Msanii Ahukumiwa Miezi Sita Kwa Kuimba Matusi

Msanii wa kizazi kipya nchini Tunisia, Ahmed Ben Ahmed, anayejulikana kwa jina la kiusanii, Klay BBJ, amehukumiwa jela kwa miezi sita kwa kuwatusi maafisa wakuu kupitia kwa muziki wake. Mahakama ilitupilia mbali kesi yake ya rufaa baada ya yeye na mwanamuziki mwenzake kupatikana na hatia mwezi jana ya kuwatusi maafisa wakuu katika tamasha la muziki eneo la Hammamet. Wawili hao awali walihukumiwa bila ya wao kuwepo mahakamani kutumikia kifungo cha miezi 21 lakini hukumu hiyo iliondolewa. Weld El 15, aliyepatikana na kosa kwa kuimba wimbo wake huo, kuwa 'Ploisi ni Mbwa', hakukata rufaa na sasa yuko mbioni. Hata hivyo Kaly BBJ lisema kuwa wimbo wao ulikuwa unaelezea hali ilivyo nchini Tunisia na kuhusu serikali. Muungano wa vyama unaoongozwa na chama cha wanasiasa waisilamu wenye msimamo wa kadri, Ennahda, uliingia mamlakani baada ya mapinduzi ya kiraia yaliyomwondoa mamlakani aliyekuwa rais Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali mwezi Januari mwaka 2011 na uchaguzi kufanyika baadaye mwaka huo. Klay anasemekana kuambia mahakama kuwa wimbo wao unakosoa hali ya sasa serikalini na kote nchini Tunisia tu. Alisema yeye ni mmoja wa wanamuziki wanaokosoa sana serikali na ndio maana wamekuwa wakimsaka sana. Lakini majaji walikataa rufaa aliyowasilisa na kusema hukumu yake ya miezi sita gerezani inastahili kuanza mara moja. Wakili wake alisema kuwa watawasilisha rufaa nyingine kupinga hukumu dhidi yake.

Samantha Lewthwaite

Speculation has been fuelled by the Kenyan foreign minister who has said one of the militants from the Somali-based al-Shabab group was a British woman. And suspicion was heightened when international crime agency Interpol issued a wanted persons notice for her arrest. But the warrant - requested by the Kenyans - relates to separate terror charges dating from 2011 and is not linked to the Nairobi siege. There has been no confirmation of Ms Lewthwaite's involvement, either as an attacker, organiser or fundraiser. Al-Shabab has denied that any women were involved. Whitehall officials continue to advise caution about reports linking her to the attack, says the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner. A photo from a fake South African passport alleged to belong to Samantha Lewthwaite under an assumed name Her notoriety though, confirmed by the Interpol warrant, is not in doubt. Ms Lewthwaite, 29, was first thrust into the spotlight after the 7 July bombings in London in 2005, as the widow of bomber Germaine Lindsay, who killed 26 people when he blew up a Piccadilly Line Tube train near King's Cross. A Muslim convert dubbed the "White Widow" by much of the media, she has no terrorism record in the UK but was on the run from Kenyan Police before the Westgate attack, allegedly using a South Africa passport over suspected links to a terrorist cell that planned to bomb the country's coast. Interpol's red notice is a recognition that she is now considered an international threat, not just someone who should be regarded as a passport fraudster, says BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani. The notice says Ms Lewthwaite is "wanted by Kenya on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011". 'Mythological figure' After the 7 July attacks, Ms Lewthwaite condemned her husband's actions as "abhorrent", saying trips to radical mosques had "poisoned his mind". "How these people could have turned him and poisoned his mind is dreadful," she told the Sun. "He was an innocent, naive and simple man. I suppose he must have been an ideal candidate." But not long after the attack she disappeared. She was known to be in Kenya and, last year, officials said she had fled to Somalia and the police were hunting a woman who used several identities, including hers. Lewthwaite attended the Grange School in Aylesbury BBC journalist Peter Taylor, who has just returned from Kenya where he was making a Panorama programme on al-Shabab, said there was still a lot of speculation about the group involved in the attack on the shopping centre. However, he said: "If, as the foreign minister says, there was a British woman involved 'who had done this many times before', there is a strong possibility it may well be Samantha Lewthwaite. "If she is dead then she would have achieved the kind of martyrdom that her husband Germaine Lindsay achieved." He said Ms Lewthwaite had become an almost "mythological figure" and the search for her had been going on a "long time". "At the time of the 7/7 bombings, the impression was that she disapproved and was highly critical of her husband's action," he added. "Then she disappeared off the radar and turns up again in Kenya. It would appear she became involved with al-Shabab to fight jihad as her husband believed he was doing when he bombed the Tube." 'Follower not leader' Ms Lewthwaite spent much of her life in the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury, although her very early years were spent in Northern Ireland. Born to English soldier Andy Lewthwaite - who met and married Christine Allen while serving in Northern Ireland during the 1970s - she spent her childhood on the Whyte Acres estate in Banbridge, County Down. Ms Lewthwaite was still at primary school when her family moved to Aylesbury, where they lived in a modest terraced house. Her parents separated in 1995. Raj Khan, an Aylesbury councillor who has known her for decades, told the BBC she was an average girl. Samantha Lewthwaite married 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay in 2002 "I knew her when she was a child," he said. "She was very innocent, lacking confidence, shy and very easy to get on with. She was a follower not a leader." He said he could not imagine her being involved in the Nairobi attack. "It takes someone sophisticated to be involved in such an international terrorist organisation," he added. She became friendly with a local Muslim family who helped her to convert to Islam when she was a teenager. At the Grange School in Aylesbury, the new Muslim convert stood out, according to Novid Shaid who taught there. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The Report last year, he said: "She seemed to be really proud wearing the hijab, there was a bubbly feeling around her." After a few years, "we noticed her wearing the full galabiya (full-length robe) which some converts tend to do when they become more serious," he said. Ms Lewthwaite's interest in religion developed further and she enrolled in a degree course in politics and the study of religions in 2002 at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. However, she left the course after two months. She met Jamaican-born Muslim convert Lindsay via an Islamic internet chatroom the same year and the couple married a few months later. They lived initially in Huddersfield but moved to Aylesbury in September 2003. Six months later, their first child was born. Their second child was born after the London bombings. Play Raj Khan: "If she is being radicalised to this extent where was it done? was it in Aylesbury?" It is thought she has since remarried and the papers say she now has either three or four children. Her father, sister and brother also distanced themselves from Lindsay after the 7 July attacks. "He was a good and loving husband and a brilliant father, who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime," they said in a statement. "We as a family had no idea of his plans and are as horrified as the rest of the world." It is understood she has had little contact with relatives in Northern Ireland, including her 85-year-old grandmother Elizabeth Allen, since her conversion to Islam.

