Tunisians protest against draft constitution referendum

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Supporters of Tunisia's Free Destourian Party rally against Tunisian President Kais Saied and the holding of the new constitutional referendum on 25 July 2022, in Tunis, Tunisia, 18 June 2022. epa / Mohamed Messara #Tunisia #constitution #referendum #epaphotos #epaimages

9:18 AM · Jun 18, 2022·LaterMedia

Supporters of the Free Destourian Party protest against the Tunisian President outside the Independent High Authority for Elections in the capital Tunis on July 7, 2022. -

Copyright © africanewsYACINE MAHJOUB/AFP or licensors

By Africanews with AFP

TUNISIA

A protest against the upcoming July 25 referendum on President Kais Saied's new constitution has taken place in Tunis.

Some 200 supporters of Tunisia's secular Free Destourian Party gathered outside the electoral commission's headquarters bearing signs reading "we don't trust your results" and "stop this illegal process".

In July last year, