IGIHE

Category: Rubrique

  • China Media Accuses Japan PM of Dangerous Politics

    {{Two of China’s top newspapers accused Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday of dangerous politics that could threaten regional security, as Tokyo warned Beijing not to expand gas exploration in disputed waters of the East China Sea.}}

    The People’s Liberation Army Daily said Abe was trying to play the “China threat” angle, to win votes in July 21 elections, with a visit on Wednesday to Japan’s southern island of Ishigaki, near islets claimed by both China and Japan.

    Territorial claims by Japan and China over the uninhabited islets and resource-rich waters in both the East China Sea and South China Sea rank as one of Asia’s biggest security risks.

    During the visit to Ishigaki island, Abe repeated Tokyo’s stand that the nearby disputed Senkaku islands, called the Diaoyu by China, are inherent Japanese territory, adding that he has no intention of conceding even one step.

    “This kind of ‘drinking poison to slake ones thirst’ not only threatens regional stability, it gives encouragement to Japan’s ‘turn to the right’,” said the daily.

    Abe wants to revise Japan’s constitution, drafted by the United States after World War Two, to formalize the country’s right to have a military. Critics say his plan could return Japan to a socially conservative, authoritarian past.

    The People’s Liberation Army Daily said Abe could not have chosen a worse time to visit Ishigaki, which lies some 160 km (100 miles) from the uninhabited islets the two nations contest.

    “You cannot criticize a national leader for visiting his country’s own territory but in a situation where the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands is continuing and the situation is complex and sensitive, Abe’s actions are doubtless extremely dangerous and irresponsible,” the paper, the official publication of China’s military, said in a commentary.

    The ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily warned that China would never allow itself to be trampled on again, a reference to China’s bitter memories of Japan’s invasion of the country ahead of and during World War Two.

    In a commentary published under the pen name “Zhong Sheng”, or “voice of China”, the newspaper said that Abe was looking for excuses to re-arm Japan and that the dispute with China was a convenient way of pushing this.

    “The aim is to create tension and provoke incidents, to push Japan’s military development,” it said.

    Patrol ships from both nations routinely shadow each other near the islands, raising concerns about an unintended clash.

    On Thursday, three Chinese surveillance vessels sailed into what Japan considers its territorial waters near the isles on what Beijing said was a routine patrol.

    The Japan Coast Guard said the ships later left its territorial water but remain in the contiguous area.

    {wirestory}

  • Egypt’s new Cabinet Sworn in After Deadly Clashes

    {{Egypt’s first interim government since the military toppled president Mohamed Morsy two weeks ago was sworn in Tuesday, after deadly clashes between the security forces and the deposed Islamist’s supporters.}}

    The Muslim Brotherhood, the influential movement from which Morsy hails, rejected the 35-member cabinet, with spokesman Gehad El-Haddad telling media: “We don’t recognise its legitimacy or its authority”.

    None of the newly appointed ministers are affiliated to any Islamist party or movement, with the Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Al-Nur party having both rejected calls for them to participate.

    Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general behind the popularly backed coup that overthrew Morsy, was appointed first deputy prime minister and minister of defence in the government headed by liberal economist Hazem al-Beblawi.

    The swearing in ceremony took place after overnight clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza, in which seven people were killed and 261 wounded, health officials said. Hundreds of protesters were also arrested.

    It also came after US envoy Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the military coup on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation.

    But within hours of his statement, the Egyptian capital was rocked by political violence for the first time since dozens of Morsy supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week.

    {agencies}

  • U.S. Warns on credibility Ahead of Zimbabwe poll

    {{The United States said on Tuesday it was “deeply concerned” by lack of transparency in preparations for Zimbabwe’s July 31 general election and called on the government to ensure the vote was peaceful, fair and credible.}}

    State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said elections that were not seen as credible would have implications for U.S. sanctions against Zimbabwe, suggesting Washington could maintain or increase sanctions depending on the election outcome.

    The run-up to the election has been peaceful, but Western critics and the opposition say the process has been poorly planned, underfunded and plagued with irregularities, increasing fears of a repeat of the violence and bloodshed that marred a 2008 vote.

