FROM COAST

New South African President Jacob Zuma has promised to create half a million jobs this year in his first state of the nation address.

He said fighting poverty was his priority, a week after South Africa officially announced it was facing its worst recession in 17 years.

"We must act now to minimise the impact of this downturn on those most vulnerable," he said in Cape Town.

But he also told parliament the government had to spend wisely.

Mandela cheers

The BBC's Karen Allen in Cape Town says Mr Zuma, in power for less than a month, has had to perform a delicate balancing act to appease his unions allies, currently staging strike action, and avoid scaring off investors.

"Between now and December 2009, we plan to create about 500,000 job opportunities," he told MPs.

He promised his government would create a further four million jobs by 2014, but did not explain how.

Mr Zuma also:

• announced an annual national holiday, Mandela Day, on 18 July, prompting cheers from the audience and a wave from the watching anti-apartheid icon himself

• promised to deliver "the best World Cup ever" when South Africa hosts the football tournament in June 2010

• promised to provide anti-retroviral HIV drugs for 80% of those in need by 2011, as part of efforts to halve the rate of new HIV infections within that period

• stuck by pledges to cut violent crime by between 7%-10% a year (in a country where 50 people are killed every day)

Mr Zuma, whose African National Congress Party (ANC) swept into power in April elections on the back of strong support from unions and the poor, cautioned against expectations of a quick fix to the financial slump.

"The economic downturn will affect the pace at which our country is able to address the social and economic challenges it faces. But it will not alter the direction of our development," he said.

Ninety-year-old Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela was in the audience

Fifteen years after the end of apartheid, about 40% of South Africans live in poverty - more than half of that number surviving on less than one dollar a day, according to government data.

Its economy shrunk by 6.4% during the first quarter of this year and almost one in four South Africans is unemployed.

Mr Zuma said a three-year 787bn rand ($98bn; £60bn) spending programme announced in this year's budget - and including funds for schools, transport, housing and sanitation - must be properly planned.

"In the face of the economic downturn, we will have to act prudently - no wastage, no rollovers of funds - every cent must be spent wisely and fruitfully," he said.

Maafisa hao walisema watafanya uchunguzi kwa makini mno, lakini walisema kazi yao wanaitekeleza katika mazingira ya hali ngumu mno.

Ndege hiyo, nambari AF 447, ilitoweka siku ya Jumatatu ilipokuwa safarini kutoka Rio nchini Brazil, ikielekea Paris, nchini Ufaransa, na ikiwa na abiria 228.

Mabaki ya ndege hiyo yameonekana kilomita 650 (maili 400) kutoka pwani ya Brazil, na wanamaji wa nchi hiyo wamekuwa wakifanya uchunguzi zaidi katika eneo hilo.

Maafisa wa Brazil na Ufaransa wamesema hakuna shaka mabaki yaliyopatikana ni ya ndege iliyotoweka.

Baadhi ya vitu vya kwanza kabisa kuonekana ni mafuta yaliyomwagika, kiti cha abiria na vinginevyo.

Bwana Obama alitarajiwa kuwa mjini Riyadh kwa muda wa saa nne kabla ya kuelekea nchini Misri, ambako atatoa hotuba muhimu mjini Cairo.

Anasema anataka kuanzisha mdahalo na waislamu , kuondosha hali ya kutoelewana na kufufua mashauriano ya amani ya mashariki ya kati.

Hii ni ziara ya kwanza ya rais Obama katika eneo hilo, mbali na kupitia Iraq muda mfupi mwezi Aprili.

Saudi Arabia ndiyo inayodhamini mpango wa kipekee wa amani kwa uhusiano kati ya nchi za kiarabu na Israel, ingawa kwa sasa hivi mazungumzo yamekwama.

Misri inahusika sana katika matatizo ya WaPalestina , kwa kuwa msuluhishi kati ya Israel na kundi la Hamas kwenye ukanda wa Gaza.

Bwana Obama alipata mapokezi ya taadhima mjini Riyadh kabla ya kufanya mazungumzo na mfalme Abdulla.

Bwana Obama hakutarajiwa kutoa taarifa yoyote mjini Riyadh, lakini lakini siku ya Alhamisi anatarajiwa kutoa hotuba katika chuo kikuu cha Cairo nchini Misri, ambayo mwandishi wa BBC anasema ni mojawapo ya hotuba muhimu sna za rais Obama kama rais wa Marekani.

Safari ya rais Obama mashariki ya kati haijumuishi Israel, lakini muda mfupi kabla ya kuondoka kuelekea Saudi Arabia alikutana na waziri wa ulinzi wa Israel Ehud Barak mjini Washington.

