Marekani Yageukia "Jeshi la Watoto" Kwa Vita ya Mtandao

Inaelezwa kuwa vita vya mtandao (cyber war) ni tishio kubwa kwa Marekani kama ilivyo ugaidi.Na katika kujipanga vema kupambana na maadui wa nchi hiyo wanauweza kutumia mtandao kufanya mashambuli,Makao Makuu ya "Wizara" ya Ulinzi,Pentagon,imeanzisha mkakati wa kuajiri vijana wadogo wenye kipaji cha hali ya juu katika kuhujumu mtandao na kuufanya utekeleze matakwa ya mhujumu husika (hacking).

Katika kufanikisha zoezi hilo la kupata makuruta mwafaka,Pentagon ilisimamia shindano la uhujumu huo wa mtandao ambapo hackers vijana kadhaa walishiriki.Kichekesho ni kwamba katika kuonyesha uhodari wake katika fani hiyo,mmoj wa hackers hao alifanikiwa kuhujumu alama alizopewa na wasimamizi wa shindano hilo kabla matokeo hayajatangazwa.

Habari hii imenikumbusha kauli ya mwalimu wangu mmoja pale Mlimani,Profesa Ngware,aliyetupa "ukweli mchungu" kwamba "hivi kama wakati watoto wenu wanachezea vifuu ilhali wanangu wanacheza na kompyuta,mnatarajia watapokuwa wakubwa watakuwa na uwezo sawa wa akili?"

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Spotlight on Tanzania for All the Wrong Reasons: ABC News Reports on Albino Killings (Videos)

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Rostam Aziz na Kikwete Dhidi ya Dokta Slaa

Rostam Aziz

Katika kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu wa mwaka 2005,mfanyabiashara controversial Rostam Aziz alitumia raslimali zake nyingi kuhakikisha mgombea wa nafasi ya urais kwa tiketi ya CCM,Jakaya Kikwete,anashinda kwa gharama yoyote ile.Na kutokana na utajiri mkubwa alionao pamoja na mbinu zake mbalimbali,mchango wake ulimsaidia sana Kikwete kuingia Ikulu,na sasa ni Rais wetu anayeomba tena ridhaa ya kutuongoza kwa miaka mitano ijayo.

Kati ya mwaka 2005 (baada ya Kikwete kuingia Ikulu) na sasa,Rostam ameibuka kuwa kiumbe mwenye nguvu za kutisha sio tu ndani ya CCM bali kwenye siasa za Tanzania kwa ujumla.Lakini kubwa zaidi katika kipindi hicho ni kwa mfanyabiashara huyo kuhusishwa na tuhuma mbalimbali za ufisadi na Kikwete na serikali yake kushindwa kuwaridhisha Watanzania kwamba "hamkumbatii swahiba wake huyo".Haihitaji kurejea namna Rostam alivyohusishwa na ufisadi wa EPA (Kagoda) na ujambazi wa Richmond.

Jakaya Kikwete

Mwaka 2010,yaani mwaka huu,Rostam anaelekea kurejea tena ulingoni japo si kwa wazi sana.Ushahidi wa kimazingira unaonyesha kuhusika kwa mfanyabiashara huyo katika kampeni za Kikwete.Vyombo vya habari vinavyomilikiwa na Rostam vimekuwa vikiendesha kampeni ya chuki dhidi ya mgombea urais kwa tiketi ya Chadema,Dokta Wilbroad Slaa,mwanasiasa anayeonekana kuwa  tishio kwa mfanyabiashara huyo na vitendo vyake dhidi ya maslahi ya taifa.

Magazeti yanayomilikiwa na Rostam

Na kama hilo la vyombo vya habari vya Rostam kumuandama Dkt Slaa halitoi mwangaza wa kutosha basi taarifa kwamba mwandishi mwandamizi wa kampuni ya Habari Corporation (inayomilikiwa na Rostam),Muhingo Rweyemamu,anatajwa kuwa mratibu wa kampeni za Kikwete.Itakumbukwa kuwa mwaka 2005,waliokuwa waandishi waandamizi wa Habari Corporation,Salva Rweyemamu na Dokta Gideon Shoo walitumika sana kwenye kampeni hizo.Baada ya kuingia Ikulu,Kikwete "alimzawadia" Salva ukurugenzi wa habari wa Ikulu,nafasi anayoshikilia hadi sasa.

