‘You can’t kill all of us’: Kenya protesters vow to march again

‘You can’t kill all of us’: Kenya protesters vow to march again
1 / 2
Demonstrators react during a nationwide strike to protest against tax hikes and the Finance Bill 2024 in Kisumu, western Kenya, on June 25, 2024. (AFP)
‘You can’t kill all of us’: Kenya protesters vow to march again
2 / 2
A Kenya Police truck is seen set on fire after being vandalised by protesters outside the Kenyan Parliament during a nationwide strike to protest against tax hikes and the Finance Bill 2024 in downtown Nairobi, on June 25, 2024. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 26 June 2024
Follow

‘You can’t kill all of us’: Kenya protesters vow to march again

‘You can’t kill all of us’: Kenya protesters vow to march again

NAIROBI: Kenyan protest organizers called Wednesday for fresh peaceful marches against controversial tax hikes, as the death toll from nationwide demonstrations climbed to 22, an official from the leading doctors’ association told AFP.
The mainly youth-led rallies began mostly peacefully last week, with thousands of people marching across the country against the tax increases, but tensions sharply escalated Tuesday, as police opened fire on demonstrators who stormed parliament.
The unprecedented scenes left parts of parliament ablaze and gutted and scores of people wounded, shocking Kenyans and prompting President William Ruto’s government to deploy the military.
On Tuesday afternoon, parliament passed the contentious bill containing the tax hikes, which must be signed by Ruto to become law.
But demonstrators vowed to hit the streets again Thursday as they called for the bill to be scrapped.
“Tomorrow we march peacefully again as we wear white, for all our fallen people,” protest organizer Hanifa Adan said on X.
“You cannot kill all of us.”
Demonstrators shared “Tupatane Thursday” (“we meet Thursday” in Swahili), alongside the hashtag #Rejectfinancebill2024 on social media.
“The government does not care about us because they shot us with live bullets,” Steve, 40, who was at the parliament Tuesday, told AFP.
Ruto “victimized innocent people,” he said, adding he would march on Thursday: “I expect more violence and chaos.”
Simon Kigondu, president of the Kenya Medical Association, told AFP: “So far, we have at least 13 people killed, but this is not the final number.”
He added that he had never before seen “such level of violence against unarmed people.”
An official at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi said Wednesday that medics were treating “160 people... some of them with soft tissue injuries, some of them with bullet wounds.”

More protests 
In posts online, protest organizers shared fundraising efforts to support those hurt in the demonstrations.
Ruto warned late Tuesday that his government would take a tough line against “violence and anarchy,” likening some of the demonstrators to “criminals.”
“It is not in order or even conceivable that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against the people, their elected representatives and the institutions established under our constitution and expect to go scot-free,” he said.
Shortly before his address, Defense Minister Aden Bare Duale announced that the army had been brought in to tackle “the security emergency” in the country.
A heavy police presence was deployed around parliament early on Wednesday, according to an AFP reporter, the smell of tear gas still in the air.
A policeman standing in front of the broken barricades to the complex told AFP he had watched the scenes unfold on TV.
“It was madness, we hope it will be calm today,” he said.
In the central business district, where the protests have been concentrated, traders surveyed the damage.
“They didn’t leave anything, just the boxes. I don’t know how long it will take me to recover,” James Ng’ang’a, whose electronics shop was looted, told AFP.
Ruto’s administration has been taken by surprise by the intensity of opposition to its tax hikes.
And while the rallies — mostly led by young, Gen-Z Kenyans — have been largely peaceful, tensions rose sharply Tuesday afternoon when officers fired at crowds near parliament.
Demonstrators then breached parliament barricades, ransacking the partly ablaze complex, with local TV showing burnt furniture and smashed windows.
AFP journalists saw three people bleeding heavily and lying motionless on the ground.
The unrest has alarmed the international community, with more than 10 Western nations including the United States saying they were “especially shocked by the scenes witnessed outside the Kenyan Parliament.”
Rights watchdogs have also accused the authorities of abducting protesters.
The police have not responded to AFP requests for comment.
Long-running grievances over the rising cost of living spiralled last week as lawmakers began debating the bill containing the tax hikes.
The cash-strapped government says the increases are needed to service the country’s massive debt of some 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), equal to roughly 70 percent of Kenya’s GDP.
The treasury has warned of a gaping budget shortfall of 200 billion shillings, following Ruto’s decision last week to roll back some of the most controversial tax hikes.
While Kenya is among East Africa’s most dynamic economies, a third of its 52 million population live in poverty.


Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted

Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted
Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted

Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted
  • The airline remains banned from operating in the United States
Islamabad: Pakistan’s beleaguered national airline will resume flights to Europe on January 10 after European Union authorities lifted a four-year ban on the carrier, the company said in a statement on Saturday.
The statement from Pakistan International Airline (PIA), which was at the center of a pilot license scandal, said a “PIA flight will depart from Islamabad to Paris on January 10.”
“Initially, two flights will be operated weekly (on Friday and Sunday), which will gradually be increased.”
PIA was barred from flying to the EU in June 2020, a month after one of its aircraft plunged into a street in the southern city of Karachi, killing nearly 100 people.
The disaster was attributed to human error by the pilots and air traffic control, and was followed by allegations that nearly a third of the licenses for its pilots were fake or dubious.
The airline remains banned from operating in the United States.
After Europe’s ban was lifted last week, a spokesman for the carrier said they would “strictly adhere to EASA’s regulations and guidelines,” referring to the European Union’s aviation authority.
PIA, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run — hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues.
Pakistan’s government has said it is committed to privatising the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer.
Last month, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price.
The sale was also part of IMF demands in exchange for aid programs, including the privatization of public companies, establishing a broader tax base and ending subsidies for the 40 percent of Pakistanis who live below the poverty line.
In 2023, PIA had losses of $270 million according to local media.
Its liabilities were nearly $3 billion, about five times the total worth of its assets.
Last year, dozens of flights were canceled when it could not afford fuel for its planes.
While speaking to reporters last week, Pakistan’s aviation minister Khawaja Asif called the restoration of flights to Europe a “major value addition” that will make the airline more attractive to potential buyers.
PIA came into being in 1955 when the government nationalized a loss-making commercial airline and it enjoyed rapid growth until the 1990s.

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester
Updated 07 December 2024
Follow

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester
  • Relations soured when ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, toppled after uprising this year, fled to India
  • Bangladesh’s current government leader has accused India of destabilizing his administration

NEW DELHI: India’s top diplomat will head to Bangladesh Monday after the student-led revolution in August that toppled autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina’s government in Dhaka soured ties between the two neighbors.
Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was strongly backed by India and the 77-year-old remains in New Delhi where she took refuge after her ouster, despite Bangladesh announcing it would seek her extradition.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is leading an interim government tasked with implementing democratic reforms, has condemned acts of “Indian aggression” that he alleged were intended to destabilize his administration.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal confirmed late Friday that his department’s secretary Vikram Misri would visit Bangladesh on Monday.
Misri “will meet his counterpart and there will be several other meetings during the visit,” Jaiswal told journalists in New Delhi.
Yunus, 84, faced numerous criminal proceedings during Hasina’s regime that her critics say were concocted to sideline one of her potential rivals.
He has been a vocal critic of India for backing Hasina’s rule to the hilt despite the mounting rights abuses seen over her 15-year tenure.
India for its part has accused Muslim-majority Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu community from reprisals.
The arrest of a prominent Hindu priest in Bangladesh on sedition charges last month further added to tensions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing supporters urging his government to take a more hard-line stance on Dhaka.
“We want to reiterate our position again that they have legal rights and we hope that these legal rights will be respected and that the trial will be fair,” Jaiswal said of the case.
Yunus’s administration has acknowledged and condemned attacks on Hindus, including during the chaotic hours after Hasina’s ouster, but said that in many cases they were motivated by politics rather than religion.
He has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence and running a “propaganda campaign.”
“They are undermining our efforts to build a new Bangladesh and are spreading fictitious stories,” Yunus said this week.
Numerous street demonstrations have been staged against India in Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster.
Several rallies were held this week to protest an attempt by Hindu activists to storm a Bangladeshi consulate in an Indian city not far from the neighbors’ shared border.
India condemned the breach afterwards and arrested seven people over the incident.
Despite cratering diplomatic ties the two neighbors are key economic partners with with annual bilateral trade worth about $14 billion.


