PM, Mkapa contribute 7.5m/- to fight hunger

Telefood matron Mama Anna Mkapa (3rd L) awaits PM Edward Lowassa to officiate at gala.From (L) are FAO Resident Representative Louise Setshwaelo,Telefood chairman Franco Tramontano & Agriculture,Food Security & Cooperative deputy minister David Mathayo.

Prime Minister Edward Ngoyai Lowassa and former President Benjamin Mkapa are among prominent persons who contributed money during an anti-hunger fund-raiser that took place in Dar es Salaam over the weekend. Lowassa donated 5m/- while Mkapa gave 2.5/-.

Speaking during the function, the chairman of Telefood Tanzania, Franco Tramontano, said the society needed more funds to curb hunger.

`Telefood Tanzania has funded a number of groups to enable them to establish projects that would get rid of hunger and reduce poverty levels. I call upon the assisted groups to employ jobless people as the only way to create quality life for all citizens,` said Tramontano.

He said Telefood Tanzania endeavoured to help the society overcome hunger and poverty.

For his part, a representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization, James Yonazi, said that Telefood endeavoured to solicit funds from donors and help poverty ridden areas.

Speaking at the same venue, the Head of Vodacom Foundation, Rachel Phares, said Vodacom had been contributing to the fight against hunger.

She said Vodacom would maintain its commitment to support community services such as education, health and agriculture.

The fundraising event was jointly organized by the Equal Opportunity Trust Fund, Telefood Tanzania and Vodacom Tanzania Limited.

Zanzibar state lawyer against death penalty

A Zanzibar Senior State Attorney, Ali Hassan, has said there is need for the government to abolish capital punishment, since it does little to mould criminals.

Hassan made the call when presenting a paper on the death penalty at the Zanzibar Legal Service Centre over the weekend.

He said most dictators were from Africa and could utilize the capital punishment to kill the opposition, especially where the legal system was unfair.

`A punishment is meant to mould criminals in the society. However, criminal acts seem to have gone up since the death penalty was introduced.

Research findings indicate that the death penalty solves nothing because countries carrying capital punishment record higher criminal incidents as days go by,` said Hassan.

He called for review of the relevant law, especially in countries having a multiparty system.

He said some politicians could tamper with the law in order to fulfill their personal wishes.

`Political leaders could create syndicates that would implicate opposition leaders in espionage cases, bearing in mind that rulers, courts and magistrates can create evidence and arraign the opposition leaders,` he said.

The lawyer said the death penalty had never been effective in Zanzibar since 1985 when nine people were convicted.

He said all the preceding Heads of State had not assented the hanging of convicted criminals.

Contributing to the debate, a priest with the Anglican Church in Zanzibar, Mathew Wilfred, said: `Capital punishment helps neither the punished nor the defendant. I think we should ban it.

It is wise to let God punish someone`s soul rather than human beings doing the job on their own.There are a number of punishments which could be applied instead.`

Speaking at the same venue, the Chief Kadhi of Zanzibar, Sheikh Ali Khatib, said society ought to be keen on capital punishment because the law was inscribed in the Quran.

`It is unwise for human rights activists to perceive the death penalty as inhuman. Such interpretation is erroneous,`said the Kadhi.

He said:`God handed down a law. It is improper to term it as inhuman. We have to respect each other and choose our words carefully,` said the Chief Kadhi.

A lecturer from Zanzibar University, Muhiddin Ahmad Khamis, said Muslims had no authority to amend any law, especially the death penalty.

`Muslims laws will remain as they are because they have come directly from God. The most important thing is for people to shun away from criminal activities and immoral acts,` said Khamis.

He said: `We Muslims shall never change God�s commandments. It has been declared that whoever kills and is proven to have done so must also get killed, `said the lecturer.

Concluding the debate, the chairperson for Zanzibar Legal Service Centre, Gharoub Othman, said the debate endeavoured to exchange ideas on capital punishment. He added: `Society has the power to decide.`

Othman said the judicial system used laws set by the government and not Islamic laws as some people perceived.

The seminar was attended by leaders and other stakeholders in the judicial system.

Precision Air rolls out interline e-ticketing with BAA

Precision Air Services Ltd, has successfully rolled out Interline Electronic Ticketing (IET) with British Airways, bringing the number of the company�s partners to three.

The latest move will enable the airline�s ticket offices to issue e-tickets to all the destinations it serves to passengers of both airlines.