Jewellery missing

The summoning of the heads of the various security agencies to appear before the parliamentary defence committee on Monday comes amid rising concern among Kenyans over the authorities' preparedness for such an attack. "The time for responsibility and accountability has come," the defence committee's chairman Ndung'u Gethenji is quoted by Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper as saying. Local media have reported that National Intelligence Service boss Michael Gichangi, one of those asked to appear before the committee, passed on intelligence about a possible attack to the police. But the Daily Nation says that a highly placed police source denied that such information was received. New photos revealing some of the damage at the Westgate shopping centre have been released. They show how parts of the rooftop car park have collapsed down onto what is believed to be the supermarket area. The manager of a jewellery shop allowed back into Westgate showed the BBC photos she took, showing that the store had been looted. President Uhuru Kenyatta declared three days of official mourning this week. The funeral of his nephew and his nephew's fiancee took place in Nairobi on Friday. Amongst the funerals held on Thursday was that of Mitul Shah at the Hindu Crematorium. A marketing executive, his firm was reportedly sponsoring the children's cooking competition taking place in the car park. Irene Anyango, manager of a Westgate jewellery shop, is one of the few people allowed into the mall following the end of the siege. She said the mall was barely recognisable given the damage. "It was a nightmare… and the shop was a totally different place," she told the BBC. "So many things were not intact... a lot of things weren't there, a lot jewellery - we're talking about diamonds, necklaces - all the rings." Ms Anyango said 90% of the jewellery was missing from the shop, which is now flooded. "As far as we know for the last couple of days they were intact - we don't understand what's happening but they're not there," she said. Many people not only face the trauma of losing family and colleagues but also the possibility of losing their jobs, she added. On Thursday the funeral of pregnant television and radio star Ruhila Adatia-Sood was one of many funerals held. Some 2,500 people packed into the Muslim Ismaili community's sports and social club in Nairobi to pay their respects to her and another woman killed in the siege, the AFP news agency reports. They had been taking part in a children's cooking competition on the rooftop car park, when gunmen stormed the shopping centre. "We are a small community. In a tragedy like this we get together," Azym Dossa, who lent his fleet of coaches to ferry mourners across town, told AFP. Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia. About 4,000 Kenyan troops have been sent to Somalia to help pro-government forces battle al-Shabab. The group is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters. Its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.

Rais Kikwete Kuifumua TANESCO

RAIS Jakaya Kikwete amesema Serikali yake inafanya mageuzi muhimu na marekebisho makubwa katika Shirika la Umeme Tanzania (TANESCO), kwa nia ya kuharakisha jitihada za Serikali kusambaza umeme kwa wananchi wengi zaidi. Pia, amesema Serikali imechukua hatua nyingi na kali za kupambana na rushwa, kwa nia ya kukomesha vitendo hivyo nchini na kuinua kiwango cha utawala bora. Alisema hayo juzi wakati alipokutana na kuzungumza na ujumbe wa Shirika la Changamoto za Milenia (MCC), ukiongozwa na Mtendaji Mkuu wake, Daniel Yohannes. Ujumbe huo umekutana na Rais Kikwete, New York, Marekani ambako Rais amefikia kwa ziara yake ya kikazi, ambako miongoni mwa mambo mengine, atahutubia mkutano wa 68 wa Baraza Kuu la Umoja wa Mataifa (UN), ulioanza Jumanne wiki hii. Katika mazungumzo hayo, Yohannes alimwelezea Rais Kikwete kuhusu maendeleo ya ombi la Tanzania kuingizwa katika awamu ya pili ya misaada ya Serikali ya Marekani kupitia MCC, chini ya Akaunti ya Milenia Tanzania (MCAT). Nchi nyingine za Afrika ambazo maombi yao yanafikiriwa katika awamu hiyo ya pili ni Morocco, Mozambique na Lesotho. Tanzania ndiyo nchi iliyopokea sehemu kubwa zaidi ya msaada wa MCC duniani katika awamu ya kwanza, ambako ilipewa kiasi cha dola za Marekani milioni 698 ambazo zimeingizwa katika miradi mikubwa ya ujenzi wa barabara, usambazaji wa umeme vijijini, miradi ya maji na ujenzi wa Uwanja wa Ndege wa Mafia. Serikali ya Tanzania imeamua kuwa fedha za awamu ya pili ya MCC zitaingizwa kupanua zaidi huduma za umeme na ujenzi wa barabara za vijiji kwa nia ya kuongeza idadi ya Watanzania wanaopata huduma za umeme na kwa nia ya kuboresha barabara za vijijini katika maeneo yanayozalisha mazao kwa wingi zaidi. Serikali ya Rais Kikwete imeliweka suala la usambazaji umeme kwa Watanzania mijini na vijijini miongoni mwa maeneo yake ya kipaumbele. Wakati anaingia madarakani mwaka 2005, ni asilimia 10 tu ya Watanzania waliokuwa wanapata umeme. Katika miaka saba iliyopita, asilimia hiyo imepata hadi kufikia 21 ikiwa ni asilimia 11 zaidi kuliko katika miaka yote 50 ya Uhuru. Lengo la sasa ni kuifikisha asilimia 30 ama zaidi mwaka 2015. Katika mazungumzo hayo na Rais Kikwete, Yohannes alitaka kujua ni hatua zipi Serikali inazichukua kurekebisha changamoto zinazoikabili TANESCO na hatua gani zinachukuliwa kuzidi kukabiliana na matatizo ya rushwa. Rais Kikwete amemweleza Yohannes: “Kama unavyojua, Shirika la Umeme Tanzania (TANESCO) limepitia safari ngumu na kukabiliwa na changamoto nyingi lakini sasa tumeamua katika Serikali kulifanyia mageuzi muhimu na marekebisho makubwa kwa maana ya muundo wake na pia kuangalia viwango vya malipo ambayo Shirika hilo linawatoza wateja wake. Mageuzi haya katika TANESCO ni muhimu sana na yameanza kufanyika na kwa hakika Serikali imedhamiria kukayamilisha mageuzi hayo katika muda mfupi iwezekanavyo.”

Walioshambulia Westgate Walitoroka Mapema

MAOFISA Usalama wa nchi za Magharibi wanahofia kuwa huenda watekaji wengi waliokuwa wakishikilia kituo cha biashara cha Westgate, walitoroka muda mfupi baada ya shambulio, kwa kutupa bunduki zao na kujifanya wateja wa duka hilo, imefahamika. Mpaka sasa Polisi Kenya inashikilia washukiwa 11 wa ugaidi, akiwamo Mwingereza mwenye umri wa miaka 35 ambaye alikamatwa kwenye Uwanja wa Ndege wa Kimataifa wa Jomo Kenyatta Jumatatu akijaribu kuondoka nchini humo kwa ndege ya Shirika la Uturuki. Mtu huyo mzaliwa wa kitongoji kimoja jijini Mogadishu, Somalia na aliyepewa hati ya kusafiria ya Uingereza Mei 2011 na kupewa hifadhi ya kisiasa nchini Kenya, alikamatwa na maofisa Uhamiaji baada ya kugundulika kuwa na jeraha usoni na mwilini. Ingawa alikuwa na viza ya Kenya, maofisa hao hawakuwa na kumbukumbu ya kuingia kwake nchini humo. Mpaka jana alikuwa akiendelea kuhojiwa baada ya kudai kuwa majeraha yake yalitokana na mapigano nchini Somalia. Mwanamke aumiza vichwa Katika hatua nyingine, Waziri wa Mambo ya Ndani ya Kenya, Joseph ole Lenku alisema juzi kwamba wachunguzi walikuwa wakiendelea kufanyia kazi taarifa kuwa mwanamke Samantha Lewthwaite alikuwa mmoja wa magaidi walioteka Westgate. Alisema: “Katika taarifa zetu za awali tulieleza kutokuwapo dalili zozote zikionesha kuwapo gaidi mwanamke lakini jinsi tunavyoendelea tumeanza kusikia uwezekano huo kuwapo.” Shaka kwamba Mwingereza huyo yawezekana alishiriki ziliongezeka baada ya taarifa ya gazeti la Star jijini Nairobi kukariri manusura wakisema kulikuwa na mwanamke aliyekuwa akitoa amri kwa magaidi kushambulia. Mmoja alisema: “Mwanamke huyo hakuwa na silaha lakini kila alipotoa amri wanaume walifyatua silaha na kuua.” Poorvi Jain (12), ambaye alishuhudia mdogo wake wa kiume mwenye umri wa miaka tisa akiuawa aliwambia walimu wake juu ya gaidi mmoja kuwa mwanamke mweupe, aliyekuwa akifuatana na vijana wawili wa kiume waliokuwa wakifyatua risasi ovyo wakilenga watu waliokuwa ndani ya duka hilo. Al Shabaab ilisisitiza kwamba wageni ndio hasa walikuwa walengwa wa shambulio hilo na kuthibitisha kuwa washambuliaji hao kwa makusudi walilenga Waislamu na wasio Waislamu. Wanamgambo hao walilenga wasio Waislamu na takribani wageni 18 waliuawa, wakiwamo Waingereza na raia kutoka Ufaransa, Canada, Uholanzi, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, Afrika Kusini na China. Wamarekani watano ni miongoni mwa majeruhi. Lewthwaite anatafutwa akihusishwa na kinachodaiwa ni mipango ya kushambulia hoteli za kifahari na migahawa nchini Kenya. Mipango ya kushambulia hoteli za Mombasa inasemekana kufanana kabisa na iliyofanywa dhidi ya Westgate, ambayo inaripotiwa kupangwa wiki au miezi kadhaa katika ardhi ya Somalia na Al Shabaab. Inaaminika kwamba wapiganaji wa kigeni wanaozungumza Kingereza ndio walichaguliwa kwa umakini mkubwa huku mipango ya kuhujumu Westgate ikipangwa pia kwa uangalifu mkubwa. Timu ya magaidi hao iliingia nchini kupitia mipaka ya Kenya, ambayo mara kwa mara imekuwa ikifanyiwa doria na askari ambao wanalipwa mishahara duni na walinzi ambao ni wala rushwa. Wapiganaji wa Kisomali wanasema hawajapata kutumia magaidi wa kike, licha ya kuwapo hisia za kuhusika kwa Mwingereza Lewthwaite. Wakodi chumba dukani Inadaiwa wapiganaji hao walikodi duka la nguo za kike katika jengo hilo siku moja au mbili kabla ya shambulizi hilo, na kutumia wakati huo kuingiza dukani humo bunduki na risasi za kutosha. Baadhi ya wapiganaji inasemekana walikuwa na mavazi ya kutosha kubadilisha na kujichanganya na raia walikuwa na hofu wakikimbia mashambulizi hayo. Wakati magaidi saba wakiendelea kushikilia mateka kadhaa ndani ya jengo hilo, askari maalumu 20 wa Jeshi la Kenya waliingia kukabiliana nao huku mdunguaji mmoja akihimili askari hao kwa saa 24 akiwa ghorofa ya tatu kabla ya askari hao kudhibiti jengo hilo ilipotimia saa 11.45 Jumanne. Askari wa Kenya baada ya kuingia ndani walizima taa na kamera za CCTV walizokuwa wakitumia magaidi hao na kumudu kuwapiga risasi magaidi waliosalia. Mmoja wao alijilipua. Juzi usiku al Shabaab ilidai kuua watu 50 katika shambulizi la klabu ya usiku mjini Wajir umbali wa maili 70 kutoka jijini Nairobi. Lakini Serikali ilisema waliouawa ni watu watatu tu. Apigwa risasi akiokoa mtoto Wakati huo huo, ilifahamika juzi kwamba baba mmoja alipigwa risasi na magaidi hao wakati akimzuia