An experimental solar-powered aircraft launched on Wednesday has landed safely in Switzerland after successfully flying through the night.
The feat is a step toward the makers' aim of circling the globe using the power of the Sun to fuel the plane.
The aircraft used super-efficient solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the Sun's rays had faded.
The plane touched down at an airfield about 30 miles (50 km) from the Swiss capital Bern at 0900 (0700 GMT).
The plane landed at Payerne airport after a total flight time of 26 hours.
During the flight it reached a height of 8,700 m (28,543 ft).
Assistants rushed to stabilise the experimental aircraft as it touched down, ensuring that its huge 63m (207ft) wingspan did not scrape the ground and topple the plane.
It is the longest and highest flight recorded by a solar-powered plane.
The four-engine aircraft was steered by Andre Borschberg, a former fighter jet pilot from Switzerland.
The plane has 12,000 solar cells arranged on its wingspan which collected enough energy to power the plane for the flight.
'Perpetual flight'
Previous flights of Solar Impulse have included a brief "flea hop" and a longer airborne test earlier this year. But this week's attempt was described as a "milestone" by the team.
The designers, the Solar Impulse team led by Mr Borschberg and fellow aviator Bertrand Piccard, say that this proves that a plane can be kept in the air around the clock.
Continue reading the main story
Nothing can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight
Bertrand Piccard Solar Impulse Solar 24-hour test flight starts
"It's the first time ever that a [manned] solar airplane has flown through the night," Mr Piccard told journalists.
"That was the moment that proved the mission was successful, we made it."
The plane emerged from the darkness of night with three hours power remaining in its batteries, more than had been expected.
"Nothing can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight."
The team will now build a new, more advanced, model of the plane.
They aim to circumnavigate the globe by 2013.
BBC News
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Nigerian man arrested with bags carrying 70 dead babies
A man carrying bags containing more than 70 dead babies has been arrested in Nigeria.
He was employed by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to take the corpses to a cemetery.
The worker was allegedly trying to dump the corpses as he could not afford burial fees.
A hospital spokesman said it was co-operating with police investigations into the incident.
A BBC correspondent in Lagos says many families are too devastated to deal with the dead babies and others cannot afford morgue fees, so abandon them outside hospitals. Hospitals hire contractors to bury the corpses.
'Embarrassment'
A police preliminary investigation also led to the arrest of some workers in the Department of Morbid and Anatomy at the teaching hospital, said Lagos state police public relations officer Frank Mba.
He also said that the suspect had not intended to use the bodies in any rituals.
"We are sure that the suspect is neither a ritualist nor a murderer nor a trafficker. Other contending issues like corruption and abuse of office will be investigated," Mr Mba added.
The hospital described the incident as an embarrassment to the organisation.
The BBC's Fidelis Mbah says there's been a state of shock and disbelief among people in Lagos who cannot believe that a hospital with the magnitude of Lagos University Teaching Hospital would allow a contactor to handle that many corpses without supervision from its staff.
Source: BBC News
He was employed by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to take the corpses to a cemetery.
The worker was allegedly trying to dump the corpses as he could not afford burial fees.
A hospital spokesman said it was co-operating with police investigations into the incident.
A BBC correspondent in Lagos says many families are too devastated to deal with the dead babies and others cannot afford morgue fees, so abandon them outside hospitals. Hospitals hire contractors to bury the corpses.
'Embarrassment'
A police preliminary investigation also led to the arrest of some workers in the Department of Morbid and Anatomy at the teaching hospital, said Lagos state police public relations officer Frank Mba.
He also said that the suspect had not intended to use the bodies in any rituals.
"We are sure that the suspect is neither a ritualist nor a murderer nor a trafficker. Other contending issues like corruption and abuse of office will be investigated," Mr Mba added.
The hospital described the incident as an embarrassment to the organisation.
The BBC's Fidelis Mbah says there's been a state of shock and disbelief among people in Lagos who cannot believe that a hospital with the magnitude of Lagos University Teaching Hospital would allow a contactor to handle that many corpses without supervision from its staff.
