E.U. to Launch Troops to Central African Republic

A French soldier with right wing insignia patrolling the Central African Republic.

Andrew Katz @katz  March 29, 2014  
Time.com  

The EU has announced that its proposed contingent of troops will soon join African Union and French troops currently deployed in the country.

The proposed deployment was authorized months ago but delayed as the bloc struggled to secure the troops and equipment it had pledged for the mission to the conflict-ravaged country. Up to 1,000 troops are expected to take part

The European Union announced on Saturday that its proposed contingent of troops for the conflict-torn Central African Republic is preparing to deploy after a delay in securing troops and equipment.

Up to 1,000 troops are expected to join the 6,000 African Union peacekeepers and 2,000 French troops who are struggling to stabilize the country. Those forces were dispatched after tit-for-tat attacks around the capital, Bangui, in December left an estimated 1,000 people dead.

Untold thousands have been killed and more than one-fifth of the country’s 4.6 million people has been uprooted since then. Largely Christian militias have brazenly retaliated against the disbanded Séléka coalition of mainly Muslim rebels, who toppled the state a year ago, for a vicious campaign of looting and murder against the Christian population. The militia groups, called anti-balaka, have forced an estimated 300,000 Muslims into neighboring countries and pushed aid groups and experts to warn of “ethnic cleansing.”

An E.U. release provided to TIME confirmed the decision came after a meeting in Brussels on Friday, when yet-to-be-named countries offered new support in the form of strategic airlifts and help in deploying the troops. A spokeswoman for Catherine Ashton, the E.U.’s foreign policy chief, told Reuters that Major-General Philippe Ponties of France recommended the long-awaited launch “on the basis of significant progress.”

The use of force was authorized by the U.N. Security Council in January on the assumption that E.U. troops would “take all necessary measures” to aid troops already on the ground for an initial period of up to six months. The goal will be to make Bangui more secure before handing over control to the African Union.

Aid groups and regional experts have warned for months that there aren’t enough troops to restore order and that additional support is necessary, especially in the northwest region. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Security Council to authorize thousands more peacekeepers in a bid to bring stability, but that force would not deploy before the end of the summer. The E.U.’s move comes days after Amnesty International said it must “immediately” act on its plans amid a recent surge in deadly attacks in the capital.

Detroit: Corporate-Run Bankrupt City Readies For Divisive $450m Red Wings Arena

Area on Woodward hit during the July 1967 Rebellion in Detroit where there will be a new hockey arena built at the public expense.

• Billionaire Mike Illitch to build new hockey stadium

• Critics question use of $284.5m of public money

theguardian.com, Saturday 29 March 2014 09.01 EDT

This corner at Henry St and Park between Midtown and Downtown Detroit will be part of billionaire Mike Illitch's new ice hockey arena and entertainment district. Photo: James Fassinger /The Guardian

Police have started handing out parking tickets outside The Comet Bar, a cozy if incongruous spot smack in the middle of the blighted deadzone between downtown and midtown Detroit. Not so long ago it was hard enough to get the cops to come for a shooting, says the Comet’s pink-haired barmaid, who goes by the name of Nine.

The ticketing appears to be part of a drive to prepare the area for one of the biggest urban renewal projects Detroit has ever seen. And one that is dividing the community. Soon the contractors will move in to start work on a sports and entertainment district at the centre of which will be a $450m arena for the Detroit Red Wings ice hockey team – funded in large part by this bankrupt city.

The Comet faces an uncertain future, but for now it sits in an area mainly visited by locals and the occasional adventurous tourist taking “ruin porn” photos of Detroit’s burnt out buildings. From the back of the bar, across empty rubble strewn lots, you can see two abandoned tower blocks. On the top floor of one someone has graffitied “ZOMBIELAND” in giant black letters.

There are few people on the street – most appear homeless. The city recently pulled up the remaining benches in the area, in an attempt to discourage people from sleeping here. Now they sleep on the ground.

In February, after a heated public meeting, the city approved a deal that gave Mike Illitch, the Red Wings' billionaire owner, 39 vacant lots in the area, valued at $3m, for $1. Illitch, who made his fortune with the Little Caesars Pizza chain, also owns the Detroit Tigers baseball team, who on Friday offered Miguel Cabrera one of the biggest contracts in Major League Baseball history: $292m over the next 10 years. Illitch is worth an estimated $2.7bn. Along with fellow billionaire and Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, he has been snapping up huge chunks of Detroit at rock bottom prices for redevelopment.

Illitch’s Olympia group will pick up 42% of the arena’s construction cost. The rest will come from a complex financing arrangement using school and local property tax revenue to pay off state-issued bonds. The Detroit Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will own the arena and lease it to the Red Wings for an initial 35 years. The price tag for the entire project is an estimated $650m, $284.5m of which will come in the form of public investment.

The development is getting under way just as Detroit faces a final reckoning with its estimated $18bn in debt. The city declared bankruptcy last year and is about to undergo a painful restructuring which could see retirees' pensions and healthcare benefits slashed.

On Monday the city is expected to file its latest bankruptcy restructuring proposal as its emergency financial manager argues cuts to pensions are essential to solving the city’s crisis.

'All I want is a fair deal'

Half the city’s street lights don’t work; nearly a quarter of the city’s high school students dropped out before graduation last year, while the state dropout rate is one in 10. There were protests ahead of the stadium deal, with locals arguing the money would be better spent elsewhere. Three of the city’s nine council members voted against the sale under the current terms.

“It’s good that something is being done,” said Nine, the Comet bartender. “My fear is that all that’s going to happen is all the good people who lived through all the bullshit and the crack dealers are going to get kicked out. They talk like it’s going to save the city but they did that when Whole Foods opened. It’s just a grocery store. This is just going to be a sports stadium and some shops.”

Wayne Alexander, the Comet’s owner, said he welcomed redevelopment but said that the people who live and work in the area were getting a raw deal. He has run the bar for eight years and said he was offered $20,000 to go away.

“I pay all my taxes,” he said. “This has been a good business for me. All I want is a fair deal. Illitch is going to make millions off this and all he paid was a dollar.”

Illitch did agree to terms that should benefit the city – Olympia pledged to invest $200m in the area in new retail, offices and housing. At least 30% of contracts will go to Detroit-registered companies. A neighbourhood advisory committee (NAC) has been set up to give feedback from the locals. But there are no guarantees and no penalties if he fails to deliver.

“People are fed up with this,” said Stephanie Vaught, a legal analyst at the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit. “There are no clawbacks if they fail to follow through with any of this. The NAC has no power. If you want to use public tax dollars, you should be held more accountable.”

Vaught said other companies had made similar promises about jobs and revitalisation in Detroit that had failed to materialise. City councillors recently rounded on Marathon Oil after it was revealed it had created just 15 local jobs since receiving $175m in tax breaks from the city.

“There’s this fear in Detroit that we can’t enforce requirements. That’s absolutely false,” said Vaught. She said critics of the project were attacked for dragging down a city already in crisis. “But the city’s first responsibility is to it’s residents. This is not a good deal.”

Mark Morante, senior vice-president of special projects at the state-funded Michigan Economic Development Corporation says opponents have mischaracterised the deal and missed the bigger picture.

“This is a transformational project,” he said. He said the new entertainment area would not only restore a blighted neighbourhood but would also free up the riverside space occupied by the Red Wings' current home, the Joe Louis Arena, for further renovation.

He said businesses did not like to have guarantees forced upon them as they needed the flexibility to change with circumstances.

“The Illitches have been in this city for a long time and have a very long track record of doing what they say and creating jobs in the city,” he said, adding that economic studies had shown the benefits of the project and criticisms were “ill founded and not based on facts”.

In a city known for its love of hockey, the venue will create excitement and at least 500 permanent jobs, Morante said.

'It’s almost impossible to think of a worse way to spend the money'

But worryingly for Detroit, there is a large body of evidence that sports stadiums rarely do anything positive for the local economy. Neil deMause and Joanna Caggan chronicle in painful detail the failed promises of sports stadiums in their book and blog, Field of Schemes.

“The odds that Detroit will make back anywhere close to the amount of money it is spending are astronomically small,” said deMause. “It’s almost impossible to think of a worse way for them to spend the money.”

DeMause points to the work of University of Chicago economist Allen Sanderson, who memorably said: “If you want to inject money into the local economy, it would be better to drop it from a helicopter than invest it in a new ballpark.” Sanderson’s research found that new stadiums had a minimal impact on the home city’s economy.

Andrew Zimbalis, professor of economics at Smith College and one of the world’s most prominent sports economists, said some stadium investments pay off for some cities but that the Detroit deal looked like a dud.

“A stadium or an arena by itself does not promote economic activity,” he said. “Most of the funding in this case is going to hit the city budget, they will have to make cuts elsewhere or raise taxes.” Zimbalis said the money would have been much more effective had it been spent on the education system or repairing roads.

Morante disagrees. “Repairing potholes is important,” he said, but money was being put aside for that too. Critics were “second guessing the entire legislative process”, he said.

Mike Illitch and his Olympia Entertainment bussed in hundreds of supporters to pack the city council meeting during the land transfer public comment session and vote. The city council voted by a margin of 6-3 to approve the sale of 39 downtown land parcels, valued at nearly $3m, for $1.
As the diggers move in, critics will be looking closely to see if Detroit can make its new stadium pay. So far they are unconvinced. In the end, said deMause, the real reason Detroit is getting a new stadium is probably more about ego than economics.

“Mayors and governors really like to have stuff they can point to and say, ‘Hey I built that.’ Filling in a thousand potholes, buying some new computers for schools or fixing the street lights just doesn’t have the same appeal.”

The Herald (Harare)

EU Envoy: 'We Are Meeting Africa, Not AU'

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is the African Union Commission Chair.

BY HEBERT ZHARARE, 29 MARCH 2014

INTERVIEW

The European Union-Africa Summit hangs in the balance. Africa is concerned with the way Europe is cherry-picking African participants for the indaba, among other issues. Our Political Editor Hebert Zharare (HZ) caught up with EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Aldo Dell'Ariccia (DA) to discuss these issues. The following are excerpts of the interview.

How advanced are preparations for the EU-Africa Summit on the 2nd and 3rd of April?

They are progressing very well. There have been meetings of the steering committee on March 14 and another one at the beginning of this week on the 24th and 25th of March. There will also be another meeting on March 31 and on April 1.

We know that on the African side there has been a meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee of the African Union, which has made the recommendations that were reported in your newspapers. As for these recommendations, as the word indicates, they are just recommendations.

It will now be up to the president, the chair of the African Union, Mauritania, who was present as far as I know in the Council of Ministers to transmit to the member states of the African Union and a decision will be taken on what follows from that.

These recommendations came as a surprise to us. We will see how things will follow.

Are these developments not going to affect the preparations of the summit?

The preparations should continue as normal. If there is a decision from the side of the African Union to postpone the event, then we will see the reaction of the European Union.

You have to consider that so far 48 African countries have confirmed their participation of which 41 are represented at the level of the Head of State and Government. All 28 states of the European Union will attend the event of which 23 are represented at the level of the Head of State and Government.

You can imagine that to mobilise 64 Heads of State and Government is something which is complicated and if the proposal is to adjourn or to postpone the meeting, then I am not sure if it will be easy to find another date that will be suitable for everyone. Of course, this is something that can be decided at the highest level.

The fact is that this Summit has been prepared for a long time, beginning just after the end of the previous summit in Tripoli in Libya in 2010. This is a complicated event to organise: you can imagine the protocol, the security and the logistics.

Explain how you chose participants? On the list there are some countries like Egypt where president Mohamed Morsi was deposed with the assistance of the military and the AU has made its position clear on that.

You have to consider that the EU-Africa Summit is the meeting between the European Union and African continent. I want to be very clear on that, it is not the AU-European Union meeting. Participation is not guided by the membership of the African Union.

This event is the highest incidence of political dialogue between the European Union and Africa and the intention of the European Union is to make it possible to talk to all who are relevant to the subject of the event, investing in people, prosperity and peace and be able to talk very frankly with them and to have progress in these partnerships between the European Union and this region.

That is why Egypt has been invited despite the fact that it has been suspended from the African Union.

So can you explain why countries like Eritrea and Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic have been left out?

Let me correct that misconception. Eritrea has been invited at the level of the president and the president declined and we were told the vice president is coming. We got confirmation that the Minister of Foreign Affairs will attend the event.

As for the case of Western Sahara, the European Union resolved that they could not invite a country which is not recognised by the whole international community. So there we have a problem, we cannot invite them as fully-fledged partners.

Morocco was invited against the AU wishes, while Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was not invited, while his country was invited. Could you please give the reasons?

For Morocco, like I said before, the relationship here is between the EU and the African continent and the participation is not guided by the membership to the African Union. The presence of Morocco is extremely important.

Just consider the common problems the two regions have, immigration, transit, et cetera, means Morocco is an extremely important partner in this dialogue.

It's a country that withdrew from the African Union when the African Union decided to accept Western Sahara, but considering the high level nature of this working summit between the European Union and the continent, the EU decided it was important to have Morocco on board.

On the issue of the Sudanese president Mr al-Bashir, we have a particular situation which is there concerning an international arrest warrant which has been issued by the International Criminal Court against him.

Because all the EU countries signed and ratified the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction on all the EU countries and this binding jurisdiction means the EU is bound by the decisions and actions of the ICC. This means that if President al-Bashir had been invited, he would have been arrested as soon as he set foot on any territory of the EU. This is not something optional, we are bound by the Rome Statute.

So Sudan was invited because it is important to discuss the situation there; their invitation was extended to the vice president.

African countries feel that the EU does not treat them as equals. What is your take on this?

In Tripoli we established a partnership of equals. The logic of establishing this summit is to have a partnership of equals. I do not see why one side should feel belittled. The idea is to go beyond what has been the practice before, the idea of development aid, but to discuss the issues of common concern and interest as equals. I do not think we are looking down on Africa, I can assure you that it's not an abusive position from the EU point of view.

On the contrary, we want this summit to be a success. Because of this high level of political dialogue, that is why President Mugabe has been invited despite the travel bans, despite the fact that he is one of the last two people left on the (EU sanctions) list.

There are some countries in Africa with serious human rights abuses but the EU seems to have no problems with that and the bloc just invites them for such summits. May you explain why?

All countries are treated differently depending on the relationship the EU has with those countries. The common denominator is our commitment to social and economic development and full respect of democracy, human rights and rule of law.

The fact that the type of present and political dialogue and the economic co-operation that the EU has with those countries depends very much with the specific situations in the country, but I will not call it discriminatory.

African countries also have different levels of co-operation with the EU countries depending with political interests.

What is the significance of these summits to Africa and the EU?

This is the fourth EU-Africa Summit and on the occasion of the second Summit in Lisbon (Portugal in 2007), which President Mugabe attended, the Joint Africa Strategy was adopted and the strategy is a general framework in which the relationship between Africa and the EU is laid down.

The move is to accelerate a partnership of equals based on political and economic co-operation, trade and investment. If you take trade, for example, there have been in these summits some discussions economic partnership agreements.

In March 2012, President Mugabe signed the ratification of the Interim Economic Partnership between the EU and Eastern, Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region.

Thanks to that, Zimbabwe exports to the EU enter the markets of 28 countries with a total of about 80 million people, free of duty and this is a great for trade.

From the political point of view, I think the invitation that was extended to President Mugabe to the attend the fourth summit and the exceptional measures that were taken to make sure that he participates is a demonstration the willingness of the EU to engage in dialogue with Zimbabwe.

To the EU, this is extremely important, I am sure is the same on the side of Africa.

Sudan Votes Against UN Resolution on “Invalid” Crimean Referendum

Republic of Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir attending an African Union summit.

TVC NEWS [UN]- Sudan on Thursday joined 10 other countries at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to vote against a resolution declaring a referendum held this month in Crimea on the region splitting from Ukraine as invalid.

TVC NEWS gathered that Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Belarus and Bolivia also voted against the non-binding vote. There were also 58 abstentions in the 193-nation UN body.

Following the vote, Moscow formally annexed Ukraine’s southern region after the results showed an overwhleming majority in favor of joining Russia.

The move drew strong condemnation specially from the US and European countries some of which moved to impose unilateral sanctions.

A Washington Post factbox states that about 2 million people live in Crimea of which around 60% see themselves as ethnic Russians and speak Russian.

The referendum in Crimea is somewhat similar to the one held in October 2013 in the disputed region of Abyei that lies between Sudan and South Sudan.

The outcome of the three day unilateral vote organized by Ngok Dinka pro-south tribe showed a near unanimous desire in favor of Abyei joining South Sudan.

Initially Juba appeared supportive of the referendum by giving Abyei residents time off to vote, but later distanced itself from it. There was also no international support for it from the start and was swiftly rejected by Khartoum.

Abyei was scheduled to hold a referendum with that of South Sudan in January 2011 but was suspended because of disagreements between the two countries over who was eligible to participate in the vote.

In a bid to resolve the impasse, the African Union mediation team proposed in 2012 holding a referendum in Abyei in October 2013, stipulating that only the Ngok Dinka permanently residing in the area would be allowed to take part in the plebiscite.

However, Sudan swiftly rejected the proposal, saying it ignored the eligibility of the nomadic Arab Misseriya tribesmen and argued that local government institutions must be established first before any vote can take place.

Neo-Colonial Libya Poised to Retake Oil Ports From Rebels in Move That Could Split Country

A Libyan oil refinery at Zawiya. The rebel government in Tripoli is threatening others over control of oil in the east.

Rebels blockading ports in the eastern province of Cyrenaica say they will form a breakaway state if government forces attack

Chris Stephen in Tripoli
theguardian.com, Friday 28 March 2014 13.47 EDT

Libyan government forces are poised to attack rebels blockading key oil ports this weekend in an offensive that risks splitting the country apart.

A deadline for rebels in the eastern province of Cyrenaica to hand over the ports, blockaded since last summer, has passed with the opposition still in control and vowing to form a breakaway state if attacked.

Rebel militias are dug in along Red Wadi, a valley preventing access along Libya's coastal highway to three blockaded ports. "The deadline is already over," said Osama Buera, a spokesman for the rebel Cyrenaica Political Bureau. "The central authorities in Tripoli are in a weak position. We still encourage a serious dialogue, otherwise we will just break away declaring the independence of new Cyrenaica."

Meanwhile, militias in the western mountain town of Zintan have cut one of Libya's last remaining pipelines, further choking production and leaving the government facing rebellion on two fronts.

The blockade, which has robbed the government of one of its only sources of revenue, is the most serious crisis Libya has faced since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi three years ago. It has left some observers predicting disaster. "Libya is teetering on the brink of failure," said Sarah Lean Whitson of Human Rights Watch.

Militias and tribes in both eastern and western oil-producing regions demand a bigger share of cash, echoing complaints that the economy is in chaos despite Libya having Africa's largest oil reserves.

Earlier this month, US special forces captured a renegade tanker off Cyprus after Cyrenaica rebels tried to sell oil independently. Washington insisted it supported the elected authorities.

The episode triggered a political crisis in Libya, with congress firing the prime minister, Ali Zeidan, and ordering the pro-government Libya Shield militias to mobilise. The two-week deadline set by the president of congress, Nur Abu Sahmain, for the ports to be unblocked or face attack expired on Friday.

Libya Shield militias led by forces from thecoastal city of Misrata are ready to attack, having already fought against rebels earlier this month. "The deadline has passed, they [the rebels] were supposed to hand the ports over." said Anwar Sawan, a Misrata community leader. "Weapons are the only resort if they don't hand them over."

With both sides mobilising, tension is high across Libya. Most international airlines, including British Airways, have suspended flights to Tripoli international airport, controlled by a Zintan militia, after rockets struck the runway. "We have no idea when the planes will be back. We will wait and see," said a travel agent at the half-empty airport on Friday.

Nightly skirmishes between militias along the airport road have emptied the streets and left many fearful.

"Everyone is worried about the militias," said Abdullah Abdul Masen Bashir, the owner of Tripoli's most successful honey shop . Normally, his shelves would be groaning with the spring harvest from the eastern Green mountains, but the de facto frontline near the border of Cyrenaica has cut deliveries. "My shop should be full. It was a very good year. The conditions were right, just the amount of rain, but nothing has arrived," he said.

The Islamist-led congress is also under fire for having stayed in office beyond its original mandate, which expired last month. Opposition television stations now run a small icon showing a "red card" calling for parliament to be dissolved.

Strikes in refineries have caused petrol shortages in the capital and, with the country awash with weapons and lacking an effective police force, there has been a spate of high-profile bank robberies. BP this month became the latest major oil company to pull out of Libya.

Zeidan, who fled into exile after his dismissal, claiming his life was under threat, called this week for direct foreign intervention. "Any means to have security will be accepted in Libya. We should have forces that are part of the United Nations, regional or Middle Eastern troops," he told CNN.

Many citizens feel the same way, despairing of the worsening violence and the prospect of civil war. "We are becoming fractured because of the failure of the centre," said the Tripoli art historian Yousef Alkhaaki. "Without the intervention of the international community, we are doomed."

Diplomats say there is no appetite for the deployment of peacekeepers, although a dozen British army officers are in Tripoli preparing Libyan recruits for training next month at a base in Cambridgeshire.

Libyans are losing faith in democracy, after the failure of congress to tackle corruption, economic malaise and militia violence. Last month, just 500,000 voters, or 15% of the electorate, turned out to elect an assembly to write Libya's constitution.

11 Killed in Central African Republic Grenade Attack

A convoy of regional troops in the Central African Republic in March 2014.

TVC NEWS [BANGUI]- No fewer than 11 persons were killed in a grenade attack on a funeral in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, the Red Cross says.

Although a government minister earlier said 20 people were killed, sources hinted TVC NEWS the number was lower. Local residents blame the attack on former fighters from the Seleka militia.

It would be recalled that the country has been hit by civil conflict since Seleka rebels ousted the president in March 2013.

Plane land at Bangui airport, where some 100,000 people have sought protection Some 100,000 people have sought the protection of peacekeepers based at Bangui's main airport

The attack happened at around 23:00 on Thursday (22:00 GMT), Public Security Minister Denis Wangao Kizimale told national radio.

Mr Kizimale told local radio that the attackers were "extremists well-known to the police", according to the AFP news agency.

TVC NEWS reliably gathered that CAR's Red Cross head Antoine Mbao Bogo confirmed that in addition to the 11 deaths, 14 people were wounded.

He also said that Red Cross volunteers were mugged by unidentified armed men on their way to collect bodies and had their phones stolen.

Factory Girl: Defying the Social Order

A shot from Mohamed Khan's Factory Girl film based in Egypt.

Randa Ali , Thursday 20 Mar 2014

The heartwarming new film Factory Girl, dedicated to the late Souad Hosny, hit cinemas this week. The movie looks into the struggles of the working class amid often bitter Egyptian realities

After 23 films and an almost seven-year hiatus, Mohamed Khan is back with the joyful and painful Factory Girl,which came out in cinemas Wednesday, 19 March.

Factory Girl, the third collaboration between Khan and scriptwriter Wissam Soliman, deals with interweaving themes and triggers paradoxical emotions; it is about the “rosy” dreams that make life possible, but that are also often crushed by a classist, patriarchal and judgmental society.

As if choosing not to break the habit, once again Khan puts women in the centre of his movie. Khan's women often expect more from life and turn their backs — even unconsciously — on pre-established roles that society expects them to play.

Factory Girl is the story of 21-year-old Hayam (played by still not well known Yasmeen El-Raees) who works at a textile factory.

The factory employs dozens of young girls. All of them, including the film’s protagonist, share one dream: to find prince charming that they hope will rescue them from hours of sewing at an underpaid job.