mtoto wa miaka minne asiuawe katika shambulizi hilo la Westgate. Baba huyo Simon Belcher, ambaye alijisomesha Uingereza, alikuwa amejificha chini ya gari na mkewe na mtoto huyo ambaye hawakuwa na uhusiano naye, pale majeshi ya Kenya yalipoanza kujibu mapigo dhidi ya wapiganaji wa al Shabaab. Wakati magaidi hao wakikwepa mashambulizi ya bunduki, waliwaona watu hao na kumpiga risasi Belcher. Risasi zilimpata begani na kifuani, lakini kwa bahati hazikumpata sehemu muhimu za mwili. Belcher , ambaye ni Mkenya anayeendesha kampuni ya utalii, kutokea nyumbani kwake Nairobi, amelazwa hospitalini na mkewe akimuuguza. Mkewe aliandika kwenye ukurasa wa Facebook kwamba walikuwa na bahati. Waingereza 10 Hadi juzi idadi ya Waingereza wanaoaminika kupoteza maisha katika shambulio hilo ilikuwa ikitarajiwa kuongezeka hadi 10 kutokana na makadirio yanayotolewa na magaidi hao ya jumla ya watu 137 kuwa ndio waliopoteza maisha. Sita mpaka jana ndio walikuwa wamethibitika kufa lakini wachunguzi wanaamini miili ya Waingereza wengine wanne inaweza kuwa imekwama katika kuifusi cha jengo hilo baada ya sehemu yake kuporomoka. Wachunguzi wa Scotland Yard walikuwa wa mwanzo kuingia katika jengo hilo juzi wakitaka kutambua Waingereza hao na magaidi. Askofu aombea magaidi Katika hali isiyotarajiwa, Askofu Mkuu wa Canterbury amekumbwa na lawama baada ya kudaiwa kuwataka waumini wake wasisahau kuwataja watekaji hao katika maombi yao. Askofu Mkuu Justin Welby alitaka Wakristo wote duniani kuombea magaidi walioua watu wapatao 67 jijini Nairobi, Kenya. Welby aliwaambia waumini wasisahau kuombea watekaji hao katika maombi yao, kwa kuwa hata yeye anaombea pande zote; watekaji na watekwaji na waliopoteza maisha na kujeruhiwa na kusema kufanya hivyo kunaendana na mafundisho ya Yesu Kristo. Akihojiwa na BBC juzi, Askofu Mkuu alisema: “Kama Wakristo moja ya vitu ambavyo tunaombea ni haki na hususan masuala yanayohusu hasira ambayo huibuka pale kitu kama hiki kinapojitokeza, lakini tunatakiwa kufanya kama alivyofanya Yesu msalabani alipoombea waliomkosea.” Kauli hiyo imekuja siku mbili baada ya kuandika katika blogu yake kuwa amewaombea magaidi hao. “Leo naombea wote wanaoendelea kushikiliwa na watekaji katika kituo cha biashara Nairobi, pia familia zao na marafiki wanaosubiri kwa hamu kusikia mustakabali wao,” aliandika. “Naombea pia watekaji wao, kwamba waweze kuona na kuelewa kwamba uadui na ghasia havitaruhusiwa kutawala.” Askofu Mkuu Welby aliendelea kusema kuwa waathirika wa shambulio dhidi ya kanisa nchini Pakistan wanapaswa kuchukuliwa kama mashahidi wa Ukristo. Watu wapatao 80 waliuawa katika mashambulizi mawili katika Kanisa la Watakatifu Wote jijini Peshawar wakati waumini wakiondoka kwenye Misa ya Jumapili. Askofu Mkuu Welby ambaye anaongoza Kanisa la Anglikana duniani, alisema waathirika wa mashambulizi hayo walilengwa kwa sababu ya imani yao, na kutaka Serikali ya Pakistan kufanya iwezalo kulinda raia wake. “Nadhani Wakristo wanashambuliwa katika matukio kadhaa kwa sababu tu ya imani yao,” alisema. “Nadhani ni kweli kusema kwamba katika Kanisa la Watakatifu Wote tumeshuhudia zaidi ya mashahidi 80 katika siku chache zilizopita. “Wameshambuliwa kwa sababu walikuwa wakithibitisha imani yao katika Yesu Kristo kwa kwenda kanisani na kwamba hiyo haiwezi kukubalika katika mazingira yoyote kwa sababu yoyote ya tofauti za kidini.” Filamu ya kutisha Vikosi vya Kenya vilisema ndani ya jengo hilo kulionekana sawa na ‘filamu ya kutisha’ kutokana na kutapakaa kwa damu kila mahali na miili iliyosambaa katika sakafu. Idadi rasmi ya Serikali ya watu waliokufa ni 67- raia wakiwa 61 na maofisa wa usalama sita – na Kikosi cha Msalaba Mwekundu kina orodha ya watu 63 ambao haijulikani waliko. Al Shabaab inashikilia kuwa imeua watu 137.

Baker sued over penis-shaped cake

An Austrian baker who made a cake in the shape of a penis was accused by two female employees of sexual harassment, in a case that was heard on Thursday at a court in Salzburg. The women said they had been offended by the product, which was covered in white sugar glazing, and demanded a total of 3 000 euros (R404 600) in damages. In the end, the baker and the claimants settled for an undisclosed sum. The baker said he had shown the cake to the women because it was the type of confection popular at parties held before weddings - and he had wanted them to market it.