Source: BBC News
Caster Semenya is a girl, suprised!!!
By Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg South African runner Caster Semenya leads young Ivorian athletes in training drills at a stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast Thursday, May 27, 2010
South Africa breathed a collective sigh of relief when medical experts said the country's 19-year old "golden girl", athlete Caster Semenya, was free to hit the track once more.
None could be more thrilled than the world 800m champion herself, who has endured nearly a year of media scrutiny and speculation about her gender and the future of her career.
Continue reading the main story
It's time for her to put the last 10 months behind her and begin a wonderful career of international athletics
Wilfred Daniels Caster Semenya's former coach
"I am thrilled to enter the global athletics arena once again and look forward to competing with all the disputes behind me," she said in a statement.
South Africans rallied behind Ms Semenya after news that the International Association of Athletics Federations had called for tests to verify Ms Semenya's gender before she competed in the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last August.
Amid cries of racism, the fall-out was huge and politicians from different parties pledged their support for the young girl from Limpopo Province.
The country's sports minister threatened "World War Three" should Ms Semenya be barred from competing in future games.
And she was hailed as a heroine upon her return from Germany, with people at the airport carrying placards: "Caster 100% female".
'Heartbreaking'
The mood then turned to anger as conflicting reports came out about whether Athletics South Africa (ASA) had carried out the tests in secret, without Ms Semenya's knowledge.
Former ASA president Leonard Chuene was suspended for his handling of the case after it was revealed he had in fact ordered gender verification tests before she went to Berlin.
Ms Semenya's coach, Wilfred Daniels, who resigned over the poor handling of the affair, said collective blame should be taken for the controversy.
South African athlete Caster Semenya, centre, surrounded by local children at her welcome home celebration at the Masehlong village in South Africa Caster Semenya was treated as a heroine in her home village of Masehlong
"All parties concerned should be ashamed of the manner in which this was handled right from the beginning," he told the BBC hours after Ms Semenya's all-clear announcement.
"It would be heartbreaking if procedures are not put in place by South African authorities and the IAAF to make sure the athletes concerned are not exposed to the same kind of trauma that Caster was exposed to."
Continue reading the main story
We need to ensure that the laws of the country are tightened so that the rights of people are observed and protected
Noluthando Mayende Sibiya Woman and children's minister
Many South Africans feel lessons about the importance of protecting privacy should be learned from the teenager's ordeal.
Woman and Children's Minister Noluthando Mayende Sibiya said her department would strive for this.
"The privacy of Caster was violated very, very seriously," she told the BBC.
"We need to ensure that the laws of the country are tightened so that the rights of people are observed and protected in that regard."
The minister had written a letter to the United Nations last year complaining about the "blatant disregard for Caster's human dignity".
"Nobody should be made to suffer in the way Caster was made to suffer in the past several months," she wrote.
Bitter
Ms Sibiya says it is unfortunate Ms Semenya had to wait nearly a year for the case to be cleared up.
"We hope she will continue to be an inspiration to those looking to her as an example of a young woman determined to succeed in her chosen field. I am very happy about this," she said.
Continue reading the main story
Those questions needed to be asked because I'm sure many people who watched her run were asking themselves the same question
Motlatse Motloga University student
Mr Daniels said his former star runner should at last be able to enjoy her achievement in Berlin.
"When we were in Berlin and even after our return she never had the opportunity to enjoy her great achievement," he said.
"Now it's time for her to put the last 10 months behind her and begin a wonderful career of international athletics that we hope will bring further glory to her and her country."
Other South Africans still remain bitter.
"They could have treated her with a lot more integrity and dignity," says Louise Daniels, 40, a florist in Johannesburg.
"I think it's wonderful that she can race, she has got huge talent."
Mpendulo Hashe, 30, a lab assistant, agrees.
"Clearing her to compete is the least that could be done, she was treated unfairly," he says.
"But let's forget about all of that and wish her all the best."
Others feel that the IAAF was justified in asking questions.
