IGIHE

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  • Morsi supporters march in Cairo

    {{Supporters of Egypt’s deposed President Mohamed Morsi are continuing to stage rallies, with some clashes reported, despite a warning from the interim prime minister of an imminent crackdown on their protest camps.}}

    Morsi supporters called for marches to begin after Friday afternoon prayers as the nation rested on the second day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

    “The Egyptian people are continuing, and the days will only increase their determination to persist in their peaceful struggle until the country returns to the democratic path, until the coup is completely ended,” the Anti-Coup Alliance said in a statement.

    The pro-Morsi group called on the marchers to set off from mosques in Cairo.

    Twenty-eight pro-Morsi protesters and one police officer were injured when clashes broke out between the demonstrators and police as crowds gathered outside the security directorate in Fayoum, police said.

    Reuters news agency later quoted security sources saying that the clashes had taken place between several hundred supporters and opponents of Morsi.

    Some of the injured suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, while birdshot wounds were also reported by the health ministry.

    In separate incidents in the Nile Delta province of Gharbiya, four people were injured in fights between pro-Morsi protesters and residents near an army base, state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said. Thirteen Morsi supporters were arrested, according to media.

    {wirestory}

  • Israel seeks to negotiate planned EU curbs over ’67 borders

    {{Israel appealed to the European Union on Friday to rethink plans to withhold funds from Israeli organizations in the occupied territories, a shift in tone from earlier recrimination and retaliation.}}

    Under guidelines adopted by the executive European Commission in June, Israeli “entities” operating in the West Bank and East Jerusalem will not be eligible for EU grants, prizes or loans from next year.

    The move was welcomed by Palestinians, who seek statehood in those territories, and deplored by Israel, which has settled the West Bank extensively and considers all of Jerusalem its undivided capital – a status not recognized internationally.

    The rightist Israeli government responded on July 26 by announcing curbs on EU aid projects for thousands of West Bank Palestinians. On Thursday it accused the Europeans of harming Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and said it would not sign new deals with the 28-nation bloc given the planned EU cuts.

    But Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin took a more diplomatic tack on Friday, offering to negotiate with the European Union over the guidelines, which he described as a challenge to the Jewish state’s sovereignty.

    “We are ready to hold a creative dialogue with the Europeans. We understand their position. We reject it, we don’t like it, but it’s their right when it comes to using their money,” Elkin told Israel Radio.

    “We are asking the Europeans also to take into consideration the legal and other problems this creates on the Israeli side. We want to return and are ready to negotiate. But if the terms are the way they are today – unprecedented and several steps beyond anything heretofore – then we won’t be able to do it.”

    {wirestory}

  • DRCongo to open national dialogue next week

    {{Democratic Republic of Congo will start talks next week aimed at easing a political standoff in the capital and ending remote rebellions, with the leader of neighbouring Congo Republic taking some form of mediating role.}}

    DRC’s last major war ended a decade ago, but localised rebellions, as well as rampant corruption, have hamstrung efforts to rebuild the vast former Belgian colony, a target for billions of dollars of foreign investment.

    As well as the “M23” rebellion near the border with Rwanda in the east, and one in the in the Katangan copper belt in the south, political tensions have simmered in the capital Kinshasa, in the west, since President Joseph Kabila’s 2011 re-election in a vote the opposition says was riddled by fraud.

    Now, the political opposition will take part in talks with the government, rebel groups and civil society, after Congo Republic’s president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, agreed to “accompany” the process, although his role and the scope of the discussions are yet to be clarified.

    “We came to meet the president to tell him that we will start our dialogue next week,” Kengo Wa Dondo, president of DRC’s senate, told reporters late on Thursday after meeting Nguesso in Congo Republic’s capital, Brazzaville.

    A spokesman for the president confirmed he had accepted the role, the exact nature of which will be clarified in further meetings in Kinshasa.

    “He is available 24 hours a day. What more can you say?” Wa Dondo said.

    The two nation’s capitals are separated only by the Congo River but Nguesso’s involvement comes after years of strained relations with Kabila.

    Problems stemmed mainly from accusations by Kinshasa that Brazzaville was harbouring alleged coup plotters accused of trying to topple Kabila’s government.

    A visit by Kabila to his counterpart last month to discuss regional politics, including the M23 rebellion, appears to have laid the foundations for Nguesso’s involvement.

    agencies

  • Attackers in South Sudan Kill Local MSF Staff Member

    {{South Sudanese staff member of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been killed and another wounded in an attack by armed men on their vehicle outside the country’s capital, Juba, the medical charity said.}}

    MSF said the shooting occurred on Monday on a main road outside Juba in an attack on a vehicle bearing the organization’s name.

    “These types of incidents directly impact on the ability of aid workers to provide much needed, life-saving medical assistance,” MSF said in a statement.

    The victim, whom MSF identified only as Joseph, died two days later from his injuries.

    One of the world’s poorest nations, South Sudan is in the grip of a slow-burning humanitarian crisis caused by years of underdevelopment, conflict and natural disaster, aid agencies say.

    Police spokesman James Monday Enoka said police officers were deployed along all major roads around Juba, but were not always able to deter attackers.

    {reuters}

  • U.S. to Reopen 18 of 19 foreign Posts Closed

    {{Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates closed this month due to worries about potential terrorist attacks will reopen on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.}}

    “Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed because of ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

    The United States will also keep its consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, shuttered, Psaki said, adding it closed on Thursday due to a “separate credible threat.”

    The United States shut about 20 of its embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa on Sunday after saying it had picked up information through surveillance and other means about unspecified terrorist threats. It later said the missions would remain closed through August 10.

    A worldwide alert said that al Qaeda could be planning attacks in the Middle East and North Africa.

    The reopening U.S. posts are located in Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Madagascar, Burundi, Djibouti, Sudan, Rwanda, Mauritius, as well as three in Saudi Arabia and two in the United Arab Emirates.

    The U.S. government this week warned its citizens to avoid traveling to Pakistan, while some American diplomats from Yemen were evacuated and U.S. nationals were told to leave the country immediately.

    President Barack Obama, during a White House news conference on Friday, declined to comment on reports of drone strikes in Pakistan that targeted militants in that country.

    The State Department did not indicate when its facilities in Sanaa and Lahore might reopen, saying it will continue to evaluate the “threats.”

    U.S. embassies and consulates offer emergency services to Americans traveling abroad and attempt to advance U.S. diplomatic and business interests in host countries.

    reuters

  • Zambia makes ‘major economic strides’

    {{Zambia has made significant strides in the improvement and stabilisation of the macro-economic environment to support industrial development, according to Bright Chunga, president of the Zambia Association of Manufacturers}}

    Chunga was speaking in Livingstone at a business seminar organised by the Zambia Development Agency, where he said the annual growth in manufacturing value has remained steady, registering growth of 4.2% and 5% in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

    Despite the successes achieved in supporting industrial development, a number of issues still however needed to be resolved, according to Chunga.

    “Growth is still below expectation and the potential of the sector. During the period of economic expansion in 1964 to 1974, manufacturing was one of the fastest growing industries in Zambia, achieving an annual average growth rate of 12.6%,” he elaborated.

    Effective implementation of linkage development policy is needed between manufacturing and other resource sectors such as mining. Such a policy should include policy instruments such as local content, capacity building and competence enhancement for manufacturers, Chunga said.

    There is also need for the alignment of policies to ensure that they are consistent and mutually reinforcing, he added.

    “Policies which exempt investors in resource sectors from paying import duties on inputs while subjecting local manufacturers to the same should be done away with as they undermine linkage development,” Chunga pointed out.

    In order to grow the manufacturing sector, there is a need to ensure strong partnership between the public sector, private sector and civil society, a precondition for aligning stakeholder visions for successful policy development and implementation, he said.

    There is a need to facilitate access to long-term finance by developing the financial sector, deepening financial intermediation and using policy instruments vested in the Bank of Zambia, Chunga added.

    Following independence, the manufacturing sector’s contribution to total gross domestic product (GDP) rose from 6.9 % in 1964 to 13V in 1974, with the sector’s contribution going as high as 26% of total GDP at one point.

    The manufacturing value added as a percentage of GDP has dropped to 9.7 %, 8.9% and 8.4% in 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively, despite positive annual growth.

    The highest contributors to manufacturing GDP as of 2010 were the food, tobacco and beverages sub-sector (36.9%) and the basic metal and fabricated engineering products sector, which accounted for 24.9%.

    During the period under review, the textile garments and leather products industry accounted for 14%, chemicals, plastic, synthetic rubber and other chemical products for 10.7% and wood and wood products for 7%.

    The positive growth registered during the period from 1964 to 1974 was attributed to unprecedented investment in infrastructure and manufacturing, macro-economic stability, flourishing private sector (dominated by foreign-owned firms) and the good national development planning framework.

    {africanreview}

  • Mozambique plans US$250 million gas-fired power plant

    {{Mozambique has announced plans to build a gas-fired power station capable of generating 150MW of energy at a cost of US$250mn by May 2014 to help meet domestic demands for energy.}}

    Salvador Namburete, Mozambique’s energy minister, said, “This power station will be installed at Ressano Garcia, on the border between Mozambique and South Africa.”

    The project is a partnership between the Mozambican electricity company EDM, with 51 per cent stake, and South Africa’s Sasol New Energy with 49%.

    “The project seeks to increase the capacity to supply electricity to meet the growing demand. Currently, we face a deficit of 100MW, particularly in the south of the country,” Namburete added.

    According to Augusto de Sousa Fernando, chairperson of EDM, Mozambique’s current consumption stands at 700MW.

    “Only 600MW is generated in Mozambique and EDM imports the rest from South Africa.”

    {africanreview}

  • Ghanaian reaches Big Brother finale

    {{After spending an intense 75 days in the Big Brother House, dodging bullets, gossip and six prior dalliances with the Eviction guillotine, Elikem became the first Ghanaian in history to cruise through to the Big Brother Finale this afternoon.}}

    The Ghanaian managed this stunning coup following a convincing display during the Head of House Task.

    Elikem is not up for possible Eviction this week, which means he is not going anywhere on Sunday.

    On Monday, the Ghanaian will take up his sheriff badge till next week Sunday. Thereafter, it will be all systems go for the Finale.

    Before Big Brother made the HoH announcement, a hush fell over the lounge where the Housemates were gathered. It was clear something big was going to happen.

    As soon as Big Brother roared “Next week’s Head of House is Elikem,” his fellow Housemates congratulated him on his feat.

    “I wish I was in your shoes. Congratulations man. I’m sure your country is proud of you,” Dillish said, while Feza told him “Look at you being so quiet. This is a first. You’re supposed to be making noise,” the Tanzanian said.

    Elikem then opened up to his fellow Chasemates as the realisation of making history dawned on him.

    “If I wasn’t swapped this week, I will be the first Ghanaian to make the Big Brother finals,” Elikem said.

    Elikem can rest easy because Head of House Beverly put Dillish up instead.

    Elikem is not only in the Finale but also made history today by becoming the first Chasemate to win ‘Power of No’ and ‘Head of House’ in the same week.

    It was certainly a tough road for Elikem. Congratulations are in order! Ghana, bring out the champagne!

    {myjoyonline}

  • 520 Rwandan Immigrants Leave Tanzania

    {{A total of 520 illegal immigrants from Rwanda have voluntarily returned home, with 150 of them reporting at Rusumo border post late yesterday.}}

    The Rwandan government was quoted by the BBC Swahili service yesterday as saying they have made all the preparations to ensure the returnees were well received in their motherland.

    Rwanda Foreign Affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo was quoted as saying that Rwanda government will not expel Tanzanians living in the country illegally.

  • Sudan summons Saudi Diplomat as Dispute over Bashir’s flight drags on

    {{The Sudanese foreign ministry summoned the Charge d’affaires (CDA) at the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Khartoum to request a formal explanation on why Riyadh blocked a plane carrying president Omer Hassan al-Bashir last Sunday who was on his way to Iran to attend the inauguration ceremony of president-elect Hassan Rouhani.}}

    Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said earlier this week that the chartered plane, flown by a foreign crew, which Bashir was boarding, had no prior permission to fly through Saudi airspace and claimed that they were not told about the presence of the Sudanese president until the aircraft was already headed back to Khartoum airport.

    GACA further emphasized that rules and procedures require the Sudanese government to request a diplomatic permission 48 hours before the flight and coordinate with Riyadh as such.

    But Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) responded saying that they communicated the details of the flight to the control tower at Jeddah airport few hours prior to the plane’s departure and mentioned that they were told that the aircraft is carrying a Top Very Important Person (Top-VIP) without specifically naming Bashir.

    Following the airport’s refusal to authorize passage of the plane, the pilot made a last ditch attempt and told air traffic controllers that Bashir is one of the passengers on the flight. According to SCAA, the Saudis stood by their position forcing the plane to turn back home.

    GACA noted that the plane is registered abroad and has blanket permission to land at any Saudi airport only if its registered owner is onboard adding that it cannot be leased or used for commercial purposes.

    Sudan countered this argument by saying that the plane is owned by Midrock Aviation company which is based in Jeddah.

    An online Linkedin profile of the pilot named Pervez Iqbal mentioned by Sudan show that he has been working since 2007 at Midroc Aviation which is registered in Jeddah.

    Saudi Arabia’s CDA in Khartoum Saeed al-Ghamdi told the pro-government Ashorooq TV that he was called by the Arab Bureau at the Sudanese foreign ministry to receive a formal query from the government on the incident.

    He downplayed the significance of what happened calling it “simple” that would not impact bilateral relations and reiterated that a permit was required to clear the flight.

    Today the GACA released a fresh statement affirming that they were not told about Bashir’s presence as Sudan alleged and underscored that communicating information about the flight does not constitute approval.

    The criticized the SCAA for not following the rules and protocols saying it “should have known better”.

    On Sunday, Iran’s ISNA news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi as saying that flight permissions for Bashir’s plane had been obtained in advance but offered no details.

    A similar situation occurred in June 2011 when Turkmenistan and Tajikistan refused to grant permission to Bashir’s plane in order to reach China where he was to start a state visit. As a result he was forced to return to Tehran where he was attending a summit there and decide on a new route to reach Beijing.

    Observers speculated that Sudan’s growing ties with Iran could have irked the Saudis prompting them to block Bashir’s flight.

    Sudan twice allowed Iranian warships to dock in Port Sudan last year, drawing concern by the United States and its allies in the Gulf.

    In an editorial last November titled “The fall of masks between Iran and Sudan”, the Saudi pro-government Al-Riyadh newspaper blasted Khartoum over allowing entry to the Iranian warships, saying there is no “logical justification” for a relationship between the two countries.

    Bashir has generally seen his travel difficulties mount in the wake of the two warrants issued by the Hague-based International Criminal Court in 2009 and 2010 for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.

    He was forced to cancel many appearances since then for fear of arrest.

    Saudi Arabia, however, was one country Bashir frequently visited after his indictment as Riyadh is not party to the ICC statute.

    ST