    “We are deeply concerned about the lack of transparency in electoral preparations, the continued partisan behavior by state security institutions and the technical, logistical issues hampering the administration of a credible and transparent election,” Ventrell told a daily briefing.

    Ventrell said a troubled election risked undermining political and economic progress Zimbabwe has made since the formation of a unity government after the disputed 2008 vote. He noted that the economy showed signs of recovering from economic mismanagement and hyperinflation.

    The election will see the third attempt by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to unseat President Robert Mugabe, 89, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence from Britain in 1980 and is Africa’s oldest leader.

    Mugabe and Tsvangirai were forced into a power-sharing government after the 2008 polls.

    {agencies}

  • Mrs. Mugabe says no Vacancy at Zimbabwe’s State House

    {{Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Grace Mugabe has vowed that President Robert Mugabe will not step down anytime soon as campaigns for the country’s July 31 elections gained momentum.}}

    The 47 year-old former secretary of the 90 year-old leader has hit the campaign trail with her husband who is seeking to defy age and lend another five years in office.

    “I want to repeat what I said in 2008,” Mrs Mugabe told a rally at a rural business centre about 80 kilometres from Harare on Thursday.

    “I said there is no vacancy at State House.

    “We are there at State House full time and I know this because you have confidence in your leader and you want him to remain at State House.”

    In 2008, President Mugabe lost the first round of the presidential elections to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

    The results of the elections were withheld for three weeks before a runoff poll was called.

    However, Mr Tsvangirai was forced to withdraw from the poll after suspected state security agents unleashed violence against his supporters.

    The international community rejected the results of the one man poll and this forced President Mugabe to form a coalition with his former arch rival.

    NMG

  • S.Sudan Leader Says Impunity on Corruption Crimes is Over

    {{South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit reiterated in a speech delivered in the second commemoration of the independence day that his government will no more tolerate corruption and vowed to persecute people involved in such crimes.}}

    “As I stated before, I state it again now and will continue to say it…corruption will not be tolerated. Those implicated will be taken before the court of law”, Kiir said defying high ranking officials in the government and the ruling SPLM who criticised the suspension of two ministers over charges of corruption saying it was politically motivated.

    Kiir went further to say that “the days when mistakes were being committed with impunity are gone. During our transitional period, obtaining independence was our priority. Now that we are a free nation, our fight against corruption shall not be confined at the national level only, but will extend to the states, counties and anywhere that there is public spending”.

    Many times in his speech, Kiir reaffirmed he is the president of South Sudan, reminding he has the responsibility to ensure that public funds are used to develop the new nation and provides services to the citizens and to achieve social justice.

    The celebration of the second anniversary was attended by four presidents including the “Chief Guest” Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, of Botswana, Paul Kagame, of Rwanda; and Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, of Somalia. Also were present, the Ethiopian deputy prime minister Demeke Makonen, the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission Erastus Mwencha, and Thabo Mbeki, Chairperson of the African Union High Implementation Panel.

    Alluding to the criticism emanating from activists and human rights organizations, Kiir was keen to say that several bills on human rights, freedom of expression, right of access to information, the media authority and the information and broadcasting are currently in the reading stages and will be enacted soon.

    The South Sudanese president further said “troubled by the alarming crime rate” in the cities, stressing on the need to impose more discipline among the organized forces ” we must reflect on how we can change the situation”, he said.

    He nonetheless underlined that huge efforts has been made to professionalize and reorganize the security forces, including the SPLA, national security and police services.

    He admitted that services have been poor in the past year citing education, health, security and water among others and promised to work hard to change the conditions.

    “These scenarios must change. As your President, I promise you that we will work tirelessly to change them”, he told the thousands of the people who gathered at the Mausoleum to celebrate the country’s second anniversary.

    Kiir said that the living conditions of the people need to be improved, pointing out that many citizens hardly afford a meal every day. He also underlined the difficult conditions of the SPLA soldiers saying their salary cannot meet their needs.

    Regarding the normalisation process with the Sudan, Kiir repeated the commitment of his government to the implementation of cooperation agreements and the implementation matrix. “This is the only way to ensure the viability of the two states”, he added.