The airline`s Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager, Ellen Otaru-Okoedion, announcing on Friday said: `This is another milestone after successful cutover with Kenya Airways and Qatar Airlines`.

`We will now move to complete our target of cutover with 10 airlines before the end of this year, with immediate next target being Ethiopian Airlines, and KLM`, she said.

Otaru � Okoedion said the cutover represents firm advancements towards facilitating the airlines` move to the International Air Transport Association`s (IATA) standard e-ticketing.

`Interline e-tickets permit customers to fly and check baggage on Precision Air (PW) and other carriers on a single paperless e-ticket itinerary,` she said.

In the last two months, Precision Air made positive strides by cutover with Qatar Airlines and KQ to make it the first airline in the country to have interlined e-ticketing with multiple carriers.

Otaru- Okoedion explained that this is in line with the airline�s move to give its customers the opportunity to travel on time and offering the baggage check-in facility with its interline partners.

Precision Air e-ticket eligibility reached 92 per cent in June to become the third carrier in Africa to cross the line after KQ and South African Airways, according to IATA.

An Interline Agreement is a contract between two carriers, where the airline partners can accept each other`s travel tickets.

In such an arrangement, the passenger gets the opportunity to travel with one airline`s tickets on the flights of many other carriers all over the world, according to Otaru- Okoedion.

Costech says IT experts are undertilised in govt departments

A senior official with the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) has said that Tanzania lacks experts in information technology (IT).

Speaking during a two-day workshop on National and Sectoral Strategies for E-Government on Thursday in Dar es Salaam, Enock Mpenzwa, said that apart from the shortage those available were under utilised.

`The government has very few IT experts; but what is worse is that we do not know how to utilise them properly,` he noted.

He said that a number of vacancies had been advertised by employers with large titles, but by the time the experts were employed they were assigned only to perform simple tasks, which did not match with their actual responsibilities, he said.

`Employers engage IT experts for posts, but the moment they begin they assign them the duties of a secretary,` he said.

For his part, a secretary with the Institute of Finance Management said that the co-ordination of the electronic government (e-government) idea was not compressive.

He named the President`s Office, Public Servants Sector as the one responsible with the coordination, adding: `There is part of the government that is still not harmonised with others as far as e-government is concerned,`

He said: `As stakeholders in e-government, we would like to advise the government to form a mechanism that will be accountable for the provision of consultancy on e-government,`

He further said that public awareness and e-government harmonisation were still low, adding:`Each citizen should know about e-government and how it works so that they would be able to support the government through comments and the like.`

Kioo Ltd wants L. Natron soda ash extraction to start soon

The government has been requested to start extracting soda ash in Lake Natron to make Tanzania`s industries cut-down production costs.

The appeal was made over the weekend by Kioo Ltd personnel manager Mohamed Remtulla when the Parliamentary Committee for Social Development paid a visit to the firm.

Remtulla requested the committee to advise the government to speed-up implementation by commencing soda ash extraction work as soon as possible.

`Soda ash is one of the most potential raw materials for making bottles,` Remtulla told the committee during the visit in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

He said his company was currently using part of the raw materials available in and others from outside the country.

`It is more expensive to import raw materials rather than having all the resources from within the country,`
Remtulla told the committee led by its vice chairperson, Haroub Said Masoud who is also the CCM legislator for Koani constituency in the Isles.

He said extracting soda ash from Lake Natron will help his firm use 100 per cent of the raw materials from within the country.

`This will cut to minimum level the costs of production of our products,` he noted.

He said apart from soda ashes currently imported from Kenya, his factory uses sand and other minerals also available in the country.

He said extracting ash from Lake Natron will enable the factory to increase production.

Remtulla said the factory also uses broken bottles which are collected across Dar es Salaam and sold to the factory by people.

`This activity helps people in the city to earn more income that uplifts their livelihoods and improves the city`s environment,` he said.

Remtulla told the committee that the factory produces 40,000 tonnes of bottles annually that meet the country`s market demand.

`Tanzania Breweries Ltd, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, medical manufacturers and food processing industries are among our top clients in the country,` he said, adding that the firm sells its products to South Africa, DRC, Djibouti, and Angola. We also sell them to Ghana, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Mauritius and Comoro.

However, the manager cited power rationing as one of the firm�s challenges that negatively affects production.
`The price for gas and petroleum is very high leading to high production costs, `he said.

For his part, MP Masoud lauded the factory`s initiatives that have made it among the big employers in the country.
`I commend you for being at the forefront in observing labour and safety laws at working places,` he said.

�Our goal was to visit the factory and to see your operations and we�re pleased with the safety measures you are taking,� MP Masoud concluded.

Mozambique ex-leader wins prize

Joaquim Chissano led Mozambique for 19 years

Former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano has won the first Mo Ibrahim prize rewarding a retired African head of state for excellence in leadership.
Mr Chissano, who is credited with bringing peace to Mozambique, had been seen as a frontrunner for the prize.

The prize, announced by former UN head Kofi Annan, is worth $5m (£2.5m) over 10 years, and then $200,000 a year.

Mobile phone millionaire Mo Ibrahim is funding the project in the hope it will help improve governments' performance.

The Sudanese businessman also hopes it will increase Africa's self-sufficiency and bring a day when the continent's people no longer need to live on aid.

Mr Annan chaired the panel that awarded the prize, billed as the largest of its kind.

Mr Annan praised Mr Chissano for "his most outstanding contribution" to peace and democracy.

"This remarkable reconciliation between opponents provides a shining example to the rest of the world and is testament to both his strength of character and his leadership," Mr Annan said.

Wider role

After winning independence from Portugal in 1975 Mozambique suffered a civil war that lasted until 1992.

Mr Chissano was president from 1986 to 2005. He also served as chairman of the African Union in 2003 and 2004, and has worked as a UN envoy.

Mr Annan praised Mr Chissano's role at home and more widely in Africa.

"His decision not to seek a third presidential term reinforced Mozambique's democratic maturity and demonstrated that institutions and the democratic process were more important than personalities," he said.

"He was a powerful voice for Africa on the international stage and played an important role in pushing debt relief up the agenda."

Mr Chissano is something as a rarity in Africa as a leader who has left office with his reputation intact, says BBC southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles.

His son, however, faced allegations - strongly denied by him - that he was linked to the murder of a Mozambican journalist, Carlos Cardoso. The BBC's Martin Plaut asked Mr Annan if this had given the judges pause for thought.

"We discussed all that. There was a judicial process and Chissano said himself that justice must be done. And there was no evidence that he had tried to block it," Mr Annan said.

"You cannot blame him for something his son is alleged to have done - his mature son."

The panel of judges also included former Irish President, Mary Robinson, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and the head of the Organisation of African Unity, Salim Ahmed Sali.

They assessed the relative merits of 13 African former heads of state, all of whom left power in the past three years.

Among these at least six took power by staging coups.

Congo warlord appears before ICC

Mr Katanga - known as Simba - was arrested two years ago

Congolese warlord Germain Katanga has appeared before the International Criminal Court in the Hague - only the second suspect to do so.
Mr Katanga is accused of murder, sexual enslavement and forcing children to fight as soldiers in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Forces for Patriotic Resistance (FRPI) leader is the second Congolese warlord to be sent to The Hague.

Thomas Lubanga was flown there in 2006, accused of recruiting child soldiers.

Chinese party unveils new leaders

The committee will direct policy for the next five years

China's Communist Party has unveiled the leadership line-up that will steer the country for the next five years.
President Hu Jintao won a second term as party and army chief, while four new faces joined the party's top body, the Politburo Standing Committee.

They included two men seen as potential successors to Mr Hu in 2012 - Shanghai party chief Xi Jinping and the head of Liaoning province, Li Keqiang.

Mr Xi ranked above Mr Li, suggesting he might be ahead in the succession race.

The changes were announced at the end of the party's five-yearly congress, which sets the political agenda for the future.

Brown defends EU treaty position

Mr Brown insists there is no need for a referendum

Gordon Brown has defended his stance on the EU Reform Treaty, saying key opt-outs will mean British law will not be overruled by Europe.
Mr Brown told the Commons that MPs would be given a chance to debate ratification of the treaty which was negotiated in Portugal last week.

He also said the government would oppose further EU institutional change.

The Tories called for a referendum on the issue and accused ministers of breaking a manifesto commitment.

The prime minister told MPs that he had secured "special treatment for the UK in a range of areas" at the European summit and that Britain would keep opt-outs on foreign policy, labour rights, tax and social security.

"The protections we have negotiated defend the British national interest," he said.

Promising to oppose any further EU institutional reforms within this parliament and the next, Mr Brown said he would now focus on setting out a new agenda for the EU.

This would include "the new priorities" of jobs, competitiveness, prosperity, climate change and security "so that Europe can play a far stronger part in the competitive economy of the world and be a leader and success story in the new global order," he said.

Spears is allowed to see children

In September Spears was ordered to complete drug and alcohol tests

Pop star Britney Spears has been granted temporary visitation rights to see her sons, her lawyer has confirmed.
"Yes, she has visitation with the children," said Anne Kiley in an e-mail to the Associated Press news agency.

Last week a Los Angeles judge ruled the singer could not see Sean Preston, aged two, and one-year-old Jayden James until she complied with court orders.

Earlier this month Ms Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline was granted full custody of the two boys.

Last month, the same judge said Ms Spears showed "a habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol".

She was then ordered to complete random drug and alcohol tests twice a week, as well as meeting a "parenting coach" weekly, according to court documents.

The next hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Hapless Simba SC falter again

Simba were held to a barren draw by JKT Ruvu in a Vodacom Premier League match play at the Jamhuri Stadium here yesterday.

Both teams showcased good soccer but none of them emerged the winner.

Simba who also forced a goalless draw with Ashanti United last Thursday, made a number of trials but their attempts were stopped by Mrisho Mnubi, Kessy Mapande, George Osey and Hassan Juma who could not let the like of George Owino, Nico Nyagawa, Musa Hassan Mgosi and Joseph Kaniki penetrate.

Simba head coach Jamhuri Kihwelu refused to comment while JKT Ruvu`s coach Fred Minziro said it was a tough game.
`The match was very tough but both sides played good soccer,` Minziro said.

Simba have 11 points after drawing five times while JKT Ruvu have 13 points with four draws. Simba`s rivals Yanga have also drawn three times and have 12 points in their pocket.

Lineup:
SIMBA SC : Juma Kaseja, Said Sued,Soud Abdalah, Kelvin Yondan, Said Kokoo,George Owino, Nsa Job, Nico Nyagawa,
Musa Hassan `Mgosi,� Joseph Kaniki JKT Ruvu: Shaban Dihule, Mrisho Mnubi,Kessy Mapande, George Osey, Hassan Juma, Haruna Adolf, Greyson Haule, Bakari Kondo,Amos Msiga, Sostenes Manyasi.

Maximo to unveil Stars after Simba, Yanga tie

The Taifa Stars` coach, Marcio Maximo, will name will name players who will form his new team after a Vodacom Premier League first leg match between Simba and Yanga.

The match between the soccer giants will be played on Wednesday at the Jamhuri Stadium in Morogoro.

The Brazilian tactician said over the weekend that his new team would be dominated by young players who would stay in the team for long period.

`This time my selection will focus on youths who will play for the team for more than three years. The number of experienced players will be very minimal,` he said.

`I believe the match between Simba and Yanga will be very competitive and this is where I will end my scouting at the moment,` Maximo said.

He said he had already watched matches of all 14 teams competing in the league.

The team will start preparing for the East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup to be held from November 8-21 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The regional tourney organised by Cecafa will also attract teams from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland.

TFF warns clubs

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has said it will not postpone any of the Premier League matches because of a team`s delay caused by transport problems.

TFF Secretary-General Frederick Mwakalebela said at the weekend that the team which would not report in time because of transport delay will automatically lose the game.

`We are not ready to reschedule matches because of the delay of any team,` he claimed.

He said that TFF had already given transport money to all 14 teams competing in the league, so there was no any excuse for transport delay.

`It is embarrassing to see a team wanting its match to be rescheduled because of transport problems. Regulations demand that club report at their league centres one or two days before the match,` Mwakalebela explained.

However, Mwakalebela insisted that TFF would allow a match to be postponed for a day only if a team would give a strong reason for not showing up on the pitch and not otherwise.

Toto Africans last week requested TFF to postpone their Thursday league match against Police Moro due to transport problem while Prison and Ashanti match was also postponed for a day for the same reason.

Bongo Star Search II on ITV tonight

The famous Bongo Star Search (BSS) singing competition begins today with broadcasts on ITV starting tonight.

The competition, organised by Benchmark Productions has attracted 40 contestants who are currently in residential training at a Dar es Salaam hotel.

Tigo Celullar Phone Company who has injected 120m/- for the competition said over the weekend that they had decided to sponsor the competition, the second of its kind, because they have learnt that it helps to
promote youth`s lifestyles.

Benchmark Productions Managing Director, Rita Paulsen thanked Tigo forthe offer and called on other companies to support the competition.

Other sponsors of the competition are Coca-Cola, LG, Tacaids and Giraffe Ocean View Hotel.

Yanga, Pan African draw

Dar es Salaam Young Africans (Yanga), yesterday failed to smoothen things when they were held to a goalless draw by Pan African also of Dar es Salaam in a Vodacom Premier league match held at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma.

The match, watched by their would-be head coach Dusan Kondic and his assistant Spaso Sokoloviski from Serbia and Macedonia, was not all that impressive.

Yanga had themselves to blame for failing to utilise the chances that went their way. They forced three corners in the sixth, eighth, and ninth minutes but none bore fruit. All their attempts were foiled by their opponents.

In the 22nd minute Waziri Mahadhi who played for the first time after recovering from injuries, nearly recorded a score when he was inside the box but shot over the bar.

Six minutes later Abuu Ramadhani, with only Pan African goalie HajiMacharazi in front of him, released a feeble shot which was easily saved by the latter.

Pan African made up of young upcoming players dictated terms in almost the entire first half but they too failed to utilize the chances.

Striker Omari Mkuta`s shots either went over the bar or were saved by goalie Ivo Mapunda.

In Morogoro, league contenders, Prisons were held to a 1-1 draw with Mtibwa Sugar at another match held at Jamhuri Stadium.

Scorers of the two goals were Salum Swedi (Mtibwa) in the 40th minute and Stefano Mwasika (Prisons) in the 66th minute.

In Tanga hosts Manyema FC forced a goaless draw with Moro United in a match held at Mkwakwani Stadium.

Ref Clattenburg out for weekend

Clattenburg was criticised by Everton boss David Moyes

Mark Clattenburg will not referee a Premier League match this weekend after being criticised for his handling of the Merseyside derby on Saturday.
Everton were unhappy with the official after he sent off Tony Hibbert and then only booked Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt for a two-footed lunge at Phil Neville.

Kuyt stayed on to score his second penalty to give Liverpool a 2-1 win.

And the Toffees were further enraged when Clattenburg ignored Everton's claims for a penalty moments later.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher appeared to haul Joleon Lescott to the ground as Everton's nine men fought for an equaliser.

FOOTBALL RESULTS

Sunday, 21 October 2007

Barclays Premier League
West Ham 3-1 Sunderland

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship
Southampton 1-0 Cardiff

Blue Square Premier
York 0-1 Torquay

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Inverness CT 1-2 Aberdeen

FA Tesco Women's Premier League
Charlton Women 0-4 Cardiff Ladies
Chelsea Ladies 4-1 Liverpool Ladies
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-0 Birmingham Ladies
Leeds Utd Ladies 4-4 Blackburn Ladies
Watford Ladies 6-2 Bristol Academy

Aussie Dyson named Windies coach

Dyson spent 20 months as Sri Lanka coach

Australian John Dyson has been appointed as West Indies coach, more than two years after ending his time at the helm of the Sri Lanka team.
Dyson succeeds David Moore, who was coach on a temporary basis after Bennett King quit in March.

"The rest of the team management will be identified and appointed subsequently," a West Indies Cricket Board statement said.

It was not immediately clear when Dyson will start in his new role.

Dyson, 53, who played 30 Tests and 29 one-dayers between 1977 and 1984, coached Sri Lanka for almost two years.

Webster snatches Portugal Masters

Webster won his second tour title on a wave of emotion

England's Steve Webster won the Portugal Masters with the European Tour's best winning final round of the season, a 64 in Vilamoura.

One behind Daniel Vancsik overnight, Webster went to the turn in four under, then sank an eagle putt on the 12th.

Swede Robert Karlsson was two shots behind, Vancsik finished third and Lee Westwood joint fourth.

Webster's only previous European Tour victory in over a decade as a pro was the Italian Open two years ago.

He claimed the first prize of nearly £350,000 with a 25-under-par total that was the lowest of the season then, remembering the death of his mother earlier this year, collapsed in tears.

After being congratulated by his father Terry, Webster said his victory was an emotion-packed affair.

"I lost my mum in the early part of the season and it really knocked me about," he told reporters. "I didn't think I'd even keep my card because it was tough.

"But I had a great result at Loch Lomond (Scottish Open in July) and that seemed to help me turn the corner, I became more positive.

"It was so hard out there, especially coming down the stretch, because I was thinking about my mum all the time and it was so hard to keep my mind on the golf. But I knew she was looking down on me."

Meanwhile, Justin Rose's 21st place was not good enough for him to overtake Irishman Padraig Harrington in second place on Europe's money-list.

With top man Ernie Els not playing in the season-closing Volvo Masters the week after next, that event could see a straight fight between the two for the order of merit.

"I'm looking forward to going to Valderrama now because I prefer it when courses are tougher," Rose said.

"My goal is to win the Volvo Masters and then I'll win the order of merit, so it's a double-whammy.

Alonso questions McLaren appeal

Alonso and Hamilton have had a strained relationship this year

Fernando Alonso would be "embarrassed" if his McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton won the world title on appeal.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the title after winning in Brazil on Sunday but McLaren's expected challenge over the result may yet hand Hamilton the crown.

Race stewards investigated alleged fuel irregularities by Williams and BMW Sauber, but decided not to punish them.

"If he wins the title because of this it wouldn't be fair. I'd be embarrassed for this sport," said Alonso.

"I'm not sure what Lewis would think - I guess if they give you the title, you don't think it's a present but rather that you deserve it. He would be delighted."

And Alonso gave his backing to Raikkonen as a worthy winner, saying: "Raikkonen is the deserved champion.

"If you have more points, you are the deserved champion, just like in football. Kimi has won six races and Hamilton, like me, has won four."

Hamilton came seventh in Brazil and so finished one point behind Raikkonen in the drivers' standings.

But had race stewards later disqualified Williams and BMW Sauber, Hamilton would have finished fourth, earning him enough points to become world champion.

McLaren notified motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, late on Sunday of their intention to appeal against the stewards' verdict.

After a torrid first season with McLaren, Alonso made it clear that he felt the team had failed to give him sufficient backing.

"McLaren got it wrong, they lost the championship for the mistaken decisions they made in the second part of the season," the Spaniard told radio station Cadena Ser.

"It isn't a secret that they haven't helped me much. It wasn't a very well-organised season from the point of view of the management.

"There was no sensation of being a team and the result speaks for itself.

"Each person will have to draw their own lessons from this season but if we had taken a different approach we would have obtained different results."

He added: "In the last few races my hands and feet were tied. I had no power to make decisions. I had to race as they told me.

"McLaren lost and Ferrari did a better job than anyone else."

And asked about whether he could see a future with the British-based team, Alonso said: "The only reality is that I'm under contract to McLaren.

"I know there are a lot of rumours but I haven't spoken with another team, that's the reality."

Khan admits to 'driving too fast'

Amir Khan denies dangerous driving

Boxer Amir Khan has admitted driving "faster than it was safe to do so" before his car hit a pedestrian.
Mr Khan, 20, of Lostock, was charged with dangerous driving after Geoffrey Hatton, 55, was knocked over on Bradshawgate in Bolton in 2006.

He told Bolton Crown Court he drove through the junction in the wrong lane but did not "jump" the lights.

The world lightweight champion said his actions did not constitute dangerous driving.

The incident, which was captured on CCTV, happened on 2 March 2006.

Mr Khan, who denies dangerous driving, reached a top speed of 47mph as his BMW hit Mr Hatton, breaking his leg.

"It was too late to stop," Mr Khan said.

"If I had braked I would have ended up in the middle of the junction.

"I decided to just carry straight on and manoeuvred the car to the left."

He said he was not aware of three pedestrians crossing the road when he went through the lights.

The court heard earlier from Mr Hatton that he had panicked when he saw the vehicle come towards him and ran back to the kerb but instead came into the path of Mr Khan's car.

Asked about the collision by Mr John Jones QC, defending, Mr Khan said: "It happened so quick.

"I was really upset. I could see Mr Hatton was hurt.

"I was in so much shock. It was my first accident."

Confusion at city half-marathon

Confusion at city half-marathon

There was confusion at Coventry's Lady Godiva half-marathon when three of the race leaders took a wrong turning.
Raymond Tonui, of Kenya, won the race in one hour, three minutes.

Despite he and two others being guided the wrong way, giving them a slight advantage, officials said it was not enough to affect the end result.

They were already too far ahead to be caught, but their times will not be official. The event raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

The city's lord mayor, councillor Dave Batten, said: "It's been a marvellous event, all the people that's turned up today, all the opportunities for raising money for the various charities.

"It's been absolutely tremendous - really good news for Coventry."

Joke of The Day!

sometimes when you cry no ones sees your tears....when
you are worried one one sees your pain...when you are
happy no one sees your smile..But just try farting &
see the fucking attention you get!

By
Timo Malasusa,
tznews United Kingdom
Branch Director