"If the tests showed that she has male hormones - then yes that does give her an unfair advantage," says Motlatse Motloga, a 20-year-old university student.
"I'm glad that she is competing because it's what she loves but those questions needed to be asked because I'm sure many people who watched her run were asking themselves the same question."
Another student, Pathuxolo Manana, 22, says he does not believe Ms Semenya was mistreated or had her rights "violated".
"This has happened in the past to other athletes.
"Of course if could have been handled better but it had to be done."
BBC News, Johannesburg South African runner Caster Semenya leads young Ivorian athletes in training drills at a stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast Thursday, May 27, 2010
South Africa breathed a collective sigh of relief when medical experts said the country's 19-year old "golden girl", athlete Caster Semenya, was free to hit the track once more.
None could be more thrilled than the world 800m champion herself, who has endured nearly a year of media scrutiny and speculation about her gender and the future of her career.
Continue reading the main story
It's time for her to put the last 10 months behind her and begin a wonderful career of international athletics
Wilfred Daniels Caster Semenya's former coach
"I am thrilled to enter the global athletics arena once again and look forward to competing with all the disputes behind me," she said in a statement.
South Africans rallied behind Ms Semenya after news that the International Association of Athletics Federations had called for tests to verify Ms Semenya's gender before she competed in the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last August.
Amid cries of racism, the fall-out was huge and politicians from different parties pledged their support for the young girl from Limpopo Province.
The country's sports minister threatened "World War Three" should Ms Semenya be barred from competing in future games.
And she was hailed as a heroine upon her return from Germany, with people at the airport carrying placards: "Caster 100% female".
'Heartbreaking'
The mood then turned to anger as conflicting reports came out about whether Athletics South Africa (ASA) had carried out the tests in secret, without Ms Semenya's knowledge.
Former ASA president Leonard Chuene was suspended for his handling of the case after it was revealed he had in fact ordered gender verification tests before she went to Berlin.
Ms Semenya's coach, Wilfred Daniels, who resigned over the poor handling of the affair, said collective blame should be taken for the controversy.
South African athlete Caster Semenya, centre, surrounded by local children at her welcome home celebration at the Masehlong village in South Africa Caster Semenya was treated as a heroine in her home village of Masehlong
"All parties concerned should be ashamed of the manner in which this was handled right from the beginning," he told the BBC hours after Ms Semenya's all-clear announcement.
"It would be heartbreaking if procedures are not put in place by South African authorities and the IAAF to make sure the athletes concerned are not exposed to the same kind of trauma that Caster was exposed to."
Continue reading the main story
We need to ensure that the laws of the country are tightened so that the rights of people are observed and protected
Noluthando Mayende Sibiya Woman and children's minister
Many South Africans feel lessons about the importance of protecting privacy should be learned from the teenager's ordeal.
Woman and Children's Minister Noluthando Mayende Sibiya said her department would strive for this.
"The privacy of Caster was violated very, very seriously," she told the BBC.
"We need to ensure that the laws of the country are tightened so that the rights of people are observed and protected in that regard."
The minister had written a letter to the United Nations last year complaining about the "blatant disregard for Caster's human dignity".
"Nobody should be made to suffer in the way Caster was made to suffer in the past several months," she wrote.
Bitter
Ms Sibiya says it is unfortunate Ms Semenya had to wait nearly a year for the case to be cleared up.
"We hope she will continue to be an inspiration to those looking to her as an example of a young woman determined to succeed in her chosen field. I am very happy about this," she said.
Continue reading the main story
Those questions needed to be asked because I'm sure many people who watched her run were asking themselves the same question
Motlatse Motloga University student
Mr Daniels said his former star runner should at last be able to enjoy her achievement in Berlin.
"When we were in Berlin and even after our return she never had the opportunity to enjoy her great achievement," he said.
"Now it's time for her to put the last 10 months behind her and begin a wonderful career of international athletics that we hope will bring further glory to her and her country."
Other South Africans still remain bitter.