Kenya yashambuliwa tena

Leo ni siku ya pili ya maombolezi nchini Kenya, kufuatia shambulizi la kigaidi la Westgate ambako zaidi ya watu sitini waliuawa na mamia wengine kujeruhiwa. Huku majonzi yakiwa bado tele machoni mwa wengi, shambulizi lengine la maguruneti limetokea katika miji ya Wajir na Mandera Kaskazini mwa kenya mpaka sasa ni majeruhi tu ndio wameripotiwa..Miji hii yote inapakana na Somalia..

Nairobi Attack:Could it happen in Britain?

The deadly assault by extremists on Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall is prompting some to ask themselves the inevitable question: could such an attack happen in Britain? In theory yes it could, because it would be impossible and impractical to give every crowded place in the country 100% protection around the clock. But in Britain elements of the police, the security service and the military have spent much of the last five years refining their plans and preparing for any repetition of the Mumbai siege of 2008. That attack, which lasted three days and killed 166 people, was a wake-up call for the counter-terrorism community around the world.It got them wondering how they would respond if this happened in their own cities. In Britain there was a sudden realisation that the Metropolitan Police mobile armed response units were woefully lacking in firepower. In practice this meant that if they ever found themselves in a shootout with suicidal jihadists armed with automatic weapons, in a built-up area, they were likely to come off worse and would have to pull back and wait for military special forces to arrive from their barracks. Since then there has been a series of secret exercises held all around the country, codenamed Wooden Pride, whereby police counter-terrorism and firearms units have worked closely with units of the SAS and SBS to fine tune how they would respond to such an attack as quickly and effectively as possible with minimal loss of life. Police firearms capabilities have also been upgraded. So could the same Somalia-based group, al-Shabab, that carried out the Nairobi attack repeat it in Britain? Computer memory sticks recovered from a senior al-Shabab operative killed in Somalia in 2011 revealed ambitious plans to attack targets in Britain including hotels, Eton College and "Jewish" residential areas of north London. REGIONAL AGENDA But Whitehall officials said on Wednesday that these plans had been only an aspiration and that there had never been any workable plot by the group to attack Britain. They said the automatic weapons, grenades and large quantities of ammunition used in the Nairobi attack would be harder to acquire here in Britain. Moreover, their geographical home is East Africa, where they have been able to move across porous borders, and it is a rich resource of funding and the recruits and facilitators who would have helped lay the groundwork for the Nairobi attack. Al-Shabab, although formally in alliance with al-Qaeda since 2012, has as its primary focus the expulsion of UN-backed African forces from Somalia and then the establishment there of a strict Islamic state. In other words, it tends to have a regional agenda, rather than a global one. It does have sympathisers and fundraisers here in Britain, but its violent actions are condemned by much of the Somali community. The Nairobi attack led to a stand-off at the shopping centre As of today it's estimated that somewhere close to 50 UK-based jihadists are still in Somalia, training and fighting alongside al-Shabab. Around half are believed to be of Somali origin and the remainder from South Asia and other backgrounds. The authorities remain concerned that some may eventually return to Britain with new-found terrorist skills. In recent years Somalia had been eclipsed by Syria as the jihadist destination of choice and very few British-based recruits are returning here from Somalia. Meanwhile, British counter-terrorism officials have been studying what happened in Nairobi to consider what lessons, if any, can be applied in the UK. The Metropolitan Police says existing advice to large organisations may be updated and the Home Office says it will be up to local police forces to give advice, if they choose, to shopping centres in their area on how best to protect themselves.

Why I went to the Nairobi Mall When Others fled

When video journalist Nichole Sobecki arrived at the Westgate mall in Nairobi on Saturday, she saw a stream of people running out of the building. But as others escaped from the gunmen who had opened fire, the AFP reporter decided to go into the complex. Here she tells her story. I could see that ambulances were picking people up and trying to get them out from the third floor, so I thought that might be an opportunity to get inside. When I got close to the third floor entrance of the mall I followed a security officer inside and linked up with another security team. I never saw any of the attackers. It was unclear where the shooters were, so we were sweeping from shop to shop through the mall trying to locate the shooters and also looking for civilians that were trapped, and trying to get them out to safety. When I first arrived in the mall a security team was trying to disable the elevators to prevent the attackers from moving between floors and popping out and surprising someone. Before they were able to to that, one of the elevator doors did open and a middle-aged woman crawled out - she was obviously terrified and they were able to get her out quickly to safety. It seemed like everywhere we looked, more people would come out as soon as they realised that this was the security forces and that they were safe, or at least that they had an opportunity to try to get out. People were hiding in air vents, crouched on the floor, hiding in cinemas, casinos, beauty salons, locking themselves in. This is a mall that I go to frequently. It's not far from where I live and to see it become the scene of terror was absolutely surreal - the mall soundtrack with pop music continuing to play but otherwise the sort of eerie silence, bursts of gunfire. I have covered conflict before in a more conventional sense, in Afghanistan and Somalia - places where you go and you have an expectation of what you are going to find. To see a mall on a busy Saturday afternoon transformed into such horror was really surprising. I was inside the mall for about three hours, and of course you are afraid in these situations, it's very stressful, you are always looking where you could find cover if you have to move, which direction you will be going in. We were with a team of security forces and you just need to make sure that you are staying rational, that you are making good decisions and that you are not putting your life or the lives of anyone around you at any greater risk. There was little the security forces could do aside from trying to get people out. They were searching them on their way out to make sure that no-one was armed, to make sure that anyone leaving the building was doing it as a civilian. But if some of the attackers did try to pose as civilians there was not that much that they could do. They had to get people out, they had to evacuate the mall and that was a risk. Any attack of this sort is meant to divide people and the more [Kenyans] can reach out together as they have been, donating blood, coming together to call for unity, making sure that there is no backlash on the Somali community in Kenya, I think that is what is going to make Kenya move forward after this horrible attack.

Ajali mbaya yatokea mkoani Mbeya

Watu 3 wamefariki dunia papo hapo baada ya malori 2 ya mizigo, moja likitokea DSM na lingine Zambia kugongana uso kwa uso na kisha kuwaka moto eneo la mlima Inyara Mkoani Mbeya,kwa taarifa zaidi endelea kupitia blog hii kwa kuwa tutakuletea update za tukio zima

Sita na vyombo Vya usalama

Waziri wa Ushirikiano wa Afrika Mashariki, Samuel Sitta amevitaka vyombo vya ulinzi na usalama kuacha kufanya kazi kwa mazoea, bali viimarishe ulinzi ili kukabiliana kuweza matukio ya kigaidi. Sitta alisema hayo jana baada ya kufungua mkutano wa Chama cha Waajiri Tanzania (Ate) na sekta binafsi. Alisema tukio la ugaidi lililotokea Nairobi nchini Kenya ambalo limesababisha vifo vya watu 62 linaweza kutokea mahali popote ikiwemo Tanzania. “ Ukiona mwenzako ananyolewa na wewe tia maji, vyombo vya ulinzi na usalama viimarishe ulinzi hasa kwenye mikusanyiko ya watu,” alisema. Alisema vyombo vya ulinzi vinatakiwa kuwa macho muda wote ili kukabiliana na hatari yoyote inayoweza kutokea.

Shambulizi Westgate Mall Lilipangwa Kwa Muda wa Miezi Kadhaa Kabla ya Kufanyika

Maandalizi ya kushambulia jengo la maduka la eneo la Westgate, Nairobi yalifanyika kwa miezi mingi. Gazeti la New York Times la Marekani lilikariri vyanzo vyake ndani ya vyombo vya usalama vya nchi hiyo jana vilivyosema kuwa mipango na mazoezi kwa ajili ya shambulizi hilo vilifanyika Somalia. Magaidi kati ya 10 hadi 15 wa Al-Shabaab walivamia kwa silaha kwenye jengo la ghorofa nne la maduka na kusababisha vifo vya watu 67 kwa mujibu wa taarifa za Serikali ya Kenya na majeruhi 175. Magaidi watano walipoteza maisha kwenye tukio hilo. Kitengo cha Mambo ya Nje cha Kundi la Al-Shabaab ndicho kilichokuwa na kazi ya kupanga shambulizi hilo. Imeelezwa kuwa watekelezaji wa tukio la kigaidi walipitia mafunzo maalumu huko Somalia yaliyowawezesha kubaini michoro ya jengo pamoja na mbinu za kusafirisha silaha. Utekelezaji Gazeti hilo lilidai kuwa uratibu wa operesheni hiyo ulifanywa kwa uangalifu kwani wafuasi wa Al-Shabaab waliochaguliwa ni wale ambao walikuwa wanafahamu vyema Kiingereza na wenye uzoefu wa masuala ya kimataifa. “Hawa jamaa pia waliandaa mchoro wa jengo hilo. Wakaandaa mkakati wa kupenyeza silaha ambazo walikuwa wamezileta kutoka Somalia,” kilisema chanzo cha gazeti hilo. Gazeti la New York Times, lilisema silaha zilizotumika kwenye uvamizi huo zilipenyezwa kupitia maeneo yalikuwa yakilindwa na askari wa kampuni binafsi za ulinzi. Duru za usalama za Marekani zimeeleza kuwa kuna uwezekano mkubwa kuwa baadhi ya askari walihongwa kutokana na kukabiliwa na ukata wa kutolipwa kwa wakati na waajiri wao. Taarifa zinasema kuwa siku moja au mbili kabla ya uvamizi huo, inasemekana magaidi hao walipitisha kwa siri mikanda ya risasi kwa ajili ya kutumika kwenye bunduki zao aina ya `Short Machine Gun’ (SMG). Baadhi ya wafanyakazi wa jengo hilo wanadaiwa kula njama na magaidi hao ili kufanikisha mpango wa kuingizwa kwa silaha hizo zilizotumika kwenye ugaidi.

Tanzania yachunguza vitisho vya al-Shabaab

Vyombo vya usalama nchini Tanzania vinachunguza tuhuma za kuwepo kwa vitisho vya al-Shabaab ambazo zimejitokeza kwenye tovuti na mitandao ya kijamii katika siku chache zilizopita. "Siwezi kusema ni aina gani ya uchunguzi tunaoufanya kwa sababu ni siri yetu, lakini tunajua juu ya kuwepo kwa vitisho hivyo na tayari tumeanzisha uchunguzi," Mkurugenzi wa Upelelezi wa Makosa ya Jinai, Robert Manumba, aliwaambia waandishi wa habari jijini Dar es Salaam siku ya Jumatatu (tarehe 23 Septemba). Naibu Waziri wa Mambo ya Ndani, Pereira Silima, aliiambia Sabahi siku ya Jumanne kwamba Tanzania imejitayarisha vya kutosha na iko kwenye tahadhari. "Ni kweli tumepokea taarifa hizo kuhusiana na vitisho kutoka makundi haya ya kigaidi, lakini kama serikali tumejitayarisha," alisema. "Hatuwaogopi al-Qaeda wala al-Shabaab. Kama serikali, tuko tayari kuwalinda watu wetu na musiwe na hofu. Serikali ipo na imejitayarisha vyema kwa chochote kitakachotokea." Msemaji wa Jeshi la Wananchi wa Tanzania, Meja Eric Komba, pia alisema siku ya Jumatatu kwamba jeshi hilo lilikuwa "kwenye hali ya tahadhari kuyalinda maisha ya Watanzania" kama lolote litatokea. Msemaji wa jeshi la Polisi, Advera Senso, aliwatolea wito raia kuripoti jambo lolote wanalolitilia wasiwasi. "Tumeanzisha operesheni ya kujenga uelewa wa masuala ya usalama kwenye mipaka ambayo wageni wenye nia mbaya hupitia. Wananchi wanapaswa kujua wafanye nini na wakati gani," alisema Senso.

