRIKA KUSINI ASHTAKI BAADA YA KUSIMAMISHWA KUSIMAMISHWA KAZI ZAKE

ngawa ni kinyume cha sheria kufanya ukahaba, Kahaba mmoja nchini Afrika Kusini ameenda mahakamani kupinga kusimamishwa kazi isivyo halali kwenye danguro moja lililopo mjini Cape Town. Kahaba huyo anayejulikana kwa jina la Kylie alisimamishwa kazi kutokana na tabia yake ya kuchagua wateja na kutumia muda mwingi na mpenzi wake ambaye alikuwa hataki kulipa kwa huduma ya ngono anayopewa.

Jaji wa kesi alishikwa na butwaa akisema kuwa haamini inakuwaje mtu anayefanya kazi haramu akaenda mahakamani kuitetea kazi haramu anayofanya.

Hata hivyo wanasheria wa Kylie wanasema kuwa kesi ya Kylie si kuhusiana na kufanya kwake ukhaba ambao ni kinyume cha sheria bali ni kufukuzwa kwake kazi isivyo halali.

Mahakama kadhaa za nchini Afrika Kusini zimekataa kuisikiliza kesi hiyo zikisema kuwa kufanya ukahaba ni kinyume cha sheria, vimeripoti vyombo vya habari vya Afrika Kusini.

Majaji watatu wa mahakama ya kazi wanakuna vichwa vyao kujua kama waisikilize kesi hiyo au la.

"Wakati unaposimamishwa kufanya kitu haramu.. haiingii akilini kusimama na kupigania watu wakurudishe kufanya kazi ya haramu", alisema rais wa majaji, Raymond Zondo.

Kylie amekuwa akipigania kurudishwa kwenye kazi yake haramu kwa miaka saba sasa tangia aliposimamishwa kazi mwaka 2003.

WA State African Community Leadership Conference

Invitation to the 1st annual Washington State African Communities Leadership Conference 2010 on March 27, 2010


Dear Brothers and Sisters, Greetings:
I hope this letter finds you and yours well!

It gives me great pleasure in inviting you on behalf of the African Affairs Council of Washington State (AACWA) to the 1st annual Washington State African Communities Leadership Conference 2010 to be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia (114 20th Ave SE, Olympia WA 98501-2999) on March 27, 2010 from 09:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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THE AFRICAN AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON STATE

A Non Profit Corporation

WASHINGTON STATE AFRICAN COMMUNITIES

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2010

Saturday March 27th 2010

Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Olympia, Washington

AGENDA
9:30 Registration

10:00 Welcome and breakfast

AM SESSION

10:30 Introduction of the upcoming A DAY FOR AFRICA

September 17th&18th 2010 in Tumwater

11:00 Brainstorming – A DAY FOR AFRICA – activities, events

11:50 BREAK

12:00 Activity prioritization, organization and program development

and responsibility assignments

13:15 NETWORKING / PRAYER BREAK

13:30 Lunch

PM SESSION

14:00 THE AFRICAN COMMUNITIES IN WASHINGTON STATE

15:45 Break and networking

16:00 Questions & answers from participants

16:30 End of Conference