"They could have treated her with a lot more integrity and dignity," says Louise Daniels, 40, a florist in Johannesburg.
"I think it's wonderful that she can race, she has got huge talent."
Mpendulo Hashe, 30, a lab assistant, agrees.
"Clearing her to compete is the least that could be done, she was treated unfairly," he says.
"But let's forget about all of that and wish her all the best."
Others feel that the IAAF was justified in asking questions.
"If the tests showed that she has male hormones - then yes that does give her an unfair advantage," says Motlatse Motloga, a 20-year-old university student.
"I'm glad that she is competing because it's what she loves but those questions needed to be asked because I'm sure many people who watched her run were asking themselves the same question."
Another student, Pathuxolo Manana, 22, says he does not believe Ms Semenya was mistreated or had her rights "violated".
"This has happened in the past to other athletes.
"Of course if could have been handled better but it had to be done."
BP must give answers on oil well, US government says
BP has been given 24 hours to answer questions on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, says the US government's incident commander.
Adm Thad Allen sent a letter to the oil giant's managing director Bob Dudley saying the company must hand over "detailed plans and timelines" on stopping the leak.
The information is needed before BP is allowed to change caps on the oil well.
Switching caps would allow more oil to be captured.
The new cap on the well will have a more secure seal, with BP also connecting a third containment ship to capture more oil.
But while the caps are being changed the rate oil is spilling out will increase.
If the third containment ship, the Helix Producer, has not been connected when the change of caps is made, there will only be one vessel capturing oil.
BP's latest moves are also part of efforts to create a system for tackling the leak that is prepared for potential hurricanes.
The US National Hurricane Center issued a warning on Wednesday about a tropical depression which has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical storms could disrupt efforts to contain oil which has been leaking from the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig since April.
'Ahead of schedule'
BP says its operation to drill a relief well to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil leak is "slightly ahead of schedule". Adm Allen confirmed this during a press conference on Thursday.
Crews expect to reach the Deepwater Horizon well roughly 18,000ft (5,500m) below sea level and drill into its casing in seven to ten days.
But crews won't know how much time it will take to stop the leak until they reach the well.
Adm Allen said if the oil is leaking out through different parts of the well, it would likely take until the middle of August to stop the gushing oil with mud and cement.
"If you have to exhaust all means for the ways that hydrocarbons are coming up the pipe, then that puts you into middle August," he said.
Adm Allen then added if the oil is only travelling up the well's central casing, BP may be able to stop the flow sooner.
Source: BBC News
Adm Thad Allen sent a letter to the oil giant's managing director Bob Dudley saying the company must hand over "detailed plans and timelines" on stopping the leak.
The information is needed before BP is allowed to change caps on the oil well.
Switching caps would allow more oil to be captured.
The new cap on the well will have a more secure seal, with BP also connecting a third containment ship to capture more oil.
But while the caps are being changed the rate oil is spilling out will increase.
If the third containment ship, the Helix Producer, has not been connected when the change of caps is made, there will only be one vessel capturing oil.
BP's latest moves are also part of efforts to create a system for tackling the leak that is prepared for potential hurricanes.
The US National Hurricane Center issued a warning on Wednesday about a tropical depression which has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical storms could disrupt efforts to contain oil which has been leaking from the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig since April.
'Ahead of schedule'
BP says its operation to drill a relief well to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil leak is "slightly ahead of schedule". Adm Allen confirmed this during a press conference on Thursday.
Crews expect to reach the Deepwater Horizon well roughly 18,000ft (5,500m) below sea level and drill into its casing in seven to ten days.
But crews won't know how much time it will take to stop the leak until they reach the well.
Adm Allen said if the oil is leaking out through different parts of the well, it would likely take until the middle of August to stop the gushing oil with mud and cement.
"If you have to exhaust all means for the ways that hydrocarbons are coming up the pipe, then that puts you into middle August," he said.
Adm Allen then added if the oil is only travelling up the well's central casing, BP may be able to stop the flow sooner.
Source: BBC News
Russia spies plead guilty in US
Ten people accused of espionage for Russia have pleaded guilty in a New York court to spying for a foreign country.
Correspondents suggest the guilty plea may facilitate a Cold War-style prisoner exchange.
The mother of suspect Anna Chapman has said she expects her to fly home to Russia on Friday.
Neither US nor Russian officials confirmed or denied that assertion.
The 10 pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign country".
It was unclear how nine of them would plead to a separate charge of money-laundering.
It is the first time the 10 are appearing in public together since they were arrested last week.
Suggestions of a prisoner swap have emerged in Russia, where the family of a man jailed by Russia for espionage told the BBC he has had to confess in order to be included.
Igor Sutyagin has been transferred from an Arctic prison camp to a Moscow jail.
After being moved from a prison camp in the far north of Russia to a jail in Moscow this week, he told his family he would be flown to Vienna on Thursday and released as part of a deal between the US and Russian governments.
Continue reading the main story
A condition of any swap should be that Russia admits these people were indeed planted in the US
Coleman Nee, MA, USA Send your comments
Earlier, Sutyagin's lawyer was quoted by Russian media as saying he had arrived in the Austrian capital, but his father Vyacheslav denied the reports.
"This is all speculation, don't take it seriously," he told the BBC.
Austrian officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
'Resolution'
The BBC's Madeleine Morris, outside the federal court in New York, says this is the first time the 10 men and women accused of being unlawful agents for Russia are appearing in court together since they were arrested.
After being told of the charges against them they will be able to enter a plea.
EAST-WEST PRISONER SWAPS
Continue reading the main story
* 1962: KGB Colonel Rudolf Abel freed by US in exchange for Gary Powers, pilot of a U-2 spy plane shot down over the USSR in 1960
* 1969: UK frees Soviet agents Peter and Helen Kroger for Gerald Brooke, jailed for spying in USSR
* 1981: Guenter Guillaume, agent for East Germany's Stasi, exchanged for Western agents
* 1985: US agents held in Eastern Europe handed over in return for a top Polish agent, Marian Zacharski, and three others held in West
* 1986: Soviet dissident Anatoly Sharansky and three Western agents swapped for KGB husband-and-wife spies Karl and Hana Koecher and two other agents
Who is on the 'spy-swap' list?
A federal indictment against them, along with an 11th suspect who went missing after being released on bail in Cyprus, was unsealed on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say the accused posed as ordinary citizens, some living together as couples for years, and were ordered by Russia's External Intelligence Service (SVR) to infiltrate policymaking circles and collect information.
Our correspondent says speculation is rife that they may plead guilty to at least one of the charges in order to facilitate any possible prisoner exchange.
Lawyers for some of the accused have added to that speculation saying the matter could be fully resolved "one way or another" by the end of the day, she adds.
'List of names'
News of Igor Sutyagin's release was broken by his lawyer in Moscow, Anna Stavitskaya, who quoted the prisoner's father.
Igor Sutyagin (2004 picture) Igor Sutyagin was convicted of spying for the CIA in Russia in 2004
She said Vyacheslav Sutyagin had been informed by a journalist's phone call that his son had arrived at a Vienna airport and been met "by an officer".
Ms Stavitskaya said she had not been able to confirm the news with the Russian authorities. Sutyagin was jailed in Russia in 2004 for spying for the CIA.
His brother Dmitry said Igor had been told by Russian officials that his release would be part of a spy swap, and that US officials had been present at a meeting.
Dmitry added that his brother had seen a list of about 10 Russian prisoners that the US had given Moscow that included Sergei Skripal.
Skripal is a Russian military intelligence (GRU) officer convicted of spying for the UK in 2006.
Russian newspaper Kommersant said the list included Alexander Zaporozhsky, a former employee of Russia's Foreign Intelligence who was jailed for 18 years for espionage in 2003, and Alexander Sypachev, sentenced in 2002 to eight years in jail for spying for the CIA.
