Mozambique Gets Fresh Training on Port Security

A five-day workshop on maritime security and The International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code concluded today in Maputo, Mozambique (24 -28 July).

IMO says the course provided port facility security officers with the necessary knowledge to perform their duties in accordance with the requirements of key IMO maritime security measures.

As a results, participants improved their knowledge and skills of those requirements with a view to train others with similar responsibilities. The workshop included a port visit, various group exercises and interactive activities - providing solid grounding on the oversight roles and responsibilities of the designated authority.

Organized at the request of the Maritime Authority under the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Mozambique, the training was conducted in response to the findings of a maritime security table top exercise on contingency planning held by IMO in Mozambique in April 2016.

IMO was represented by Gisela Vieira.

Mozambique: Political Stability and Good Rainfall Contribute to Agricultural Growth

AllAfrica.com

Regular rainfall during the present agricultural campaign along with political stability and the appreciation of the national currency, the metical, have contributed to a 5.9 per cent growth in agricultural output in Mozambique. According to the Minister of Agriculture, Jose Pacheco, these preliminary figures point to generalised increases in production during the first growing season.

Pacheco was speaking on 20 July at the opening of his ministry's coordinating council which is being held in Marracuene. He pointed out that there were positive results in the production of cereals, roots, tubers, legumes, vegetables, cashew nuts, and sugar cane. In the livestock sector, there has been a growth in the production of beef, pork, chicken, milk and eggs. However, he noted that the production of goat meat has declined by nine per cent compared with last year.

The minister highlighted the important role played by agricultural research in making available and distributing 8,366 tonnes of maize seed, 561 tonnes of rice, 264 tonnes of bean seed, 7 tonnes of seed potatoes, 1,137 cassava seedlings, and 11,560 cubic metres of sweet potatoes. In addition, under the integrated transfer of technology programme, 1,034 extensionists set up 943 demonstration fields which benefitted 35,650 producers.

Mechanisation has increased greatly. Pacheco revealed that 134 service centres have been established, allowing for 50,000 hectares of land to be ploughed compared with just 6,000 hectares during the previous growing season.

Irrigation is also increasingly available, with the rehabilitation of 1,876 hectares of irrigated land in the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, and Zambezia. This has benefitted 2,200 farmers.

Pacheco added that training in food security and nutrition was given to 171 people in Nampula, Zambezia, Manica, and Gaza provinces, including 23 parliamentarians, 14 district administrators, 70 provincial assembly members, 14 district directors of agriculture, and 50 representatives of civil society.

Mozambique Under Threat by the IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has insisted that the full audit report on the three Mozambican security-related companies, Ematum (Mozambique Tuna Company), Proindicus and MAM (Mozambique Asset Management) must be published, and it now seems clear that no new IMF programme with Mozambique can be discussed before that happens.

At a press briefing in Washington on 10 July, William Murray of the IMF praised the fact that the audit, undertaken by Kroll Associates, had taken place and that the Attorney-General's Office (PGR) had released the executive summary of the audit report in June.

"Transparency and good governance are key conditions for sustainable, inclusive growth, and that applies to all countries", said Murray. "Now we look forward to the publication of the entire audit report in due course. At that point, we will be able to provide an informed view on the audit and its implications".

Thus, any expectations in Maputo that the mere publication of the summary would be enough to normalise relations with the IMF have been dashed.

The IMF suspended its programme with Mozambique in April 2016, when the full scale of the "hidden loans" (from the European banks Credit Suisse and VTB of Russia) became apparent. While the $850 million loan to Ematum was already in the public domain, since it took the form of a bond issue on the European market, the loans to Proindicus ($622 million) and to MAM ($535 million) were kept entirely secret.

All three loans had been illicitly guaranteed by the previous government, under President Armando Guebuza. The over two billion dollars lent to the three companies thus became part of Mozambique's foreign debt, and pushed it beyond the limits of sustainability.

All other major western partners followed the IMF's lead and suspended financial aid to Mozambique. In particular, the 14 donors that used to provide direct support to the Mozambican state budget suspended their disbursements. A basic condition for restoring normal relations was an independent audit of Ematum, Proindicus and MAM - hence the hiring of Kroll.

But the audit is incomplete, because the companies refused to cooperate fully with the auditors. Kroll said the companies only provided "limited financial data, including incomplete trial balances and bank statements for certain periods, and incomplete supporting documentation, such as loan facility agreements and supplier contracts. As a result, it became apparent that a significant amount of the information originally envisaged to be held by the Mozambique Companies in Mozambique was not available".

Kroll looked at the assets that had been purchased, and compared the value stated on invoices, with an independent valuation - and found a discrepancy of $713 million. In addition, other funds were not accounted for.

Asked whether the IMF wanted to track down all the money so far unaccounted before resuming normal relations with Mozambique, Murray replied "the report provides useful information on how the loans were contracted and on the assets purchased by the companies. However, there are information gaps, in particular on the use of the loan proceeds. We want to see those information gaps closed".

Murray's press briefing followed a visit to Mozambique by an IMF mission headed by Michel Lazare. His final statement from the mission also pointed to the gaps in the audit report. He demanded that the government "take steps to fill the information gaps and to enhance its action plan to strengthen transparency, improve governance, and ensure accountability". Lazare also said the mission would not result in any discussion at the IMF board - in other words, there will be no new IMF programme for Mozambique in the near future.

Lazare demanded a whole string of austerity measures. He wanted the 2018 budget to concentrate on reducing the fiscal deficit, notably by eliminating tax exemptions and "containing the expansion of the wages bill".

In other words, the IMF is demanding that state employees pay for the crisis. Last year's sharp inflation had already reduced real wages, and the increase in state wages announced earlier this year came nowhere near compensating for this. Lazare assumed that the impact of austerity measures on poor households could be cushioned by "protecting critical social programs and reinforcing the social safety net".

Lazare also wanted "only the most critical public investments to go ahead", while attempts should be made "to strengthen the financial position of loss-making companies and limit the fiscal risks they represent". He did not name those companies, but presumably include Mozambique Airlines LAM and fuel company Petromoc.

Editor's note: AllAfrica receive a request to publish the following statement issued by the VTB Press Office

"VTB conducted its transactions with the Mozambican state-owned companies and government in accordance with all applicable laws and approvals, including from the Mozambican Central Bank. This was confirmed by our international and Mozambican legal counsel. Moreover, the government of Mozambique confirmed to us that they were following the necessary internal and external legislation and that comprehensive information on the transactions was disclosed to creditors and investors. As we have previously said, the total public debt number disclosed in the prospectus of the issued sovereign Eurobond was inclusive of all outstanding direct and publicly guaranteed government debt. Furthermore, in the transaction documentation the government undertook to include the guarantees in the budget.”