Muhingo Rweyemamu

Kama alivyo Salva,Muhingo anasifika kwa uwezo wake wa hali ya juu wa kujenga hoja.Kwa bahati mbaya au makusudi,uwezo huo pia unatumika ipasavyo kutengeneza fitna.Wengi watakumbuka namna Dokta Salim Ahmed Salim,mmoja wa wana-CCM waliokuwa wanawania kuchuana na Kikwete,alivyoundiwa zengwe kubwa na kumhusisha na kundi la Hizbu la huko Zanzibar.Inaelekea kuwa mbinu hizohizo zimeanza kutumika dhidi ya Dokta Slaa,na kuna kila sababu ya kuamini kuwa kuna mengi yatakayoibuliwa dhidi yake.

Salva Rweyemamu  (kushoto) na Gideon Shoo

Yayumkinika kuamini kuwa waandishi wa habari wanaotumiwa kumchafua Dokta Slaa na Chadema kwa ujumla wanafanya hivyo kwa minajili ya "kupeleka mkono kinywani".Kubwa zaidi ni sapoti ya Rostam kwa Kikwete.Wakati mwaka 2005 alijibidiisha ili kufanikisha maslahi yake binafsi ya kibiashara (na amenufaika kweli-kwa kuangalia ishu za Kagoda na Richmond/Dowans) safari hii Rostam anahaha kumzuia Dokta Slaa kwa vile anafahamu fika kwamba laiti mwanasiasa huyo wa Chadema anayesifika kwa msimamo wake mkali dhidi ya ufisadi akiingia Ikulu,zama za mafisadi kutumia jeuri yao ya fedha "kuendesha serikali kwa remote control" itakuwa imefikia kikomo.

Kwahiyo,Dokta Slaa na Chadema kwa ujumla wanapaswa kuelewa kuwa safari hii Rostam ana "special mission" ya kuhakikisha "survival (kusalimika) yake.Atatumia kila raslimali aliyonayo kuhakikisha Dokta Slaa haingii Ikulu.Anafanya hivyo akifahamu wazi kuwa rais yeyote mwenye kujali maslahi ya nchi yake "atamkalia kooni" mfanyabisahara huyo na washirika wake.

Hata hivyo,kwa vile si fedha za Rostam au wanahabari wake zitakazopiga kura kwenye uchaguzi mkuu,bali mimi na wewe pamoja na kila Mtanzania aliyechoshwa kuona nchi yetu ikigeuzwa "shamba la bibi",ni muhimu kwa wapiga kura kusema HAPANA.Tusitoe fursa kwa watu wenye maslahi binafsi kuipeleka nchi yetu kwenye maangamizi.Na ni muhimu zaidi kutambua kuwa baadhi ya watu hao wana utata wa kutosha tu kuhusu asili ya mahali walipozaliwa.Hiyo inamaanisha kuwa "wakishaiingiza Tanzania kwenye mtaro",watakuwa na sehemu ya kukimbilia.

KILA MTANZANIA MWENYE KUITAKIA MEMA NCHI YETU ANAPASWA KUPAMBANA NA WAHUNI WA KISIASA WANAOTAKA KUTUWEKEA MADARAKANI VIONGOZI WANAOWAMUDU NA HIVYO KUENDELEA KUTUFISADI KAMA ILIVYOKUWA KATIKA KIPINDI CHA MIAKA MITANO ILIYOPITA.

INAWEZEKANA,TIMIZA WAJIBU WAKO

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Uchaguzi Usio Huru na Haki: Magari ya Serikali Yatumika Kampeni za CCM

Na Frederick Katulanda, Mwanza na Sadick Mtuly

LICHA ya sheria na kanuni za Uchaguzi kuzuia matumizi ya magari ya serikali, msafara wa mgombea urais wa CCM Jakaya Kikwete umetumia magari kadhaa ya serikali katika mikoa ya Mwanza, Geita na Kagera.

Mbali na magari hayo, wakuu wa wilaya waliokuwa wameshiriki msafara wa mwenyekiti huyo wa CCM, walitumia magari yao ya kazi yakiwa yamewekwa namba binafsi huku wakivalia sare za chama hicho.

Ukiondoa magari maalumu ya walinzi wa mgombea huyo ambaye pia ni rais, magari mengine ya wakuu wa wilaya na wakuu wa idara mbalimbali za serikali, yalitumika na kuwekwa namba binafsi.

Kwa mujibu wa habari tulizozipata kutoka vyanzo vyetu zinaeleza kuwa hivi sasa Ikulu ya Dar es Salaam ina upungufu kwa kuwa wafanyakazi wa Ikulu hasa madereva pamoja na wapishi na wagawa vinywaji (waandazi), wanatumika katika kampeni za Rais Kikwete.

Wapishi na waandazi hao wamepelekwa mikoani kulingana na ziara za kampeni.