It remains unclear whether the suspects held in New York are to be involved in any swap but, in a move that fuelled speculation, a top US diplomat met the Russian ambassador to Washington.
No details were given of the talks between Under-Secretary of State for political affairs William Burns, a former US ambassador to Moscow, and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, other than the fact that the issue of spies came up in the meeting, in which they also discussed Iran.
Source: BBC News
Correspondents suggest the guilty plea may facilitate a Cold War-style prisoner exchange.
The mother of suspect Anna Chapman has said she expects her to fly home to Russia on Friday.
Neither US nor Russian officials confirmed or denied that assertion.
The 10 pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign country".
It was unclear how nine of them would plead to a separate charge of money-laundering.
It is the first time the 10 are appearing in public together since they were arrested last week.
Suggestions of a prisoner swap have emerged in Russia, where the family of a man jailed by Russia for espionage told the BBC he has had to confess in order to be included.
Igor Sutyagin has been transferred from an Arctic prison camp to a Moscow jail.
After being moved from a prison camp in the far north of Russia to a jail in Moscow this week, he told his family he would be flown to Vienna on Thursday and released as part of a deal between the US and Russian governments.
Continue reading the main story
A condition of any swap should be that Russia admits these people were indeed planted in the US
Coleman Nee, MA, USA Send your comments
Earlier, Sutyagin's lawyer was quoted by Russian media as saying he had arrived in the Austrian capital, but his father Vyacheslav denied the reports.
"This is all speculation, don't take it seriously," he told the BBC.
Austrian officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
'Resolution'
The BBC's Madeleine Morris, outside the federal court in New York, says this is the first time the 10 men and women accused of being unlawful agents for Russia are appearing in court together since they were arrested.
After being told of the charges against them they will be able to enter a plea.
EAST-WEST PRISONER SWAPS
Continue reading the main story
* 1962: KGB Colonel Rudolf Abel freed by US in exchange for Gary Powers, pilot of a U-2 spy plane shot down over the USSR in 1960
* 1969: UK frees Soviet agents Peter and Helen Kroger for Gerald Brooke, jailed for spying in USSR
* 1981: Guenter Guillaume, agent for East Germany's Stasi, exchanged for Western agents
* 1985: US agents held in Eastern Europe handed over in return for a top Polish agent, Marian Zacharski, and three others held in West
* 1986: Soviet dissident Anatoly Sharansky and three Western agents swapped for KGB husband-and-wife spies Karl and Hana Koecher and two other agents
Who is on the 'spy-swap' list?
A federal indictment against them, along with an 11th suspect who went missing after being released on bail in Cyprus, was unsealed on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say the accused posed as ordinary citizens, some living together as couples for years, and were ordered by Russia's External Intelligence Service (SVR) to infiltrate policymaking circles and collect information.
Our correspondent says speculation is rife that they may plead guilty to at least one of the charges in order to facilitate any possible prisoner exchange.
Lawyers for some of the accused have added to that speculation saying the matter could be fully resolved "one way or another" by the end of the day, she adds.
'List of names'
News of Igor Sutyagin's release was broken by his lawyer in Moscow, Anna Stavitskaya, who quoted the prisoner's father.
Igor Sutyagin (2004 picture) Igor Sutyagin was convicted of spying for the CIA in Russia in 2004
She said Vyacheslav Sutyagin had been informed by a journalist's phone call that his son had arrived at a Vienna airport and been met "by an officer".
Ms Stavitskaya said she had not been able to confirm the news with the Russian authorities. Sutyagin was jailed in Russia in 2004 for spying for the CIA.
His brother Dmitry said Igor had been told by Russian officials that his release would be part of a spy swap, and that US officials had been present at a meeting.
Dmitry added that his brother had seen a list of about 10 Russian prisoners that the US had given Moscow that included Sergei Skripal.
Skripal is a Russian military intelligence (GRU) officer convicted of spying for the UK in 2006.
Russian newspaper Kommersant said the list included Alexander Zaporozhsky, a former employee of Russia's Foreign Intelligence who was jailed for 18 years for espionage in 2003, and Alexander Sypachev, sentenced in 2002 to eight years in jail for spying for the CIA.
It remains unclear whether the suspects held in New York are to be involved in any swap but, in a move that fuelled speculation, a top US diplomat met the Russian ambassador to Washington.
No details were given of the talks between Under-Secretary of State for political affairs William Burns, a former US ambassador to Moscow, and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, other than the fact that the issue of spies came up in the meeting, in which they also discussed Iran.
Source: BBC News
Hivi hili ni jibu sahihi la ajali za bararani?
Serikali imesema kuwa kwa sasa ipo kwenye mchakato wa kuboresha hospitali za mikoa kufikia kiwango cha rufaa ili ziweze kutoa huduma zitokanazo na ajali kubwa.
Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Afya na Ustawi wa Jamii, Blandina Nyoni, alitoa kauli hiyo wakati akizindua ripoti ya kuzuia ajali kwa watoto.
Nyoni alisema kuwa serikali imeamua kuboresha hospitali hizo kutokana na kwamba wagonjwa wengi wanaopata ajali kubwa husafirishwa kutoka mikoa yao kupelekwa katika Hospitali ya Taifa ya Muhimbili (MNH) katika Taasisi ya Mifupa (MOI).
Alisema hospitali za mikoa zikiboreshwa vizuri, zitakuwa zinatoa huduma bora kama zitolewazo na MNH na hatua hiyo itasaidia kupunguza mrundikano wa wagonjwa katika hospitali hizo.
Hata hivyo alisema kuwa suala hilo litasaidia kwa wagonjwa kupatiwa huduma bora kwa haraka zaidi kuliko kusubiri kusafirishwa katika mkoa mwingine kwa ajili ya matibabu.
Alisema bado kuna uhaba wa madaktari bingwa wa upasuaji wa vichwa ambapo kwa sasa serikali inawaanda wataalamu wengine kwa ajili ya kuziba pengo hilo.
“Kama mnavyoelewa suala la madaktari bingwa wa upasuaji wa vichwa wapo wachache kwa hapa nchini, nadhani hawazidi watano hivyo bado kunahitajika wataalamu wengine ambao kwa sasa wanaandaliwa,” alisema Nyoni.
Alisema kumekuwepo na ajali nyingi zitokanazo na vyombo vya barabarani ambazo zimekuwa zikitokea kwa uzembe wa madereva ambao hawafuati sheria.
Nyoni alisema kuwa zaidi ya watu 2800 hufariki dunia katika ajali za barabarani kila mwaka ambapo kwa siku ni watu sita hadi nane na anapokufa mtu mmoja zaidi ya watu10 hupata majeraha na wengine ulemavu.
Nyoni alisema serikali imeliangalia
suala hilo kwa upande wa watoto kutokana na kwamba idadi kubwa ya ajali zimekuwa zikiwaathiri watoto.
“Ajali nyingi zimekuwa ni za watoto na hivyo serikali imebidi kuangalia suala hilo kwa upande wa watoto kutokana na kwamba ni taifa la kesho hivyo tumeamua kufanya tahadhari mapema,” alisema.
Alisema changamoto inayoikabili serikali kwa sasa ni kutoa elimu kwa wananchi ili wajihadhari na ajal hizo.
Alisema madereva wa pikipiki wanaathirika zaidi kutokana na kuendesha bila kuvaa kofia.
Hata hivyo, alisema elimu hiyo pia itatolewa kwa wanafunzi ili wawe na uelewa wa jinsi ya kujikinga na ajali wakiwa wadogo.
Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa (MOI), Profesa Laurence Museru, alisema kwa sasa ajali zimeongezeka na kwamba nyingi zinatokana na usafiri wa pikipiki.
Kutoka Nipashe
Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Afya na Ustawi wa Jamii, Blandina Nyoni, alitoa kauli hiyo wakati akizindua ripoti ya kuzuia ajali kwa watoto.
