Erick S. Maseke

Parliament of Tanzania.Chevening Alumni.Sheffield Uni.Alumni.Ex Seminarian.Views expressed are personal.

[Sidharth @Cloudwatch199]

🚨 SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS.

Early voting is showing some striking signs of a blue wave across America.

Look at the numbers:

🔵 NORTH CAROLINA: Democrats lead Republicans by 24.8 points among early voters, compared with D+10.3 at this stage in 2022. Democratic ballots are UP 51%, while Republican ballots are DOWN 8%.

🔵 IOWA: D+27.7 among early voters, compared with D+12.0 in 2022.

🔵 MAINE: D+37.1, compared with D+35.6 in 2022.

🔵 NEVADA: Democrats lead Republicans by 1,553 ballots statewide, with in-person early voting just beginning.

🔵 GEORGIA: First-day early voting shattered the previous midterm record. Turnout jumped 40% over 2022.

🔵 PENNSYLVANIA: Democrats lead returned ballots by roughly 209,000.

🔴 TEXAS: More than 19 MILLION registered voters, an all-time record. In-person early voting starts Monday.

The evidence of Democratic momentum is substantial in several states, but the picture isn't uniform.

November 3 is going to be fascinating.

[Planhat @Planhat]

Say hi to Pi.

[Pristone @GenPristone]

No diapers, no warm clothes and when you refuse porridge they squeeze your nose for you to decide whether to swallow the porridge or die. We survived.😅😅😅

[Ngazekof @Mghazake]

The goat saw the grass on the pitch and decided to eat it😂

[Mwemezi Rwiza, PhD @SwahiliBible]

Sasa tuongeze maombi. Tupeleke manukato mbele za kiti cha enzi cha Yesu tunapoomba hekima na maongozi yake. Asante sana kuhani. 🙏

[Kgoshi Ya Lebowa @Mothematiks]

Whoever gets 3 cones is the winner 👌🏾❤️

[SADCOPAC @SADCOPAC2003]

SOLIDARITY IN ACTION! 🤝 AFRODAD, AFROSAI-E, AFROPAC & the World Bank stand with SADCOPAC at the 18th Annual Conference & 22nd AGM in Eswatini 🇸🇿 #SADCOPAC2026

[Farrukh @implausibleblog]

Andy Burnham slams Kemi Badenoch at #PMQs over the settler sanctions,

"Leadership. Let me tell her and the whole House where Britain is showing leadership. There have been Conservative politicians at this dispatch box, Labour politicians too, for decades, who've talked about the importance of the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine."

"Words from any politician about a two-state solution will be only words if it's not backed with action. And leadership is about taking action where there is injustice, where we need to correct unfairness, people being driven out of their homes, losing their homes, being intimidated in their daily lives."

"I credit the Father of the House, who yesterday applauded the action that this government is taking in this difficult and dangerous world. Britain has to stand for something. Britain has to show leadership."

"Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice, where people are being bullied out of their homes, intimidated. We will always stand with the underdog and take what action we can to support them."

"That, Mr. Speaker, is leadership on the world stage. Britain being true to what it's always been about. That is what the British government, British people expect of us, and that is what this government will do."

[Andy Burnham @andyburnham]

In a difficult and dangerous world, a decade on from Brexit, there is a risk that Britain loses the confidence to lead and stand up for its values.

I’m not prepared to let that happen. It is more important than ever that Britain stands for something.

We have called for years for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognise that those words are meaningless unless we back them up with action.

For too long, we have been hesitant to act, fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel.

Today we are announcing carefully judged, targeted steps that are not aimed at the Israeli people, but at the unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government.

The suffering of the Palestinian people is a scar on the conscience of the world. Innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed in Gaza. And there is still a humanitarian crisis, with far too little aid getting in.

The scale of destruction is hard to comprehend. More than 70,000 people lie dead - at least 20,000 of them children. Families and communities have been torn apart. Millions displaced. And the population of Gaza is now penned into just one third of the territory.

I know that people across the UK feel very deeply about this issue - and so do I.

Before I became Prime Minister, I said our country’s response had been too slow and simply not good enough. That’s why I committed to changing the government’s approach.

I will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution - the best hope for peace and stability in the region - comes under attack.

More settlements have been approved under the four years of this Israeli government than in the previous 20 years. The UN has reported more than 1,500 incidents of settler violence so far this year, aimed at driving out Palestinians. And the situation is growing worse, fast.

The Israeli government has now approved 104 new settlements since it took office in December 2022, and ahead of the October elections in Israel, it is allowing tenders for the construction of the E1 mega settlement to go ahead. This would cut a swathe through the heart of the West Bank - snuffing out the hope of realising a two-state solution. It cannot be allowed to happen.

That’s why we are announcing a new package of tough measures to put pressure on the Israeli government:

First, we will ban the trade in goods with illegal settlements in Palestine.

Second, we have formally changed the view of the British government to say for the first time that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful - independent of, but in line with, the conclusion of the international court of justice.

And third, we will sanction individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlements. That includes any businesses or investors that take part in the construction of the E1 settlement.

In addition, we are announcing a new package of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza.

We are taking these steps because it is the right thing to do.

I have condemned the monstrous terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in the strongest possible terms - and continue to condemn Hamas. However, it does not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza or the West Bank.

The measures we are taking are about targeting illegal settlements and increasing the pressure on the Israeli government to change course. We are not imposing sanctions on Israel as a whole, which would punish the Israeli people, many of whom disagree with their government’s position.

The Israeli people are not responsible for the actions of their government. And nor is the Jewish community in the UK. Blaming British Jews for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is wrong, plain and simple. And it is antisemitism, plain and simple.

I met the representatives of the Jewish community just last week. I know the fear they live with day by day. My government will stop at nothing to ensure they are safe and to stamp out antisemitism in every part of our society.

The measures we are announcing today are about protecting the only solution that could see the Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security - something that people up and down the UK desperately want to see.

The government I lead will keep working with our partners around the world to keep that hope alive.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

We began talks.
Почали перемовини.
🇺🇦 🇺🇸

[AFP News Agency @AFP]

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store held a meeting in their World Cup team's football shirts ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey

England will play Norway in the quarter-final on July 11 in Miami

[Vatican News @VaticanNews]

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 16,13-19)

"I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

https://t.co/rWrN90sal8

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

NOW: Senior U.S. official: The United States has officially signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

The World Cup begins tomorrow, and many will watch the matches. Soccer reminds us of something we must not forget: life is not a race to show off on our own, but a path we learn to walk together. Anyone who does not know how to pass the ball, even if they have talent, has not yet understood the game. Anyone who does not know how to live with and for others has not yet understood life. #ApostolicJourney

[البابا لاون الرابع عشر @Pontifex_ar]

إن كل مجتمع عادل حقاً يقوم على الاعتراف بالكرامة غير القابلة للانتهاك للشخص البشري. هذه الكرامة تسبق أي منح من الدولة ولا يمكن إخضاعها للتوافقات الاجتماعية المتغيرة؛ فهي ملك لكل إنسان لمجرد حقيقة وجوده، ولهذا السبب يجب أن توجّه كل نظام قانوني وضعي. وعندما تبقى هذه القناعة حية، يصبح القانون حماية للجميع وضمانة ضد فرض المصالح والأجندات الخاصة.
https://t.co/8XJNgUQsg6

[Samwel Ndandala @SNdandala]

We celebrate the admission into the @DeloitteTz partnership of Jacquiline Matiko, our first female Tax Partner, and our ninth partner in Tanzania.

[Unofficial Trump on X @trump_repost]

Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions. All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!). Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of "heading home!" Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President! The enriched material, sometimes referred to as "Nuclear Dust," which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so!), in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED. No money will be exchanged, until further notice. Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

[SADCOPAC @SADCOPAC2003]

Presentation by Hon. Mark Botomani: Public Accounts Committees are vital for fiscal transparency, yet many in Southern Africa face political interference & weak follow-through.Key fix? Strong legal mandates, opposition-led chairs, whistleblower protection, and digital transformation.
Integrity isn’t automatic—it must be institutionalized. 🧾🔍 #OpenGov #PACs #Accountability

[Ofisi ya Taifa ya Ukaguzi @ukaguziTanzania]

NAOT Named Among Top Five Finalists for the Prestigious AFROSAI-E Best Performance Audit Report Prize 2025.

The National Audit Office of Tanzania (NAOT) is proud to have been recognised among the top five nominated Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) out of 26 SAI's across the AFROSAI-E Region selected to compete for the prestigious AFROSAI-E Best Performance Audit Report Prize 2025.

This important recognition reflects the visionary leadership and commitment of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) of the United Republic of Tanzania, Charles E. Kichere, in strengthening Excellence in Performance Auditing at SAI Tanzania, as well as the continued dedication of the NAOT team to promoting accountability, transparency, and improved public service delivery for citizens.

The competition, which featured outstanding Audit Reports from Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Uganda, highlighted the increasing quality and impact of Performance Auditing across the AFROSAI-E region.

The award was presented during the AFROSAI-E Strategic Review held in Monrovia, Liberia, by the Auditor General of Sweden, Christina Gellerbrant Hagberg, where SAI Kenya emerged as the winner through its audit report on the Kenya Urban Support Program Phase 1.

In 2025 alone, SAI's across the Region produced 171 Performance Audit Reports covering issues such as Infrastructure, Governance, Service Delivery and the Effective Use of Public Resources.

[camillao 🕊️💙 @Mar90490]

Farewell to Africa 🥹
“I am leaving with a great treasure… made of stories, faces and testimonies, joyful and suffering, that enrich my life abundantly, and my ministry as successor of Peter”