From the very beginning of the movie, the viewer follows the heart of the subtly alluring Hayam who falls in love with the factory’s new technical supervisor, Salah, played by musician and actor Hany Adel.

Salah is admired by the playful young girls for his physique, colourful eyes and the mere fact of being a man in a workplace otherwise dominated by women.

While everyone calls him "Engineer Salah," the young man (perhaps in his late 20s) also has a dream: of becoming a mechanical engineer. His dream was shattered when he missed 19 marks in his high school exam — a tough reality that many Egyptian students experience.

The relationship between Hayam, the poor but very productive girl in her community, and Salah, the single man who comes from an economically privileged background, is the nucleus of Factory Girl.All events are generated by or revolve around this relationship.

Yet despite the fact that the movie touches on a cliché theme, presenting a romantic story about love that hopes to overcome social gaps, Khan's movie explores much deeper values. Factory Girl is an intimate look into the lives of the working class and its intertwining relationships, filling the movie with warmth and a humane aspect. The characters presented are very real, deeply instilled in Egyptian life filled with economic and societal challenges, topped with educational obstacles. As such the movie captures the complex nature of Egypt's daily realities that shape lives of so many.

The film is dedicated to Egypt’s most beloved actress, Souad Hosny, who passed away in 2001. Hosny’s presence in the film provokes nostalgia and a sense of the protagonist's longing for times when romance seemed to be more abundant. Hosny's voice accompanies Hayam during her ups and downs throughout the film.

"Souad Hosny remains in the soul of each Egyptian and Arab girl ... I wanted people to remember her through Factory Girl.I owe it to her," Khan said during an interview with private-owned CBC TV channel days before the release of the film.

Khan’s Factory Girl is yet another captivating work by this accomplished director and a great beginning for the new cinematic year 2014.

The film already won two awards at the Dubai International Film Festival last December: the Muhr Arab Feature Best Actress Award, handed out to the well-deserving Yasmeen El-Raees, as well as the coveted FEPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Best Arab Feature award.

71-year old Mohamed Khan is one of Egypt’s most prominent directors belonging to a generation of neo-realist filmmakers that represented a hallmark in Egyptian cinema. Three of his films — El-Harreef (The Street Player, 1984), Zawgat Ragol Mohem (The Wife of an Important Man, 1987) and Ahlam Hind wa Camilia (Dreams of Hind and Camilia, 1988) — were named among the "100 Greatest Arab Films" by the Dubai International Film Festival.


http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97103.aspx

Egyptian Donors Contribute LE52 Million to Giza Museum

A boat discovered from ancient Egypt. 

Nevine El-Aref, Thursday 20 Mar 2014

Al-Ahly Bank, Banque Misr and the Sawiris family contribute funds to the Grand Egyptian Museum

Less than twenty-four hours after launching a fundraising campaign for the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, contributions from Egyptian donors had reached a total of LE52 million.

Antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement that Al-Ahly Bank had offered $1.5 million (LE10.5 million) to finance the construction work of the display building and another $3.5 million (LE24 million) for the museum’s library. Banque Misr has offered LE12 million to finance the equipment needed for the school associated with the museum, while the Sewiris family, one of Egypt’s richest business dynasties, contributed LE5 million.

Ibrahim toldAhram Online thatthe Ministry of Tourism has made its own contribution of LE5 million, to be paid at the end of 2014, and another amount of LE 25 million, which will be paid over five years.

The museum project is 65 percent funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is providing a $300-million soft loan to be repaid over 30 years at an interest rate of 1.5 per cent.

Payments will be made in instalments after a 10-year grace period following the GEM's official inauguration. Another $27 million was donated by businessmen, while the Ministry of Culture provided $150 million.

The museum, located at the Giza plateau next to the pyramids, is due to open next year.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97154.aspx


Skeleton from 5th ancient Egyptian dynasty found in Abusir

Nevine El-Aref, Monday 24 Mar 2014

A well preserved skeleton of a top governmental official from the fifth dynasty unearthed in Abusir, an archeological site near Cairo

A Czech archaeological team working on a site in Abusir on Monday unearthed the skeleton of a top governmental official, referred to as Nefer during studies carried out in his tomb after it was discovered last year.

Nefer held several titles in the royal palace and the government during the reign of the fifth dynasty king, Nefereer-Ka-Re. He was the priest of the king's funerary complex, the supervisor of the royal documents scribes and also of the house of gold.

Egypt's antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim said that the skeleton was found inside the deceased's sarcophagus, which was carved in limestone. A stone head rest was found under the skeleton's head.

Ali El-Asfar, head of the ministry's ancient Egyptian antiquities section, told Ahram Online that the tomb – discovered last year by the Czech mission led by Mirislav Barta – is an unfinished rock-hewn tomb within a funerary complex and consists of four corridors, with the eastern one devoted to Nefer and the other three for his family members.

Also found were five burial wells and a limestone false door engraved with the deceased's different titles.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97465.aspx

Egypt's Political Forces React to El-Sisi's Candidacy

Egyptian military-backed cabinet after the Feb. 2014 reshuffle. El-Sisi is now running for president.

Mariam Rizk, Thursday 27 Mar 2014

Parties from across Egypt's political spectrum talk to Ahram Online about what the former army chief's candidacy means, and why the state must not interfere in the polls

Hours after Egypt's former military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced his candidacy for the country's upcoming presidential elections, political forces' reaction varied from support, to objection and indifference.

As field marshal, El-Sisi had occupied the highest rank in the military, until he resigned on Wednesday and then appeared later that night on state-run TV to give a 15-minute speech in which he announced his intentions to run for president.

The much anticipated bid came as no surprise for the millions of Egyptians who had been pressuring El-Sisi to run for president since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last June, following mass protests against his rule.

The 59-year-old former general is widely expected to win the elections, scheduled to kick off 30 March and wrap up by mid-July.

Liberals: from fully support to neutral

Meanwhile, liberal forces that stood against Morsi and the Brotherhood say they're neutral regarding El-Sisi's presidential bid, neither supporting nor rejecting his campaign.

The liberal Constitution Party, formed after the 2011 uprising, said that El-Sisi has the right to run for president "as a civilian after he resigns from his post."

The party urged state institutions not to interfere in the elections by supporting El-Sisi in any way, according to a statement released on Wednesday by party spokesman Khaled Dawoud.

"We hope he keeps a distance from state institutions during the candidacy period," Dawoud said.

The Constitution Party is perhaps most associated with its founder, former vice president and Nobel laureate Mohamed Elbaradei, who resigned from his post with the first post-Morsi interim government in protest against the violent dispersal of a pro-Brotherhood sit-in last August that killed over 600 people.

The party has since been taken over by Hala Shukrallah, who made waves earlier this year for being the first woman and Coptic Christian to head a political party in Egypt.

While party spokesman Dawoud did not confirm whether or not the Constitution Party would support El-Sisi in the elections, he said the party would "choose a candidate who participated in the revolution, believes in the democratic path and is closest to the principals of social justice and human rights."

Another liberal party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP), said that it will judge the elections according to their fairness.

"From this day on, we aren't dealing with El-Sisi as the general who stood on 3 July [the date of Morsi's ouster], but as a presidential candidate who has to first present his electoral program before we have any official stance," Ahmed Fawzi, the party's secretary-general, told Ahram Online.

Fawzi said the group will be monitoring the political atmosphere to see if it leads to free elections, as well as evaluating the efficiency of the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC).

The ESDP is also concerned with how the state will handle human rights issues, Fawzi said, adding that all political detainees should be released.

Either way, Fawzi acknowledged that El-Sisi has an "advantage" in the election in that he appeared on state-run TV in a military uniform to speak about his candidacy and platform.

Egypt's oldest liberal party, the Wafd Party, has a clearer stance of approval regarding interim authorities.

Abdel-Hamid Imam, leading member of Wafd Party, said told Ahram Online he supports El-Sisi and "wishes to be part of his campaign."

