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Can South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa survive the ANC’s election setback

By: Al IMRAN on June 01, 2024 / comment : 0 , , ,

 

Can South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa survive the ANC’s election setback


The governing party must form a coalition government but some opposition parties want the president out of the picture first.
( )
With nearly all votes counted, the ANC has won about 40 percent of the mandate, followed by the principal opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, with 21 percent. In third place is the big success story of the election: Former President Jacob Zuma’s uMKhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, which has ravaged the ANC’s core voting base, looks poised to form the government in KwaZulu Natal province, and could prove critical in determining whether the ANC forms the next government under Ramaphosa. The MK party has won almost 15 percent of the national vote, and 45 percent of the vote in KwaZulu Natal, Zuma’s home province.( )

Already, the MK, whose senior leadership — including Zuma himself — consists of many politicians with ANC roots, has ruled out a deal with the governing party unless it sacks Ramaphosa first. After leading the ANC to its worst-ever electoral performance, Ramaphosa will face intense pressure to stand aside, said analysts.( )

“They’ve lost the majority and they’ve lost it badly,” said Richard Calland, Africa director at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. “That represents a very significant defeat.”

The ANC is still South Africa’s largest political formation, and it is almost impossible for the next government to be formed without the party, so it will be in a position to drive coalition negotiations, said Callard. “The question is whether Ramaphosa will lead those negotiations or whether he will resign or be ousted in the very short term.”( )

Those questions are magnified by the limited options that Ramaphosa and the ANC face, as they try to pull together a coalition that can rule.

Zuma vs Ramaphosa: A bitter history

If the ANC and the MK were to team up, they would have a clear majority in parliament. ANC support would also help the MK get across the halfway mark in KwaZulu Natal, giving Zuma’s party a chance to form a government on its very first try: The party was only formed late last year.( )

Yet, that’s easier said than done, according to analysts.READ MORE.....


UN Security Council to meet for emergency session after Rafah strike

By: Al IMRAN on May 28, 2024 / comment : 0 , , , , ,

 

UN Security Council to meet for emergency session after Rafah strike



Spain, Norway, Ireland to formally recognize Palestinian state, saying it is ‘justice for Palestinian people’ and only way for peace in the region. ( )

The UN Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting Tuesday over an Israeli strike targeting Hamas operatives that also reportedly killed dozens in a displaced persons camp in Rafah, with three European countries slated to formally recognize a Palestinian state.( )

AFP journalists on the ground early Tuesday reported fresh Israeli strikes overnight in the southern Gaza border city, where an Israeli attack targeting two senior Hamas members on Sunday night sparked a fire that ripped through a nearby displacement center, killing 45 people, according to Hamas-run Gaza health officials.( )

The attack prompted a wave of international condemnation, with Palestinians and many Arab countries calling it a “massacre.” Israel said it was looking into the “tragic mishap.”

There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on social media.( )

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths pointed to the widespread warnings of civilian deaths that circulated ahead of Israel’s incursion into Rafah, saying in a statement: “We’ve seen the consequences in last night’s utterly unacceptable attack.”

To call it ‘a mistake’ is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives,” he added.

Diddy’s Sean John Eyeglasses Removed by America’s Best Amid Cassie Video Fallout: Report

By: Al IMRAN on May 27, 2024 / comment : 0 ,

 

Diddy’s Sean John Eyeglasses Removed by America’s Best Amid Cassie Video Fallout: Report

Diddy is continuing to feel the fallout after footage emerged of the rapper assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie, in 2016.( )

Eyewear retailer America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses has halted sales of frames from Diddy’s Sean John range,( ) reports TMZ.According to TMZ, stores were instructed last week to remove Sean John products from shelves and replace them with other stock at a similar price. The company began removing Sean John eyewear from its online store last month, reports the( ) outlet.Diddy has faced public scrutiny after CNN earlier this month published security camera footage of the rapper assaulting Cassie in a hotel hallway. Diddy apologized for his actions in a video shared via Instagram on May 19.( )

“It’s difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you gotta do that,” Diddy said in the video. “I was f–ked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom but I make no excuses. My( ) behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.”The rapper continued, “I went and sought out professional help. I’ve been

( ) going to therapy, going to rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”( )

see more..........