“Cha ajabu ni kuwa baadhi ya wafanyakazi wa Ikulu hasa madereva, wapishi na waandazi wanatumika katika kampeni za CCM kupitia Rais Kikwete.

“Wamegawanywa katika mikoa tofauti kulingana na ratiba za ziara za kampeni za rais,’’ kilisema chanzo chetu.

Juzi jijini Mwanza Mkuu wa wilaya Ilemela, Serenge Mrengo ambaye alifika majira ya saa 4:35 asubuhi uwanja wa ndege na gari lenye namba za STK 3551 huku wote wawili na dereva wake wakiwa wamevalia sare za CCM, lakini baada ya kusalimiana na viongozi wenzake, aliondoka.

Akiwa wilayani Geita, Mkuu wa wilaya hiyo Philemon Shelutete alitumia gari lake la serikali ambalo lilikuwa limebandikwa namba T 804 BCZ huku akiwa amevalia sare za CCM. Pia gari la Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Halmashauri ya Wilaya ya Geita Benson Katala lilitolewa namba za serikali na kubandikwa namba T 180 BKW.

Mkuu wa mkoa wa Mwanza Abbas Kandoro alitetea hatua hiyo akisema sio kosa kwa kuwa Kikwete bado ni rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzanania.

Kandoro, alikiri kutumika kwa magari hayo ya serikali na kusema kuwa viongozi hao waliyatumia kumpokea na baadhi yao waliambatana naye katika ziara hiyo kwa kuwa mbali na kuwa mgombea wa CCM pia anayo hadhi ya urais.

“Huyu ni Rais, amekuja kama kiongozi licha ya kwamba anagombea, bado hajavuliwa urais, sasa ma-DC walikuja kama viongozi wa serikali kumpokea rais. Kama kuna mkuu wa wilaya alivaa shati la CCM alivaa kwa sababu ya mapenzi yake kwa chama,” alifafanua Kandoro ambaye alitumia gari binafsi la kiongozi mmoja wa CCM Kanda ya Ziwa.

"Makosa ni kiongozi wa serikali kufanya kazi za chama na sioni kama kuna kiongozi wa serikali ambaye alifanya kazi za chama,"alisema

Msafara wa Kikwete kuambatana na magari ya serikali haukuishia Mwanza na Geita pekee bali pia hata mkoani Kagera ambako magari mengi yalikuwa na namba za STK.

Katika hatua nyingine, uongozi wa Hospitali ya Rufaa ya Bugando umetoa ufafanuzi kwamba uamuzi wake wa kutoa gari la kubebea wagonjwa katika msafara wa mgombea urais wa CCM kuhakikisha usalama wa mgombea huyo.

Mkurugenzi wa Hospitali hiyo, Dk Charles Majinge alisema kwa kawaida jukumu la kutoa magari huwa lipo mikononi mwa uongozi wa mkoa ambao uliomba gari kwao na wao waliamua kutoa gari hilo la wagonjwa namba T 848 AWN.

“Sisi hatutoi ambulance kwa wagombea, ila tulitoa kwa Kikwete kutokana na kuwa ni kiongozi wa nchi. Kutoa magari huwa ni kazi ya uongozi wa mkoa, lakini sisi kama watalaamu wa matibabu tulichukua tahadhari na kuweka gari hilo,” alieleza Dk Majinge.

Alisema kwa vile akiwa jijini Mwanza aliwahi kuanguka, basi waliamua kuchukua tahadhari kuepuka kukosa huduma haraka iwapo jambo hilo lingejirudia akiwa mbali na hospitali ya rufaa.

Akizungumzia gari hilo, Kandoro alisema uwapo wake ni utaratibu wa kawaida katika misafara ya viongozi wa serikali.

“Huu ni utaratibu wa kawaida katika misafara ya viongozi, tumetoa kama utaratibu wa kawaida….unajua huyu ni kiongozi wa nchi, sasa unataka wakija na wagombea wengine wa upinzani nao tuwapatie magari ya wagonjwa, wao ni akina nani?” alieleza na kuhoji Kandoro ambaye pia aligombea kura za maoni kuwania kuteuliwa na CCM kuwa mgombea ubunge Jimbo la Kalenga na kushindwa.

Akizungumza kwa sharti la kutotaja jina gazetini mmoja wa viongozi ambao walikuwa wakishughulika na kuratibu msafara huo alieleza kuwa gari hilo la wagonjwa ni lile ambalo lilitolewa na serikali ya Ujerumani chini ya ushirikiano wa Jiji la Mwanza na Wurzburg.

“Gari hili liliandaliwa kutokana na maofisa wa usalama kuliomba na hili agizo limetolewa katika mikoa yote ambako atafika, kwani katika kampeni anakuwa amekwenda hadi katika wilaya ambazo haina hospitali na ikitokea dharura akimbizwe haraka hospitali huku akiendelea kupatiwa matibabu” alieleza kiongozi huyo wa chama.

Hata hivyo, alisema gari hilo wao kama chama hawakuambiwa wala kuelekezwa kulilipia kwa vile ofisi ya mkoa ilisema watachukua wao katika hospitali ya Bugando, baada ya kuwasiliana na ofisi ya mganga mkuu wa mkoa.

CHANZO: Mwananchi

USHAURI: Imefika wakati sasa kukomesha uhuni huu wa CCM dhidi ya Watanzania hususan wale wasio wanachama wa chama hicho tawala.Matumizi yoyote ya mali za umma zinazogharamiwa na walipakodi pasipo kujali itikadi za vyama zao ni ubadhirifu wa wazi.Haitowezekana kuwa na uchaguzi huru na wa haki iwapo raslimali za taifa zinatumika kwa manufaa ya chama tawala,tena pasipo ridhaa ya walipakodi.Wito wa blogu hii kwa kila mpenda haki na usawa ni kuuweka wazi uhuni huu kwa dunia ili ifahamike mapema kuwa CCM inatengeneza mazingira ya kuhujumu uchaguzi mkuu ujao.

TUSIPOZIBA UFA TUTAJENGA UKUTA

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Hongera MUBELWA BANDIO na Happy Birthday Blogu ya CHANGAMOTO YETU

Hongera nyingi kwako Mzee wa Changamoto Yetu kwa blogu yako kutimiza umri wa miaka miwili.Ama kwa hakika blogu yako ni miongoni mwa sehemu zinazofanya kuweko mtandaoni kuwa ni jambo la muhimu katika maisha yetu ya kila siku.Hekima na filosofia zako zinaamsha tafakuru kubwa,huku ukihakikisha tunamwayamwaya na burudani ya miziki mbalimbali.Kwa hakika,Changamoto Yetu ni miongoni mwa sababu zinazonifanya niendelee kupenda fani ya kublogu.

Kila andiko lililowekwa kwenye blogu yako katka kipindi hiki cha miaka miwili kimekuwa na manufaa makubwa kwa jamii.Ni dhahiri kuwa kila unapoandaa andiko la kuweka bloguni hapo unakuwa na picha ya sie wasomaji wako akilini na hivyo kufahamu maswali,kiu,mshawasha,na matamanio au mahitaji yetu mengine.

Kukupa sifa unazostahili inahitaji chapisho kubwa zaidi ya thesis ya PhD.Naomba pongezi hizi fupi ziwakilishe stahili zako zote kutokana na kazi mwanana unayoifanya kwa jamii.

Again,Hongera Sana na Happy Birthday.

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British spy found stabbed to death in his bath yards from MI6 HQ

• Body had multiple stab wounds and was decomposing
• Flat owned by private company called New Rodina, which means 'motherland' in Russian
• Acting PM Clegg to be briefed on spy's death today
• Dead man was employed at govt 'listening post'

This is the first picture of the murdered British spy who detectives have said could have been killed up to two weeks ago.The body of Gareth Williams, 31, was discovered stuffed in a large sports bag in his bath in a flat just a few hundred yards from the headquarters of MI6.It is understood Mr Williams had been stabbed, possibly several times, and his body was decomposing when it was found.

MI6 Headquarters

Elsewhere in the top-floor flat - in a bizarre ritualistic scene - his mobile telephone and a collection of SIM cards were carefully laid out.Scotland Yard has launched a murder inquiry into the grim find in Pimlico, Central London. Detectives have told local residents today that the murder may have taken place two weeks ago.

Mr Williams was employed as a communications officer at the Government's ' listening post' - better known as GCHQ in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.But it is thought he was on secondment to the headquarters at MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, near the flat.MI6 gathers secret information about Britain's overseas enemies, making the spy a possible target of terrorists

Mr Williams was employed as a communications officer at the Government's ' listening post' - better known as GCHQ (pictured) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Mr Williams was described by neighbours as mild-mannered and a keen cyclist. He joined the University of Cambridge in 2000 to undertake a postgraduate certificate in advanced studies in mathematics but dropped out.

'I'm told the man lived at the top-floor flat but we haven't ever seen him. It's not like you'd tell your neighbours if you were a spy'

A spokeswoman said he was a member of St Catharine's College but left without completing the qualification the next year.The course is described as 'demanding' and normally only accepts students with first-class degrees in physics, mathematics or engineering.He lived in a street where houses sell for more than £1million, and it has been cordoned off at both ends since Monday night. Access is being granted only to residents.