Mozambique’s First Bread Factory Causes Divisions

28 July 2017, 2:00pm
Berta Madime

The imminent launch of the first bread factory in Mozambique has been a divisive issue, pitting government and the owners against traditional bakeries in the beleaguered and volatile industry.
The government of President Filipe Nyusi, which has previously clashed with bakeries over plans to increase prices, has hailed the setting up of the facility.

The Espiga de Ouro (Golden Ear) factory will initially supply the capital Maputo, the industrial city of Matola and, eventually, the nearby provinces of Gaza and Inhambane.

The $50million bakery is owned by Mica, an established local business group. Espiga de Ouro chief executive Hussein Ali said the project was expected to create more than 1200 jobs. “We will produce an average of 1.5million normal loaves per day and 750000 round loaves,” Ali said.

He is proud to be moving away from the artisanal production of bread used in most of the about 2000 bakeries around the country.

“In the new factory, all the processes will be done by machines, from the moment we put in the wheat until the bread is ready.”

The factory will operate for 22 hours a day and will use 20000 tons of flour, to be sourced locally.

The move is anticipated to boost the country’s economy. It produces about 22000 tons of wheat annually. “The government, through the Mozambican Grains Institute, has a strategy to ensure that wheat we produce in the Tsangano district, in the western province of Tete, is supplied to this industry,” said Minister of Industry and Trade Ernesto Max Tonela.

Artisanal bakeries oppose the new kid on the block, while the public welcomes it.

The Mozambican Association of Bakeries claimed the factory would cause the loss of about 25000 jobs, due to mechanisation.

“To provide a monopoly of bread to destroy 25000 jobs in Mozambique is bad,” said Imtiaz Amugy on behalf of the association.

He argued Espiga de Ouro would destabilise the Mozambican bread market.

“They should partner with other companies already working in that sector instead,” Amugy proposed.

The opening of the bread factory coincides with Mozambique recently suspending a subsidy to bakeries, after the Institute for Standardisation and Quality established that some bakeries were selling underweight bread, against the country’s regulations.

A standard loaf should weigh at least 200g, but inspectors found some bakeries where loaves weighing as little as 120g were passed off as standard loaves.

The subsidies on bread and fuel were introduced in the wake of food riots in 2010. A 30% increase in the price of bread and double-digit percentage increases in fuel and water enraged Mozambicans, who took to the streets in protest. Over a dozen people were killed. Two years earlier, at least seven people died during similar riots.

Constantino Marrengula, a local economist, argued the industrial production of bread was inescapable.

“The time has come for a new player on the Mozambican market in the sector of bread production. Those in the same sector will need to adapt themselves and find new ways to keep their space in the market,” he said.

Government has also expressed its support.

“We are sure that the industrial production of bread will provide dynamism to the bread market,” Tonela said.

He said the entrance of a new player and the subsequent competition would boost stability and compliance. “The price of bread will be stabilised. The weight of the bread, which is often disrespected by producers, will now be respected,” he said. - CAJ News

Mozambique to Conduct Population Census in August

Ismail Akwei  
26/07 - 11:32
Africanews.com

Mozambique is gearing towards a nationwide population census in the first two weeks of August 2017.

Facilitated by the country’s National Statistics Institute (INE), about 100,000 people have been recruited to collect data from all households around the country, the INE announced.

The data to be gathered will include age, sex, relationship status, places of residence among other economic indicators.

The 2017 census will for the first time utilize digital technology in information gathering and processing, the INE announced.

The government is being supported with logistics, training and funding by the international community including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UK’s DFID, Italian Cooperation, the World Bank among others.

Mozambique’s population in the last census conducted 10 years ago was 22.19 million. The population is expected to hit 29 million at the end of the process in August.

PROBE INTO SOWETO DERBY STAMPEDE LAUNCHED

The stampede is thought to have been caused by someone selling or using fake tickets at a stadium entrance.

Winnie Theletsane & Carl Lewis
Eyewitness News

JOHANNESBURG - An investigation is underway following a stampede at FNB Stadium in Soweto in which two people were killed and several others wounded.

The incident took place during a match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

The stampede is thought to have been caused by someone selling or using fake tickets at a stadium entrance.

Operations Manager for Gauteng EMS Colin Errakiah says one person is in a critical condition in hospital.

“We’ve got two deceased, 14 patients in total; one is critical and the rest sustained moderate to serious injuries.”

Meanwhile, condolences have been pouring in for the families of the deceased.

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has extended his deepest condolences, saying the city will be working with the police to ensure the cause of this incident is investigated.

He said, “the loss of life at such a highly-anticipated event is indeed a tragedy and the city will work with all the relevant authorities to prevent tragedies as this in future.”

Carling Black Label and soccer fans have also joined the chorus of condolence.

Fans have also questioned the decision to continue with the match regardless of the fatal stampede.

MKHIZE: KEEP ANC ISSUES INTERNAL

ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize says that party members should raise their concerns on the right platforms and in an appropriate way.

Katleho Sekhotho
Eyewitness News

KATLEHONG - African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize says that while the party has instituted disciplinary charges against its MP Makhosi Khoza, members should raise issues within the party and not in public.

He says that by going public, disciplinary processes then also become public.

Mkhize was speaking on the sidelines at the DH Williams Community Hall in Katlehong on Thursday evening where he gave a keynote address.

He says that ANC members should raise their concerns on the right platforms and in an appropriate way.

Mkhize says that Khoza's demand that President Jacob Zuma step down should have been brought up internally.

"I believe that a lot of the issues she raised, are issues that need to be discussed inside the party. Enagagement is important so that comrades must know that if they have issues, how to deal with them."

Mkhize also says he believes that the ANC can be rebuilt.

FACE THE CONSEQUENCES

The treasurer-general added that those implicated in the Gupta-leak emails must account for their actions and face the consequences.

He also says that the ANC supports the commission of inquiry into state capture.

He says that the ANC, the state and all institutions of justice should be able to act on those where there is proof of criminal activity.

"Certain members who have been mentioned and we don't believe that there are any members that could be involved in either corruption or state capture that can be said to be victims. They are there because they colluded with the process."

While Mkhize says that it is not all of the ANC that is involved in state capture, this debacle is a huge embarrassment.

Phosa Condemns Killings of ANC Members

29 July 2017 22:02
SABC

Former African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer-general and party presidential candidate, Mathews Phosa, says he's gravely concerned about the killing of party members in the country.

He was speaking on the side-lines of the funeral service of Raymond Mhlaba municipality speaker, Thobeka Njobe.

The 47 year-old Njobe was gunned down outside her house in Newtown location two weeks ago.

