Brecon couple speak of Indian Ocean pirate drama

A couple have spoken about how Somali pirates tried to attack their luxury cruise liner in the Indian Ocean.

Garth and Mary Evans, from near Brecon, had just sat down to dinner on the Spirit of Adventure when they were forced to take refuge in a room.

The ship was steaming between Madagascar and Zanzibar in Tanzania when it came under attack 50 miles from land in January.

But a "well prepared" liner and crew deterred the pirates, the firm said.

Somali pirates have made millions of dollars by capturing cargo vessels in the shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa and holding the ships and crew for ransom.

But stricter naval patrols in those waters have led pirates further afield.

As they have expanded their area of operation, surveillance of the Indian Ocean has been stepped up.

A recent US study found that maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn (£4.4bn) and $12bn (£7.6bn) a year.

Mr Evans said the 350 passengers on board Spirit of Adventure had just sat down to dinner when the captain was called to the bridge.

It later emerged that an unidentified craft had been picked by the ship's radar. It had come over the horizon and was heading towards the liner at speed.

As the cruise ship changed course, so the craft changed course to match it.

Mr Evans said it did not take long for the situation to spark a full-scale operation by the 200-strong crew.

He said: "After about two minutes we heard over the tannoy: 'Papa, papa. All crew to emergency stations'.

"We were all rather alarmed and then after a minute we were all called to the lounge and locked in."

Mr Evans said the captain had briefed passengers at the start of the cruise that pirates had started to focus their attacks in areas south of the equator, because there were so many warships patrolling north of the equator.

He added: "We had some reports on the tannoy that unidentified crafts were trying to board the craft.

"We knew we had water cannons on board, razor wire around the back of the ship and we were trailing wire ropes on the back of the ship to foul their propellers.

Company spokesman Paul Green the "relevant authorities" were alerted as soon as the emergency began.

He said: "We don't know who these people were but they saw that the ship was well prepared and it was also a cruise ship, which is not their typical target.

"It was clearly a suspicious craft. When you change course, they changed course.

"We have some well rehearsed measures on the ship, although it interrupted dinner.

"We don't talk about the measures but they have been widely reported - razor wire, changing course, water cannon, long-rang acoustic devices and trailing mesh wire.

"It passed off without incident and was dealt with in a very British manner."

He said that the captain, Australian Frank Allica, was given a standing ovation when he next appeared before the passengers, who gave him a rendition of "For he's a jolly good fellow".

He added: "Who knows what this vessel was interested in. But pirates tend to target tankers and ransom them for their cargo.

"Taking on 200 crew and some 300 mostly British passengers is a slightly different prospect than a slow-moving tanker with 14 Ukrainian engineers."

Mr Evans said: "After about an hour we were allowed back into the dining room."

Mr Evans said he and his wife were glad to return home in one piece.

He added that they would go on a cruise again, but probably not in the same part of the world



BBC

Ubunifu wa Kuendeleza Bwawa la Bwawani Hoteli

Kama unaswali, ama ushauri juu ya kuendeleza eneo hili, usisite kuchangia mada hii...Karibu!

Watoto wa Dr. Salmin Amour waondolewa Libya

Two children of the former President of Zanzibar, Dr. Salmin Amour, are among eight Tanzanians to be evacuated from Tripoli Libya after the Kenya Airways flight had been cleared to land and take off by Libyan authorities.

Flight KQ 1322 was yesterday cleared by the Libya Civil Aviation Authority to fly into Tripoli, after an initial delay in Cairo due to flight logistics, according to a statement from the national carrier. However, it is expected to jet in this morning.

Speaking to The Citizen on Sunday yesterday, the information officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Mr Asa Mwambene said the plane was earlier denied access into Libya, hence the delay in conducting the evacuation.

“Children of Dr. Salmin are among the eight Tanzanians stranded in Tripoli, but they will board the Kenyan flight to return home,” he said.

Apart from the Tanzanians, the Kenyan flight is expected to evacuate citizens of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Lesotho and South Africa stranded in Libya, this paper has learnt.

Yesterday, Kenya Airways Managing Director, Mr. Titus Naikuni confirmed that the airline had deployed a charter flight following a request by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


TC

Mamma Mia...

Mustafa Hassanali kuhamasisha uzazi salama nchini Tanzania

Maonyesho ya bure ya kwanza ya mavazi kufanyika tarehe 5 Machi

Fedha zaidi zahitajika toka serikalini kupunguza vifo vinavyotokana na uzazi

Yale maonyesho ya mavazi yajulikanayo kama ‘mamma mia’ yenye nia ya kuhamasisha uzazi salama, sambamba na sherehe za miaka 50 ya uhuru Tanzania, na miaka mia moja ya siku ya mwanamke duniani , kwa kushirikiana na shiriki lisilo la kiserikali la utepe mweupe ‘White Ribbon Alliance’ na ‘Vodacom Foundation’, yazinduliwa rasmi.

Akizungumza katika uzinduzi huo, mbunifu wa mavazi, aliyejipatia umaarufu kitaifa na kimataifa, Mustafa Hassanali amesema “ntazindua toleo langu jipya la ki-afrika katika maonyesho haya ya ‘Mamma Mia’ siku ya tarehe 4 na tano mwezi Machi hapahapa jijini Dar es salaam, na nategemea kupata ushirikiano wa watu wote, katika kuhamasisha uzazi salama kwa msaada wa shirika la utepe mweupe”

‘Mamma Mia’ ni jukwaa la maonyesho ya mavazi ambalo limelengwa mahsusi katika kusambaza ujumbe kuhusu uzazi salama, litafanyika tarehe nne mwezi machi, katika hoteli ya ‘Moevenpick Royal Palm’ kuanzia saa mbili na nusu usiku, na onyesho jingine kwa siku ya Jumamosi ya tarehe tano kuanzia saa tisa na nusu jioni, katika viwanja vya Mnazi Mmoja.

“nimefurahi sana kuwa wa kwanza kuandaa onyesho la mavazi la bure nchini kwa siku ya tarehe tano, ambalo madhumuni yake sio tu kuhamasisha uzazi salama, bali pia kuifanya tasnia ya ubunifu wa mavazi na mitindo iweze kufikiwa na wengi pale katika viwanja vya Mnazi Mmoja.” Alieleza Hassanali

Akizungumza kuhusu ‘Mamma Mia’ ni jina lililotokana na wimbo uliovuma sana katika miaka ya 80 na kundi la ‘ABBA’, ambapo mia inasimama kuiwakilisha sarafu ya shilingi mia , na miaka mia moja ya ya siku ya mwanamke duniani, Mustafa anaongeza kuwa, “kwa kila atakae kuja kuangalia shoo, atatoa shilingi mia moja, si kwa maana nyingine bali ni kama mchango wake katika kuhamasisha uzazi salama nchini”

Akiongezea katika suala zima la uzazi salama, mratibu wa Taifa wa Muungano wa jumuiya ya utepe mweupe na uzazi salama nchini, Bi Rose Mlay amesema kuwa, toka mwaka 2004, wamekuwa mstari wa mbali katika kuhamasisha and kuiomba serikali kuongeza fungu katika bajeti ya sekta ya afya na uuguzi, ili kupunguza vifo vitokanavyo na matatizo ya uzazi.

“mpaka sasa, ni asilimia 51 tu ya wanawake wote Tanzania , ndio wanaojifungua chini ya usimamizi na kusaidiwa na wataalamu wa afya, na sababu kuu ya hili ni upungufu wa vifaa na wafanyakazi wa afya katika sekta ya uzazi kwa mikoa mingi ya pembezoni mwa Tanzania, hii sio nzuri na Haikubaliki, kwani kila mwanamke ana haki ya kujifungua salama chini ya wataalamu wa afya. Na ndio maana tunahamasisha uzazi salama.”aliongezea kusema Mama Mlay.

Msukumo wa hili hautawezekana bila ushirikiano kutoka watu na mashirika mbalimbali, ambapo Mamma mia kwa ushirikiano na shirika la utepe mweupe ( White Ribbon Alliance) pamoja na ‘Vodacom Foundation’ ikiwa na baadhi ya waliojitolea kusaidia hili ni pamoja na ‘Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programs in Tanzania’, The Citizen, ‘Uhuru one’, ‘Moevenpick Royal Palm Hotel’, Novamedia, Ultimate Security, Darling Hair na Image Masters.

Wabunifu wengine watakaoshiriki katika kampeni hizi ni pamoja na mshindi wa tuzo za ubunifu kutoka Zanzibar Farouque Abdella, Henrietta Ludgate na Minna Hepbum wote toka ‘London Fashion Week’, Uingereza.


Nukuu kwa Mhariri:

KUHUSU MUSTAFA HASSANALI
Mustafa Hassanali ni mbunifu mjasiriamali anaeamini katika ‘daima sitashindwa’ huku akitumia kipaji chake na ubunifu wake wa mavazi katika kuleta maisha bora ya sasa na ya baadae.

Kazi za mbunifu Mustafa zimekuwa zikithaminika na kuonyeshwa kimataifa, ambapo Mustafa alifanikiwa kuonyesha ubunifu wake katika nchi kama Angola ‘Angola Fashion Business’, FAFA (Festival of African Fashion and Arts in Kenya), Kameruni, Wiki ya Mitindo India 2009, Naomi Campbell’s fashion for relief 2009, Arise Africa Fashion Week 2009, Wiki ya mavazi Durban & Cape town, Vukani Fashion Awards Pretoria, Miss Ethiopia Beauty Pageant, Mediterranean Fashion Festival, Sicily, Italia, M’net Face of Africa, Msumbiji, Uganda, na Wiki ya Mitindo Kenya, ambayo kwa pamoja yamemletea heshima kubwa, ndani na nje ya nchi.



KUHUSU SHIRIKA LA UTEPE MWEUPE
Ni shirika la kimataifa lisilo la kiserikali, lenye nia ya kuleta mabadiliko katika suala zima la uzazi salama, kati ya mama na mtoto duniani kote.

Katika jamii nyingine, rangi nyeupe ina maana ya majonzi, na jamii nyingine, nyeupe in maana ya matumaini na uhai, hivyo basi utepe mweupe umetwaliwa kama kumbukumbu kwa wanawake wote waliofariki kwa mimba , na katika harakati za kujifungua.
Toka ilipoanzishwa mwaka 1999, shirika la utepe mweupe limekuwa likikuwa kwa kasi duniani kote, hadi kufikia kuwa na nchi wanachama 148 ambao wanapaza sauti zao kwa ajili ya wanawake na jamii zao kwa ujumla. Ambapo kwa sasa linaongoza katika kuyakabili majanga yanayotokana na vifo vya uzazi.

KUHUSU MUSTAFA HASSANALI NA SHIRIKA LA UTEPE MWEUPE.

Mustafa Hassanali, ni mbunifu wa mavazi anayeshirikiana kwa karibu sana na shirika hili, ambapo kwa pamoja waliwahi kufanya onyesho na Naomi Campbell lililofahamika kama ‘Naomi Cambpell’s fashion for Relief’ mwaka 2009, ambapo zilokusanywa kiasi cha dola 65,000.

Mustafa Hassanali, mwenye shahada ya udaktari, anaamini kwa moyo mkunjufu kabisa katika kutumia mitindo kama njia yakusaidia kuchangisha fedha, na kusambaza ujumbe wa masuala ya afya kwa jamii yote.

Kwa maelezo zaidi tembelea www.mustafahassanali.net