The street remained cordoned off this morning and police officers stood outside No 36, which is divided into three flats.Land Registry documents revealed the block at number 36 is owned by a private company, New Rodina.Its details are hidden because it is registered in the British Virgin Islands and is not listed with Companies House.The word rodina means 'motherland' in Russian and Bulgarian.The property was bought for £675,250 in 2000 with a mortgage from the Royal Bank of Scotland and has been remortgaged twice, in September 2005 and February 2006.

The documents revealed the owner operated through a law firm known as Park Nelson. The firm once occupied a rented office block in Bell Yard, off Fleet Street, but no longer appears to exist.Curtains were drawn in the top-floor flat, where it was believed the attack took place.Public documents revealed that several current and former residents of the freehold block have links to London and Cheltenham.

Police continued to scour the two-floor flat for evidence today and cordons remained in place on the prestigious street where two former home secretaries live.Ex-Tory leader Michael Howard and Sir Leon Brittan are among a host of politicians and bankers who have homes there, residents said.Mr Howard, who lives several doors down the road, was at home when the body was taken away by forensic officers, one resident, Andy Perkins, said.Neighbour Laura Houghton said Mr Williams was an 'extremely friendly' man.The 30-year-old secretary said: 'I have spoken to him only once. I met him in the entrance hall of the set of flats because of a boring plant issue about a year ago.

'He was extremely friendly and had a Welsh accent.'

She said he had an athletic build, and added: 'He was not especially tall. He had medium to short brown hair.'

Mrs Houghton added: 'His windows were always shut and curtains were often closed. I could never tell if anyone was in.

'It was strange that we never saw him come and go. I just assumed he worked away.

'The first I heard of anything happening was when the police knocked on my door and asked me if I had heard anything happening. I told them the walls were so thick that I couldn't hear a thing.

'All they told me was that there had been a serious incident. I'm amazed it's taken this long to all come out.'

A landlady who rented Mr Williams a flat in Cheltenham, said: 'He was polite and mild-mannered and wouldn't hurt a fly. He was forever off on bike rides but never really had friends around.

'Sometimes you could hear tapes whirring from his flat. It must have been audio cassettes he used for work. He never told me what they were.'

Eileen Booth, 73, who lives opposite, said detectives told her the murder may have taken place two weeks ago.She said: 'A few years ago, I would definitely have known who it was that had been killed.

'Detectives came round and asked for our eye colour and height. They said this probably happened two weeks ago.'

Rob Mills, 35, who lives two doors away, said today: 'We've got two children - it's shocking.

'I'm told the man lived at the top-floor flat but we haven't ever seen him. It's not like you'd tell your neighbours if you were a spy.'

Jason Hollands, 41, a City worker, who also lives nearby, said: 'It's truly gruesome - this is a very mixed area of bankers and politicians. I've spoken to the next-door neighbour, who knew nothing.'

The one bedroom flat in Cheltenham where Gareth Williams also lived

The case is being investigated by officers from the Murder Squad with assistance from their counter-terrorist and security service colleagues. No arrests have been made.Forensic teams are continuing to search for clues at the five-storey terraced townhouse.A Met Police spokesman said: 'Officers were called to reports of a suspicious death at 4.40pm on Monday. They attended a top floor flat in Alderney Street and gained entry and found the body of a man in his 30s.'

One resident said: 'My neighbours said it was a stabbing.It sounds like it was really gruesome.'

 Scotland Yard said no cause of death was known. A post-mortem examination is due today.

A Downing Street spokesman refused to comment, saying: 'Any potential case is a matter for the police.' Details of the incident will be contained in the Prime Minister's intelligence briefing which will be handed to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today. David Cameron is also expected to be kept abreast of developments.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'There is an ongoing police investigation.

'It is long-standing Government policy not to confirm or deny that any individual works for the intelligence agencies.'

Patrick Mercer, former chairman of the Commons counter-terrorism subcommittee, said: 'This underlines the danger that our outstanding security services have to face on a minute-by-minute basis every single day.'

The last spy to have been killed on British soil was former Russian Federal Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko in November 2006. He was poisoned with polonium-210.

Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov was killed by an assassin who used an umbrella to fire a ricin pellet into his leg as he crossed Waterloo Bridge in September 1978.A spokesman said the body was yet to be formally identified.A post-mortem examination is due to take place today.

SOURCE: Daily Mail

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Luol Deng: Southern Sudan's Most Famous Refugee Returns Home

CLICK HERE to watch BBC News clip about Luol's first visit to Southern Sudan (August 25,2010).

