World News

Zambia’s High Court recently passed a decade and a half long jail term to two men for engaging in sexual relations “against the order of nature”. The move was highly criticised by the U.S Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote, who said he was ‘horrified’ by the ‘oppressive’ decision.

As in many African countries Zambia’s penal code prohibits same sex sexual activity deeming it an unnatural offence and classifying it as a felony that carries a jail sentence of up to 14 years. The country vehemently opposes the LGBTQI+ community and can taken steps against it.

In 2006, Home Affairs Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha stated that Zambia would never legalise same-sex marriage, claiming that it is a sin that goes against the country’s ‘Christian status’. Then in February 2010, the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) unanimously agreed to adopt a clause that expressly forbids marriage between people of the same sex.

It is under this climate that the Zambian High Court recently sentenced two men to 15-year imprisonment for engaging in sexual relations “against the order of nature”.

The decision horrified the US ambassador to Zambia, Daniel Foote, who issued a statement criticising the move. Foote said, “I was personally horrified to read yesterday about the sentencing of two men who had a consensual relationship, which hurt absolutely no one… Meanwhile government officials can steal millions of public dollars without prosecution, political cadres can beat innocent civilians for expressing their opinions without consequence or poachers/traffickers can kill numerous elephants, barbarically chainsaw and sell their tusks and face a maximum of only five years imprisonment in Zambia.”

He added that, “Decisions like these oppressive sentencing do untold damage to Zambia’s international reputation by demonstrating that human rights in Zambia is not a universal guarantee.”

Zambian President Edgar Lungu rebuked the Ambassador and his remarks, saying his authorities will complain to the Trump administration.

This outrage was echoed by Zambian International Minister Joseph Malanji, who stated that Mr. Foote’s statement had been “tantamount to questioning the Zambian constitution”.

In fact, the Ambassadors statement received country wide backlash with many Zambians criticising him online. The back and forth continued when Foote responded to the furore in a press statement saying, he had cancelled his scheduled appearances for the World Aids Day commemoration “due to threats made in opposition to me” on social media.

“I used to be shocked on the venom and hate directed at me and my nation, largely within the identify of ‘Christian’ values, by a small minority of Zambians,” Ambassador Foote stated.

The Ambassador denied accusations that he was attempting to interfere in Zambia’s judiciary and constitutional affairs.

“It is up to Zambian citizens and the courts to decide if your laws correspond to your constitution, but your constitution itself provides every person the right to freedom and expression of conscience and belief,” he said.

“I expressed my belief about a law and a harsh sentencing I don’t agree with. I didn’t interfere in internal affairs.”

Reports indicate that the Zambian government plans to send a protest letter to Washington over the Ambassador’s remarks.

Additionally, President Lungu said in an interview with Sky News that local laws and culture prohibited homosexuality and that he would not repeal the law. This is despite Zambia being a beneficiary of hundreds of millions of dollars every year in financial support from the United States.

“If you (the U.S.) want to be tying your aid to homosexuality… If that is how you will bring your aid then I am afraid the West can leave us alone in our poverty,” Lungu said.

France is preparing for severe disruption as millions of workers go on strike in protest at being forced to retire later or face reduced pensions.

School and transport workers will join police, lawyers and hospital and airport staff in a general walkout.

France’s largest nationwide strike in years was agreed by unions unhappy with President Emmanuel Macron’s plans for a universal points-based pension system.

Authorities have been trying to put in place plans to mediate the disruption.

The industrial action is expected to last beyond Thursday and some trade union leaders have warned they will continue their industrial action until Mr Macron abandons his campaign promise to overhaul the retirement system.

One opinion poll put public support for the strikes at 69%, with backing strongest among 18-34 year-olds.

The Macron administration will hope to avoid a repeat of the country’s general strike over pension reforms in 1995, which crippled the transport system for three weeks and drew massive popular support, forcing a government reversal.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on the eve of the strike he expected almost 250 demonstrations nationwide, some of which he said could turn violent.

“We know there will be lots of people in these protests and we know the risks. I have requested that systematically when there is rioting or violence we make arrests immediately,” he said.

A number of yellow-vest protesters known as “gilets jaunes” said they plan to join the demonstrations.

What will be hit by the strike? While many will not turn up for work, those who plan to do so will face a difficult commute.

Unions representing employees in the transport sector, such as bus operators and train staff, have all agreed to strike from Thursday.

Only 10% of intercity and high-speed TGV trains will run throughout the day on Thursday, according to France’s SNCF rail operator. Some regional services will not even run at all. International services such as Eurostar and Thalys will be affected, and Eurostar has announced a reduced timetable until 10 December.

In Paris, metro rail operator RATP warned commuters to expect serious disruption throughout the day, with a limited service being provided during peak times.

Of the city’s 16 metro lines, just five will be running.

During a metro strike against planned pension reforms in September, people used bikes and scooter networks to get around the capital.

Suburban and regional services in the Paris area will be heavily affected.

Air-traffic controllers are also walking out. Thirty per cent of domestic Air France flights will be cancelled, while EasyJet has cancelled more than 200 flights.

Who else is walking out?

Nurses and hospital staff, lawyers and police officers, refuse collectors, energy staff and postal workers are among others participating in industrial action.

The health minister said it was not yet clear how badly hospitals would be affected, but preparations had been made to deal with the strike.

Parents with children of primary school age will also be affected.

A boy enters in his classroom at the Chaptal elementary school in Paris, 2 September 2019

France’s largest primary school teachers’ union said it expected as many as four out of 10 schools to shut across the country. About 70% of primary teachers are expected to take industrial action.

The union representing secondary or high schools expects 60% of teachers to go on strike but schools are due to stay open.

Farmers, whose pensions are among the lowest in the country, have said they will not join Thursday’s strikes.

Are Macron’s pension reforms really that controversial? France currently has a system of dozens of different schemes and Mr Macron wants to create a unified system.

The French president’s new plan aims to reward employees for each day worked, earning points that would later be transferred into future pension benefits.

The official retirement age has been raised in the last decade from 60 to 62, but remains one of the lowest among the OECD group of rich nations – in the UK, for example, the retirement age is 65.

The move to a universal points-based pension system would remove the most advantageous pensions for a number of jobs ranging from sailors to lawyers and even opera workers.

Meanwhile, those retiring before 64 would receive a lower pension. For example, someone retiring at 63 would receive 5% less, so unions fear it will mean having to work longer for a lower pension.

The age at which citizens can start drawing a pension varies across the European Union (EU).

The cost of France’s current system, in terms of public spending as a percentage of GDP, is among the highest in the world – at 14%.

Mr Macron, aware of France’s ageing population, has said his universal pension plan would be fairer than the current system.

But metro workers, for example, say it would force them to work longer by taking away their right to retire early, negotiated decades ago to compensate for having to work long hours underground.

A recent poll concluded that 75% of people thought that pension reforms were necessary, but that only a third believed the government could deliver them.

What do the workers say? Several workers have explained their grievances, ranging from poor salaries to frustration with the political class.

Paris metro driver Damien Vitry told the France Info news website that he provided a service so others could celebrate New Year’s Eve.

“You lose out with your family life and that’s why we get compensation,” he said. “This pension reform is a bit like a football match where they change the rules at half-time.

With all the added measures he would now have to work longer if he wanted a full pension, he complained.

French frustrations boil over in angry debates Train driver Cyril Romero, from Toulouse, told France Info he would reconsider his job if the reforms went through.

“I started in 2001 with a contract that allowed me to leave at 50. But like everyone else, I got the reforms which pushed back my early retirement age to 52-and-a-half and then, in reality, 57-and-a-half for full pension. Now they want to make us work even longer.”

An unnamed history teacher, writing in Huffpost, was planning to strike on Friday as well as Thursday.

“For me, the pension reforms are one punch too many. We’re fighting not to lose hundreds of euros of pension a month – after more than 40 years in a job.

“How can you dream of ending your career in front of pupils beyond the age of 70, in worsening conditions and on what for many of us is just a minimum wage?”

Source: BBC

At least 58 people, including women and children, were killed after a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the West African nation of Mauritania, the UN’s migration agency said.

The perilous sea passage from West Africa to Europe was once a major route for migrants seeking jobs and prosperity.

The sinking is one of the deadliest incidents since the mid-2000s when Spain stepped up patrols and fewer boats attempted the journey.

The boat carrying at least 150 people was low on fuel while approaching Mauritania before it capsised, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

It said 83 people swam to shore. The survivors were being helped by Mauritanian authorities in the northern city of Nouadhibou, IOM said.

Survivors said the boat left The Gambia on November 27.

IOM’s Leonard Doyle said the vessel was unseaworthy and overcrowded when it overturned.

“It speaks really to the callousness of the smugglers who of course have made their money and disappeared into the wilderness. That’s the problem here, people are being exploited, people are looking for a better life,” Doyle told Al Jazeera.

An unknown number of injured were taken to hospital in Nouadhibou.

There was no immediate statement from authorities in The Gambia, a small West African nation from which many migrants set off in hopes of reaching Europe.

‘Horrible story’ Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott, said the military police discovered the survivors – most of whom came from The Gambia – and that is when the extent of the tragedy became clear.

“It’s a very horrible story and one of the deadliest incidents in regard to migrants trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe this year,” said Vall. “It’s been confirmed that women and children were on that boat and some of them lost their lives.”

Although home to some of the continent’s fastest-growing economies, West Africa is struggling to generate enough jobs for its growing population of young people.

Doyle said the survivors would likely be returned to their home countries.

“We can imagine that they’re deeply traumatised. People will need some medical care and our staff will need to establish their origin and try to help them return in the most dignified way as possible. The tragedy in all this is there is no happy solution for people who take these routes,” he said.

Despite the Gambia’s small size, more than 35,000 Gambian migrants arrived in Europe between 2014 and 2018, according to the IOM.

Economic hardship

The 22-year long oppressive rule by then-president Yahya Jammeh severely affected the country’s economy, especially for The Gambia’s young people, prompting some to look to migrating.

Since Jammeh was voted out of office in 2016 and fled into exile in January 2017, European countries have been pushing to return asylum seekers, but the country’s economy has still to recover.

The coastal nation, a popular tourist destination, was shaken earlier this year by the collapse of British travel company Thomas Cook.

At the time, The Gambia’s tourism minister said the government convened an emergency meeting on the collapse, while some Gambians said the shutdown could have a devastating impact on tourism, which contributes more than 30 percent of the country’s GDP.

Sources: Aljazeera