Tanzanian government allocated $374.7 Million for travels

DODOMA, Tanzania 

Tanzania government has allocated approximately Tanzania Shillings 982 ($374.7million) for domestic and international government officials travel in the 2026/2027 fiscal year budget. 

Out of this travel and recurrent expenditure, about TSh 833 billion is earmarked for domestic trips, while TSh 149 billion is designated for foreign travel by government officials.

The travel allocation is part of the larger overall TSh 62.33 trillion ($24 billion) national budget passed by Parliament on 23 June 2026 by 385 of 393 votes, after seven days of debate and passage of the Finance Bill 2026. 

The spending plan takes effect on 1 July 2026, with the government committing to TZS 1.2 trillion in arrears settlement and tighter expenditure controls.

According to the minister for finance,  Khamis Omar (Pictured above), the TSh 833 billion for domestic travels is meant to facilitate projects monitoring, administrative duties, and field supervision.

He said the foreign travel allocation of TSh 149 billion will cover trips for diplomatic engagements and development-related activities. 

Despite criticism over the size of the budget amid austerity measures and rising national debt, the government argues these funds are vital for supervision and operations. 

To mitigate the massive government expenditures, President Samia Hassan has previously ordered government officials to adopt cost-saving measures, such as sharing single buses for official trips to reduce fuel and transport costs. 

South African police probe killing of Malawian amid rising anti-immigrant attacks

PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa 

Police in South Africa are investigating the murder of a 29-year-old Malawian national during a march against illegal immigrants at the Jika Joe Informal Settlement in Pietermaritzburg.

Two other people were injured in the attack on Friday.

Led by anti-immigrant group, March and March, the protest reportedly turned violent after a woman claimed that her relative had been killed by Malawians.

Hundreds of people from Malawi are camping in Pietermaritzburg following the attack in the city which is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal province.

Another group is sheltered in nearby Durban, awaiting repatriation as efforts to send them home continue.

March and March has been increasingly vocal in recent months, coordinating mass protests, and setting a 30 June deadline for all undocumented foreigners to leave the country.

The ultimatum has no legal backing but has already led thousands of people from other African nations including Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique to flee.

Tensions are escalating ahead of planned anti-illegal immigrant demonstrations across the country on the 30th.

Law enforcement has ramped up its operational readiness across all nine provinces, with plans in place to protect communities, critical infrastructure, and public spaces.

The police minister has issued a warning to marchers saying will not be tolerated and that no-one is allowed to be armed during the protests.

Colombia qualify for last 32 with win over DR Congo

ZAPOPAN, Mexico 

Daniel Munoz has fired ‌Colombia into the World Cup round of 32 with a ⁠1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of the ⁠Congo in Group K after goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had threatened to turn the match into a night of frustration.

Munoz struck the winner from the right ⁠side of the penalty area in the 76th minute on Tuesday, finally beating Mpasi, who had repeatedly denied Colombia with an inspired performance.

Colombia, who opened their World Cup campaign with a ⁠3-1 win over Uzbekistan, commanded possession and created numerous chances.

James Rodriguez, making his 10th World Cup appearance to equal the Colombian record jointly held by Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama, forced Mpasi into action with a powerful strike in the 11th minute.

The goalkeeper stood firm, repelling efforts ‌from Jhon Arias and winger Luis Diaz, who came close to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute, controlling a chipped pass inside the penalty area, turning smartly, and firing a shot goal-wards, only for Mpasi to save it with his foot.

The African side, buoyed by their opening 1-1 draw with Portugal, threatened sporadically through Edo Kayembe, Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa, but lacked a clinical finish.

By half-time, Colombia had registered 15 ⁠shots, including six on target, with nine of their 10 ⁠outfield players attempting efforts.

In the stands, DR Congo had support from Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, the team’s famous “living statue” fan, who made his World Cup debut after missing the opener against Portugal because of Ebola quarantine requirements.

Colombia resumed ⁠on the front foot after the break, with Diaz forcing another fine save from Mpasi in the 51st minute before Arias dragged ⁠the rebound wide.

Wissa almost snatched the lead for DR Congo ⁠in the 73rd minute, when his shot from Simon Banza’s assist was blocked, but Colombia struck shortly after through Munoz.

Diaz later thought he had doubled the advantage with a finish into the top corner, only for the ‌effort to be ruled out for offside.

Colombia moved to six points from two matches and guaranteed their progress to the knockout stage ahead of their final group game against Portugal, ‌who ‌beat Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier on Tuesday.

DR Congo remained on one point and will need a result against Uzbekistan to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Budimir gives Croatia a 1-0 win to eliminate Panama from the World Cup

TORONTO, Canada

Half-time substitute Ante Budimir scored in the 54th minute as Croatia eliminated Panama from World Cup contention with a tightly fought 1-0 victory at Toronto Stadium.

The Group L clash on Tuesday saw 34-year-old Budimir score his first World Cup goal and fifth in a competitive fixture for his country.

Croatia remain third in the group with three points heading into the final match day, but they can guarantee a top-two finish with a victory over Ghana in their final match on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Panama are still seeking their first point, five matches into their World Cup history, having also lost 1-0 to Ghana in their 2026 opener in Toronto last week.

However, despite playing the first two matches without injured talisman Adalberto Carrasquilla, Los Canaleros have a goal difference six better than at this stage in their first World Cup appearance in 2018.

Budimir put Croatia in front on what was easily their best attack of the match to that point on Tuesday.

Josip Stanisic combined with Marco Pasalic to get down the right, and then struck a well-weighted cross to the top of the 6-yard box.

Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera dived to try and intercept the service but couldn’t reach it, and Budimir showed up at the back post to guide in a composed finish into an open goal.

With that, the match erupted for about 15 minutes.

Three minutes after the goal, Croatia captain Luka Modric played Pasalic in alone on goal from his own half. Mosquera sized up Pasalic and charged from his line at the right time to smother the initial attempt, and Pasalic fired wide from a poor angle on the rebound.

Panama responded to force Dominik Livakovic into three stops inside of a minute. The third was probably the best, as Livakovic leapt to deny Carlos Harvey’s header from a corner lofted to the back post.

The second-half hydration break followed that sequence, and perhaps disrupted Panama’s momentum, with Livakovic unthreatened in the final stages.

The Central Americans will now look to play spoilers against England in their finale on Saturday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Earlier on Tuesday, England and Ghana settled for a 0-0 draw, with both having four points.

England frustrated by Ghana in surprise goalless draw

BOSTON, United States 

England were unable to repeat the flowing football that overpowered Croatia in their first World Cup game as they were held to a draw by Ghana at Boston Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel's side knew victory would confirm a place in the last 32 - but they were left frustrated by the stubborn resistance and organisation from Ghana.

England took 57 minutes to muster a shot on target and once again lived dangerously in defence, surviving anxious moments when Ghana hit them on the counter-attack as the contest became a disjointed affair.

Tuchel turned to Bukayo Saka, whose minutes are being managed because of a lingering Achilles problem, and replaced Jude Bellingham with Morgan Rogers in an attempt to break the stalemate.

Saka forced a fine save from Ghana keeper Benjamin Asare, while another substitute Nico O'Reilly headed against the bar, leaving Tuchel and England to settle for a point. Marc Guehi also had a header cleared off the line.

Even though England applied pressure, they appeared very fortunate not to concede a penalty late on when Ezri Konsa challenged Prince Kwabena Adu in the area, bringing him down without making any contact with the ball.

England remain top of Group L, but must now wait until their final game against Panama to ensure qualification for the World Cup knockout phase.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 24/6/2026

 

Cristiano Ronaldo ends goal drought, first to score at 6 World Cups

HOUSTON, United States 

Cristiano Ronaldo made history Tuesday by becoming the first player to score in six different World Cups, finding the net in Portugal's 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, 41, had gone 10 games without a goal in major tournaments -- a run stretching back to November 2022 -- after drawing a blank against Congo DR last Wednesday.

In Tuesday's Group K game, Ronaldo opened the scoring early with a near-post finish in the sixth minute, before turning down the chance to add a second with a free kick -- allowing Nuno Mendes to convert -- and then later racing onto a through ball to make it 3-0 before halftime.

Ronaldo had several chances to move onto a hat trick in the second half Tuesday, but was unable to find a third goal as Portugal moved to four points in the group ahead of their finale against Colombia in Miami on Saturday.

The goals mean the Portugal captain, who was named man of the match, is the first player to score in six different World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.

He is also now the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history (41 years, 138 days), behind Roger Milla in 1994 for Cameroon against Russia (42 years, 39 days).

Portugal's fourth goal came on the hour when a low ball into the box took a series of deflections and ended up in the net after ricocheting off Abdukodir Khusanov and Abduvohid Nematov.

The Al Nassr star then forced a fine save from Nematov as he continued to chase a hat trick and Rafael Leão completed the rout when he lashed into the roof of the net when a clearance rolled into his path.

Ronaldo and his teammates faced heavy criticism after Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo DR, with coach Roberto Martínez being questioned for continuing to pick the star at center forward.

"He's an example," Martínez said Monday, defending Ronaldo. "He's been playing for his country for a long time. He wants to contribute, and he's a role model for our team."

This year, Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi have become the only men in history to play in six World Cup tournaments.

However, Ronaldo stands alone in scoring in each edition, after Messi failed to score a goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Ronaldo now has 10 goals in World Cups, and Messi has 18, after a hat trick in Argentina's opener against Algeria and two more goals against Austria made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

This is likely to be Ronaldo's final World Cup, after a glittering career which saw him win the European Championships with Portugal in 2016 and the Champions League five times, with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Tuesday's game was the 230th of Ronaldo's international career, the most in the history of the men's game. He has scored 145 times for Portugal during that span.

Inquiry ordered after building fire kills 15 in north India city

By Abhishek Dey, LUCKNOW India

An inquiry has been ordered after at least 15 people died in a fire that broke out in a building in the northern Indian city of Lucknow on Monday.

The building housed a pet shop and an animation centre. Witnesses described people jumping from windows and climbing down cables to escape, while rescue teams broke through a wall to save lives.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Authorities said the building lacked emergency exits and people got trapped inside as smoke spread.

The tragedy has renewed concerns about fire safety in India's densely occupied commercial buildings, with several deadly blazes in recent months exposing violations of fire safety rules.

"An inquiry has been initiated," Brajesh Pathak, deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, whose capital is Lucknow, told reporters. "Authorities have been directed to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future."

The fire was reported at around 14:45 local time (09:15 GMT) on Monday in Lucknow's densely populated Aliganj area.

The pet shop was on the ground floor, while the two floors above were occupied by the animation and 3D gaming centre, officials said.

Flames and smoke engulfed the building's only staircase, cutting off the sole exit. Firefighters reached the terrace via a neighbouring building and breached a side wall to begin rescue efforts.

Witnesses described scenes of panic as people trapped inside tried to escape the smoke. Some climbed down power cables, while others jumped from windows. Several were seen calling for help from inside the building, and dozens were injured.

Haaland doubles up as Norway defeat Senegal

NEW JERSEY, United States 

Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway booked their place in the last 32 of the World Cup with victory over Senegal in New Jersey.

After just two games in the competition, the Manchester City striker has now scored twice as many goals (four) as any other Norway player in World Cup history.

Full-back Marcus Pederson, on as an early substitute, capitalised on a poor clearance from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly to put Norway 1-0 up late in the first half - before Haaland took over in the second.

He raced on to Martin Odegaard's incisive through ball to double the lead in the 48th minute - becoming Norway's all-time top scorer at World Cups in the process - before Ismaila Sarr pulled a goal back to give Senegal hope.

But Haaland restored his team's two-goal cushion five minutes later with a calmly taken side-foot volley which went in off the bar.

Haaland has now scored in 12 consecutive competitive matches for Norway, registering at least two goals in each of the past six.

Sarr struck again in injury time to set up a nervy finale and the Crystal Palace winger could have equalised in the final seconds but put his header over the bar.

However, Stale Solbakken's Norway had been much the better side, even in a somewhat scrappy first half, and held on for a second straight win that means they have qualified from Group I alongside France.

Senegal must beat Iraq in their last group game to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages.

Kylian Mbappe scores twice as France beats Iraq

PHILADELPHIA, United States 

Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move joint-second in the all-time World Cup goalscoring list as France cruised past Iraq in a weather-delayed game in Philadelphia.

