France Avoiding Rwanda Genocide 'Responsibility'

The government says that France's decision to re-open the investigation into the death of former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana that sparked the 1994 genocide is part of a strategy to avoid culpability.

Remains and belongings of Genocide victims who were killed at Ntarama Catholic Church during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi (file photo).

Gunmen Attack Train in Mozambique

The Mozambican police has accused Renamo of attacking a coal train.

Mafia teacher dismissed!!

Education minister Joyce Ndalichako announced the dismissal of the 'mafia' teachers. In 24 hours, the Mbeya video, lasting only 30 seconds, had triggered emotional condemnation far and wide and jolted cabinet ministers, the police and Mbeya Regional authorities into swift action.

In her statement, Prof Ndalichako noted that "...the trainee teachers lost the legitimacy to continue pursuing a career in education."

That was not all. Before nightfall, two other steps had been taken - the school's head teacher, Ms Magreth Haule, had been demoted through a direct order from the Minister in the President's Office (Regional Adminsitration and Local Authorities, Mr George Simbachawene.

Tanzania: 5 Teachers Held Over Brutal Beating of Mbeya Schoolboy

Police in Mbeya Region are holding five teachers from Mbeya Day Secondary School in connection with the much-documented brutal beating of a student at the learning institution - both in print and video.

A video clip purporting to show more than three teachers brutally beating the student, including on the head and at one point kicking him and throwing him on the floor, went viral on various social networks within and outside the country.

Speaking to the 'Daily News' in a telephone interview, Mbeya Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Dhahiri Kidavashari, said the five teachers were being held as part of the ongoing investigations into the brutal beating of the student, Sebastian Chinguku from Form 3A.

"We cannot at the moment categorically say these teachers are the ones appearing in the video clip making rounds in the social media; but we believe interrogations will shed light on the matter," Mr Kidavashari explained.

The video clip shows more than three heavily set men allegedly brutally beating up the frail male student who was wearing a dark green cardigan, blue trousers and white shirt - at one point throwing him down on the concrete floor, heating his head in the process. One of the men, dressed in khaki trousers, held the boy's face down with one hand and raining heavy blows or slaps on the student's face.

The clip shows the teachers throwing the boy down several times, heating his head on the floor as they continued beating him, while in the background a female voice could be heard pleading with the men to stop beating the boy as they could badly hurt him.

The atrocity, done by the three men described as trainee teachers from different universities attached to the school, has prompted the Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba and the Mbeya Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Amos Makalla, at different times yesterday to issue statement condemning the act and directing state organs to arrest the culprits involved.

Mr Nchemba said police were interrogating the teachers and also recording a statement from Sebastian in addition to ensuring that the student gets proper medical treatment.

"I have directed state organs in Dar es Salaam to find and arrest the culprits who apparently have gone back to their respective universities," he explained.

 The three teachers, who beat up the Form 3 student according to the minister, are Frank Msigwa and John Deo, both from DUCE the constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and Sanke Gwamaka from Nyerere Memorial University (NMU) at Kivukoni, also in Dar es Salaam.

Mr Makalla said police in Mbeya Region are holding several teachers, including the school's headmaster, for interrogation and getting a statement from the student. "I want to assure the public that the police will find the trainee teachers involved in the matter so that they face the full wrath of the law," Mr Makalla vowed.

The Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, condemned the corporal punishment, explaining that her ministry did not condone such violent acts against defenceless children.

"We are not saying that children shouldn't be punished. But what those teachers did amounted to an act of violence against a child and not punishment as such.

There are regulations on caning students and on particular parts of the body," she explained, adding that she could not herself bear to watch the entire clip because of the cruelty involved in it.

She added that her ministry will continue to promote and advocate safe environment in both primary and secondary schools where pupils/ students will feel safe, stressing that such cruelty will scare children from going to school.

Preliminary investigations show that the altercation stemmed from unfinished homework in English subject that had been issued by one of the trainee teachers, Frank Msigwa.

The trainee teacher decided to punish the students who did not complete their homework, making them do pushups and kneeling, to which Sebastian said he could not do because he had a bad knee.

This angered the trainee teacher, who took the student to the staff room and with the help of his colleagues, proceeded to brutally beat up the student.

The student has not been seen in school since the incident, which took place on September 28. The trainee teachers also left at the same time and have also not been seen at the school since then.

Kenya: Chris Brown Smashes Fan's Phone in Mombasa

American music star Chris Brown has been accused of smashing one of his fan's mobile phone on the ground as she tried to take a selfie with him on arrival in the coastal town of Mombasa.

The musician was walking to his car at the Moi International Airport, when the incident occurred, sparking harsh comments on social media where Kenyans called for his deportation coming less than three months after Koffi Olomide was deported for slapping a member of his band at the JKIA, Kenya's main airport in the capital Nairobi.

"I was with my sister and we had gone to receive a guest at the airport and that is when we saw Chris Brown and I got excited and asked him if I could take a selfie with him," Brenda Sugut told journalists in Mombasa, "he did not answer me but I went ahead and followed him while trying to get the selfie and that is when he grabbed my phone and smashed it down."

Brenda said "My phone cost me Sh81,999, it's an Iphone 6."

She said the screen protector and cover were damaged during the incident that was witnessed by several onlookers as well as journalists who later interviewed her.

"I am not happy of what he did to me, he should always think twice before doing anything because what he did was not right at all," she said, "If I knew he would do that I could not have even moved closer to him."

The fan said she had planned to attend Chris Brown's show but "now I will not go, because of what he has done to me."

"We take selfies all the time with celebrities here, I don't understand why he acted that way."

There was no immediate comment from the musician's promoters or himself and it was immediately clear if the incident had been reported to police.

Kenyan Govt Urged to Ban Use of Plastic to Protect Sea Life

The Ocean Sole Foundation has revealed that once plastic is consumed by fish, it also exposes people to the risk of cancer due to the chemicals found in it.

Photo: Wachira Mwangi/Daily Nation

Volunteers at Jomo Kenyatta Public beach in Mombasa to mark the World International Coastal Clean up day.

Mozambique: Government Planning to Ban All Exports of Logs

Maputo — The Mozambican government is proposing a total ban on all exports of unprocessed logs, regardless of the tree species from which they come, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”.

The national director of forests in the Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development, Xavier Sakambuera, told the paper a bill on this matter has already been drafted and deposited with the country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.

There have been many haphazard attempts in the past to outlaw the export of logs from particular species of hardwoods, but this would be the first blanket ban on the export of all logs. As such it is bound to meet with ferocious opposition from logging interests, who are busy destroying Mozambique's forests to sell unprocessed wood to foreign buyers, often from China.

A complete ban means that forest wardens and customs inspectors will no longer have to determine what kind of trees the logs come from, since all log exports will be illegal.

Current estimates are that Mozambique is losing 220,000 hectares of forest a year. This is due not only to logging, but to the uncontrolled bush fires associated with slash and burn agriculture, and the clearing of land for building purposes.

Sakambuera said the government hopes a ban will greatly reduce illegal logging, and will create more jobs in the timber processing industry.

“There will be a modernization of technology in the timber industry”, he forecast, “which will add value to the product at all stages in the production chain”.

Sakambuera added that, with an export ban in place, the government hopes to harmonise the prices charged in marketing wood throughout the country.