Scores of ANC members packed a tent erected at the Zwelitsha Stadium in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape to pay their last respects to Njobe. Speakers spoke of her tough stance on corruption and ill-discipline.

Phosa says he has noticed that party members who are critical of the ANC are silenced and intimidated.

"When we differ politically, we need to sit down and solve problems in a civilised manner... the time for violence as means of communicating between South African citizens is long gone.We must negotiate ourselves out of problems and condemn violence in strongest possible words."

The ANC's provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane says the party is still bleeding from the loss of Njobe.

"Very principled unshaken very focused on matters of principle, it’s a kind of a person we have lost one of those comrades we would want to nature at this point in time, Thozama has been one of those jewels the ANC has produced."

The Njobe family is still shocked by her murder. Family member, Nomaphelo Chatha, says she was a humble and organic intellectual. She also leaves behind three young children.

"Thozama has been very intelligent very brave and also a leader within the family ,we looked upon her in terms of what the government is providing for the
families and for society as well."

The MEC for Local Government, Fikile Xasa, urged the police to speed up their investigation into the murder. No one has been arrested yet.


EC POLICE TIGHT-LIPPED ON MOTIVE FOR ANC COUNCILLOR'S MURDER

Xolani Koyana

CAPE TOWN - Police have refused to be drawn on the motive behind the murder of a municipal official.

It is suspected that the murder is linked to internal party politics.

But it's widely believed that Thozama Njobe, an ANC councillor at the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in Fort Beaufort, was killed in a hit.

She died in hospital on Monday night from gunshot wounds she sustained in a shooting.

The ANC in the Eastern Cape has confirmed earlier this month that Njobe's staff had been told of a plot to have her killed.

The party's Oscar Mabuyane says it is believed that the whistleblower is one of the hired hitmen who did not want to go ahead with the plan.

“We don’t know the issue that could be behind this or why there were people plotting to assassinate her. It’s a matter for the police to investigate.”

(Edited by Shimoney Regter)

Gloom Gripping South African Economy

29 JULY 2017, 08:00AM
RENEE BONORCHIS

Johannesburg - Barclays Africa Group just delivered further evidence that South Africa’s economy won’t be climbing out of the doldrums anytime soon.

The Johannesburg-based lender kicked off the earnings reporting season for South Africa’s banks with a decline in total first-half income, the first interim contraction since Maria Ramos took over as chief executive officer in 2009.

The stock dropped on Friday leading declines on the six-member FTSE/JSE Africa Banks Index and extending its losses this year to 14 percent.

The strain of South Africa’s economic contraction also showed in the 10 percent decrease in earnings excluding one-time items at the bank’s main South African consumer unit in the six months through June as lending at its mortgage and credit card businesses shrank. Income from fees on transactions and commissions and deposits dropped 14 percent, while costs increased faster than revenue.

“We expect the economic environment to remain challenging,” Ramos said in an emailed statement. The company also sketched a bleak outlook for the rest of year across its businesses in 12 African countries, predicting “low- to middle-single digit loan growth,” a decline in its net-interest margin, slower revenue growth and higher costs.

South Africa slumped into a recession in the first quarter after all but two industries shrank amid continued political wrangling and policy uncertainty. Barclays Africa’s South African banking operations account for 74 percent of normalized earnings before one-time items.

The country’s foreign-currency debt was downgraded to junk in April after President Jacob Zuma fired his respected finance minister and replaced him with someone who has no financial experience. Unemployment is also at a 14-year high as the governing African National Congress prepares to pick a new party president at the end of the year.

“Key risks facing South Africa in the second half include heightened political and policy uncertainty in the run up to the ruling party’s December elective conference, the potential for the country’s sovereign credit rating to be downgraded further, and for weak business and consumer confidence to lead to a longer, more protracted recession,” Barclays Africa said.

Its Johannesburg-based peer, Nedbank Group, reports first-half earnings on Monday.

‘Slightly Negative’

“The main risk to our view on Nedbank and on South African banks in general remains the political and economic situation in South Africa,” Henry Hall, a banks analyst at HSBC Holdings Plc in Johannesburg, said in a note on Friday. The lender, controlled by London-based Old Mutual, will report 2 percent growth in earnings per share before one-time items, Hall said.

A 25 basis-point reduction in interest rates last week will also be “slightly negative” for South African banks, Harry Botha, an analyst at Avior Capital Markets, said in a note. Barclays Africa hedges most of its short-term interest rate exposure so it’s probably in the best position followed by Standard Bank Group, he said.

A 27 percent improvement in impairments following credit losses from two large corporate clients the previous year and 19 percent growth in profit from its African businesses helped boost earnings. The lender reported a 7 percent increase in normalized EPS excluding one-time items to 9.18 rand, beating the 8.80 rand median estimate of four analysts.

“For the remainder of the year, Barclays Africa will place priority focus on its retail and business bank performance in South Africa and on driving opportunities in its businesses outside of South Africa,” the lender said.

Bloomberg

Top South African School Fires White Teacher After Race Row

Ed Stoddard

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A top South African school fired a white teacher on Friday it initially declined to sack over a string of racist remarks to pupils, bowing to political and public pressure in the latest race row to stir Nelson Mandela's "rainbow nation."

The education department in Gauteng province said in a statement that St. John's College in Johannesburg had sacked Keith Arlow after it had been given a midday deadline to do so by provincial education minister Panyaza Lesufi.

The elite private college had given Arlow, a geography teacher, a final written warning for his actions but had kept him on staff, sparking public outrage in a country where race relations remain raw over two decades after the end of apartheid.

"The final written warning was unsatisfactory considering the seriousness of the charges and the guilty finding against the educator," the provincial education department said.

"We will deal with racism decisively and not give racists space to breath because non-racialism is non-negotiable," it said.

Local media reported the teacher told a black student: "You disappointed the blacks by getting a good mark" and also said to black pupils that the only reason they were doing well academically was because they were sitting next to white peers.

A school secretary said St. John's College would issue a statement later.

Mfundo Madiba, a brand consultant who left St. John's in 2009, said he was appalled by the incident, which ran counter to his experience as a black South African pupil at the school.

"I'm disgusted, to be honest," he said. "The fact that he was found guilty and wasn’t dismissed only makes it worse."

Additional reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Richard Balmforth

Chinese NGOs Exert Increasing Influence in Africa

By Xie Wenting
Global Times
2017/7/27 19:43:39

Compared with Western counterparts, Chinese NGOs provide an alternative experience to Africa

○ More and more Chinese NGOs are working in Africa amid a wave of overseas expansion

○ Chinese NGOs operating in Africa face mistrust and lack of understanding from locals as well as competition from Western counterparts

Every year, Wang Ke, CEO of a Beijing-based communication company, spends a big chunk of his time and money in Zimbabwe. There, he holds another identity - founder of a Chinese NGO which is dedicated to preserving local wildlife as well as alleviating poverty.