Mbappe netted early in both halves to take his World Cup goals tally to 16 in 16 games, two shy of Lionel Messi who broke Miroslav Klose's record hours earlier.

France v Iraq became the first match at this World Cup to be interrupted by severe weather, with the second half beginning more than two hours after the first period ended because of lightning strikes in the area.

Heavy rainfall earlier in the day had delayed supporters' entry to Philadelphia Stadium, although the match kicked off on time.

France began strongly and their early dominance was rewarded in the 14th minute when Mbappe arrowed a left-footed strike into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.

But the 2018 champions struggled to create any clear chances after the first-half hydration break, with Iraq able to enjoy longer spells of possession despite losing striker and captain Aymen Hussein to injury.

France emerged from the extended break with renewed conviction but were gifted a second goal - Iraq keeper Ahmed Basil failed to control a short goal-kick taken by defender Zaid Tahseen and Ousmane Dembele teed up Mbappe for a simple finish.

Les Bleus had further chances to extend their lead - Adrien Rabiot missed a clear header and Michael Olise hit the crossbar with an audacious dink - before Dembele scored their third with a strike into the bottom corner.

The goal - set up by a brilliant outside-of-the-foot pass from Olise - was Dembele's first for France at a major tournament in his 20th appearance.

Iraq created two decent chances in the final 20 minutes, but defender Rebin Sulaka volleyed over from Zidane Iqbal's corner before Ali Al Hamadi couldn't get on the end of a teasing Marko Farji cross.

Mbappe then raced clear late on and looked set to complete his hat-trick, but he lashed a left-footed effort high and wide.

France, who are bidding to reach a third successive World Cup final, are top of Group I with six points while Iraq are bottom with zero.

Argentina's Lionel Messi breaks World Cup goals record

TEXAS, United States 

Lionel Messi added to his legacy Monday afternoon by scoring his record-breaking 17th career World Cup goal in the first half before adding his 18th in second-half stoppage time of Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria in Arlington, Texas.

The 17th goal broke a tie with Germany's Miroslav Klose. The 18th briefly put him four in front of Kylian Mbappe, the next-closest active player -- only for the French star to score a brace later Monday against Iraq to match Klose's 16.

"Well, I'm very happy because of this victory," Messi said immediately after the match through an interpreter. "This was a very important and tough victory. We worked very hard on it. And that reassures us for what's coming next.

"So this is a World Cup. All of the matches are very intense, and all of the teams play well. And we're happy because we have six points and we're qualified."

Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, has scored 11 of his historic total of 18 goals since turning 35. His total from the last two World Cups alone would be tied for seventh on the tournament's all-time scoring list.

Messi scored his record-setting goal on a first-touch left-footed strike from just inside the 18-yard box in the 38th minute off an assist from Facundo Medina.

He completed his brace five minutes into added time, cleaning up his own rebound following a surging counterattack and firing low through traffic. That gave him a two-goal lead over Canada's Jonathan David and Germany's Deniz Undav in the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race.

Asked for his favorite World Cup goal of his career, Messi could not pinpoint one.

"I don't remember, really," he said. "I'm tired. I don't have a lot of strength and it's hard to think for me right now. So I'm just enjoying this moment and I want to join my colleagues."

Messi, who became one of the first two players to appear in six World Cups last week alongside Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, entered this summer's event three goals behind Klose. Behind his first career World Cup hat trick in the Group J opener vs. Algeria on June 16, he pulled even entering the second group-stage match.

With the goal, Messi also tied a different World Cup record, scoring in his sixth straight match dating back to the 2022 World Cup which Argentina won. He's just the third player to score in six straight World Cup matches alongside France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.

He appeared destined to break the record approximately 30 minutes earlier when Lautaro Martinez was tackled in the box and Argentina was awarded a penalty kick. However, Messi missed the ensuing penalty kick wide of the right post in the ninth minute.

"I had the penalty that I could have scored," Messi said. "Well, maybe had I done that, I wouldn't have scored the others. You never know. But I'm happy about the results because of our participation and the teamwork. Well, let's hope it will even go better."

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 23/6/2026