By Tim Franks
BBC News

Luol Deng is getting drenched. While most sports stars spend their off-season on the beach, Britain's NBA superstar is soaking up a Southern Sudanese wet-season deluge.

There is a solemn ritual to it. A United Nations Refugee Agency official hands him an umbrella. Luol accepts it, waits a few seconds, quietly walks over to a line of dripping schoolchildren and then hands it over. The children gaze up, and up and up, smile, and take shelter.

Luol ambles back to the centre of the muddy field, where the welcoming ceremony continues. Within a minute, as his XXXL t-shirt turns ever darker with rain, a further umbrella is proffered, only to end up in the hands of another teenager.

Now that southern Sudan's most celebrated refugee has at last returned home for the first time in 20 years, columns of children run through their sweetly drilled routine. "Welcome, welcome," they sing. "We are happy to see Luol Deng today". As they sing, they march in lilting step.

LUOL DENG - THE FACTS

Born: 1985

Discipline: Basketball

Career highlights: 2004-05 NBA All-rookie first team and 2007 NBA Sportsmanship award

Luol Deng does not seek the attention. Great Britain's best basketball player is on a six-year $71m minimum contract with the Chicago Bulls, is lionised by President Barack Obama and counts Michael Jordan as a friend.

But he also knows that his story - a child who, at the age of five, became a refugee - is rather ordinary here. Yes, he had to flee the civil war, which was in the process of killing two million people. But he was lucky enough to be able to escape with the rest of his family and end up in Britain, where the Dengs were granted asylum.

So Luol has been cautious, almost to the point of prickliness, about being feted for his first return to Sudan. But now he has been handed a megaphone to address the hundreds of children surrounding him in an uneven rectangle.

He thanks them for "the best welcome I ever got in my life ... and I'm so happy that I got it from home". Then he switches gear. "If you work hard, if you listen to your teachers, listen to your parents," he tells them, wheeling round to address the four sides, "you could be standing here".

"Every one of you guys is capable of being somebody special. Maybe you will be the president of this country and one day you gonna lead us. You gonna lead us, and we're going to have a great country."

The reference is lost on no-one. In January, Southern Sudan is due to hold a referendum on independence from Khartoum - perhaps the most significant single part of the "Comprehensive Peace Agreement" of 2005, which brought decades of civil war to an end.

The Lost Boys

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have already returned. Many, though, are staying away. Among them, are some of the vast group known as "The Lost Boys". They were children who ran, literally, as their villages were attacked. They hared off into the desert and the bush, often not knowing whether the rest of the families were alive or dead.

After years of aimless wandering, many of them ended up in Kakuma Refugee Camp, over the southern border, in Kenya. And many of those have stayed ever since.

The United Nations Refugee Agency, for whom Luol has worked in the past, has brought him and his older brother Ajou to Kakuma. On a hot morning, Luol meets about 20 "Lost Boys" under the shade of a broad tree, within the camp. He speaks to most of them in Dinka, painstakingly translating for us.

"They came to the village and burned the houses," Luol explains, as Angelo talks to him in a flat, quiet voice. "He just got up and ran, ran for his life. He was 12. He left with nobody. He went to the jungle. Then he went to Ethiopia. He got here in '92. He has no people back in Sudan. So he's going to stay here."

Building the future

Southern Sudan has a further problem. It still has some of the worst levels of development in the world. Information is scratchy, but recent relief agency figures have given the region the highest mortality rate in the world for women in childbirth. One in five children die before their fifth birthday.

For that reason, Luol Deng is far more than a tourist. Several hundred kilometres to the west of the capital Juba, deep in the bush, is Udici Basic School, which was laid waste during the war. Now the Luol Deng Foundation has helped to reconstruct some of the school buildings.

Another welcoming ceremony ensues, with wildly foot-stamping dances, and an elegant older woman ululating. Next to the brickwork are the small, mud huts, where some of the pupils and their families live. They make the bare walls and metal desks of the nearby classrooms appear all the more impressive.

Luol reflects quietly on the scale of the challenge: "The school still has a lot of things to be done. Hopefully we will continue to fund the school and do things slowly."

Duck and cower

A bumpy, 75-minute drive from Udici Basic School, lies another, rather more trivial sign of Sudan's lack of development. At a junction in the city of Wau stands Southern Sudan's single set of functioning traffic lights.

Luol, though, has not come to Wau for the thrill of waiting dutifully at this unique red light. Wau holds another significance on his journey.

It's like an angel coming through your house. He's gone through the same struggles we've been through. 

It is where the Dengs lived before the violence of the civil war forced them to flee. "This was my mum's bedroom," recalls Ajou, Luol's older brother, pushing open the stiff door of the room where Luol was born. "There was a hill outside, where there were fights. We used to duck under the bed. And then when you came outside you could see the bullets. That was when we were ready to move and get out of here."