WANAFUNZI WALIOCHAGULIWA SKOLASHIPU ZA MSUMBIJI (TAMOSE) NA UTARATIBU HUSIKA 2014

Wanafunzi 51 wa Kitanzania wamechaguliwa kujiunga na masomo mbalimbali nchini Msumbiji katika ngazi ya Shahada ya Kwanza kupitia Mpango wa Kubadilishana Wanafunzi kati ya Serikali ya Tanzania na ya Msumbiji (Tanzania – Mozambique Students Exchange Programme – TAMOSE). Masomo yanatarajiwa kuanza juma la Kwanza la Januari, 2014. Wanafunzi hao ambao orodha yao na masomo watakayosoma vimeambatishwa, wanatakiwa kufika Wizara ya Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi, Idara ya Elimu ya Juu, Chumba Namba 28 kwa ajili ya maelekezo na maandalizi ya safari. Wanafunzi hao wafike Wizarani kuanzia tarehe 30 Septemba hadi 14 Oktoba 2013 kuanzia Saa 3.00  asubuhi hadi saa 9:30 mchana katika siku za kazi. Wanafunzi wanashauriwa kufika na nyaraka za kuombea pasi ya kusafiria nje ya nchi – passport (kwa wale ambao hawana). Nyaraka hizo ni pamoja na Cheti cha Kuzaliwa, Picha 5 za passport size zenye rangi ya buluu ya bahari pamoja na gharama za kuombea hati ya kusafiria nje ya nchi Wizara ya Mambo ya Ndani. Kwa wenye passport wanatakiwa kuja nazo.

Experts from countries including the UK, the US and Israel are helping Kenyan authorities as the forensic investigation into the Nairobi mall massacre begins.

The death toll, currently at 67, is expected to rise as bodies are retrieved from beneath the rubble of three collapsed floors. Specialists from Canada and Germany are also helping gather evidence and reconstruct what happened when al Shabaab militants stormed the shopping centre on Saturday. Six Britons - including an eight-year-old girl - are among the dead, and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has warned there may be further British victims. A funeral is held for victims Selima Merali and her daughter Nuriana Merali Rumours that a remaining gunman could still be hiding out in the Westgate shopping centre appear to have faded. Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said that a "forensic audit" - including fingerprinting, DNA testing and ballistic examination - was expected to last at least seven days. Work to establish the identities of the terrorists is still under way - including whether one of them was a British woman. Kenyan troops stormed the shopping complex Al Shabaab has denied a female was involved. The group also claimed on Wednesday that security forces had carried out "a demolition" of the building during the raid, burying 137 hostages in rubble. A government spokesman denied the claim and said the group was well known for making "wild allegations". It has been speculated that the attack group was made up of several different nationalities. However, US Attorney General Eric Holder has said there is so far no verification that any Americans were involved. Interrogations of the 10 suspects held by Kenyan authorities are also continuing. Five attackers were killed during the siege. People queue to donate blood to help victims of the attack Sky News' Stuart Ramsay, in Nairobi, said at least five of those being held are understood to have been part of the initial attack group which sprayed bullets and escaped the mall. Others in custody are said to be part of the "support group". He also described how some of the attackers tried to escape by taking advantage of the chaos and mixing in with those being evacuated. Ramsay said: "Multiple witnesses have said they saw gunmen put down weapons, change clothes and leave with … people being guided out. "We know of one gentlemen who went to the police and said 'that man was involved in the shooting' - but he was ushered on."

Zuma signs e-tolls bill

President Jacob Zuma has signed the transport laws and related matters amendment bill into law on Wednesday. The bill was sitting on Zuma's desk for three months and plagued by several delays. "The act will facilitate the upgrading and development of the transport infrastructure and public transport in the Republic," presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement. Zuma was still considering the bill, the presidency said earlier this month. The bill was passed by the National Council of Provinces in May and provides for the electronic and cross-border collection of toll fees. In April, the SA National Roads Agency Limited said it was ready to start e-tolling, and it was just waiting for the completion of the parliamentary process. Tolling was supposed to begin in April 2011, but at least three proposed start dates have failed to materialise. Tariffs have also been cut thrice since legal battles about the issue started. E-tolling has been widely criticised by various quarters in society, including ANC alliance partner Cosatu and religious organisations.

