Powered By Blogger

Friday, January 1, 2016

Rwandan President to run for third term in office

Kagame became president in 2000 after being Rwanda's de facto leader since the end of the country's genocide in 1994 [AP]
Kagame became president in 2000 after being Rwanda's de facto leader since the end of the country's genocide in 1994 [AP] 
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has declared he will run for a third term in office after his second seven-year term expires in 2017.
The announcement in his end-of-year message on Friday follows last month's constitutional referendum in which 98.3 percent of Rwandans voted to approve the country's revised Constitution to allow Kagame to run again after his term ends. The move has been opposed by the US.
"Given the importance and consideration you attach to this, I can only accept." But, he added, "I don't think that what we need is an eternal leader."
Kagame became president in 2000 after being Rwanda's de facto leader since the end of the country's genocide in 1994. 
He is credited with stabilising the country and promoting economic growth after the mass killings, but critics say he is an authoritarian ruler who does not tolerate opposition and he is accused of human rights abuses.
Senate head Bernard Makuza has said previously that Kagame, whose current term ends in 2017, could run for another seven-year term and then two five-year terms, possibly keeping him in power until 2034.
"But it all depends on his will," he said.

Kagame is the latest long-serving ruler in an African country to attempt to extend his hold on power. Similar moves have already sparked violence and instability in countries like neighbouring Burundi and the Republic of Congo. 

NGOs warn changes to visa waiver program will affect aid efforts

Some of the world's most prominent aid groups and other nongovernmental organizations warned that their ability to brief U.S. and United Nations agencies on humanitarian crises will be hurt by a recent change in a 30-year-old visa program.
They also warned that the move could even hurt their ability to carry out much needed aid work in war zones, potentially having a damaging effect on lifesaving humanitarian operations.
They fear that the visa adjustments will mean that many of their staffers who spend time in some of the world's worst crisis-hit countries — such as Syria and Iraq — will be prevented from visiting the United States or face long delays in getting permission to enter the country. 
The controversy centers on an amendment to the visa waiver program (VWP) that Congress recently rushed into an omnibus spending bill and President Barack Obama signed into law on Dec. 18.
The VWP allows citizens of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. without needing to obtain a visa. The legislation, which was introduced in response to the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, introduced a number of changes, including requiring a visa for anyone who has visited Iraq, Syria, Iran or Sudan in the previous five years.
Lawmakers supporting the amendment are concerned that citizens of the 23 European Union countries that participate in the VWP could travel to the U.S. after receiving training in Syria from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
Aid workers say they were blindsided by the passing of the amendment. Alex Gray, the global humanitarian director at Relief International, said he didn’t expect the amendment to become law so quickly. “We heard discussion that this might be happening, but we thought it was just political gesturing,” he said.
NGOs are concerned that the provisions are too general and could affect the humanitarian work they do in those countries.
The amendment is “overly broad and contains discriminatory nationality provisions,” InterAction, an alliance of U.S.-based global NGOs, said in a letter to members of Congress. “For the NGO community, [the amendment] would limit the work of international humanitarians who are on the ground in Iraq, Sudan and Syria, providing lifesaving assistance to those who need it most.”
The U.N. lists Iraq and Syria as two of its four Level 3 emergencies — its classification for the largest and most severe humanitarian crises. 
Gray said that because Iraq and Syria are Level 3 countries, the “bulk of the international humanitarian aid workers are actually traveling back and forth,” disqualifying them from entering the U.S. without a visa under the new law. 
He is based in the United Kingdom and is one of those aid workers who benefit from the VWP. In the last few years, he has traveled many times to northern Iraq, Syria and Sudan.
Relief International, which provides water, sanitation and emergency health services to displaced people in countries surrounding Syria, has its staff from regional offices attend conferences in the U.S. quarterly to brief donors and policymakers. “We are already starting to talk about not having our global meetings in the U.S. anymore,” Gray said.
The American Civil Liberties Union has also warned that the amendment is too broad and called for exceptions to be made for those who have traveled to Syria, Iraq, Iran and Sudan for educational and professional purposes, including humanitarian aid workers.
"This includes weapons inspectors examining Iran nuclear facilities, social workers interviewing Kurdish refugees in Iraq, physicians treating patients in Darfur and human rights investigators documenting atrocities committed by ISIL," Joanne Lin, an ACLU legislative counsel, wrote in an article on the group’s website.
The changes have yet to be put into practice, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is responsible for implementing the VWP provisions.
“At this time, no determination has been made as to how the waiver provision would be implemented,” DHS representative S.Y. Lee said in a statement. “We will announce any changes affecting travelers to the United States from visa waiver program countries as soon as that information is available.”
The DHS has not provided details on when that information will be available or indicated if exceptions will be made for aid workers.
“It concerns us because it impacts on our operations,” Gray said. “Until we have clear information in terms of how it’s being implemented, how can we plan in our procedures and operational decisions?”
Sara Margon, the Washington, D.C., director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said she still “does not know how things are going to play out.”
“HRW staff who have traditionally benefited from the VWP and who have visited these countries of concern will, of course, follow the new procedures for visa applications, which could lead to delays or even denials. It all depends on how the legislation is implemented,” she said.
More than 20 million people visited the U.S. under the VWP in 2013, according to the DHS.
The amendment could affect Americans as well, NGOs warned. The VWP operates on the principle of reciprocity with other participating countries like France and Denmark. When the U.S. makes a change in its policy affecting their citizens, those nations will often make the same change regarding Americans.
“Requiring a visa to travel to those countries will add obstacles to their necessary work and may make it more difficult for Americans to manage employment as humanitarian workers,” InterAction said in its letter.

Muslims to ISIS: Sorry, Too Busy Binge-Watching to Join You

ISIS’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi recently called on Muslims around the world to “join the fight,” but social media users have been quick to offer their reasons for staying at home.
A writer and human rights activist named Iyad El-Baghdadi translated ISIS’s call to arms into English on Twitter, where the snarky responses have been rolling in. One of the most popular excuses? Too much can’t-miss TV and film, like the newly released Star Wars: The Force Awakensand the upcoming Sherlockspecial.

French Algerians return to parents' native land

Young, foreign-born Algerians are leaving France to make a life in the emerging market of Algeria [AP]
Young, foreign-born Algerians are leaving France to make a life in the emerging market of Algeria [AP]
Algiers - Sofiane Chakki, a 34-year-old entrepreneur who was born and raised in a suburb of Paris, did not expect to live in his parents' native land.
For the past four years, however, he has been commuting back and forth from Algiers to Paris several times a month. "I spend most of my time in Algeria, where I work, and frequently visit my family in France. I have been satisfied with this arrangement so far," Chakki told Al Jazeera. His parents originally come from Bordj Bou Arreridj, a city 200km east of Algeria's capital. 
Chakki did not plan to move to Algiers. "I had no such plan when I was a student. But in 2007, while I was working for an American consulting firm, I made a business trip to Algeria. That was a thrilling experience. In 2011, I quit my job to become an entrepreneur. I came back to Algiers to co-create Paymed Consulting, a firm specialising in human resources," he explained. 
Although Chakki hesitates on whether to live full-time in Algiers, 27-year-old Mohammed Touil has made his choice. He moved to the Algerian capital about a year ago to launch a warehouse for Jumia, a Nigerian e-commerce startup.
Touil said that he decided to migrate to be closer to his roots. "Life in France for Muslims is not convenient. And here, I'm close to my family, who stay in Mostaganem [360km west of Algiers]," said Touil, a graduate of Paris Dauphine University and managing director of Jumia's warehouse.
Mohammed Touil said he decided to migrate to be closer to his roots [Mehdi Budd/Al Jazeera]
While much of Algeria's youth still dreams of moving to Europe, an increasing number of French-born Algerians have moved to Algiers over the past decade.
"This migration trend is undoubtedly growing," said Emmanuelle Santelli, a sociologist and senior researcher  at the National Centre for Scientific Research. 
What we can say for sure is that more and more French citizens descending from Algerian families are interested in investing in their country of origin.
Giulia Fabbiano, anthropologist 
Giulia Fabbiano, an anthropologist at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, told Al Jazeera that a lack of statistics means that it is impossible to know how many second-generation immigrants have moved to Algeria.
"However," she said, "what we can say for sure is that more and more French citizens descending from Algerian families are interested in investing in their country of origin." 
The number of French Algerians migrating south declined during the civil-war-ravaged 1990s, known in Algeria as the Black Decade. But the country's economic liberalisation in the early 2000s helped reverse this decline.
"French-born Algerians who have decided to settle down in Algeria since the mid-2000s are mainly young graduates seeking to both achieve personal development and maximise their potential," Fabbiano said.
Given France's stagnant economy, some have begun to see Algeria as a place of relative opportunity. "Here, we don't find difficulties to get a job," said Lamia Boudoudou, a French-Algerian businesswoman.
The reason Boudoudou left France is the same one cited by many other France-to-Algeria migrants. "Everything remains to be done in Algeria. It doesn't take a long time to develop a successful business here. For instance, my start-up took off after only 18 months, whereas it needs three years, at least, in France," said Boudoudou, who created Ladies Business Club, an events agency, in 2010.
In France, Boudoudou, who dropped out of school and worked at a fast-food restaurant to support her family, never dreamed of founding her own start-up. She said she was upset by the discrimination she faced while living in Grenoble, which was one reason she set out for Algiers.
"I expected a promotion, but the owner of the restaurant made it clear that I would not get it because my name is Lamia. This is why I decided to settle where I would not be ashamed of my name," Boudoudou explained. "Whatever we do, we remain 'Beurs'," she added, referencing the pejorative term for French people of North African descent.
Life in Algeria presents new challenges, too, however. Many French-Algerians who migrate, especially women, struggle to adapt to a different lifestyle.
"We are not seen as Algerian, nor as expats, due to the fact that we can't really speak the Algerian dialect or read it, but we are able to understand it. Besides, we don't share the same codes, particularly regarding women's rights. Actually, I had to launch my own business to feel at home," Boudoudou said.
"Now that I have the last word on everything - recruiting, training, strategy - I am much more comfortable."
When asked what they missed the most, many who have migrated give the same answer: the wide variety of cultural activities available elsewhere. 
Chakki commented on an annual human resources survey released by his firm, Paymed Consulting, saying: "Compared with Morocco or Tunisia, the quality of life in Algeria is a problem for both foreigners and foreign-born Algerians. On average, the expatriates spend 36 months in Morocco and usually ask to stay longer, whereas the expats quit Algeria after only 18 months." 
However, migration to Algeria may persist in light of the Algerian government's efforts to encourage the diaspora to invest. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's programme for the 2014 presidential election included 14 legislative proposals concerning the seven million Algerians living abroad, according to the Algerian International Diaspora Association.
The proposals entailed boosting the diaspora's investment in Algeria, and since last January Algerians living abroad now qualify for micro-enterprise funding administered by the National Agency for Employment Support of Youth.
With global oil prices low, Algeria - a major producer - has hopes that the diaspora can help diversify its economy.
But the Algerian government has not always been willing to welcome foreign-born nationals.
"In less than 10 years, the political discourse towards the diaspora has profoundly changed," Fabbiano said. "In 2006, President Bouteflika openly criticised the binational population, claiming that the foreign-born Algerians should stop despising us. Now, Algeria looks forward to attracting the diaspora, emulating Morocco's model."
How long will they stay? Will they eventually return to France, or head on to a third country? Many French-born Algerians living in Algeria are still figuring out what their future will look like.
"None of them plans yet to move for good to Algeria," noted Fabbiano. "This experience is a springboard for pursuing an international career. Some may be interested in visiting other emerging countries."
"I don't know where I will live in five years," Chakki said. "But what I know for sure now is that I will still be an entrepreneur."
Similarly, Touil said: "I want to spend my younger life somewhere else and come back when I'll be older."


Briton Carries Mum Out Of Burning Dubai Hotel

Angus Villar was having champagne with his family on the 15th floor of the Address Downtown hotel when a huge fire broke out around 9.30pm, hours before the New Year's Eve fireworks display was held nearby.
He told Sky News that he was alerted to the fire by his father, who spotted flames on the balcony. 
"We all thought it was a joke, but I went out on the balcony and saw that the room next door to us was completely on fire," he said.


"We got to the fire escape before the fire alarm had gone off at which point there were already people running into the corridors and panicking.
"It was basically absolute pandemonium."
He said he had to carry his mother, who uses a wheelchair, out of the building.
"I basically just strapped her to my back and took her down the stairs. It was the only way of getting her out of the building unfortunately," he said.
Mr Villar says despite hotel staff doing their best to direct residents and guests out of the building the situation was chaotic. 
"It was slightly worrying that the alarm went off essentially when the building was properly on fire," he said.
"You'd expect people to let women and children go first, but it was pretty much people shoving each other down the stairs and climbing over each other.
"There were a lot of hotel staff directing people to various exits and stuff, but there was no clarity about what happened."
He said it was still unclear what had happened or when they can return to the hotel.
"Quite frankly we were in the hotel and we had no idea where to go and we have no idea what happened, so we're definitely still in a state of alarm," he said.
"I've pretty much left everything in the flat.
"I only took my valuables, i.e. my phone, my iPad and my mother."

Iran expands missile programme amid US sanctions threat

Iran successfully tested a medium-range rocket in October, which the US declared a violation of a UN Security Council resolution [EPA/File]
Iran successfully tested a medium-range rocket in October, which the US declared a violation of a UN Security Council resolution [EPA/File] 
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has ordered an expansion of the country's ballistic missile development programme, in a move seen as a response to possible new US sanctions against Iranian officials and businesses.
In a letter to the defense minister on Thursday, Rouhani said Iran will not accept any limitations on its missile programme. 
"Apparently, the US government is considering adding new individuals and institutions to the list of its previous oppressive sanctions," Rouhani wrote in the letter.
"It's necessary to continue with greater speed and seriousness the plan for production of various missiles needed by the armed forces within the approved defense policies."
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was preparing fresh sanctions against companies and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates over alleged links to Tehran's ballistic missile programme.
However, on Thursday, the newspaper said that there was no definitive timeline for when the sanctions would be imposed, citing US officials.
Iran condemned the reports, saying it has a right to develop missiles as long as they are not designed to carry nuclear warheads.
A resolution adopted in 2010 prohibits Tehran from conducting launches of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
"The US and other western countries consider that programme a national security threat," Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan said from Washington DC.
"One thing the US says it will not do is turn a blind eye to Iran's efforts to expand its ballistic missiles regime, and they say that has nothing to do with the ongoing efforts to dismantle Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme." 
Strained relations
Also on Thursday, Iran denied American accusations that it had conducted "provocative" rocket tests near US Navy vessels patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.
Military spokesman Ramezan Shariff said that Iranian forces did not carry out any drills or fire rockets on Saturday near the key route for oil exports out of the Gulf.
The US Navy told Al Jazeera in an email that Iran's Revolutionary Guard test-fired rockets in close proximity to several US and French vessels, as well as commercial ships.
The US said the rockets were not fired in the direction of vessels from the US or any other state.

Leaders Seek A 'Greater Britain' In 2016


The Prime Minister, who has already pre-announced his retirement, says this will be the year when Britain makes "significant strides" towards prosperity, safety and security.
The Labour leader - who many of his own MPs would like to see dumped this year - says 2016 will be "the start of a journey" towards a Labour government in 2020.
Mr Cameron, however, makes only a brief reference to a referendum on EU membership, which he wants to hold this year, while Mr Corbyn does not mention it at all.
"We're fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future," Mr Cameron said.
Playing down expectations, he adds: "It is a difficult negotiation with 27 other countries. But throughout we are driven by one consideration: what is best for Britain's economic and national security.
"In the end, you will decide whether we are stronger and better off with our European neighbours as part of the European Union, or on our own."
The PM's message largely echoes his Tory conference speech in October, when he talked about a "turnaround decade" and social renewal and tackling four major problems: home ownership, poverty, social mobility and extremism.
On extremism, with Britain on high terror alert on New Year's Eve, Mr Cameron says: "This is one of the biggest issues facing our country. Of course, we need to tackle the hate preachers and take down the online material that radicalises so many.
"But we also need to address the issues that for too long have been swept under the carpet.
"Failure to integrate, the dangers of segregation and deprivation, women treated as second-class citizens, communities living side by side but never coming into contact with each other - these will all be issues that Louise Casey will address in her review for the Government later this year, and we will respond with vigour."
Mr Cameron ends with an attack on Mr Corbyn, declaring: "There are many people who will tell you how deeply they care about these issues. They will shout into megaphones, wave banners and sign petitions.
"But we're the ones who are able to make the arguments and take the difficult decisions in order to defeat these social scourges and deliver real security. So while others are on protest march, we remain on the long walk to a Greater Britain.
"We won't get there overnight. But during 2016, we will make some of our most significant strides yet."
In his message, Mr Corbyn, who faces a huge challenge in elections in London, Scotland, Wales and England's town halls in May, says: "I was elected leader of the Labour Party three months ago on a mandate for change.
"And during this last three months we've challenged the government on working tax credits, and defeated them.
"We challenged them on cuts to the police service, and defeated them. We challenged them on running the prison service in Saudi Arabia, and we defeated them.
ve to challenge them much more next year. Much more on their cuts to local government and their lack of investment in the needs of our economy and our people. We want to build an economy fit for the twenty-first century.
"2016 will be the start of a journey to deliver a Labour government in 2020. A Labour government that will deliver a fairer, more just, more prosperous society that we can all enjoy. A society that works for all, not just the few."
Many Labour MPs will be surprised by Mr Corbyn's final sentence, which sounds remarkably like Tony Blair's "the many, not the few" slogan.
They will claim it rings hollow at a time when he is said to be poised to sack moderates from his Shadow Cabinet in a so-called "revenge reshuffle".
In her New Year message, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calls on Scots to adopt a "can-do culture" and promises to give strong support to the enterprise and innovation that would boost productivity, increase economic growth and create skilled jobs.