Apartment block in The Hague ‘partially collapsed’ after explosion: authorities

Apartment block in The Hague ‘partially collapsed’ after explosion: authorities
Updated 07 December 2024
Follow

Apartment block in The Hague ‘partially collapsed’ after explosion: authorities

Apartment block in The Hague ‘partially collapsed’ after explosion: authorities
  • It was not known how many people could be missing nor what caused the explosion in the block of flats not far from the center of the city

The Hague: A three-story apartment block in The Hague partially collapsed Saturday after a fire and explosion, firefighters said, with first responders searching for people under the rubble.
“At this moment, the emergency services are busy rescuing and searching for people and fighting the fire,” said the city’s fire service in a statement.
It was not known how many people could be missing nor what caused the explosion in the block of flats not far from the center of the city.
According to local media outlet Regio15, several people had already been rescued from the scene.
Four people injured in the explosion had been taken to local hospitals, according to the fire service.
“The fire is releasing a lot of smoke in the immediate vicinity... Residents are advised to close windows and doors and turn off ventilation,” authorities said.
The city’s mayor Jan van Zanen was on site to coordinate rescue efforts, according to Regio15.
Homes on multiple floors appeared to have been destroyed by the explosion, said Regio15.
Early images from public broadcaster NOS showed several dozen firefighters tackling a large blaze and breaking down doors to gain access to the block.
A picture from local news agency ANP showed one person being led away on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance.


India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester
Updated 52 min 2 sec ago
Follow

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester
  • Sheikh Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was strongly backed by India
  • She remains in New Delhi where she took refuge after her ouster

NEW DELHI: India’s top diplomat will head to Bangladesh Monday after the student-led revolution in August that toppled autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina’s government in Dhaka soured ties between the two neighbors.
Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was strongly backed by India and the 77-year-old remains in New Delhi where she took refuge after her ouster, despite Bangladesh announcing it would seek her extradition.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is leading an interim government tasked with implementing democratic reforms, has condemned acts of “Indian aggression” that he alleged were intended to destabilize his administration.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal confirmed late Friday that his department’s secretary Vikram Misri would visit Bangladesh on Monday.
Misri “will meet his counterpart and there will be several other meetings during the visit,” Jaiswal told journalists in New Delhi.
Yunus, 84, faced numerous criminal proceedings during Hasina’s regime that her critics say were concocted to sideline one of her potential rivals.
He has been a vocal critic of India for backing Hasina’s rule to the hilt despite the mounting rights abuses seen over her 15-year tenure.
India for its part has accused Muslim-majority Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu community from reprisals.
The arrest of a prominent Hindu priest in Bangladesh on sedition charges last month further added to tensions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing supporters urging his government to take a more hardline stance on Dhaka.
“We want to reiterate our position again that they have legal rights and we hope that these legal rights will be respected and that the trial will be fair,” Jaiswal said of the case.
Yunus’s administration has acknowledged and condemned attacks on Hindus, including during the chaotic hours after Hasina’s ouster, but said that in many cases they were motivated by politics rather than religion.
He has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence and running a “propaganda campaign.”
“They are undermining our efforts to build a new Bangladesh and are spreading fictitious stories,” Yunus said this week.
Numerous street demonstrations have been staged against India in Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster.
Several rallies were held this week to protest an attempt by Hindu activists to storm a Bangladeshi consulate in an Indian city not far from the neighbors’ shared border.
India condemned the breach afterwards and arrested seven people over the incident.
Despite cratering diplomatic ties the two neighbors are key economic partners with an annual bilateral trade worth about $14 billion.


Trump returns to world stage at Notre-Dame reopening in Paris

Trump returns to world stage at Notre-Dame reopening in Paris
Updated 07 December 2024
Follow

Trump returns to world stage at Notre-Dame reopening in Paris

Trump returns to world stage at Notre-Dame reopening in Paris
  • Macron aims to mediate between Trump and Europe
  • Trump’s visit seen as symbolic return to global stage

WASHINGTON/PARIS: US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the world stage on Saturday to join leaders for the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, still a private citizen but already preparing to tackle a host of international crises.
It will be Trump’s first trip overseas since he won the presidential election a month ago and it could offer French President Emmanuel Macron an opportunity to play the role of mediator between Europe and the unpredictable US politician, a role the French leader has relished in the past.
The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of Saturday’s visit. While no agenda for their talks has been announced, European leaders are concerned that Trump could withdraw US military aid to Ukraine at a crucial juncture in its war to repel Russian invaders.
Macron is a strong supporter of the NATO alliance and Ukraine’s fight, while Trump feels European nations need to pay more for their common defense and that a negotiated settlement is needed to end the Ukraine war.
“Mr. Macron is repeating his personalized approach which had some limited success during Mr. Trump’s first term. Macron knows Mr. Trump greatly appreciates the pomp, circumstance and grandeur of state and he provides it to him in abundance,” said Heather Conley, senior adviser to the board of the German Marshall Fund, which promotes US-European ties.
Trump will join dozens of world leaders and foreign dignitaries for the ceremony reopening Notre-Dame Cathedral 5-1/2 years after it was ravaged by fire.
It was unclear whether Trump would meet other leaders besides Macron. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for details.
While Trump is due to be sworn in as US president only on Jan. 20, he has already held discussions with a number of world leaders, and members of his team are trying to get up to speed on a burgeoning number of world crises, including Ukraine and the Middle East.
Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, met on Wednesday in Washington with Ukraine envoy Andriy Yermak, leading to speculation that a meeting between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky might be in the offing in Paris.
Trump, a Republican, was in power when Notre-Dame burned in 2019. He lost his 2020 reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden but on Nov. 5 defeated Kamala Harris, Biden’s vice president, to win back the presidency.
“Symbolically, both Mr. Trump’s presidency and Notre-Dame have been restored in approximately the same time period. His visit to Paris is also the opening salvo of his return to the world stage, further diminishing the final days of the Biden administration,” Conley said.
Biden’s wife, first lady Jill Biden, will represent the United States at the Notre-Dame reopening.

GLOBAL SPECTACLE
Trump will get plenty of worldwide buzz standing alongside other world leaders. He visited France four times while president from 2017-2021, including D-Day anniversary ceremonies in 2019.
“Trump will be seen throughout the world in potentially a statesman-like position,” said Republican strategist Doug Heye.
“It’s not images of him at Mar-a-Lago,” Heye said, referring to the Florida home where Trump has spent the bulk of his time since the election. “This is the biggest event of the world and he’ll be peer-to-peer with other leaders.”
Observers will be watching how Trump and Macron interact. The two men have endured ups and downs in their relationship over the years.
Macron invited Trump to the Bastille Day military parade in Paris in July 2017, a spectacle that inspired Trump to order up his own military parade in Washington to mark America’s Independence Day in 2019.
Trump hosted Macron at a White House state dinner in 2018 but a year later the two quarreled over comments Macron made about the state of NATO.
“Trump coming to Paris is a ‘good coup’ by Emmanuel Macron,” said Gerard Araud, France’s former ambassador to Washington. “It is indispensable to have a direct relationship with the only man who counts in the Trump administration, Trump himself.”
Macron, who has just over two years left as president, pursued a non-confrontational approach toward Trump during the latter’s first term, hoping that by engaging with him he could win concessions.
But as the years passed, policy decisions on climate, taxation and Iran in particular caused friction between the two leaders. By the end it was a more fractious relationship.
Clashes most likely lie ahead, fueled by Trump’s desire to impose sweeping tariffs on Europe and other US trade partners, and disagreement over how to handle the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; additional reporting by John Irish in Paris; editing by Ross Colvin and Howard Goller)