Somalia's Prime Minister Sharmarke

Somalia's prime minister has resigned amid a power struggle with the country's president.

President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's UN-backed government is battling Islamist group al-Shabab for control of the capital, Mogadishu.

Correspondents say his squabbling with the prime minister has hampered the fight against the insurgents.

Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has been under intense pressure to resign for some months.

He said he had been "unable to work with the president".

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Somalia says little is likely to change on the ground as a result of the resignation.

However, he said it could come as a blow to the insurgents who were happy for the political turmoil to continue.

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Islamist militants now control most of southern and central Somalia and the government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, runs only a few parts of the capital.

Somalia has been wracked by conflict ever since President Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.

But insurgents from the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group have recently intensified their campaign. Earlier this month suicide bombers attacked Mogadishu airport, killing two African Union peacekeepers and a number of civilians.

'Save the nation'

Mr Sharmarke said he had decided to step down in the national interest.

"After seeing that the political turmoil between me and the president has caused security vulnerability, I have decided to resign to save the nation and give a chance to others," he told reporters.

President Ahmed thanked him for his "courageous decision".

The two leaders disagreed over a new draft constitution.

A vote of confidence in the prime minister had been due to take place at the weekend but was postponed.

In May, Mr Sharmarke rejected as unconstitutional a vote by parliament calling for him to stand down.

President Ahmed is now expected to name a new prime minister and the current cabinet will lose their posts.

Our correspondent says his position at the head of the government will have been boosted by the prime minister's resignation.

Wyclef Jean drops presidential Haiti bid

Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean says he no longer plans to run in Haiti's November presidential election.

The star's decision comes a month after his candidacy was formally rejected by Haitian authorities.

"After weeks of quiet but painstaking reflection with my wife and daughter, I have chosen to end my bid for the presidency of Haiti," he said.

The singer instead plans to release an album, called If I Were President: The Haitian Experience, next year.

"Though my run for the presidency was cut short, I feel it was not in vain," he said.

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Some battles are best fought off the field, and that is where we take this now”

Wyclef Jean

Jean added that his was "not an easy conclusion to reach" and that it was "thoughtfully made".

'Ultimate goal'

The Haitian-born star was told by the electoral council that he could not run for president because he had failed strict residency requirements.

The constitution requires candidates to have lived in the country for five years prior to an election. Jean now lives in the US.

The singer and producer originally said he would appeal the decision, but officials said the electoral body's ruling was definitive under Haitian law.

"Some battles are best fought off the field, and that is where we take this now," Jean said.

"Our ultimate goal, in continuing the appeal, was to further the people's opportunity to freely participate in a free and fair democratic process.

"In that regard, the appeal was meant to improve the electoral process for all, candidates and voters alike.

"It is one way that I hope to bring light to the functioning of a government that is often ranked as one of the most corrupt on the planet, resulting in a country that is by most measures the poorest in the Western world.

It's not about my candidacy, this appeal was meant to address the shortcomings of the process for every Haitian."Publish Post

The presidential election was originally scheduled for earlier this year, but was delayed due to the devastating earthquake that struck the country in January.

Tanzania wins education MDG award

TANZANIA has won the United Nations award for its impressive progress towards attaining universal primary education, some five years ahead of the 2015 deadline set under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, received the award at a ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on Sunday, describing it as a catalyst for the country to achieve all other MDGs ahead of the 2015 target.

The MDGs, endorsed by the world leaders in September 2000, set out eight targets which range from eliminating hunger, halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education - all by the 2015 target date.

“This award is like putting fuel of an engine’’, said the premier amid applause from the hundreds who attended the function. Tanzania has succeeded by more than 95 per cent in attaining education goal through the universal primary school enrolment.

The UN also awarded Malawi for its success in eliminating hunger by enhancing food security. The award was presented to President Bingu wa Mutharika at the same occasion.