Nyoni alisema kuwa serikali imeamua kuboresha hospitali hizo kutokana na kwamba wagonjwa wengi wanaopata ajali kubwa husafirishwa kutoka mikoa yao kupelekwa katika Hospitali ya Taifa ya Muhimbili (MNH) katika Taasisi ya Mifupa (MOI).
Alisema hospitali za mikoa zikiboreshwa vizuri, zitakuwa zinatoa huduma bora kama zitolewazo na MNH na hatua hiyo itasaidia kupunguza mrundikano wa wagonjwa katika hospitali hizo.
Hata hivyo alisema kuwa suala hilo litasaidia kwa wagonjwa kupatiwa huduma bora kwa haraka zaidi kuliko kusubiri kusafirishwa katika mkoa mwingine kwa ajili ya matibabu.
Alisema bado kuna uhaba wa madaktari bingwa wa upasuaji wa vichwa ambapo kwa sasa serikali inawaanda wataalamu wengine kwa ajili ya kuziba pengo hilo.
“Kama mnavyoelewa suala la madaktari bingwa wa upasuaji wa vichwa wapo wachache kwa hapa nchini, nadhani hawazidi watano hivyo bado kunahitajika wataalamu wengine ambao kwa sasa wanaandaliwa,” alisema Nyoni.
Alisema kumekuwepo na ajali nyingi zitokanazo na vyombo vya barabarani ambazo zimekuwa zikitokea kwa uzembe wa madereva ambao hawafuati sheria.
Nyoni alisema kuwa zaidi ya watu 2800 hufariki dunia katika ajali za barabarani kila mwaka ambapo kwa siku ni watu sita hadi nane na anapokufa mtu mmoja zaidi ya watu10 hupata majeraha na wengine ulemavu.
Nyoni alisema serikali imeliangalia
suala hilo kwa upande wa watoto kutokana na kwamba idadi kubwa ya ajali zimekuwa zikiwaathiri watoto.
“Ajali nyingi zimekuwa ni za watoto na hivyo serikali imebidi kuangalia suala hilo kwa upande wa watoto kutokana na kwamba ni taifa la kesho hivyo tumeamua kufanya tahadhari mapema,” alisema.
Alisema changamoto inayoikabili serikali kwa sasa ni kutoa elimu kwa wananchi ili wajihadhari na ajal hizo.
Alisema madereva wa pikipiki wanaathirika zaidi kutokana na kuendesha bila kuvaa kofia.
Hata hivyo, alisema elimu hiyo pia itatolewa kwa wanafunzi ili wawe na uelewa wa jinsi ya kujikinga na ajali wakiwa wadogo.
Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa (MOI), Profesa Laurence Museru, alisema kwa sasa ajali zimeongezeka na kwamba nyingi zinatokana na usafiri wa pikipiki.
Kutoka Nipashe
Brazil kuisamehe Tanzania deni la bilioni 332/
Brazil imesema inatafakari kuisamehe Tanzania deni la Dola za Marekani milioni 240 (Sh. bilioni 332) ambalo serikali ilikopa mwaka 1980.
Hii Imeripotiwa kwenye gazeti la Nipashe. Baada ya kusoma mkopo wenyewe ulikuwa wa kiasi gani ulipotolewa nikabaki na swali moja, hayo madeni mangine yanafananaje? Hivi kweli umasikini utakwisha kama tunakopa shilingi kumi na kurudisha laki? Serekali inabidi iwe wazi kuhusu madeni mengine yanayoikabili nchi sio kutuburuza kwenye madeni ya mikopo ya kiwenda wazimu.
Hii Imeripotiwa kwenye gazeti la Nipashe. Baada ya kusoma mkopo wenyewe ulikuwa wa kiasi gani ulipotolewa nikabaki na swali moja, hayo madeni mangine yanafananaje? Hivi kweli umasikini utakwisha kama tunakopa shilingi kumi na kurudisha laki? Serekali inabidi iwe wazi kuhusu madeni mengine yanayoikabili nchi sio kutuburuza kwenye madeni ya mikopo ya kiwenda wazimu.
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