Westgate Mall Tragedy Calls for a Measured Response

A radical military response to the dramatic terror attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi this weekend will play into the hands of the assailants. Using local police and intelligence services to track down those responsible and bring them to court in Kenya will be the best route to follow, says Institute for Security Studies expert Anneli Botha. Botha, a senior researcher in the Transnational Threats and International Crimes Division, says people expect a strong reaction from Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta following the attack by al-Shabaab Islamic militants on Saturday 21 September. The attack has left at least 62 people dead and more than 175 injured. By late Monday, security forces were still trying to free hostages held by gunmen in the mall. On Saturday Kenyatta was quoted in the media as saying Kenya 'will punish the masterminds swiftly and painfully'. Botha says it is normal that the public would want to be reassured. 'He (Kenyatta) needs to re-establish trust and a sense of security, but hopefully there will be a rational response from the Kenyan authorities rather than an emotional one'. Treating the perpetrators as mere criminals, rather than 'fighters' pursuing a particular cause is the best strategy against terrorists and bringing them to justice will bring closure to those who have lost their loved ones, she says. The worst possible scenario would be if ordinary Kenyans turn on Somalis, blaming them for the spate of attacks that has hit Kenya in the last two years. 'Al-Shabaab wants to represent this as a religious conflict. If there are reprisals against Somalis in Kenya this will only serve to radicalise some of them and play into the hands of al-Shabaab', Botha believes. The Westgate attack is the gravest act of terror on Kenyan soil since Kenyan forces invaded Somalia in October 2011 to join the other troops of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in combating al-Shabaab. In the last few months, al-Shabaab has been driven out of key Somali towns like Mogadishu and Kismayo and has now resorted to guerrilla warfare. At the time of the Kenyan military offensive in Southern Somalia, al-Shabaab warned of bloody reprisals against Kenya. Apart from isolated grenade attacks in Nairobi and churches in the north of the country, mostly blamed on individual Somali radicals, this is the biggest attack by al-Shabaab so far. In July 2010 al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the killing of 74 people who were watching the final match of the soccer World Cup at a bar in Uganda. The group said it was punishing Uganda for its role in AMISOM. Why did it take the terror group so long to carry out its threat against Kenya? Botha believes there might have been other, similar attacks planned but never carried out. 'One tends to forget the many plots that might have been uncovered by Kenyan security forces'. It would be erroneous to link the Westgate Mall attack to conflict between radicals and moderates within al-Shabaab says Botha. Analysts have contended that a radical faction of al-Shabaab has now taken over the organisation amidst waning support and military losses in Somalia. 'There has been infighting but this was between Somalis and foreigners within al-Shabaab that Moktar Ali Zubeyr, the leader of al-Shabaab, in particular did not trust'. On Sunday, a list of those allegedly responsible for the attack was circulating on social media, containing many foreign names. Botha says that if it is accurate, the list is indicative of a new trend in al-Shabaab. Somali expatriates were the main targets when recruiting foreign fighters, but the list of countries the attackers originate from suggests that al-Shabaab is successful in presenting the conflict in Somalia as a legitimate jihad. 'Al-Shabaab's recruitment and organisation is not limited to Somalia, it has a much wider strategy'. Botha believes it will be crucial in the next few days and weeks to ensure that Kenyan security forces take the lead in the fight against terror in their country. 'A lot of assistance will be provided by especially the United States, Israel, Britain and France (to name a few), but these states should be encouraged to let Kenya take the lead. What we often see in these cases is that Western forces take over. They have the equipment and the training. Kenyan police officials also get a lot of training but rarely get the opportunity to implement what they've learnt. We should accept and recognise that Kenya has primary jurisdiction in this case'. The fight against al-Shabaab can never be won militarily says Botha. The solution to extremism and terrorism in East Africa and elsewhere lies in a long-term strategy. 'Many people want to see a quick fix, but we have to tackle the underlying factors that these groups can use to their advantage. That calls not only for a police response, but an entire government response'.

Kenya: Families of Missing Want Answers

Families of 64 people who are reported missing have raised serious concern over silence by the government on the current situation at the Westgate shopping mall, which was seized by terrorists on Saturday. According to the Kenya Psychological Association (KPA), lack of information is causing anxiety among people whose kin have been missing since Saturday. KPA Chairperson Gladys Mwiti told journalists on Tuesday that the lack of information was affecting the families' and victims' psychological wellbeing. "We do not have right now actual data of who lost their family member or a relative but we can say that some of the cases that we have seen include those that do not know where their relatives are," she said. "That is very worrying and very anxiety provoking." The last media brief that the government gave was on Monday at around 3pm. Government agencies have however been randomly tweeting information surrounding the attack, but this information might not be accessible to everyone. The Kenya Red Cross has so far registered 64 people as missing but information from the non-governmental agency has also not been forthcoming. "Right now I can only tell you that we have recorded 64 people as those that are missing but I cannot disclose any other details," said a Kenya Red Cross official who declined to be named. The Visa Oshwal Centre is being used as a tracing and counselling facility but it is not very easy to get in for security reasons. KPA Secretary Sammy Wambugu said that more counselling centres would be opened up with one at the Uhuru Park and another at the City Mortuary. "We are aware that most Kenyans have been flocking the Uhuru Park and so we want to set up a facility there by tomorrow morning. We also know that people have been going to the morgue to look for their relatives and we will also have a team there to help in the grieving process," he said. Hostages who were rescued as well as security personnel and children who witnessed the attack are being counselled and given psychological support. There are also schools that have requested the counselling teams to visit their pupils but Red Cross refused to reveal any details or even number of these schools. Mwiti said that it was important to counsel them so as to ensure they are able to overcome the emotional suffering they might have endured as a result. "Some people may suffer false guilt and for instance someone might start asking himself why he allowed his wife and child to go shopping at Westgate instead of the Sarit Centre and there will be people who are grieving and identifying bodies in the morgue so the impact will be huge," she said.

RICH OZ ATOA YA MOYONI

Msanii wa muziki wa kizazi kipya nchini Tanzania Richard Itatiro a.k.a RICH OZ ameomua kuendelea na masomo kwanza na kusimamisha kazi zake za kimuziki baada ya kuchakuliwa kuendelea na High school Mjini Tanga Tanzania. Akizungumza kwa njia ya simu na kutoka shule ya Sekondary Usagara amesema kuwa ameona njia pekee ya kutoka kimaisha ni kitabu na sanaa ni ziada tu! Amesema katika kipindi hiki cha masomo ntakuwa mbali na mambo yote ya mziki na kujikita katika kitabu,muziki bila elimu ni kazi bure.. RICH OZ amesema plan yake baadae ni kuanzisha lebo yake mwenyewe atayoiita Music Oz international. Oz amesikika katika wimbo wa unaoitwa its all a life unaopigwa sana katika kituo cha East cost radio cha durban nchini South Africa..

Kenyan's State House: Rescue operation underway at Westgate Shopping Mall, Nairobi

Kenya State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu has said rescue operation is underway with a few hostages rescued. Reports from the scene say more bodies are being retrieved from mall and ferried away in a pick up as death toll rises to 15. Police officers have now surrounded the building in an attempt to evacuate remaining shoppers. Esipisu pointed out that it was too early to tell if the incident was a terrorist attack adding that no foreign agencies have been involved in the rescue operation. The military marksmen have also joined the police in the rescue operation. The members of the media have been barred from filming inside mall to enhance security. According to Red Cross, most nearby hospitals are now full and causalities are being taken to Nairobi Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital.