Author: IGIHE

Nearly 200 Democrats sue Donald Trump over ‘benefits’

{Politicians say president violates the constitution over payments from foreign governments via Trump’s businesses.}

Nearly 200 US Democratic lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over foreign money flowing into his global business empire.

Wednesday’s case is the latest in a series of similar complaints filed against the president in recent months.

The lawmakers allege Trump accepted funds from foreign governments through his businesses without congressional consent in violation of the US constitution.

The complaint said that Trump had not sought congressional approval for any of the payments that his hundreds of businesses had received from foreign governments since he took office in January.

The White House was not immediately available for comment, but has repeatedly said that Trump’s business interests do not violate the constitution.

In January, the president said he would maintain ownership of his business empire, but would shift his business assets to a trust that would be managed by his two eldest sons while president.

Ethics advocates have argued, however, that this move did not go far enough.

The Trump Organization has also said it will donate profits from customers representing foreign governments to the US treasury department, but will not require such customers to identify themselves.

At least 30 US senators and 166 representatives are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, representing the largest number of legislators to ever sue a US president, according to two lawmakers who are among the plaintiffs.

The constitution’s “foreign emoluments” clause bars US officeholders from accepting payments and various other gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval.

“The president’s failure to tell us about these emoluments, to disclose the payments and benefits that he is receiving, mean that we cannot do our job. We cannot consent to what we don’t know,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the lawmakers bringing the lawsuit, said in a conference call on Tuesday.

Representative John Conyers, another plaintiff, added that Trump “has conflicts of interest in at least 25 countries, and it appears he’s using his presidency to maximise his profits”.

The justice department declined to comment.

{{Similar lawsuits}}

Other lawsuits of the same nature have been filed in recent months by parties including a nonprofit ethics group and a restaurant trade group.

They allege that Trump’s acceptance of payments from foreign and US governments through his hospitality empire puts other hotel and restaurant owners at an unfair disadvantage and provides governments an incentive to give Trump-owned businesses special treatment.

In a motion to dismiss one such lawsuit on Friday, the justice department argued that the plaintiffs had not shown any specific harm to their businesses, and that Trump was only banned from receiving foreign government gifts if they arose from his service as president.

On Monday, the attorney generals of the state of Maryland and Washington, DC filed a similar lawsuit against the president.

“This case is about the right of hundreds of millions of Americans to honest government,” Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit.

Responding to questions about Monday’s lawsuit, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said “partisan politics” were to blame.

Spicer said the White House will fight to have the lawsuit dismissed.

Anti-corruption advocates have said Trump’s holdings raise several ethical questions.

“It throws into question whether our government is making policy decisions for the right reasons,” Noah Bookbinder of DC-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), told Al Jazeera.

“He’s taken every opportunity to go to some of his establishments on weekends, to meet with foreign leaders there, talk about how great his businesses are and that raises a lot of problems,” Bookbinder said.

Lawmakers rarely sue the president, so there are few federal court decisions the legislators can cite to prove their legal standing to bring Wednesday’s case, Leah Litman, an assistant professor specialising in constitutional law at the University of California, Irvine, told Reuters news agency.

“But the constitutional provision they’re suing to enforce gives them a role in how it’s carried out, and that gives them a powerful standing argument,” Litman said.

Source:Al Jazeera

June 14, 2017
Australia to pay $53m to Manus Island asylum seekers

{Government says settlement with 1,905 Manus detainees, who sued over ‘hostile conditions’, is ‘not admission of guilt’.}

The Australian government has agreed to pay A$70m ($53m) to more than 1,900 asylum seekers who sued over their treatment at the Manus Island detention centre on Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Some 1,905 men who were detained at the facility between November 2012 and December 2014 filed legal claims last year against the Australian government and two contractors who ran the camp over alleged physical and psychological injury they said they suffered as well as for false imprisonment.

The camp is one of two Australian facilities for processing asylum seekers that have attracted widespread criticism from the United Nations and rights groups because of their harsh conditions and allegations of systemic abuse.

Wednesday’s settlement came just before the Victoria state Supreme Court was set to hear this case.

Lawyers for Slater and Gordon, the law firm representing the case, said they believed it was the largest human rights class action settlement in Australian history.

“The people detained on Manus Island have endured extremely hostile conditions but they will no longer suffer in silence,” attorney Andrew Baker said.

“While no amount of money could fully recognise the terrible conditions the detainees endured, we hope today’s settlement can begin to provide them with an opportunity to help put this dark chapter of their lives behind them.”

The lawyers said the compensation would be distributed among the former and current detainees according to the length of their detention and the severity of the injuries and illnesses they alleged they had suffered.

Australian government denied the alleged claims and said the settlement was not an admission of liability.

“An anticipated six-month legal battle for this case would have cost tens of millions of dollars in legal fees alone, with an unknown outcome. In such circumstances, a settlement was considered a prudent outcome for Australian taxpayers,” Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement.

{{‘Manus was hell’}}

Lead plaintiff in the asylum seekers’ case, Iranian Majid Kamasaee, welcomed the settlement as overdue acknowledgement of the suffering he and others endured.

“This case is not just about me, it is about every person who has been trapped on Manus Island,” Kamasaee, who was held for 11 months, said in a statement read out by the lawyers.

“I left my home in Iran in 2013 because of religious persecution and I came to Australia seeking peace. But I was sent to Manus, which was hell. The way we were treated at the Manus Island detention centre was degrading and cruel.”

The Manus Island detention centre, which was opened in 2012, was deemed illegal by PNG’s Supreme Court last year. It is expected to fully close in October.

Under Australian law, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing to detention centres on Manus Island or the Pacific island of Nauru.

Australia maintains they will never eligible to be resettled in Australia.

The policy has been highly criticised domestically as well as internationally.

In a recent report, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights of migrants said Australia has “clear and undeniable” responsibility for the “physical and psychological damage” suffered from refugees and asylum seekers.

{{‘Significant, but not a solution’}}

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas, reporting from Sydney, said while the asylum seekers had good reason to celebrate the settlement, questions about their futures remain.

“The money is one thing. These men are happy with that,” he said.

“They are happy that in their eyes they have won this case, even if Australia’s government denies liability, but they are still very unsure of their futures.”

Kon Karapanagiotidis, the founder and chief executive of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, added the “landmark case” was significant as it sets a precedent, but it is not a solution.

“Whilst the compensation is important, it does not give [these men] what they wanted in the first place,” Karapanagiotidis told Al Jazeera.

“No compensation is going to give these men what they want, which is freedom from harm.”

He also said that he believes there is an “immediate and humane” solution and that is to “allow these men to come to Australia”.

The United States is considering resettling up to 1,250 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru under a deal struck between Australia and the Obama administration.

Those considered for resettlement, however, will subjected to the “extreme vetting” policies of the US.

Source:Al Jazeera

June 14, 2017
Niger army rescues 92 migrants in Sahara Desert

{Troops in northern Niger have rescued 92 migrants who were on the brink of death in the Sahara Desert, an army statement has said.}

Traffickers abandoned the group, which included women and children, without water and food, it added.

One migrant died after being taken to a relief centre, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

African migrants travel through the desert to reach Libya before crossing the Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe.

However, the journey through the desert is perilous as the migrants are crammed into pick-up trucks and have little food or water.

More than 40 people died of thirst in the Sahara Desert about a fortnight ago after their truck broke down.

And last June, the bodies of 34 migrants, including 20 children, were found in the Sahara Desert near Niger’s border with Algeria.

The rescued migrants, who included at least 30 women and babies, were being looked after at a facility in the garrison town of Dirkou in northern Niger, the IOM said.

“Usually what happens in such situations is that smugglers try to exploit them,” IOM head of mission Giusseppe Lopreta told BBC Focus on Africa.

“They ask for more money when they are in the middle of the desert. If they don’t pay, they are abandoned.”

He said the migrants – most of whom were from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso – were saved because they were abandoned near a well.

The unforgiving conditions of the Sahara Desert mean that a broken down vehicle is often a death sentence for migrants.

Niger serves as a transit point for West Africans hoping to reach Europe to start a better life.

Every year, tens of thousands of migrants cross the Sahara to reach Libya. From the Libyan coast they board rickety boats to ferry them to Europe.

Many drown in the Mediterranean but, perhaps, less well known, are the dangers they face while crossing the Sahara.

It’s not known how many deaths there are every year – as it’s a vast, ungoverned region. But many migrants die of thirst, while others are robbed and attacked by criminal gangs and security forces.

Source:BBC

June 14, 2017
Zambia opposition MPs suspended after missing president’s speech

{Forty-eight Zambian MPs from the opposition UPND have been suspended for 30 days for boycotting President Edgar Lungu’s state of the nation address.}

They refused to attend in March as they argued Mr Lungu was not the legitimate winner of last year’s election.

Parliament speaker Patrick Matibini said the MPs’ boycott was “gross misconduct”, Lusaka Times reports.

The suspension comes as UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema is in detention facing treason charges.

Zambia’s government has faced criticism from the country’s Conference of Catholic Bishops over its handling of the case of the opposition leader. It warned that Zambia was slipping towards a “dictatorship”.

The suspended 48 MPs represents nearly the entire parliamentary party of 58.

{{Challenge to MPs}}

The speaker said their ban takes effect immediately and dared the suspended MPs to resign:
“I therefore challenge the UPND members that if they still maintain that they do not recognise the president, they should resign on moral grounds.”

Zambia has been locked in a political crisis since Mr Hichilema was arrested in April following an incident in which a convoy he was travelling in allegedly refused to give way to the presidential motorcade.

Mr Hichillema, who lost to Mr Lungu in last year’s close election, is accused of endangering the president’s life. His lawyers argue that the charges are politically motivated.

Source:BBC

June 14, 2017
DR Congo polio outbreak hits global eradication goal

{Two outbreaks of polio have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a blow to the goal of wiping out the disease from the world.}

The World Health Organization said there was a high risk the disease would spread.
Polio is a potentially deadly infection mainly affecting young people and can result in permanent paralysis.

It had been pushed back to just three countries until an outbreak was last week confirmed in Syria.

“WHO assesses the risk of further national spread of these strains to be high, and the risk of international spread to be medium,” the WHO stated in its disease outbreak report.

The strain of polio involved comes from areas with poor vaccine coverage.

At least four cases have been identified.

Two were found in the eastern Maniema province and two further south in Haut-Lomami province, the WHO says.

A global vaccination campaign had left Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan as the only countries where polio remained endemic.

The WHO had hoped to eradicate it by 2000 but this target has been repeatedly postponed.

Source:BBC

June 14, 2017
Senior US congressman shot at Virginia baseball practice

{Senior Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was among several victims shot and wounded at a baseball practice ahead of an annual game between lawmakers in a Washington suburb, one of his colleagues said Thursday.}

Fellow Republican lawmaker Mo Brooks told CNN that Scalise was shot in the hip, adding that at least two law enforcement officers and one congressional staffer were shot in Alexandria, Virginia.

Scalise, the majority whip who rallies Republican votes in the House of Representatives, “was not able to move on his own power. He was dragging his body from the second base infield to the outfield to get away from the shooter while all this firing was going on,” Brooks said.

Following the shooting, President Donald Trump voiced sadness saysing: “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Trump said in a statement, adding that he was closely monitoring the developments in Alexandria, Virginia just outside the US capital, where police have arrested the unidentified gunman.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all others affected,” he added.

Source:Daily Monitor

June 14, 2017
Democracy not fully understood in Burundi, say catholic bishops

{In a declaration they issued on 9 June, the Catholic Bishops of Burundi say democracy is not yet fully understood in the country. They say they are concerned about the people who are being intimidated by some administrative officials.}

The statement by the Episcopal Conference of Burundi says the security situation has improved throughout the country compared to the deadly violence that Burundi has experienced since April 2015.

Burundian Bishops say they are concerned by the fact that democracy is not clearly understood in the country. “Some reduce it to the simple fact of holding elections, ignoring the respect of its principles and values, “said Joachim Ntahondereye, Bishop of Muyinga Diocese and Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Burundi.

The bishops say there is growing apprehension in the country which proves that the future is likely to be tainted with resentment and revolt following the intimidation and political blunders which some people suffer at the hands of some administrative officials.

Bishops said that after discussing the situation in their respective dioceses. They, however, noted slight security improvement in the country but which, according to them, is not very likely to lead to lasting peace.

{{Democracy is a process}}

Martin Nivyabandi, Minister of Human Rights, says democracy is a process. “The Government of Burundi is making efforts to promote peace and security in the country, which goes hand in hand with democracy,” says Minister of Human Rights. He also says any administrative authority guilty of oppressing the population by means of his/her position is punished individually.

The bishops of Burundi have opposed the third candidacy of President Pierre Nkurunziza in the 2015 elections. They withdrew the priests and religious observers from the dismemberments of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) saying they were some irregularities in the 2015 election process.

Amnesty International reports that the current Burundi political crisis has become less overtly violent, although serious human rights violations continued, including unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture or other ill-treatment and arbitrary arrests. “Violence against women and girls increased. The rights to freedom of expression and association were stifled. With increased repression and unchallenged impunity, a climate of fear took root in the capital and elsewhere”, says Amnesty International.

Burundi has plunged into a crisis since the official announcement of the candidacy of President Pierre Nkurunziza in the 2015 presidential elections that he won. Some politicians and members of civil society organizations accuse him of having violated the Burundian Constitution and the Arusha Peace Agreement. According to UN reports, over 400 thousands Burundians have fled the country since 2015.

Source:Iwacu

June 14, 2017
DRC refugees flooding into Angola

{As refugees fleeing violence and communal tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continued to arrive in neighbouring Angola, the United Nations Refugee Agency appealed for more resources to cope with the influx and to provide people with the support they urgently needed.}

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 30,000 people arrived in Angola’s Lunda Norte province since April.

There were fears that the number could reach 50,000, with about 300 to 500 people arriving daily.

“Angola is providing a warm welcome, but reception centres accommodating refugees are full beyond their capacity and basic services cannot be maintained without immediate donor support,” said Valentin Tapsoba, the UNHCR’s Africa Bureau Director, in a statement on Monday.

He added that the refugees were traumatised and humanitarian agencies required urgent support to ensure that life-saving assistance and protection could be provided to those in need.

The arrivals were mostly from the Kasai provinces in the DRC, where they were at risk of serious human rights violations and abuses, including physical mutilation, killing, sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention in inhumane conditions.

The Kasais were the location of the discovery of some 42 mass graves, in April by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

About 1.3 million people remain displaced internally in the DRC.

Those reaching Angola also expressed fear of going back unless the situation allowed for a safe and dignified return.

Prior to the recent influx, Angola housed some 15,600 refugees – including more than 13,400 from the DRC.

However, with arrivals increasing and fears that the situation could get much worse, additional funding was urgently needed.

“Sustaining life-saving assistance won’t be possible without more funding,” said the UNHCR, noting that together with its partners, some $65-million was required – of which the UN agency needed $35 million (until the end of the year) to reach refugees in remote parts of Angola, who were the most vulnerable.

Current humanitarian efforts were supported with $10-million by the UN Central Emergency Fund, a limited pool of financial resources that provided funding to critical, life-saving humanitarian rapid response and under-funded operations around the globe.

Source:African News Agency

June 14, 2017
Kenya:Nasa criticises Jubilee for reviving ICC debate

{Opposition leaders have criticised President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto for reviving the debate on the International Criminal Court (ICC) cases against them.}

The leaders allied to the National Super Alliance (Nasa) accused the duo of seeking to whip up emotions about election violence after Kenyans have already moved on.

The politicians are ODM national chairman John Mbadi, Secretary of political affairs secretary Opiyo Wandayi, Wiper Party vice-chairman Mutula Kilonzo, ODM treasurer Timothy Bosire and Nasa western region presidential campaign coordinator Khalid Njiraini.

On Monday, the Jubilee leaders accused the opposition of planning to revive the ICC cases against Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto, dropped due to lack of adequate evidence.

But on Wednesday, Mr Mbadi said President Kenyatta and his deputy had realised they were losing support in the Rift Valley and were seeking to gain sympathy by claiming the opposition would renew their cases.

{{Sway voters }}

“They are losing the Kalenjin vote. They think they can regain the votes they have lost by recreating the ICC story,” he said.

Mr Wandayi said the ICC will not be used to sway voters in this year’s elections.

“Jubilee is drowning politically and wants to clutch onto any straw for mere survival. They are desperate to revive their dwindling political fortunes.

“Kenyans have become wiser and will not be distracted by these diversionary tactics,” he said.

Mr Kilonzo described as careless the statement made by President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto on the ICC.

“Nasa is not the prosecutor or complainant. The revival of the cases (if at all) must be justified on cogent evidence from the prosecutor. [President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto] should not use this as a platform to whip up emotions,” Mr Kilonzo said.

{{Hague }}

Mr Bosire said the ICC issue is a sideshow and will not earn Jubilee any votes.

Mr Njiraini threatened to sue the President and the DP for “revisiting the emotive ICC debate.”

He accused President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto of evoking negative emotions ahead of the August 8 elections by revisiting the cases.

Speaking in Kisumu, Mr Njiraini defended Nasa, saying the opposition had no plans to revive the ICC matter.

“We demand an apology from Uhuru and Ruto for lying to Kenyans that it is Nasa presidential candidate Raila (Odinga) who took them to The Hague,” Mr Njiraini said.

He cautioned that revisiting the ICC cases would open old wounds and create animosity among Kenyans.

Source:Daily Nation

June 14, 2017
Rwanda elected member of the International Labour Organisation Governing Body

{Rwanda has been elected to be a Member of the International LabourOrganisation Governing Body for a 3 year term (2017-2020). The election was held in Geneva during the 106th International Labour Conference (ILC) on Monday. Rwanda has not served in the ILO Governing Body for the last three decades.}

Hon. Judith Uwizeye, Minister of Public Service and Labour, who represented the Government of Rwanda in the 106th International Labour Conference (ILC), expressed her great satisfaction after the election.

“I am extremely happy; Rwanda is now a Member of the ILO Governing Body from 2017 up to 2020, thanks to our President H.E. Paul Kagame for his visionary leadership.” Disclosed Uwizeye after Rwanda‘s election.

The Governing Body is the Executive Organ of the ILO. The Governing Body is responsible for taking decision on all ILO Policies, adopting ILO Programs and Budget; electing the Director-General of ILO, appointing commissions of inquiry, supervising the work of the International Labour Office and requesting information from member states concerning labour matters, among others.

Members of the Governing Body also participate in decision making of the following ILO Committees (Policy Development Committee; Committee on Freedom of Association; Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee; Institutional Committee; Legal Issues and International Labour Standards Committee; High-Level Committee; Working Party on the Functioning of the Governing Body and the International Labour Conference; and Committee on the Application of Standards).

The Governing Body is composed of 56 Regular Members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 Deputy Members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers).

Ten of the Regular Government Seats are permanently held by States of chief industrial importance (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States). The other Government Members, and the Worker and Employer Members, are elected by the Conference every three years. Africa holds 13 Governments Seats.

Rwanda will be representing the East Africa Group which is composed of 14 ILO Member States which include Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritius, Comoros, Eretria, Seychelles and Madagascar.

To be elected, a Government must obtain more than half of the votes cast by the Members of the Electoral College present at the Meeting. Rwanda obtained 228 Votes out of 253.

June 14, 2017