Rais Samia Suluhu Hassan wa Tanzania ameliambia Bunge la Kenya kuwa ziara yake nchini Kenya imelenga kukazia maeneo ambayo yalilegalega katika uhusiano wa nchi hizo mbili.

Bi Samia ameuambia mkutano maalumu wa pamoja wa bunge la seneti na bunge la kitaifa nchini Kenya ustawi wa mataifa hayo mawili unaathiri ustawi wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki (EAC) kwa pamoja.

“Kila mara panapotokea kutoelewana kati yetu tunadhoofisha uhusiano wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, bila kukusudia pia tunaathiri utangamano wa Afrika Mashariki, hivyo hatuna budi kuendelea kuelewana.”

Rais Samia amesema kuwa kuna kipindi jumuiya hiyo ilijaribiwa kufuatia, maneno na vitendo ambavyo vilipima uimara wa dhamira za nchi wananchama wa jumuiya hiyo kuendelea na safari ya utangamano.

“Niwahakikishie, mimi na wenzangu nchini Tanzania tutahakikisha kuwa uhusiano wetu unang’ara na kwa kufanya hivyo tung’arishe uhusiano wa Afrika Mashariki. Tanzania itaendelea kuwa jirani na mbia mwaminifu wa Kenya na mwanachama muadilifu wa Afrika Mashariki,” amesisitiza Rais Samia.

Trump’s Facebook ban upheld by Oversight Board

Facebook was justified in banning then-President Donald Trump from its platform after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol but will need to reassess how long the ban will remain in effect, the social network’s quasi-independent Oversight Board said Wednesday.

The decision is a blow to Trump’s hopes to post again to Facebook or Instagram any time soon, but it also opens the door to him eventually returning.

Facebook created the Oversight Board last year as a kind of “supreme court” to hear appeals from users like Trump who have had their posts removed or who want to challenge other sensitive or contentious moderation decisions. The decisions of the 20-member globe-spanning board are not binding, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to abide by what it says.

“Given the seriousness of the violations and the ongoing risk of violence, Facebook was justified in suspending Mr. Trump’s accounts on January 6 and extending that suspension on January 7,” the board said in its decision.

The oversight board said, though, it was not appropriate for Facebook to vary from its normal penalties when it made the ban indefinite. Facebook’s normal penalties include removing posts, imposing a limited suspension or permanently disabling an account, the board said.

“As Facebook suspended Mr. Trump’s accounts ‘indefinitely,’ the company must reassess this penalty,” the board said.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is seeking to criticize the Biden administration’s energy agenda by drawing comparisons to Obama-era policies.

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In a new report released Wednesday, Barrasso criticized both former President Obama’s $90 billion investment in green energy that was part of its stimulus package and President Biden’s proposed infrastructure plan.

“Unfortunately, President Biden and his administration seemed determined to repeat the same mistakes the Obama administration made when dealing with the recovery from the 2009 financial crisis,” the report said.

Barrasso, the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has repeatedly stressed his support for the fossil fuel industry and been part of a chorus of GOP critics of numerous Biden climate policies.

The report highlighted Obama-era moves like giving loans to a solar panel company called Solyndra that ultimately went bankrupt and Obama-era investment in rail in California, plans for which were scaled back in 2019.

“President Biden is doubling down on failure,” Barrasso said in a statement.

“The Obama administration frittered away billions of taxpayer dollars on green gambles like Solyndra, while taxpayers got fleeced. Now, President Biden wants to bet trillions more on new boondoggles,” he added.

The Obama administration’s defenders, however, have credited it with helping to grow the country’s wind and solar generation capacity.

President Biden’s proposal, which is being hotly debated in Washington, aims to combat climate change through investments in electric vehicles and building upgrades.