"He is the man for the time, he deserves it … he's a patriotic man," Imam said. "He will be a president for all Egyptians, not like Morsi, who was a president only to his group (the Muslim Brotherhood)."

Until now, there's only one rival for the former military man: leftist politician Hamdeen Sabbahi, who finished third in 2012's presidential elections.

Sabbahi has criticised a newly issued elections law that immunises the decisions of the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC), the judicial body tasked with supervising the polls. Still, Sabbahi confirmed that he will run for president, though.

"I welcome El-Sisi's candidacy," Sabbahi said early on Thursday via Twitter. "We look forward to democratic, fair and transparent elections that guarantee the impartiality of the state and the people's right to choose a president with their free will."

A spokesperson for Sabbahi's presidential campaign, Masoum Marzouk, called for "equal opportunities" to allow Sabbahi to deliver an address on state-run TV as the El-Sisi did, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.

For months now, state media along with most of the country's private outlets have depicted El-Sisi as the only choice, the man who "saved" Egypt from the rule of the Brotherhood, portrayed as a negative force that has tried to destroy Egypt.

Islamists: opposed

The largest opposition in the Islamic bloc naturally comes from the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hailed.

The group says it will continue with protests against Egypt's interim authorities and the likely presidency for El-Sisi, who it holds responsible for Morsi's ouster and the state's crackdown on the group's members and top leadership.

"The mask has fallen with the announcement of [El-Sisi's] candidacy for the presidency of bloodshed," the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL), a pro-Brotherhood coalition, said in a statement on Thursday.

The NASL called for fresh protests on Friday – a continuation of nearly eight months of demonstrations, which have persisted despite a sharp decrease in the coalition's supporters.

Hundreds have been killed in clashes between security forces and Brotherhood loyalists since Morsi's ouster.

Islamist students have been at the forefront of the unrest, leading pro-Morsi protests at universities nationwide, with tens killed in clashes with security forces.

The only Islamist party to back Egypt's interim authorities and their post-Morsi road map has been the Salafist Nour Party, whose support has remained intact despite not being included in two ministerial cabinets.

Nour Party spokesman Nader Bakker told Ahram Online that El-Sisi's speech on Wednesday had been balanced and positive for several reasons, including what Bakker felt was a frank portrayal of the challenges that Egypt faces.

"[El-Sisi] saying that he would include all Egyptians without exclusion shows a clear intention to turn a new page," Bakkar said, alluding to a possible reference to the Brotherhood. "This will neutralise many parties that are on the opposition side."

The Strong Egypt Party – a moderate Islamic party led by former Brotherhood member and 2012 presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh– objected to El-Sisi's candidacy, which it sees as "a grave danger to the future of Egypt and democracy."

"Egypt does not need a saviour, but it needs justice, freedom, dignity, pride and true independence," the party said in a statement Thursday.

"This will only be achieved through lifting injustice, holding criminals accountable and providing rights for all citizens without discrimination or segregation."

The statement argued that El-Sisi's candidacy might cause the army to be distracted by politics and thus neglect its only duty – maintaining national security by controlling Egypt's borders.

Against Morsi, against military rule

The April 6 movement – a youth group that led some of the first protests against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak – has voiced concern and objects to El-Sisi's declared campaign.

"His candidacy will not be in the benefit of the polarised nation and will not achieve the goals of Egypt's revolution," April 6 spokesman Khaled El-Masry told Al-Ahram's Arabic news website on Thursday. "It will increase divisions and distract us from the goals of stability and development."

El-Masry argued that the army's role of protecting the country is more important than ruling it.

"We trust that the army did not move [to oust Morsi] so that its leaders could rule," he said. "The electoral process will be futile if state institutions mobilise in support of El-Sisi."

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97698.aspx

Egyptian Dostour Journalist Covering Islamists-Police Clashes Killed

Dostour newspaper journalist Mayada Ashraf was killed during clashes between protesters and Egyptian police on March 28, 2014.

Ahram Online, Friday 28 Mar 2014

A 22-year-old journalist from El-Dostour newspaper, Mayada Ashraf, was reported dead while she was covering the clashes between supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi and police in Ain Shams in east Cairo on Friday.

The paper's editor-in-chief and the head of the journalist's syndicate demanded the government open an investigation into the death of Ashraf.

Morsi supporters protested in different areas around the country on Friday to oppose former Field Marshal Abdel Fattah El-Sisi`s decision to run in the upcoming presidential elections with police clashing with demonstrators in a number of places.

The ministry of interior reported four deaths, including Ashraf, during the intense confrontations in Ain Shams and ten injured.

Al-Dostour editors had earlier sent a plea on the paper's website to Egypt's health ministry to send ambulances to transport Ashraf's body out of Ain Shams where the corpse is being watched over by residents in the Al-Quds mosque in the area that is still witnessing heavy clashes.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97768.aspx

Egyptian Anti-Coup Protesters and Police Clashes Leave 4 Dead in Ain Shams

Egyptian masses resisting neo-colonial military rule during July 2013.

Ahram Online, Friday 28 Mar 2014

4 die including a reporter and a Coptic woman during demonstrations following Friday prayers in Ain Shams suburb in Cairo as Muslim Brotherhood supporters protest El-Sisi candidacy

The ministry of interior issued a statement saying four people were killed in clashes between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and security forces in Ain Shams in east Cairo on Friday.

Morsi supporters in several areas around the country took part in demonstrations by Islamists opposing the recent decision of former Field Marshal Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to run in the upcoming presidential elections.

The ministry of interior said it arrested more than 100 throughout the day nationwide.

Ain Shams, a strong base for the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, has witnessed intense confrontations between the supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and security forces in recent months.

A journalist from the independent Dostour newspaper, Mayada Ashraf, 22, was among the dead as she received a bullet covering the demonstrations in Ain Shams.

A Coptic woman, Mary George, was reportedely stabbed to death by pro-Morsi supporters in the same area.

According to the committee to protect journalists, prior to Ashraf's death on Friday, nine journalists have been killed in Egypt since the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.

Meanwhile, security forces have clashed in many governorates around the country on Friday with supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The health ministry said a total of 17 injuries were reported nationwide.

Clashes took place in the working class district of Imbaba, Giza where police and demonstrators exchanged teargas and fireworks in street battles.

Security forces also dispersed protests in the Upper Egypt governorate of Fayoum.

In Cairo, security forces used tear gas near Maadi in south Cairo to disperse a protest of tens of supporters of the Brotherhood. Protestors chanted slogans against the police, the military, and El-Sisi.

Police also dispersed protests in the Helwan district, also in south Cairo, after Friday prayers.

In Damietta, in the northeast Delta, clashes between security forces and Brotherhood supporters were also reported. According to the Ministry of Health, four were reported injured in the clashes that took place in Damietta.

Local citizens in the central Delta governorate of Menoufiya dispersed a protest of Brotherhood supporters raising the Rabaa sign.

Police fired tear gas in the Upper Egypt Minya governorate on pro-Morsi protesters who were chanting slogans against the military. The protests took place soon after the Friday prayers in different mosques in the governorate.

Hundreds also protested in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, facing dispersal with tear gas.

Meanwhile, many Al-Azhar students organised protests near the university dormitories in Cairo, requesting the release of all their detained colleagues who were arrested in recent demonstrations against the interim authorities.

The students were also protesting "the human rights violations" faced by their detained peers. They also chanted slogans against El-Sisi, the military, and the police.

The primary pro-Morsi coalition, the National Alliance in Support of Legitimacy, said El-Sisi's recent announcement to run for presidency confirms that Morsi's ouster last July was "a military coup."

The group has called for protests on a regular basis since Morsi’s ouster, although the numbers of demonstrators have decreased significantly in recent months in the face of a crackdown by security forces.

El-Sisi ended months of speculation about his possible candidacy on Wednesday, saying that he was “answering the demands of Egyptians” by running. He nevertheless faces opposition from Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest political grouping which has seen hundreds of leaders and members jailed since Morsi’s ouster in July.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97767.aspx

Morning Glory Seized and Returned to Tripoli by Pentagon Forces

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, in Press TV graphic.