'Not a fool'

Now that he has returned, albeit for only a few days, Luol is attempting to suck every last drop from his time in Southern Sudan. It is that which brought him, late on a Saturday night, into the "recording studio" of the Southern Sudanese Artists' Union.

Luol has folded his 205cm frame onto a plastic chair in the corner of the tiny, sweltering shack. Before him, six young musicians jam.

They sing first about the forthcoming referendum and then, clapping and grinning, they launch into an a cappella panegyric to their guest. "Luol Deng! Luol Deng! He plays for Chicago Bulls, and he goes by the rules. And he's not a fool. Luol Deng! Luol Deng!"

The leader of the group and the founder of the Artists' Union, Ras Korby, is also a refugee. He is moved by the presence of Luol. "It's like an angel coming through your house. He's gone through the same struggles we've been through. Now he's come back to think about other people who have suffered, and that's so sweet."

For the first time on the trip, a crack appears in Luol's understated composure. He confesses to feeling a little overwhelmed.

"I never been... I never been in a place where I walk in the street... " He draws breath and looks away. "I'm getting a little emotional... I never been in a place where I walk in the street and I actually feel home. You know I don't feel like a refugee."

Paying debts

That is not to say that he is ungrateful for the welcome extended to him in the USA and in Britain. Indeed, on his return from Africa, his unusual off-season continues with a series of games for Team GB, as they seek qualification for next year's EuroBasket tournament, but also for the 2012 Olympics.

As he explains: "England has done so much for me and my family, I always feel I want to give back in some way. The only way I can give back is through basketball."

And so, on a Saturday night, in Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, he plays all but the final nine seconds of the game against Ukraine. It's a tough match but deep in the fourth quarter, he breaks free. He jumps, rocks back in the air, and sinks a three-pointer.

GB are on the verge of qualifying for the European Championships

Ukraine hurtle down the other end of the court. One of their players holds the ball wide on the right. Luol is supposed to be marking another Ukrainian out on the left. He edges ever so slightly away from his opponent, as if uninterested, shyly casting his eyes floorward. It is enough to lull the Ukrainian with the ball into attempting a fast cross-court pass.

Luol snaps his body out of reverse gear, makes the interception, charges the full length of the court, and slams the ball through the Ukraine basket. He allows himself a luxurious swing from the rim.

Even if Team GB qualifies for the EuroBasket tournament, there is no guarantee from Fiba, the world governing body, that Britain will take part in the Olympics in 2012.

Fiba says that it wants to see further evidence that the sport is taken seriously in Britain. There is still the possibility that basketball will be the only sport in which Britain, as host Olympic nation, fails to appear.

There would be a hole, in 2012, should an athlete with this sort of story, and this sort of talent, be unable to compete.

.

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Ratiba ya Kampeni za CHADEMA Kwa Ajili ya Uchaguzi Mkuu 2010

Ratiba Ya Kampeni Chadema

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Ufisadi wa CCM: Mgombea wa Chadema Apewa Euro 1000 Kujitoa

Takukuru yakamata mgombea aliyejitoa

Adaiwa kuwa alishawishiwa kwa fedha

Awekwa chini ya ulinzi Makao Makuu Dar

Taasisi ya Kuzuia na Kupambana na Rushwa (Takukuru) Makao Makuu jijini Dar es Salaam, imemkamata na kumhoji aliyekuwa mgombea ubunge kwa tiketi ya Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) katika Jimbo la Musoma Vijijini, Michael Makenji, kwa tuhuma za kupokea rushwa.

Makenji anadaiwa kupokea Euro 1,000 (Sh. 1,850,000) kisha kujitoa katika kinyang’anyiro hicho.

Habari zilizolifikia gazeti hili zinaeleza kuwa Makenji alihojiwa na maofisa wa Takukuru juzi jioni kuhusiana na tuhuma hizo na kwamba hadi jana alikuwa akiendelea kushikiliwa kwa ajili ya mahojiano zaidi.

Makenji ni miongoni mwa wanachama wa Chadema waliochukua fomu za kuomba kuteuliwa kugombea katika jimbo hilo, lakini hakurejesha fomu kwa msimamizi wa uchaguzi hivyo jimbo hilo kubaki na mgombea pekee wa Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Nimrod Mkono (pichani mwenye kibandiko).

Habari zinaeleza kuwa Makenji baada ya kutorejesha fomu kwa msimamizi wa uchaguzi Jimbo la Musoma Vijijini, alikwenda katika ofisi za Makao Makuu ya Chadema jijini Dar es Salaam, lakini baadaye baadhi ya wanaChadema walimtilia shaka kutokana na mawasiliano kati yake na baadhi ya watu.

Chanzo chetu cha uhakika kimebainisha kuwa, baada ya wanaChadema kumtilia shaka, walimuweka chini ya ulinzi na kukuta taarifa mbalimbali alizokuwa anatumiana na watu hao kupitia ujumbe mfupi wa simu.Taarifa za ndani ya Chadema zinasema kwamba baada ya mgombea huyo kuhojiwa na kupekua kwenye simu yake ya mkononi, alipatikana na ujumbe kadhaa zilizoashiria kwamba kulikuwa na mkono wa mtu katika kujitoa kwenye kinyang’anyiro cha ubunge.

Miongoni mwa jumbe hizo (sms) ambazo ziko sehemu ya zilizotumwa zilisema:

“Mzee ameshanikatia tiketi ya kwenda Dar sasa muhimize amalizie kiasi kilichobaki maana hali yangu ya kiuchumi si nzuri.”

Nyingine ilisomeka: “Tumeshamaliza kama tulivyokubaliana.” Na mwingine ukisema: “Niko Makao Makuu ya Chama niko chini ya ulinzi.” Ujumbe huo ulionekana kujibiwa hivi: “Nani kakwambia uende huko watakuua. Siwezi kuja huko kukutetea.” Simu iliyotuma ujumbe huo unadaiwa ni ya kiongozi mmoja mwandamizi wa chama hicho.

Chadema baada ya kuona hali imekuwa hivyo, waliamua kuwasiliana na Takukuru na baada ya muda mfupi, maofisa wa taasisi hiyo walifika na kumchukua Makenji.Hata hivyo, Takukuru haikuwa tayari kuthibitisha tukio hilo licha ya jitihada za NIPASHE kuwatafuta maofisa wake tangu juzi jioni.

Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Takukuru, Dk. Edward Hoseah, juzi jioni alisema alikuwa katika mkutano mjini Arusha na kuahidi kuwa angepiga simu baadaye kutoa ufafanuzi. Hata hivyo, hadi tunakwenda mitamboni hakufanya hivyo.

Ofisa Uhusiano wa Takukuru, Doreen Kapwaya, jana alisema kuwa maofisa wa Makao Makuu wangeweza kulizungumzia, lakini mwandishi wetu alipokwenda katika ofisi hizo, aliambiwa kuwa ofisa anayeshughulikia kesi hiyo alikuwa katika kikao.

Hata hivyo, ofisa huyo aliyetambulika kwa jina moja la Kassim, alipoulizwa baadaye jioni, alisema: “Sina comment (sina la kusema) katika hilo, labda kama ungefuata zile taratibu zetu za kila siku kwa kupitia kwa ofisa Uhusiano wetu hadi kwa Mkurugenzi Mkuu.”

Dk. Hoseah alizungumza na gazeti hili kwa njia ya simu majira ya saa 18:20 jana jioni, alisema: “Sina taarifa, kwa sasa nipo nje ya Dar es Salaam, nani amekuambia hayo.”

Uongozi wa Chadema ulipoulizwa kuhusiana na taarifa hizo, ulithibitisha kuwepo kwa tukio hilo na kueleza kwamba mtuhumiwa (Makenja) alikiri kupewa kiasi hicho cha pesa.

“Kimsingi ni kwamba Idara yetu ya Ulinzi na Usalama ilimhoji mgombea wetu na akakiri kupewa fedha hizo, tena kwa maandishi ndipo tukawasiliana na Takukuru kwa hatua zaidi…lakini tunawasiliana na mamlaka mbalimbali ili kuona hatua stahili za kumchukulia kwa sababu amekiuka kanuni na sheria za uchaguzi,” alisema Kaimu Katibu Mkuu wa Chadema, John Mnyika.

Kufuatia hali hiyo, Mnyika alisema chama hicho kimelazimika kuwaandikia barua wagombea wake ambao hawakurudisha fomu ili kujua tatizo lililokwamisha kufanya hivyo.Alisema chama kimeamua kuchukua hatua hiyo ili kubaini kama kinafanyiwa hujuma na kwamba watakaobainika kutorudisha fomu makusudi, kitawachukulia hatua kwa mujibu wa sheria za uchaguzi.

CHANZO: Nipashe

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Weapons of Mass Destruction in Tanzania?

Well,not really.But a quick look at the above picture showing members of the notorious Tanzania Police Field Force Unit (FFU)  in their anti-riot gear could mislead you into thinking they were bracing themselves for a chemical or biological attack of some sort!

Photo courtesy of Mzee wa Sumo

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