Akizungumza na BBC kabla ya ziara hiyo, rais Obama alisema anaamini Marekani '' itaweza kufufua tena mashauriano ya kufana'' kati ya Israel na Palestina.

Alisema ziara hiyo inakusudiwa kutoa fursa kwa Marekani na nchi za kiislamu kusikilizana zaidi.

Ziara hiyo ya mashariki ya kati imekuja huku kukiwa na taarifa zilizodaiwa kutoka kwa viongozi wa Al Qaeda, ukiwemo ujumbe ulionakiliwa kutoka kiongozi mkuu wa kundi hilo Osama Bin Laden.

Kwenye kanda hiyo iliyoonyeshwa na Televisheni ya Ki-Arabu ya al-Jazeera , Bin Laden anamlamu rais Obama na mtangulizi wake George W Bush kwa kukuza chuki dhidi ya Marekani.

Askari mmoja wa Jeshi la Wananchi Tanzania, JWTZ, mwenye cheo cha Kapteni, aliyetambuliwa kwa jina la Robert Makongoro, 31, amefariki dunia papo hapo baada ya gari alilokuwa anaendesha kugongwa na gari lingine katika barabara ya Sam Nujoma Jijini Dar es Salaam.

Kamanda wa Mkoa wa Kipolisi wa Kinondoni, Mark Kalunguyeye amesema ajali hiyo ilitokea jana mishale ya saa 10:30 jioni eneo la Super Star kwenye makutano ya barabara inayotokea Sinza Makaburini.

Amesema mwanajeshi huyo aligongwa na gari lenye namba za usajili T 792 ARX aina ya Suzuki, iliyokuwa ikiendeshwa na Joanes Kacheche, 41, akitokea Mwenge kuelekea maeneo ya Ubungo.

Kamanda Kalunguyeye amesema gari la Joanes lilipofika maeneo hayo, lilivaana na la mwanajeshi lenye namba za usajili T 715 AZX aina ya Toyota Carina lililokuwa likitokea Sinza Makaburini.

Amesema gari la mwanajeshi liligongwa upande wa dereva.

Mwili wa marehemu umehifadhiwa katika chumba cha kuhifadhia maiti cha Hospitali ya Lugalo.

Kamanda amesema Polisi wanamshikilia dereva Joanes kwa uchunguzi zaidi na endapo atabainika ana makosa hatua zaidi za kisheria zitachukuliwa.

Serikali ya Mapinduzi ya Zanzibar imeamua kuunda Tume kuchunguza chanzo cha kuzama kwa meli ya MV Fatih ikiwa na abiria na mizigo katika Bandari ya Malindi ya Zanzibar.

Meli hiyo iliyokuwa ikitokea Dar es Salaam kuja Zanzibar ilizama Ijumaa iliyopita baada ya kukumbwa na tatizo la kuingiza maji ikiwa katika mkondo wa bahari, hatua iliyosababisha mabaharia kutumia mashine kumwaga maji.

Waziri wa Nchi Afisi ya Waziri Kiongozi, Hamza Hassan Juma, aliiambia Nipashe kwamba tume hiyo itaangalia sura nzima ya tukio, hasa ubora wa chombo hicho pamoja na kupitia ripoti mbali mbali za ukaguzi wa meli hiyo.

Alisema iwapo kutabainika kwamba kuna uzembe ulikuwepo, hatua zitachukuliwa kwa wahusika kulingana na sheria.

Alisema kumejitokeza matapeli wanaodai wao ni waathirika wa ajali hiyo tangu serikali ilipotangaza itawasaidia watu walioaathirika.

Nae Katibu Mkuu Wizara ya Mawasiliano na Uchukuzi, Dk. Vuai Iddi Lila, alisema idadi ya abiria bado inaleta utata kwa vile watu waliosalimika idadi yao sasa imefikia 33 na waliokufa ni sita. Orodha ya awali ilidai kuwa abiria walikuwa 25 na mabaharia 13.

Wakati huo huo Kazi ya kuiopoa meli hiyo katika bandari ya Malindi iliendelea jana lakini hadi alasiri chombo hicho kilikuwa bado hakijaopolewa.

Mkurugenzi wa Ufundi wa Shirika la Bandari, Abdi Omar, alisema chombo cha kunyanyua vitu vizito maarufu kama ndovu, kiliharibika ghafla katika sehemu ya jenereta na kukwamisha zoezi hilo. Alisema mafundi walikuwa wanaendelea kutengeneza.

Awali Mkuu wa Jeshi la Wananchi Tanzania (JWTZ), Generali Davis Mwamnaynge na Mkuu wa Jeshi la Polisi IGP Said Mwema walitembelea eneo la tukio na kuwataka askari wa uokozi kuzidisha ushirikiano ili kuhakikisha zoezi hilo linafanikiwa.