Mr Pinda, who is in New York representing President Jakaya Kikwete, at the 65th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the three-day high level meeting to accelerate the implementation of the UN anti-poverty goals or MDGs, earlier met the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro and the African Union representative to the UN, Ambassador Amina Salum Ali.

Meanwhile, about 140 world leaders yesterday attended the opening of the MDGs summit, where they are expected to measure progress towards achievement of the targets and review difficulties encountered in the process.

With just five years to go before the deadline for achieving the MDGs, the leaders will discuss how and where they can do more in the remaining period to defeat poverty, reduce hunger, stop environmental degradation, improve education, boost maternal and child health and reach the other remaining targets.

In another development, despite notable achievements in education, there are many challenges being faced in Zanzibar including overcrowded classrooms and inadequate facilities.

“We have recorded a lot of achievements in the past decade in education, including narrowing gender disparity in schools, but there is still much to be done," said Mr Mwalimu Abdallah Mzee, Deputy Principal Secretary in the Zanzibar Ministry of Education and Vocational Training at an evaluation seminar.

Mr Mzee said Zanzibar has reformed its education system, making compulsory education from nursery to form IV, instead of form three.

Hundreds pay last respect to Dr Ernest Mashimba

HUNDREDS of mourners paid last respect to the former Government Chief Chemist, the late Dr Ernest Mashimba in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

He died in Tanga on Saturday night. The mourners included the Minister for Livestock Development and Fisheries, Dr John Magufuli, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ms Blandina Nyoni and other government officials and health experts.

Ms Nyoni told the mourners that she had written a congratulatory letter last week to the late Dr Mashimba for his new book which was expected to be on sale soon. The PS explained that she had planned to hand over the letter to the late Dr Mashimba but unfortunately he died over the week-end.

The deceased left five children and a widow and preliminary findings had shown that blood pressure was the cause of the death.

"The media announced that my husband's source of death was suspected to be food poisoning but it was blood pressure," said the widow, Ms Rose Mashimba.

The children include Happy (18) who is in form Four at Kifungilo Girls Secondary School in Lushoto District, Tanga Region, Goodluck (17) Form Four student at Shaaban Robert Secondary School in Dar es Salaam , Janeth (12) and Neema (9) - pupils of Mbuyuni Primary School and Suzane (6), a pupil at a Kindergarten school.

The deceased was found dead on September 18, in a room at Exclusive Hotel in Lushoto where he had gone for his daughter's graduation ceremony.

The former government Chief Chemist was invited by the school as special parent. Following his death, the school administration had promised to sponsor Happy for 'A' level education at the same school.

The body of the late Dr Mashimba was transported on Tuesday to Ngudu village, Kwimba District in Mwanza Region for burial ceremony. The deceased was born on December 31, 1953 in Ngudu, Mwanza. He took his first degree of Chemistry and Statistics at the University of Dar es Salaam from 1975 to 1978.

In 1981 to 1982 he was an acting headmaster of Fidel Castro in Pemba and in the 1983 he completed a Diploma in Research and Techniques at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

At the same university, the late Dr Mashimba took Master of Chemistry from 1984 to 1985 and PhD in Chemistry from 1986 to 1990 while lecturing from 1986 to 1991 at the university.

From 1992 to 1997, the late Dr Mashimba was the Chief Chemist of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government, whereby from 1997 he was selected to become the Chief Chemist of the Tanzania government under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, where he was till his death.

While he was the Chief Chemist in the government, he was also taking Masters in Business Administration at Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI), Arusha.

The former Chief Government Chemist was among the experts under Chemical Review Committee Expert for International Rotterdam Convention on Chemicals.

He was also among contributors of the published book of science called "The Rotterdam Convention and its Implementation in Tanzania" which is expected to be out soon.

Other posts held by the deceased included Registrar of Industrial and Consumer Chemicals, Vice-Chairperson of National Plant Protection Advisory Committee (NPPAC) and a member of National Environment Management Council (NEMC).

He was also a board member of Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority and Chairman of Eastern and Southern African Laboratory Managers Association (E-SALAMA) Tanzania Chapter