Founded in 2015, Wang's NGO brings advanced equipment to the African country to monitor a vast wildlife park and help locals track down poachers.

"Many people criticize the Chinese for smuggling wildlife out of Africa. I want to prove to them that we do care about wildlife and can shoulder the responsibility to protect it," he told the Global Times.

"But while we are doing the good deeds there, we are still facing mistrust and lack of understanding both within and outside China, as well as competition from Western NGOs," he added.

Li Xiaoyun, a professor at China Agricultural University, told the Global Times that more and more Chinese NGOs are working in Africa and China is witnessing the third wave of overseas expansion which is led by NGOs.

 "The overseas expansion of Chinese NGOs is an important part of globalization and it represents the third wave of China going global," he said. The first wave occurred between the 1950s and 1970s and was dominated by government actions to help "third world" countries. The second wave started in the 1980s when Chinese businesspeople began to go overseas, Li elaborated.

"In Africa where the government is weak, the position of NGOs is very important … Compared with Western NGOs, Chinese NGOs can provide a selective experience for Africa," he said.

Caught in the middle

In March, Deng Fei, founder of the "Free Lunch for Children" charity campaign, revealed on his Sina Weibo that the campaign was expanding to Africa. Its first 1 million yuan project was dedicated to children in Kenya. The campaign helps rural children avail healthy lunch.

While most of Deng's posts on Weibo have few comments, this particular post drew a lot of attention. Many Netizens argued why he was spending money on African children while many Chinese children were starving. Some even said that they wanted to withdraw their donations if the money was sent to Africa.

Deng responded to some of the comments, emphasizing that the domestic donations are used in China. The money for the African project comes from Beijing-based NGO Pearl Humanitarian Rescue Institution and in the future he will raise donations overseas to support projects outside China, he said.

Wang said that it's not uncommon to meet backlash from some Chinese people. "This can't be called a problem. The most important thing is you think clearly what you should and must do," he said.

Besides, Wang is also facing mistrust from African people and competition from some Western NGOs.

"Western NGOs have been active in Africa for decades, while we are newcomers. Some of them think we are there to undercut their work," said Wang.

Once, local authorities told Wang that a Western NGO had accused them of smuggling elephants to China in the name of protecting wildlife. That NGO even provided authorities a photo of Wang's plane. "The ironic thing is that the plane in their photo is too small for an elephant," he said.

Wang's team also has to overcome the mistrust of locals. Some of them told Wang directly that they thought his NGO won't stay there for a long time and was there just for "image promotion." Compared with Western NGOs, local people's recognition of Chinese NGOs is generally low, according to Wang.

This, he said, is due to a lack of understanding. The West had colonized Africa long ago and the locals are immersed in Western culture. "While many don't like the West, they still consider the West to be superior. In comparison, they have limited knowledge of China. So they hold a prudent attitude towards us," he said.

Correct attitude

Wei Jiangang, founder of the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, a Chinese NGO dedicated to improving public awareness about LGBT people, is promoting its "Queer University" project in an African country. Queer University aims to empower LGBT groups by teaching them how to produce documentaries to make their voices heard. Besides basic trainings, the project also offers attendees a year's funding and instruction to complete their visual works.

The project was launched this year in a country where gay sex is illegal, according to Wei. As it is a sensitive topic in that country, he didn't reveal its name.

According to Wei, he participated in an LGBT-themed meeting hosted in Africa in 2015. There he talked about Queer University with African NGO counterparts. An NGO in that country then invited him to do the trainings.

The NGO helped bring about 10 participants. Money came from a foreign foundation.

"Stepping onto the African continent is beneficial for fostering mutual understanding. Before, it was all about the Western countries spreading their knowledge and experiences. But now we can have this South-South talk which enables us to see each other," Wei said. He believes that the exchange among the developing countries is more useful as both sides can understand each other better.

The African people Wei's organization trained felt surprised that China had so many advanced technologies to make LGBT-themed visual works. They found that the interviews with gay parents were particularly instructive.

On the other hand, Wei also thinks his understanding about Africa is too limited. He had developed a stereotypical view of its poverty and backwardness from the media, but now his opinion is changing.

"While gay sex is still illegal, the country's LGBT NGOs are doing more fundamental things than us. They are even successfully cooperating with some local hospitals. The country is like 'half sea water and half fire,'" he said.

For Wei, it's important to have a correct attitude toward charity work in Africa. "Instead of thinking of ourselves as savior, we should know that both sides have useful lessons to learn," he said. He is considering bringing Queer University to more African countries in the future.

Call for improvement

Li Yinuo is director for China office at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation has established partnerships with China's Ministry of Commerce to carry out pilot projects in Africa on public health and agricultural solutions.

She said a major obstacle is the lack of understanding of China's development and aid model. "What China has done in Africa is quite different from what is portrayed in the Western media, but there is few channels for the world to know about China's development assistance in Africa," she said.

Compared with most NGOs who spend lots of energy writing papers, Chinese are doing more practical things, according to Wang. "It's their way of doing things," Wang said. "But there are lessons we can learn from our Western counterparts. It's undeniable they have more in-depth understanding of Africa and they have more experience."

Wang is hoping that more Chinese NGOs can join them in spreading their charitable activities to Africa. "China, the world's second-largest economy, should have the number of NGOs to match that status. We should shoulder more global responsibilities," he said.

In his eye, this isn't about "improving the country's image," but about doing the right things that Chinese culture also advocates.

At present, most of the money comes from Wang's own pocket. In two years, he has spent millions of yuan. He told the Global Times that Chinese enterprises and government like to make donations to local people directly instead of donating to an NGO which can help supervise how the money is spent, a model he hopes to change.

Another problem with Chinese NGOs going to Africa is that in China there is a lack of special talents who have good command of local language and culture.

For Chinese followers, Wang suggests that they should get accustomed to African way of doing things, such as, the low speed of the government.

EU Accused of 'Willfully Letting Refugees Drown' as NGOs Face Having Rescues Suspended in the Mediterranean

Italy could ban groups that refuse to sign up to controversial 'code of conduct' from carrying out rescues

Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden
The Independent Online

Migrants receive life jackets as workers from Proactive Open Arms pull alongside their dinghy AP
Aid workers have accused the EU of “wilfully letting people drown in the Mediterranean” as they face being forced to suspend rescue missions for refugees attempting the world’s deadliest sea crossing.

Italy is attempting to impose a code of conduct on NGOs operating ships in the search and rescue zone off the coast of Libya, which is now the main launching point for migrants trying to reach Europe on smugglers’ boats.

Humanitarian groups have argued the code will impede their work by banning the transfer of refugees to larger ships, which allows vessels to continue rescues, and forcing them to allow police officers on board.

A revised code of conduct is expected to be presented by the Italian interior ministry on Monday, following meetings between officials and NGOs.

The 11-point plan, which has been approved by the European Commission and border agency Frontex, could see any groups refusing to sign up denied access to Italian ports or forbidden from carrying out rescues.

They are currently deployed by officials at Rome’s Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC) and charities fear any move to restrict their operations, leaving just Italian coastguard and naval ships, will dramatically reduce rescue capacity during peak season.

Libyan Coast Guard puts refugees and rescuers in danger during rescue operation at sea
German charity Sea-Watch announced the deployment of a second rescue vessel in response to the plans, which it called a “desperate reaction” by a country abandoned on the frontline of the refuge crisis by its European allies.

“The EU is wilfully letting people drown in the Mediterranean by refusing to create a legal means of safe passage and failing to even provide adequate resources for maritime rescue,” said CEO Axel Grafmanns.

“The NGOs are currently bearing the brunt of the humanitarian crisis and they are being left alone.”

​Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has staff on two rescue ships, said it was engaging with Italian authorities in an “open and constructive way” over the proposed code but had serious concerns over several clauses.

“MSF employees are humanitarian workers, not police officers, and that for reasons of independence they will do what is strictly requested by the law but nothing more so as to protect our independence and neutrality,” a spokesperson said.

“MSF’s search and rescue operations have always been conducted in respect of national and international laws and under coordination of the MRCC in Rome.”

The charity opposed a commitment compelling vessels to notify multiple states if they leave designated search and rescue zones, which it said could cause deaths by delaying rescues, and said the ability to transfer migrants to larger ships and continue operations was “crucial to saving lives”.

“The inefficient back and forth of all rescue ships to disembarkation points will consequently lead to a decrease in the presence of rescue vessels,” a MSF spokesperson said.

The group is also seeking assurances on the scope of the requirement to allow police on board, which it said could prevent victims of torture, human trafficking and sexual violence coming forward.

Amnesty International characterised the code of conduct as part of a “concerted smear campaign” against NGO rescue ships, which has culminated in a far-right group calling itself Defend Europe sending its own vessel to “monitor” operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Right-wing politicians have made persistent claims that aid agencies are aiding or even directly colluding with Libyan smugglers without citing evidence, despite inquiries and academic studies finding no evidence of misconduct.

The debate came as smugglers continued to launch boats into the Central Mediterranean, where almost 2,400 men, women and children have lost their lives so far this year, including 13 people found dead at the bottom of an overcrowded dinghy this week.

The EU announced €46m (£41m) extra funding for Italy on Friday, to help it protect Libya's northern and southern borders and stop the flow of sub-Sahran African migrants through the country.

Rome plans to send navy vessels to Libyan waters next month to combat human smuggling, despite warnings that moves to force refugees from international waters back to a warzone is a flagrant violation of international law.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the initiative will “reinforce Libyan sovereignty”, adding that Italy would “not be sending a huge fleet or air squadrons.”

It is already furnishing Libya's coastguard, which stands accused of beating and killing migrants and attacking NGO ships, with boats and training aimed at strengthening its patrols.

The EU has also donated €90m (£80m) to improving living conditions for migrants stranded in squalid Libyan camps, although thousands more are being held by armed gangs who control swathes of the country still engulfed in the bloody chaos that followed its civil war.

A House of Lords report branded the EU’s Operation Sophia anti-smuggling mission a “failure” on all counts, saying it “has not in any meaningful way deterred the flow of migrants, disrupted the smugglers’ networks, or impeded the business of people smuggling”.

The committee concluded that the mission was driving refugee deaths by destroying smugglers’ boats and forcing them to switch to unseaworthy dinghies, and raised concern over reports of “serious abuses of the human rights of migrants by the Libyan coastguard”, which is being trained by the UK and equipped by the EU as it seeks to gradually unburden itself of responsibility for rescues.

The UN has warned of widespread torture, kidnap, ransom, arbitrary detention, rape, forced labour and “slave auctions” in Libya, where people smugglers have set up a lucrative business in the continuing conflict.

Refugees interviewed by The Independent have told of horrific abuses at the hands of both state security forces and Libyan gangs, including seeing other migrants being beaten to death and raped, and being “sold” between owners until they can escape over the Mediterranean.

A study commissioned by Unicef found that most children making the crossing did not intend to travel to Europe when they left home, with the journey taking up to two years.

Children interviewed in Italy said they fled their home countries for reasons including conflict, poverty and child marriage, frequently being drawn to Libya by the promise of work but finding “systematic trauma and abuse”.

Almost half of children said they were kidnapped for ransom in Libya, and a quarter held in prison without charges.

Sol Oyuela, director of public affairs at Unicef UK, said: “These devastating journeys must end and the UK Government has an opportunity to change this, by ensuring our immigration rules allow children to reunite with siblings, grandparents and other loved ones.”

More than 113,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year, with most of the 95,000 reaching Italy coming from countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African nations.

Migrant Crisis: Italy Backs Force to Police Libya Shore

BBC World Service
28 July 2017

Libya says Italian plans for a force of ships, planes and sailors led by a frigate would undermine its sovereignty

Italy's cabinet has backed sending a mission to Libya to try to stem the influx of migrants.

The mission would help Libya "reinforce their capacity to control their borders and national territory", said Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

It would reportedly comprise ships, planes and at least 700 sailors.

Mr Gentiloni claimed it had been requested by Libya, but the UN-backed government there vigorously denied making any such request.

In an earlier statement, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj said his administration had agreed to receive only training and arms from Italy.

"Libya's national sovereignty is a red line that nobody must cross," he said.

Mr Sarraj, whose administration's control of Libya is limited, held a face-to-face meeting with Mr Gentiloni in Italy on Wednesday.

Mr Sarraj did acknowledge asking Rome for border guards in southern Libya in that meeting.
More than 94,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Italy so far this year, according to the UN. But more than 2,370 people have died trying.

Migrants picked up in Libyan coastal waters - and not international waters - can be legally returned to Libya, but aid workers say that conditions in Libyan migrant reception camps are dire.

The Italian mission to Libyan coastal waters would reportedly be led by a frigate.

European states have already been helping to beef up Libyan efforts to prevent migrants reaching international waters, where international law then prevents them being returned to Libya
The mission would contribute, Mr Gentiloni told the cabinet meeting, to Libya's "path of stabilisation... and Italy feels it a duty to participate".

The cabinet had "approved what the [Libyan] government requested, no more, no less," he said. He later clarified that the initiative aimed to "support Libya sovereignty, it is not an initiative against Libyan sovereignty".

He said full details of the plan would be presented to parliament on Tuesday.

Push-back plan

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would establish migrant registration centres or "hotspots" in Libya - and in the shorter term in Niger and Chad - to vet asylum seekers prior to their attempt to cross into Europe.

And in a letter to Mr Gentiloni last week, the Visegrad group of four (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) pledged financial support for Italian efforts to reduce the flow of irregular migrants from Libya and elsewhere.

Those efforts, the letter outlined, included "EU activities at the southern border of Libya" and the creation of migrant-vetting "hotspots" outside EU territory.

In remarks on 23 June, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spelled out this view, telling journalists: "If we don't want people from Libya to set out for Europe, we have to act accordingly - either on Libya's northern or southern borders.

"Hungary announced that it supports the Italian-German initiative for us to set up check-points and introduce a monitoring system on Libya's southern borders. Hungary is prepared to contribute to this with personnel or funding."

A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

Italy Ponders Libyan Request for Help in Fight Trafficking

Jul. 27, 2017 8:54 AM

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni says sending Italian naval units to help Libya's coast guard could be a "turning point" in combating migrant trafficking.

Gentiloni told reporters Thursday that next week his center-left government will brief parliamentary commissions about Libya's request.

Libya's prime minister met in Rome with Gentiloni on Wednesday and asked Italy to send some naval ships. Gentiloni noted that Italy already has helped Libya's coast guard with motorboats and training aimed at improving Libyan patrols along its Mediterranean shores. Traffickers, exploiting widespread lawlessness in Libya, have sent hundreds of thousands of migrants in unseaworthy smuggling boats toward Italy.

Gentiloni said his government was working out the details of a possible naval mission, saying he's "certain" Parliament would approve Libya's request for "collaboration and assistance" in combating traffickers.

'Hotspots' in Libya: French President Macron's Troubling Announcement

       2017-07-28
France 24

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he wanted to create "hotspots" in Libya this summer where migrants would be pre-screened for asylum claims, an announcement that sparked concern from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and a number of NGOs.

Both Cimade – a French charity for migrants – and HRW have criticised the decision, as well as other NGOs.

"The idea is to create hotspots in Libya to avoid people taking crazy risks when they are not all eligible for asylum. We'll go to them," he said during a visit to a refugee shelter in central France on Thursday, adding the plan would be put in place "this summer".

Libya is the main launchpad for African migrants trying to reach Europe in rickety boats operated by smugglers that frequently sink.

However, while giving an official speech later the same day, Macron said there was no question of "hotspots" in Libya. France will instead have OFPRA (Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) "missions … on African soil, in safe countries". Macron also dropped any mention of "this summer", and indeed of any time frame for his plans.

"I hope that the European Union, and at least France, will be able to treat asylum seekers as close to their country of origin as possible,” Macron said in his speech. “That is why we will develop OFPRA missions, which will go to Italian hotspots, to improve our cooperation with Italy, in terms of rightful asylum seekers and others on African soil, and in safe countries where we can organise these missions, to help asylum-seekers and to avoid taking undue risks."

This was clearly a more vague speech than his surprising statements to the press a few minutes earlier.

The Élysée Palace told FRANCE 24 that in the president's exchange with journalists he was speaking of "hotspots" as just "OFPRA advance points". The Élysée also stressed that no "hotspot" would open in Libya "if the security conditions are not met”, which presently they are “not”.

The Élysée also referred to "countries south of Libya like Chad or Niger, where we can carry out these Ofpra missions". Later Thursday, the Élysée told AFP that the opening of "hotspots" in Libya itself was "not possible today, but it could be in the short term ... By the end of August, we will have an OFPRA mission to see how it is possible to put this in place."

'A worrying French plan to outsource asylum applications'

Was it a gesture to throw some red meat at conservative French voters? Was it just a blunder followed by a U-turn? Or perhaps it was a follow-up to Tuesday’s meeting in Paris between Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and Khalifa Haftar, the general controlling the east of the country -- a meeting organised by the French government?

"There is a total lack of detail. This has surprised many people, including the European Commission. It's not clear what Macron has in mind," Judith Sunderland, a specialist on migration issues at HRW, told AFP.

Marine de Haas, European affairs specialist at Cimade, told FRANCE 24 that "regardless of how Macron spoke about Libya, which was very disturbing, France wants to outsource asylum applications. The idea is to intervene as early as possible to sort the refugees – to choose between friendly asylum seekers and evil economic migrants. As if it was as simple as that."

De Haas said that Macron's remarks raise more questions than answers, particularly in terms of feasibility: "OFPRA’s role is treating asylum applications in France, not abroad," she said.

There are currently nine "hotspots" in Europe: four in Italy and five in Greece. Like other NGOs, Cimade is "very critical" of such hotspots, viewing them as "sorting centres" at Europe’s external borders. Creating them outside of Europe is inconceivable, De Haas said, pointing out the risks to the rights and dignity of the people concerned.

If “hotspots” outside Europe are introduced, De Haas added, there is a chance that European courts would strike them down as human rights abuses.

Exposing Canada’s Resource Theft in Zambia

Yves Engler
Pambazuka News
Jul 20, 2017

In Zambia, as with elsewhere in Africa, Canada’s mining industry, foreign policy and neoliberalism overlap tightly. It is a subject Canadians ought to pay attention to if they want their country to be a force for good in the world.

While few Canadians could find Zambia on a map, the Great White North has significant influence over the southern African nation.

A big beneficiary of internationally sponsored neoliberal reforms, a Vancouver firm is the largest foreign investor in the landlocked country of 16 million people.

First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has been embroiled in various ecological, labour and tax controversies in the copper rich nation over the past decade. At the end of last year, First Quantum was sued for $1.4 billion by Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH), a state entity with minority stakes in most of the country’s mining firms. The statement of claim against First Quantum listed improper borrowing and a massive tax liability.

In a politically charged move, President Edgar Lungu recently ordered ZCCM-IH to drop the case and seek an “amicable” out of court settlement with FQM. Social movements criticized the government for (again) caving to powerful mining interests exploiting the country’s natural resources. According to the organization War on Want, Zambia loses $3 billion a year to tax dodges by multinationals, mainly in the lucrative mining sector. A recent Africa Confidential report on the row between First Quantum and ZCCM-IH highlighted the Vancouver firm’s political influence, pointing out that “top government officials are frequently feted and hosted by FQM.”

First Quantum’s presence in Zambia dates to the late 1990s privatization of the Zambian Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), which once produced 700,000 tonnes of copper per year. In a report on the sale, John Lungu and Alastair Fraser explain that “the division of ZCCM into several smaller companies and their sale to private investors between 1997 and 2000 marked the completion of one of the most comprehensive and rapid privatisation processes seen anywhere in the world.”

The highly indebted country was under immense pressure to sell its copper and public mining company. Zambia’s former Finance Minister Edith Nawakwi said, “we were told by advisers, who included the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that…for the next 20 years, Zambian copper would not make a profit. [But, if we privatised] we would be able to access debt relief, and this was a huge carrot in front of us — like waving medicine in front of a dying woman. We had no option” but to privatize.

Ottawa played a part in the privatization push. Canada was part of the World-Bank-led Consultative Group of donors that promoted the copper selloff. With the sale moving too slowly for the donors, a May 1998 Consultative Group meeting in Paris made $530 million in balance of payments support dependent on privatizing the rest of ZCCM.

(Canada had been a proponent of neoliberal reform in Zambia since the late 1980s. At the time Ottawa slowed aid to the country in a successful bid to change the government’s attitude to neoliberal reforms, explains Carolyn Bassett in The Use of Canadian Aid to Support Structural Adjustment in Africa. After Zambia fell into line with the International Monetary Fund, CIDA recharged its aid program. As part of a push for economic reform Ottawa secured an agreement that gave a former vice president of the Bank of Canada the role of governor of the Bank of Zambia, where he oversaw the country’s monetary policies and “responses to the IMF”. In her 1991 PhD thesis Bassett notes, “instrumental in developing Zambia’s new ‘domestically designed’ [economic] program was the new head of the Bank of Zambia, Canadian Jacques Boussières.” Paid by Ottawa, Boussières was the first foreign governor of the Bank of Zambia since independence. This was not well received by some. Africa Events described Boussières as “a White Canadian who came to de- Zambianise the bank post under controversial circumstances.”)

The hasty sale of the public mining behemoth was highly unfavourable to Zambians. The price of copper was at a historic low and the individual leading the negotiations, Francis Kaunda, was later jailed for defrauding the public company. “ZCCM’s privatization was carried out with a complete lack of transparency, no debate in parliament, and with one-sided contracts which few of us have ever seen,” said James Lungu, a professor at Zambia’s Copperbelt University.

Taking advantage of the government’s weak bargaining position, First Quantum and other foreign companies picked up the valuable assets for rock bottom prices and left the government with ZCCM’s liabilities, including pensions. The foreign mining companies also negotiated ultralow royalty rates and the right to take the government to international arbitration if tax exemptions were withdrawn for 15 years or more. Many of the multinationals made their money back in a year or two and when the price of copper rose five-fold in the mid-2000s they made bundles.

Having conceded tax exemptions and ultralow royalty rates, the government captured little from the surge in global copper prices. In 2006 Zambian royalties from copper represented about $24 million on $4 billion worth of copper extracted. The .6% royalty rate was thought to be the lowest in the world. The government take from taxing the mining companies wasn’t a whole lot better. Between 2000 and 2007 Zambia exported $12.24 billion in copper but the government only collected $246 million in tax.

Since 2008 Zambia has wrestled more from the companies, but they’ve had to overcome stiff corporate resistance. When the government suggested an increased royalty in 2005 First Quantum’s commercial manager Andrew Hickman complained that it “would probably make any new mining ventures in Zambia uneconomical” while three years later First Quantum said it would have “no choice” but to take legal action if a new tax regime breached the agreement it signed during the privatization process.

With billions of dollars tied up in the country, First Quantum had good reason to campaign aggressively to maintain the country’s generous mining policy.

First Quantum stands accused of cheating Zambia out of tens of millions of dollars in taxes. An audit found that between 2006 and 2008 Mopani Copper Mines underreported cobalt extracts and manipulated internal prices to shift profits to First Quantum and Glencore subsidiaries in the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda, allowing it to evade millions of dollars of tax in Zambia.

In Offshore Finance and Global Governance: Disciplining the Tax Nomad, William Vlcek explains: “As a corporate entity, First Quantum does not directly manage the mining operations in Zambia, rather it owns a subsidiary in Ireland which in turn owns subsidiary corporations registered in the British Virgin Islands and Zambia. … The overall corporate organization involves similar subordinate corporate structures with subsidiaries registered in Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Netherlands, none of which jurisdictions include a mine or smelter operated by First Quantum. … Jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands … do not impose a corporate income tax on foreign-sourced income. Thus, First Quantum's subsidiaries will pay corporate income tax on their operations in Zambia to the Zambian government, but any income that flows through to the BVI-registered subsidiary will not be taxed before flowing onward."

In a bid to cut down on corporate ‘transfer pricing’ and tax evasion, the Zambian government sought to simplify the mining fee structure. In 2013 Lusaka proposed eliminating income tax on mining companies and substantially increasing royalty rates (up to 20% for open-pit mines and 8% on underground operations). In 2015 Minister of Finance Alexander B. Chikwanda told Parliament: “the tax system was vulnerable to all forms of tax planning schemes such as transfer pricing, hedging and trading through ‘shell’ companies which are not directly linked to the core business. Sir, it has been a challenge for the revenue administration to detect and abate such practices. Further, provisions on capital allowances and carry forward of losses eliminated potential taxable profits. Mr Speaker, the tax structure was simply illusory as only two mining companies were paying Company Income Tax under the previous tax regime as most of them claimed that they were not in tax-paying positions.”

First Quantum, Toronto’s Barrick Gold and a number of other foreign mining companies screamed murder and worked to derail the Zambian government. First Quantum government affairs manager John Gladston said “the new system doesn’t incentivise investment in new capital projects which in turn, will inevitably be translated into fewer new jobs and less opportunities for wealth creation for Zambians.” To spur a backlash in the job-hungry country, First Quantum laid off 350 workers at its Kansanshi mine. The government responded by saying First Quantum wasn’t adhering to the country’s labour law. Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili told Xinhua that “all mining companies are aware of the standing order, which obliges them to consult the government through the Ministry of Labour before any decision to sack any worker becomes effective.”

Barrick Gold also threatened to lay off workers if the government increased royalty rates. The Toronto company said it would shutter its Lumwana mine, which prompted 2,000 workers, fearing for their jobs, to hold a one-day strike. The foreign-run Chamber of Mines of Zambia claimed 12,000 jobs would be lost if the royalty changes went through and the IMF added its voice to those opposing the royalty hike.

The mining corporations’ strong-armed tactics succeeded. After a six-month standoff, the government backed off.

First Quantum, Barrick and the other foreign mining companies exploited the immense power ZCCM’s privatization gave them over Zambian economic life. By shuttering their mines they could produce economic hardship for thousands of people. (With an 80% unemployment rate and most Zambians living on less than a dollar a day, each formally employed individual provides for many others.) Some suggested the foreign mining companies were even “powerful enough to manipulate the exchange rate” of the country.

Canadian officials actively backed FQM and other mining companies in Zambia. At the 2013 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention Ottawa announced the start of negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Zambia, which would allow Canadian companies to pursue Zambia in international tribunal for lost profits. The next year the Head of Office at the Canadian High Commission, Sharad Kumar Gupta, “said the Canadian government is trying to encourage the private sector to explore… opportunities in Zambia’s mining sector,” reported Lusaka’s news.hot877.com.

After the leftist Patriotic Front opposition party accused First Quantum of blocking workers from voting in a 2005 parliamentary by-election, the Canadian High Commissioner defended the Vancouver company. John Deyell, who previously worked at mining giants Inco and Falconbridge in Sudbury, claimed First Quantum wasn’t responsible for day-to-day operations despite owning a sixth of MCM stock and controlling two seats on MCM’s executive board. In response the Patriotic Front sought to take their protest against MCM’s violation of workers’ rights to the Canadian High Commission, but the police denied them a permit.

In Zambia, as with elsewhere in Africa, Canada’s mining industry, foreign policy and neoliberalism overlap tightly. It’s a subject Canadians ought to pay attention to if we want our country to be a force for good in the world.

Egypt to Start Oil and Gas Exploration in Red Sea Following Island Deal With Saudi Arabia: Oil Minister 

Ahram Online
Thursday 20 Jul 2017

Egypt's oil minister Tarek El-Mullah said on Thursday that the recently implemented Egyptian-Saudi maritime border demarcation deal will allow Egypt to start oil and gas exploration in the area for the first time, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

"This region of the Red Sea has not witnessed any petroleum activity, with the exception of the Suez Gulf, it is an untouched area," El-Mullah said during the signing of two contracts between Egypt's South Valley Egyptian Petroleum Holding Company (Ganope) and two foreign geophysics companies tasked with gathering seismic data.

The minister also stressed that the project should be completed within one year, so the ministry will be receiving bids for oil and gas exploration in Egyptian territorial waters in the Red Sea and southern Egypt.

Ganope signed the two contracts with the British TGC and the US Schlumberger with investments of more than $750 million in the Red Sea and southern Egypt regions.

In mid-June, the Egyptian House of Representatives approved by a majority vote after heated discussions the Egyptian-Saudi deal, which hands the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified the deal soon after.

The deal was first signed by the Egyptian government and Saudi Arabia in April 2016.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/273973.aspx

Antiquities Stolen From Egypt's Jani Bek Al-Ashrafi Mosque Recovered 

Nevine El-Aref
Ahram Online
Saturday 22 Jul 2017

The two wooden decorative elements were stolen in 2014

Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities has recovered two wooden decorative elements stolen in 2014 from the mosque of Jani Bek Al-Ashrafi on Al-Megharbeleen Street in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar area in Old Cairo.

Alsaeed Helmy, head of the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities Sector at the ministry explained thatin cooperation with the Tourism and Antiquities Police, the stolen items were recovered and the thief caught red-handed. The items were confiscated until the completion of investigations.

Helmy said the two elements would be sent to the Islamic Museum for restoration and then returned to their original location in the mosque.

Sofia Abdelhady, general director of antiquities of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar and Alsayeda Aisha, told Ahram Online that the recovered elements are carved in wood with geometric shapes and embellished with ivory. One of these elements, she explained, was stolen from the mosque's mimbar (pulpit) and the second from itsalkotbeya (wooden cupboard on the wall).

The Mosque of Jani Bek Al-Ashrafi dates back to 830 AH / 1426 AD and is a part of a complex founded in the Mameluke period, which consists of a mosque, a minaret, a dome, a school, and a sabil (water fountain). It was built by Prince Jani Bek Al-Ashrafy, who was the Circassian prince of Al-Tablakhana (military musicians) during the reign of Sultan Bersby.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/274040.aspx

Egypt Foils Attempt to Smuggle Collection of Coins From Different Eras

Nevine El-Aref
Thursday 27 Jul 2017

The Archaeological Unit at Egypt’s Red Sea port of Safaga seized 204 coins from different historical eras that were being smuggled from Egypt to Dubai, according to Dr Aymen Ashmawi, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities.

Ahmed El-Rawi, head of Central Administration of the Archaeological Units in Egyptian Ports, said that the coins include 17 metal coins from the Graeco-Roman era, one from the Umayyad period, two from the Ottoman era and 10 from Khedival Egypt.

Coins from other countries were also seized.

Mohamed Etman, director of the Bahariya Archaeological Unit, said that the unit also confiscated an old Atlas Book from 1922.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/274331.aspx

Medieval Coptic Wall-paintings Uncovered at Egyptian Monastery

Nevine El-Aref
Ahram Online
Thursday 27 Jul 2017

Restorers at the Monastery of St. Bishoy near Cairo have uncovered frescoes depicting saints, martyrs and angels

Restorers working at the Monastery of St. Bishoy in the Wadi El-Natroun area have uncovered a number of medieval-era wall-paintings and architectural elements in the monastery's old church.

“While removing the modern layer of mortar from the walls of the monastery's old church, several coloured wall-paintings were uncovered,” Mohamed Abdellatif, deputy antiquities minister for archaeological sites, told Ahram Online.

He explained that the paintings date from between the 9th and 13th centuries AD, which will help archaeologists to determine the original architectural style of the church and the dates of its construction.

According to historical books and religious documents, he said, the church was subjected to changes and modifications in its architecture in 840 AD, during the Abbasid era, and in 1069 AD, during the Fatimid caliphate.

Ahmed El-Nemr, a member of the ministry’s scientific bureau, said that the newly discovered wall-paintings are frescoes, and depict scenes of saints and angels with Coptic religious inscriptions below.

“The most distinguished paintings are those on the western and eastern walls of the church,” he said, describing the painting on the western wall as showing a woman named as Refka and her five sons, who were martyred during the persecution of Christians by the Roman empire.

The painting on the eastern wall depicts three saints and an archangel, and features Coptic writings below.

El-Nemr explained that when restorers removed the modern additions they stumbled upon the ambon, an elevated platform that is a feature of many orthodox churches.

The newly discovered ambon is made of mud-brick covered with a layer of mortar and decorated with a red cross.

Some geometric drawings, crosses and lettering were also found in various parts of the church.

The conservation project by the antiquities ministry has been ongoing since 2015, when a number of monasteries in the Wadi El-Natroun area experienced flooding.

The Monastery of St. Bishoy is around 100 kilometres north-west of Cairo, and is located along the Cairo-Alexandria highway.

It has a collection of buildings, including five churches and a fort, as well as the tomb of the late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III, who died in 2012.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/274317.aspx