Libya facing greater intervention by imperialist states

By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Three years after the massive eight-month bombing campaign against
Libya was carried out by the Pentagon and NATO, divisions within the
rebel forces that served as ground troops for the imperialist war of
regime-change is prompting greater foreign intervention. The seizure
of an oil tanker, the Morning Glory, off the coast of Cyprus, by
United States commandos and naval forces illustrates what is at stake
for Washington in their efforts to remake the North African state.

The oil vessel was claimed to be North Korean-flagged but the
Pyongyang denied any knowledge of the ship. Mediterranean waters
around Libya are heavily patrolled by Pentagon and NATO warships.

Rebels who are in opposition to the General National Congress
neo-colonial regime in Tripoli are holding three ports where oil is
exported from Libya. A dispute over economic and political control of
the oil-rich eastern region of the country has brought the production
and export of oil from Libya to a virtual standstill.

During the era of the Jamahiriya under the leadership of Col. Muammar
Gaddafi, Libya produced 1.6 million barrels of oil per day. With
unrest escalating over the control of the ports, official figures for
exports have declined to approximately 200,000 barrels per day.

Militias which control the ports in the east are threatening to export
oil in contravention to the wishes of the GNC in Tripoli. Yet the GNC
is weak politically and militarily as represented by the recent coup
against Prime Minister Ali Zeidan who was forced out of his position
fleeing the country to Europe after his fledging military failed to
prevent the Morning Glory from leaving the port of Es Sider.

On March 24 international press agencies were allowed to board the
Morning Glory docked at Tripoli. A crew of 21 people was removed and
may face prosecution for what is claimed to be an illegal purchase of
oil from the country.

"They, (the crew), will be referred to the relevant judicial
authorities," according to Lieutenant Colonel Salim ash-Shwirf,
standing on the tanker. "The 21 and the Libyans are in good health but
there are some damages at the tanker." (Reuters, March 23)

"The crew of the oil tanker is now under my authority and is being
investigated," said the neo-colonial Libyan state prosecutor
Abdelqadir Radwan. Yet without the intervention of the U.S. Special
Forces and the Navy the vessel would have never been returned.

GNC plans for the creation of a new national army in Libya are
unfolding at a slow pace. The soldiers are being trained by the U.S.
and the European Union.

Consequently, the proposed army will be an outpost of the U.S. Africa
Command and NATO, the forces responsible for the overthrow of the
Gaddafi government and the destruction of the Libyan society and
economy. Plans have also been floated for a more aggressive training
program by NATO and the deployment of troops on the southern border of
Libya where pro-Gaddafi forces are in control of numerous towns and
cities.

Instability in Libya and Hostility Towards Russia Raises Oil Prices

The destruction of the previous political and economic system in Libya
has had a devastating impact on the people of this country of 6
million. Prior to the 2011 war of regime-change, Libya enjoyed the
highest standard of living in Africa.

Lacking a coherent system of governance and economic production, the
overall quality of life inside the country has deteriorated sharply.
The constant fighting between the various militias factions has
created a highly precarious security situation which consequently
impacts production within the major industries.

Libya oil and natural gas production provides supplies of these
critical resources to Europe. With the decline in these industries,
the price of crude oil has gone up in recent weeks.

The Associated Press reported on March 24 that "The price of oil edged
above $100 a barrel Monday as Russia's annexation of Crimea and
Libya's continued difficulties to stabilize its oil industry worried
investors. Russia is a key supplier of crude oil and natural gas to
Europe while Libya's production of crude, valued by refiners for its
high quality, has yet to recover fully since the 2011 civil war which
ousted Muammar Gadhafi."

U.S. foreign policy related to various geo-political regions of the
world is deepening the existing world capitalist crisis. Resources
utilized to maintain these hostile actions towards sovereign states in
Africa, Eurasia, the Middle East and Latin America could be
re-channeled to rebuild the cities inside the U.S. which are suffering
from massive unemployment, pension losses, increasing poverty and
declining public services.

Instability within the international petroleum markets inevitably
result in higher energy prices in the U.S. A continuing decline in
consumer spending in the western industrialized states creates more
joblessness and declining wages.

This same Associated Press report noted that "The supply risks should
still lend support to the oil prices, for there is no sign as yet of
Libyan production recovering," an expert at Commerzbank in Frankfurt
told clients. "Furthermore, if the West were to impose additional
sanctions on Russia, this could -- at least theoretically -- curb
Russian oil exports and justify a certain price premium."

Imperialist Sanctions and War Breed Instability and Poverty

Another illustration of the tense security situation even in the
capital of Tripoli, a bomb exploded on the runway at the international
airport on March 21. Although there were no reported injuries, the
incident reveals that the military and security elements around the
GNC are incapable of maintaining order at key installations.

Reuters observed that this location is "Supposedly one of the best
guarded places in Libya, unknown people managed to get onto the runway
at Tripoli International Airport, plant an explosive device at dawn
and detonate it using a timer, Transport Minister Abdelqader Mohammed
Ahmed said. Authorities closed the airport, the gateway into Libya,
for several hours. There is little traffic after midnight as foreign
airlines avoid late flights due to the poor security at night in the
capital, where the government is unable to control militias which
helped oust long-time leader Gaddafi in 2011 but have kept their
guns." (March 21)

Libya, Syria, Venezuela, Egypt, South Sudan and other areas of the
world where the U.S. and NATO have engaged in destabilization
operations have only brought about destruction and underdevelopment.
With tensions escalating with Russia over the coup in Ukraine and the
union between Crimea and Moscow, the imperialist states will seek to
impose sanctions and other acts of war in Eurasia.

These developments call for a rejuvenated anti-war and
anti-imperialist movement in Western Europe and North America. The
danger of additional imperialist wars of regime-change and conquest
are all too real.

Demonstrations around the U.S. against the escalation of war
provocations against Russia, Venezuela and Syria exposed the fact that
not everyone in the U.S. supports the foreign policy imperatives of
the Obama administration. The forces supported by Washington in these
various regions of the world are fascists and seek to take these
countries back into the total political influence of the imperialist
states led by the Pentagon and Wall Street.

With the continuing economic decline in the western capitalist states,
the ruling class finds no other alternatives outside the imposition of
austerity and the escalation of imperialist militarism. Workers and
youth must organize against these policies since they provide no
future for the majority of people within society.

Workers End Strikes in Kenya and Continues Actions in Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, on African Agenda discussing the International Criminal Court.

Proletariat faces crises with industrial actions, protests

By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire

A significant strike impacting the universities and colleges
throughout the East African state of Kenya has been settled.
Representatives of the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and the
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) told their members to return
to work on March 20 after an agreement had been reached with
management.

Workers were seeking the payment of a cash settlement agreed upon
during a previous labor struggle in 2012 which resulted in a
collective bargaining agreement. The government had sought legal
action to prevent the strike but the union told their members to
disregard the order and leave work that they had a constitutional
right to strike.

Charles Mukhwaya, Secretary General of KUSU, told the Kenyan press
that "We are happy to announce that the strike has been called off
following fruitful talks with the Vice Chancellors. We have reached an
amicable solution after a deal was struck that all the monies owed to
us will be paid to all our members. We would like to ask our workers
to go back to work at 8am tomorrow (Thursday, March 20)." (Capital FM,
Kenya, March 20)

He continued by saying "Yes, it is true that we have reached a deal.
All our members will be paid what is owed to them and measures should
be put in place to ensure that this incident never repeats itself
again. We have advised our lecturers to go back to class and continue
teaching."

Earlier in March Kenya had been hit with a transport drivers' strike
which jammed traffic for miles in and around the capital of Nairobi.
Costs associated with driving buses and taxis, known as "Matatus,"
have tripled since 2013.

An agreement between the Matatu Welfare Association (MWA) and the
government to lower costs by 65 percent has not been implemented,
according to Dickson Mbugua the national chairman of the MWA. The
strike on March 4 was not officially organized by the MWA but an
informal group designed to shut down public transport.