Spain, Ireland and Norway will recognize a Palestinian state on May 28. Why does that matter?

By: Al IMRAN on May 22, 2024 / comment : 0 , ,

 

Spain, Ireland and Norway will recognize a Palestinian state on May 28. Why does that matter?

Spain, Ireland and Norway said Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came amid international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s offensive.The almost simultaneous decisions by two European Union countries, and Norway, may generate momentum for the recognition of a Palestinian state by other EU countries and could spur further steps at the United Nations, deepening Israel’s isolation. Malta and Slovenia, which also belong to the 27-nation European Union, may follow suit.

Some 140 of 190 represented in the U.N. countries have already recognized a Palestinian state.

Here’s a look at how and why the new European announcements could be important:The 1948 U.N. decision that created Israel envisaged a neighboring Palestinian state, but some 70 years later control of the Palestinian territories remains divided and bids for U.N. membership have been denied.The United States, Britain and other Western countries have backed the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East’s most intractable conflict, but they insist Palestinian statehood should come as part of a negotiated settlement. There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.Though the EU countries and Norway won’t be recognizing an existing state, just the possibility of one, the symbolism helps enhance the Palestinians’ international standing and heaps more pressure on Israel to open negotiations on ending the war.

Also, the move lends additional prominence to the Middle East issue ahead of June 6-9 elections to the European Parliament, when some 370 million people are eligible to vote and a steep rise of the extreme right is on the cards.Diplomatic pressure on Israel has grown as the battle with Hamas stretches into its eighth month. The U.N. General Assembly voted by a significant margin on May 11 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine in a sign of growing international support for a vote on full voting membership. The Palestine Authority currently has observer status.The leaders of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said in March they were considering recognizing a Palestinian state as “a positive contribution” toward ending the war.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Wednesday, “This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people,” he said. “It is an act in favor of peace, justice and moral consistency.”

READ MORE..... 

Almost 2 months after it destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge, the Dali cargo ship has been moved

By: Al IMRAN on May 20, 2024 / comment : 0 , , ,

 

Almost 2 months after it destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge, the Dali cargo ship has been moved

After 55 days stuck in the Patapsco River, the Dali cargo ship was hauled away from the site of its catastrophic crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge – a crucial step toward fully reopening the busy Port of Baltimore.Several tugboats started pulling the 106,000-ton vessel at around 7 a.m. Monday, officials said. The ship traveled about 1 mph to the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore.Federal authorities are still investigating why the cargo ship lost power, veered off course and smashed into the Key Bridge on March 26 – killing six construction workers.

But the Dali’s move from scene of destruction means authorities will soon be able to open more channels to and from the Port of Baltimore – a critical hub for commerce, especially for the sugar and automotive industries nationwide.We’ve been ahead of schedule with getting our channels open,” US Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Kate Newkirk told CNN affiliate WBAL over the weekend.We plan to open a 400-foot by 50-foot channel (Monday) and, hopefully in the next week or so, we’ll be at that 700-foot channel, which is our goal.”Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he expects the main federal channel that had been clogged by wreckage to reopen by the end of this month.

“I’m proud that we’re on track,” Moore told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “By the end of May, we’ll have that federal channel reopened.”

US military says Gaza pier project is complete and aid will soon flow as Israel-Hamas war rages

By: Al IMRAN on May 16, 2024 / comment : 0 , ,

 

US military says Gaza pier project is complete and aid will soon flow as Israel-Hamas war rages

The Pentagon said Thursday that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach overnight and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters the U.S. believes there will be no backups in the distribution of the aid, which is being coordinated by the United Nations.

The U.N., however, said fuel imports have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to deliver the aid to Gaza’s people, all 2.3 million of whom are in acute need of food and other supplies after seven months of intense fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“We desperately need fuel,” U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. “It doesn’t matter how the aid comes, whether it’s by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid won’t get to the people.”

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