    But he called on the Sudanese government to work with Juba to fully and unconditionally implement those agreements and to reach an agreement over the “final status for Abyei”. He further said “this issue cannot pend indefinitely”.

    ST

  • SA Cabinet Reshuffle Seen as Zuma’s Political Survival

    {{South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma should have put good governance above “cronyism”, and sacked underperforming ministers in his Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, the DA said.}}

    “The reality is that this Cabinet reshuffle by President Zuma proves that he is more interested in his political survival than ensuring that good governance is his top priority,” Democratic Alliance Parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said in a statement.

    “This is symbolic of a President who lacks the leadership needed to deliver on his government’s promises,” she said.

    Zuma axed three ministers in the reshuffle – Communications Minister Dina Pule, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi.

    Mazibuko said the DA welcomed Pule’s removal.

    However, it saw little sense in axing Sexwale while Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson and Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu remained.

    “This should have been an opportunity for the President of the Republic to stamp out poor governance, which has been the mainstay of his administration, and replace all poor performing ministers with competent and dedicated individuals,” she said.

    “Instead, President Zuma seems determined to keep in the executive ministers who should have got the sack some time ago.”

    Mazibuko said the DA remained determined to move a motion of no confidence in Zuma, and said the problem remained at the top.

    ‘Forces of change’

    On Tuesday afternoon, Zuma said ANC MP Connie September would take over the portfolio of human settlements from Sexwale.

    Sexwale was said to be part of the “Forces of Change” which resisted Zuma’s re-election as African National Congress president at the party’s elective conference in Mangaung last year.

    At the conference, Sexwale lost his bid for the position of ANC deputy president and his seat on the party’s national executive committee.

    Zuma said Lechesa Tsenoli, who was deputy minister of land reform, would take over from Baloyi as minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister. His deputy would be Andries Nel, the former deputy minister of justice.

    Baloyi, who has been an MP since 1999, had been moved to co-operative governance from his position as public service and administration minister in Zuma’s 2011 reshuffle.

    Zuma also announced that Yunus Carrim, who was co-operative governance deputy minister, would replace Pule as communications minister.

    Pule has been embroiled in a battle with the Sunday Times about reported accusations that she gave tenders to a boyfriend, meddled in tender processes, and interfered in the appointment of officials to the boards of state-owned enterprises.

    Zuma said Ben Martins, who has been transport minister for just over a year, would swap portfolios with Energy Minister Dipuo Peters.

    He also announced the appointment of John Jeffery as justice and constitutional development deputy minister; Michael Masutha as science and technology deputy minister and Pamela Tshwete as deputy minister of rural development and land reform.

    – SAPA

  • Opposition rejects Egypt’s transition plan

    Egypt’s main coalition, which backed the military ouster of Mohamed Morsi, denounced on Tuesday a roadmap granting the interim president extensive powers ahead of new elections, further complicating a bloody transition to civilian rule.

    In the restive Sinai peninsula, two people were killed early Wednesday when militants struck several police and army positions with mortar rounds and rocket propelled grenades.

    The fresh violence came less than a day after interim President Adly Mansour laid out a timetable for elections by early next year and appointed a new prime minister and vice president.

    The vice president, Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, was one of Morsi’s most ardent opponents.

    The National Salvation Front (NSF), the main coalition that called for Morsi’s resignation, announced “its rejection of the constitutional decree,” in a statement.

    The coalition, which was led by ElBaradei before Morsi’s overthrow, will seek amendments to the decree, it added, without specifying the offending clauses.

    Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, which insists on the ousted president’s reinstatement, has also rejected the interim charter and timetable.

    wirestory

  • Sarkozy Returns to Politics

    {{A year after he declared he would leave politics for good, France’s Nicolas Sarkozy is back in the spotlight.}}

    The combative ex-president attended a meeting of his troubled UMP party Monday where he was welcomed like a star. It could mark his first step toward candidacy in the next presidential election in 2017.

    It’s the first time the 58-year-old Sarkozy has made a political appearance since he lost the presidency to Socialist Francois Hollande in May 2012 after just one term in office.

    It’s also the first time Sarkozy has attended a UMP party meeting since 2007, when he was elected president. Some 800 UMP politicians were invited to the event, closed to the media.

    Last year, Sarkozy said that if voted out of office, he would “completely change my life. You won’t hear from me.” He later explained he aspired to a new life with his wife, singer and former model Carla Bruni, and their now-18-month-old daughter Giulia.

    But much has changed since then. Sarkozy appears to be rejoining the political fray because of the embarrassing state his old party finds itself in.

    The party he helped found, France’s center-right Union for a Popular Movement, faced a farcical election for a new leader last year that left it badly divided.

    And now it’s on the edge of bankruptcy, swamped with debts after the Constitutional Court last week ruled that he exceeded the legal funding limit during the 2012 presidential race.

    That decision prevents the UMP from being reimbursed half its campaign expenses by the state. That means Sarkozy’s party is left with an 11 million euro ($14 million) bill, pushing its overall debt to more than 50 million euros.

    {France24}

  • Egypt seeks quick elections

    {{Egypt’s interim head of state has set a speedy timetable for elections to drag the Arab world’s biggest country from crisis, after the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last week sparked a wave of bloody protests.}}

    A decree issued by Adli Mansour pointed to a parliamentary ballot within about six months with a presidential vote to follow. However, it was faulted for repeating flaws in the 2011 transition plan that contributed to the current crisis.

    {{The need for a political breakthrough is pressing.}}

    At least 51 people were killed on Monday when the army opened fire on Mursi supporters camped outside Cairo’s Republican Guard barracks where the deposed leader is believed to be held.

    The military said it opened fire in response to an attack by armed assailants. On Friday, clashes between pro- and anti-Mursi supporters swept Egypt and left 35 dead.

    Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement called for more protests on Tuesday, raising the risk of further violence, although an umbrella group representing anti-Mursi protesters said they would not demonstrate.

    The bloodshed has shocked Egyptians, already tired of the turbulence that began 2-1/2 years ago with the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising.

    It also raised alarm among key donors like the United States and the European Union, as well as in Israel, with which Egypt has had a U.S.-backed peace treaty since 1979.

    Millions of people took to the streets on June 30 to demand Mursi’s resignation, fearing he was orchestrating a creeping Islamist takeover of the state – a charge the Brotherhood has vehemently denied.

    But for many Islamists, the overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected president was a bitter reversal that raised fears of a return to the suppression they endured for decades under autocratic rulers like Mubarak.

    reuters

  • Uncertainty persists over Egypt PM nomination

    {{The chaos in Egypt in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s military coup has been compounded further after the choice of liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei as interim prime minister was thrown into doubt by objections from conservative groups.}}

    ElBaradei’s nomination had been confirmed by several sources and state media on Saturday, but just before midnight a presidential spokesman told reporters that no prime minister had yet been chosen.

    “After some satellite channels declared that the new government will be announced tonight and mentioned the new prime minister’s name (referring to Elbaradei), I’m here to confirm that this is still a prediction and that it is still under consultation and negotiations,” Ahmed el-Musilamani, spokesman for the interim president Adly Mansour said in a public statement.

    The abrupt U-turn came amid opposition to ElBaradei’s appointment by the Nour Party, Egypt’s second-largest religious force that backed the military coup that toppled President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

    The dispute has highlighted the challenges the military faces in finding consensus among liberals and conservatives on who should run the country.

    The Al-Nour Party’s deputy leader Ahmed Khalil told the state news website that the party would withdraw from the political transition process if ElBaradei was confirmed in his post.

    Authorities acknowledged that there had been strong opposition to the possible appointment of the liberal Egyptian politician, but said that he was the most possible choice.

    “ElBaradei is the strongest candidate,” Muslimani said. “He is on top of the list of names” under discussion, he said.

    Meanwhile, tension was still running high in the divided nation with opponents and supporters of Morsi remaining on the streets. Deadly clashes between them on Friday that continued until early on Saturday had claimed at least 30 lives and left more than 1,000 wounded.

    aljazeera