Kenya is a close ally of the United States and often participates in
military operations initiated by the Pentagon in East Africa. At
present Nairobi has deployed at least 2,000 troops to neighboring
Somalia aimed at preventing the Al-Shabaab Islamic organization from
increasing its bases inside the country.

Although the current administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta was
not supported by the U.S. when it was elected during 2013, efforts to
prosecute both Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto before the
International Criminal Court (ICC) have not been opposed by the Obama
administration.

Tunisia and Egypt Workers Demand Jobs, Pay Increases

In Tunisia, the birthplace of the uprisings in North Africa and the
Middle East in 2010-2011, university graduates have formed a union and
are demanding jobs. A demonstration of the Union of Unemployed
Graduates (UDC) took place on March 17 in downtown Tunis.

High unemployment and poverty was a key element in the rebellions
which swept the country beginning in December 2010. Since the
overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14, 2011,
the three subsequent governments in Tunis have not been able to
stabilize the political and economic situation inside the country.

With the collapse of the previous government of Prime Minister Ali
Larayedh and the installation of a more "technocratic" cabinet under
Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa, a freeze has been placed on hiring in the
public sector during the so-called transition period.

"Our demands are not political. We are protesting for jobs. We are
asking for bread, bread and bread," said Halima, an unemployed
graduate protester. (Press TV, March 17)

"This austerity budget will result in higher unemployment rates," said
Wafa Ben Slimane, the UDC spokesperson. Even though the dictatorial
regime of Ben Ali was removed, Tunisia remains firmly in the world
capitalist system where high unemployment, austerity and rising
poverty characterize the current period.

In Egypt where an uprising against the National Democratic Party (NDP)
of ousted President Hosni Mubarak erupted after Tunisia on January 25,
2011, strikes and other forms of unrest among workers has continued.
Since the beginning of 2014, union and independent workers' actions
have taken place partially causing a shake-up in the interim
military-backed regime that was installed after the coup against
former President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013.

The resignation of interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Biblawi, a leader
in the Social Democratic Party of Egypt, and the replacement by
Ibrahim Mehleb, represented sharp disagreements over how to respond to
the current political crisis. Thousands of members and leaders of the
Muslim Brotherhood and its allied political party the Freedom and
Justice Party (FJP) have been killed, wounded and detained since July
3.

Political repression has continued in Egypt with the March 24 mass
sentencing to death of 529 members and supporters of the Muslim
Brotherhood. Demonstrations by students and workers have been banned
since October with those arrested facing harsh prison sentences.

Simultaneously workers are demanding better wages and conditions of
employment in both the private and public sectors. Constant
disruptions in services and production are reflection of the
disenchantment with the present dispensation.

In a report published by Al-Monitor, "Meanwhile, protests have spread
outward from Mahalla, the spiritual home of the Egyptian workers'
movement, to the very heart of Cairo. Workers at Mahalla's state-owned
Misr Spinning and Weaving Company walked out on Feb. 10, demanding the
removal of holding company Chairman Fouad Abdel-Alim and the
application of the minimum wage. Workers at this factory first
demanded a minimum wage in 2006." (Feb. 26)

This same article goes on to note that "After a wave of solidarity
strikes and sit-ins at textile operations around Egypt, more public
sector workers have walked out. Strikes are currently being staged by
around 100,000 postal workers, bus drivers, government notary
employees, street cleaners, field surveyors and medical professionals,
according to Mada Masr."

The impact of the workers' actions on the transport sector are immense
as  Al-Monitor reports that "An ongoing public transportation strike
has halted buses in all 28 of the Greater Cairo Authority's garages,
costing the city an estimated 800,000 Egyptian pounds ($115,000) a
day, according to Cairo Gov. Galal al-Saeed." The Egyptian military
has attempted to appeal to patriotism in efforts to persuade employees
to return to work.

Nonetheless, these appeals have not taken root with the workers and
are nothing new in the ideological arsenal of the neo-colonial state.
According to Josh Stacer, a political scientist and analyst on
Egyptian affairs, "This is the same discourse used after the initial
18 days [of the January 25 Revolution] by [former Field Marshal
Mohamed] Tantawi and company. It's about demobilizing workers."
(Al-Monitor, Feb. 26)

South African Platinum Strike Continues Amid Election Campaigning

There is no end in sight to the two month-old strike led by the
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) taking place
in the North West province in the Republic of South Africa. AMCU is a
breakaway union from the parent National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
which is affiliated with the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(COSATU), a close ally of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Members of AMCU marched on the headquarters of Anglo American Platinum
(Amplats) in Johannesburg on March 18 to deliver a list of demands. As
of March 24 there had been no response from the bosses.

AMCU is striking during the period of the election campaigning for the
upcoming May 7 national poll. Although AMCU has taken a position
hostile to the ANC, the ruling party appears to be heading for another
huge margin of victory.

In a survey published by the Sunday Times, the ANC would win 66.1
percent of the vote, up from the 65.9 percent it gained during the
2009 national elections. With no electoral strategy AMCU has no
effective means of pressuring the government to end the strike.

An investigative commission looking into the upgrading of President
Jacob Zuma's home has issued its report saying that irregularities
took place in regard to cost allocations. The ANC was quick to respond
to the report and says that it will take the findings seriously.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which has the next largest
bloc within the National Assembly, approximately 17 percent, has
called for the impeachment of President Zuma. The so-called Nkandla
Report is not an indictment and its real impact may take some time to
assess.

Leid Stories - Belgium And Detroit - 03/27/14

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, with Lila Cabbil of the Raymond and Rosa Parks Foundation. They co-chaired an Emergency Town Hall meeting to address the economic and political crisis in Detroit on March 2, 2014.

March 27th, 2014

Media Literacy: Obama's U.S. and World History Redux in Belgium;

Detroit Update: Massive Courtroom Battle Over Bankruptcy Exit Plan

To listen to this Leid Stories broadcast featuring Abayomi Azikiwe,
editor of the Pan-African News Wire, just click on the website below:
http://leidstories.podbean.com/2014/03/27/leid-stories-media-literacy-obama%E2%80%99s-us-and-world-history-redux-in-belgium-032614/

President Obama is cutting a wide swath through Europe, urging
European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to stand
fast in unity against Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and
its annexation of Crimea, actions he says are grave violations of
world order.

In a speech he delivered yesterday at the Hague in Brussels, Obama
warned that Europe will experience past calamities if its leaders do
not move to check Russia's desire to expand its empire. Economic and
trade sanctions should be implemented by the EU to isolate Russia,
Obama said, adding that EU and NATO allies also should be prepared to
"deepen" actions against Russia.

Obama's speech, however, was revisionism personified. Leid Stories
uses it as a study in media literacy.

Retirees, city workers, union leaders and a coalition of grassroots
groups are putting the final touches on a sheaf legal objections to
the state-appointed emergency city manager's fiscal plan to dig
Detroit out of bankruptcy. Federal bankruptcy judge Stephen Rhodes
will hear their objections on April 1.

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire and an organizer
for the Moratorium NOW! Coalition in Detroit, gives the details.

Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, Featured on The Debate on Press TV: Egypt Court Sentences 529 Morsi Supporters to Death

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, is a frequent guest on world media outlets.

Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:48PM GMT
presstv.ir

To watch this episode of The Debate featuring Abayomi Azikiwe, editor
of the Pan-African News Wire, which examines the ongoing political
crisis in Egypt, just click on the website below:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/26/356087/529-morsi-supporters-sentenced-to-death/

A court in Egypt has sentenced 529 supporters of former president
Mohammed Morsi to death for various charges including murder, judicial
sources and a defense lawyer say.

Judicial sources say 153 of the sentenced people are in custody, but
the rest are on the run.

According to these sources, the defendants have been charged with
assaulting security forces and vandalizing public property during the
violence that erupted after police stormed two protest camps set up by
Morsi supporters in Cairo last August.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Monday, Amnesty International
described the mass death sentences as a "grotesque example of the
shortcomings and the selective nature of Egypt's justice system."

The military-backed government has launched a deadly crackdown on
Muslim Brotherhood supporters after the army ousted Morsi in July last
year, with hundreds of people killed and thousands arrested.

According to a report released by the Associated Press earlier this
month, Egypt's military-backed government has jailed nearly 16,000
people since Morsi's removal. About 3,000 Muslim Brotherhood members
are among those who have been put behind bars.

Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, Featured on RT Satellite Television: 'Turkish Court Lifts Controversial Twitter Ban'

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, on RT satellite television news.

March 26, 2014 10:04
Rt.com

To watch this RT news segment featuring Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the
Pan-African News Wire, just click on the website below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KCq4diDs5o

An Ankara administrative court has issued a stay of execution on Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's controversial decision to block access
to Twitter.

The move comes just six days after Turkey's telecoms authority blocked
access to the popular social networking service following the PM's vow
to "wipe out Twitter" ahead of elections.

A number of complaints were filed challenging the controversial ban
last week. The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB), the Ankara Bar
Associations, and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy
Parliamentary Group Chair Oktay Vural were among those who applied to
the administrative court to challenge the ban, Turkey's Hurriyet daily
reports.

The Constitutional Court is expected to review individual applications
pertaining to the ban Wednesday.

"I'm told since this is a stay of execution, it can only be lifted by
the court that stayed it. Probably. So govt may need new court order,"
Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor at the School of Information
and Library Science at the University of North Carolina and a fellow
at the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton
University, wrote via Twitter.

"In any case, I hope that the Internet governing agency, TIB,
immediately removes the block on Twitter as now ordered by Ankara
court," she wrote.

Late Thursday night, Turkey blocked Twitter hours after Erdogan
threatened to close it down as the country braces for contentious
local elections Sunday.

Erdogan said during a live TV broadcast on Wednesday that Twitter had
failed to reach a compromise with authorities by agreeing to remove
"one or two" pieces of content from the micro-blogging service,
according to Hurriyet. There are "approximately 700 pieces of content"
that his government has demanded be scrubbed from the service.

An image of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on a twitter account
is pictured through a magnifying glass in this illustration picture
taken in Istanbul March 21, 2014 (Reuters / Murad Sezer)

On Thursday, Erdogan vowed to "wipe out Twitter" before a throng of
supporters in the northwestern city of Bursa.

"I don't care what the international community says. They will see the
Turkish republic's strength," Erdogan said.

On Tuesday, the United Nations urged Turkey to lift the ban in order
to comply with international human rights standards.

"We would urge the authorities to rescind the blocking of Twitter and
to review Law No. 5651 and 6518 to bring them in line with
international human rights standards," Rupert Colville, spokesperson
for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said Tuesday.

In line with Erdogan's most recent comments, the prime minister's
office said last week that Twitter officials are currently ignoring
court rulings demanding they remove certain links.

"[In Erdogan's speech] it is stated that as long as Twitter fails to
change its attitude of ignoring court rulings and not doing what is
necessary according to the law, technically, there might be no remedy
but to block access in order to relieve our citizens," the statement
says, as quoted by Hurriyet.

On Friday, Industry Minister Fikri Isik said Twitter should get a
legal representative in Turkey and agree to block individual accounts
if it is to hammer out a compromise solution to the problem which has
led the government to block access to the service.

The same day, Turkish President Abdullah Gul publicly came out against
efforts to restrict access to social media websites.

"A total shutdown of social media platforms cannot be approved," Gul
wrote on his own Twitter account, despite the ban having already taken
effect.

Gul said only individual internet pages should be blocked, and only if
a court has ruled personal privacy has been violated. The irony that
the president was tweeting despite the PM's recent ban of the service
was not lost on Turkish Twitter users. Gul added that he hoped the ban
would not last for long.

Despite the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy networks,
the ban has had a concrete effect. According to statistics provided by
the opinion research company Semiocast, published by Hurriyet, the
number of tweets sent from Turkey and in Turkish had decreased by
nearly 50 percent since Twitter was blocked late March 21.

Erdogan has long had an adversarial relationship with Twitter.
Following nationwide protests against his decade-plus rule which
ignited in the central Istanbul last summer, the PM blamed opposition
to his rule on social media.

"There is now a scourge that is called Twitter. The best examples of
lies can be found there. To me, social media is the worst menace to
society," he told Turkish media.

Earlier this month, Erdogan also warned that Facebook and YouTube
might be banned following Sunday's election.

"If Twitter, YouTube or Facebook act honestly, we can give any kind of
support. But if they continue efforts to break up families, they have
to face the Turkish Republic's government," Erdogan told a throng of
supporters at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday.

Twitter and other social networking sites have been major platforms to
transmit alleged tapped telephone conversations which appear to
substantiate corruption allegations against Erdogan's inner circle.
The revelations have forced the resignation of three ministers and a
cabinet reshuffle. Erdogan claims the probe is an attempt by his
political rivals to discredit his government.

Despite the scandals, opinion polls suggest that Erdogan's AK Party is
expected to win the March 30 municipal elections, which kick off a
critical 15-month voting cycle that will culminate in presidential and
parliamentary contests.


Twitter sues Turkey over service ban

March 26, 2014 16:01
Rt.com

Twitter has filed lawsuits in several Turkish courts to challenge an
access ban on its service recently pushed through by Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan. The move comes on the same day an Ankara
administrative court moved to suspend the ban.

"It's now been six days since the Turkish government blocked access to
Twitter. Throughout this time, we've been engaged in a discussion with
Turkish authorities to hear their concerns, inform them about how our
platform and policies work, and try and bring this situation to a
resolution," Hurriyet Daily cited Twitter's general counsel, Vijaya
Gadde, as saying on the social media platform's official blog.

"But still, the millions of people in Turkey who turn to Twitter to
make their voices heard are being kept from doing just that."

Twitter said that Wednesday they filed petitions for lawsuits in
various Turkish courts "to challenge the access ban on Twitter,
joining Turkish journalists and legal experts, Turkish citizens and
the international community in formally asking for the ban to be
lifted."

The micro-blogging service also suspended content related to two of
three court orders given as the legal basis for the ban because they
violated its own rules. But it was challenging a third order to remove
an account, which accused a former minister of corruption.

During a live TV broadcast Wednesday, Erdogan said that Twitter had
failed to reach a compromise with authorities by agreeing to remove
"one or two" pieces of content from the micro-blogging service.
According to the PM, there are "approximately 700 pieces of content"
that his government has demanded be scrubbed from the service.

Meanwhile, an administrative court in the capital, Ankara, issued a
stay of execution on last week's decision by the country's
telecommunication authority (TIB).

Once the TIB is informed by the court, the ban is expected to be
lifted. The authority has 30 days to implement or appeal a court
ruling halting a block on access to Twitter, a source in the PM's
office told Reuters on Wednesday.

Six days earlier, Turkish authorities blocked Twitter, just hours
after Erdogan threatened to close it down. Authorities claimed the
popular social networking site had failed to remove allegations of
corruption involving senior officials as the country prepares for
local elections Sunday.

While users have found different of circumventing the prohibition,
including virtual private networks (VPNs) and other proxy networks,
the ban has had a concrete effect.

Erdogan has long had an adversarial relationship with the blogging
platform - to the extent that in one of his speeches the PM even vowed
to "wipe out" Twitter and dubbed it "a scourge."

Earlier this month, Erdogan also warned that Facebook and YouTube
might be banned following Sunday's election.

"If Twitter, YouTube or Facebook act honestly, we can give any kind of
support. But if they continue efforts to break up families, they have
to face the Turkish Republic's government," Erdogan told a throng of
supporters at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday.

Twitter and other social networking sites have been major platforms to
transmit alleged tapped telephone conversations which appear to
substantiate corruption allegations against Erdogan's inner circle.
The revelations have forced the resignation of three ministers and a
cabinet reshuffle. Erdogan claims the probe is an attempt by his
political rivals to discredit his government.

Despite the scandals, opinion polls suggest that Erdogan's AK Party
will win the March 30 municipal elections, which kick off a critical
15-month voting cycle that will culminate in presidential and
parliamentary contests.