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Tanzania’s democratic crisis deepens as opposition faces renewed crackdown

Tanzania’s democratic crisis deepens as opposition faces renewed crackdown

IN a troubling escalation of political tensions in Tanzania, recent events have cast a dark shadow over the nation's democratic credentials, with opposition leaders facing increasingly aggressive tactics from authorities. The latest incidents mark what observers describe as a concerning pattern of repression in a country long considered one of East Africa's more stable democracies. Pattern of Violence and Intimidation The opposition party CHADEMA suffered another blow when its women's wing publicity secretary, Aisha Machano, was found severely injured in a forest near Kibiti town after being abducted and beaten by unidentified assailants. This attack comes barely a month after…
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Air travel disrupted at Kenya’s airports as workers strike over leasing of main international airport

Air travel disrupted at Kenya’s airports as workers strike over leasing of main international airport

CHAOS erupted at Kenya's major airports as workers went on strike to protest against a proposed deal that would see India's Adani Group lease the country's main international airport for 30 years, Reuters reports.  According to Reuters, the strike, which began at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), quickly spread to regional airports in Kisumu and Mombasa, causing significant disruptions to air travel across the country. Dozens of airport workers, blowing plastic trumpets and chanting "Adani must go," clashed with police as they voiced their opposition to the potential privatization of a key national asset. The proposed deal would see…
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Students on the frontline: South Africa and the US share a history of protest against white supremacy

Students on the frontline: South Africa and the US share a history of protest against white supremacy

EVERY year on 16 June, South Africa commemorates the revolt of black school children against the inferior “bantu education” system on that day in 1976. The horror of police shooting and killing unarmed children caused a global uproar. Historian Rico Devara Chapman’s research interests include a focus on the African diaspora’s historical and contemporary struggles for justice, particularly student activism in the United States and South Africa. We asked him about similarities between student revolts under the systems of apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow in the United States. You draw parallels between Jim Crow and apartheid. Please explain.…
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Tens of thousands protest against possible Catalan amnesty deal

Tens of thousands protest against possible Catalan amnesty deal

WAVING Spanish and Catalan flags, tens of thousands of people marched through Barcelona to protest against a potential amnesty deal that Spain's Socialists must strike over Catalonia's 2017 separatist bid if they want to form a government. The protest, organised by the anti-separatist organisation Societat Civil Catalana, took place five days after Spain's acting Socialist prime minister was nominated to seek the backing of other political parties for a new mandate. Pedro Sanchez needs the support of Catalan separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which want the unpopular amnesty in exchange for votes in parliament. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of…
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Tunisian player dies after setting himself on fire in protest against police

Tunisian player dies after setting himself on fire in protest against police

TUNISIAN football player Nizar Issaoui, 35, has died from burns suffered after setting himself alight earlier this week as a protest against "police injustice", his family said. Clashes erupted between police and angry protesters in Haffouz, the hometown of Issaoui. Police fired gas to disperse the protesters who had gathered in front of the police headquarters, witnesses told Reuters. Issaoui, a former player for top-flight side US Monastir and a father of four, published a video on Facebook in which he said the reason for his protest was being falsely accused of terrorism in Haffouz, Kairouan, central Tunisia. The striker,…
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Kenyans protest against Chinese competitor’s cheap prices

Kenyans protest against Chinese competitor’s cheap prices

DUNCAN MIRIRI MORE than a thousand Kenyan traders protested in the capital Nairobi against a new Chinese-owned retail shop they accuse of undercutting them with ultra-low prices. Traders in Kenya and other rapidly growing economies in Africa have protested periodically against their Chinese competitors. China is Africa's top trading partner and more than 1 million Chinese are estimated to reside on the continent. Kenya's relationship with China was in focus during last year's presidential election, won by William Ruto. Ruto promised to publish government contracts with China agreed upon under his predecessor and to deport Chinese nationals working illegally. The…
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Artist moves into rubbish skip in protest at ‘crazy’ London costs

Artist moves into rubbish skip in protest at ‘crazy’ London costs

NATALIE THOMAS AN artist has built a home in a rubbish skip in London and plans to live in it for a year, seeking to draw attention to the "crazy" price of renting a room in Britain's capital during a cost of living crisis. Harrison Marshall, 28, moved into the specially-adapted skip on a patch of grass in Bermondsey, south London a month ago, explaining that it was the only way he could afford to live in the central area near where he works. Returning to the city after a period abroad, he said he struggled to find somewhere to…
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Tunisian judges suspend strike

Tunisian judges suspend strike

THREE Tunisian judges' unions have decided to suspend a four-week-long strike started in protest at Tunisian President Kais Saied's dismissal of 57 judges on June 1, they said. Saied had accused the judges of corruption and protecting terrorists, charges which the Tunisian Judges' Association said were mostly politically motivated.
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Villagers killed in central Mali as mediators seek to restore stability

Villagers killed in central Mali as mediators seek to restore stability

ARMED men killed at least 12 villagers in central Mali, local officials have said, while in the capital Bamako West African mediators held talks on how to end a wave of protests against Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Several mass protests since early June have demanded Keita's resignation, accusing him, among other things, of failing to quash violence by jihadist groups and ethnic militias that has killed hundreds of civilians this year. In the latest attacks, armed men on motorbikes targeted seven villages inhabited by Dogon farmers in Mopti region, said Ali Dolo, the mayor of a nearby town. "Among…
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Tunisia protesters close main oil pumping station in the south

Tunisia protesters close main oil pumping station in the south

TUNISIAN demonstrators shut an oil pumping station that feeds a coastal terminal on Thursday, escalating weeks of protests for jobs in the marginalized southern region of Tatouine, witnesses told Reuters. The move places further pressure on Tunisian leaders already struggling with political deadlock following the resignation on Wednesday of prime minister Elyes Fakhfakh and an attempt by several parties to oust parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi. Protesters are calling on the government to implement a 2017 deal to create jobs in oil companies and infrastructure projects to reduce unemployment now running at 30% in the region, one of the highest rates…
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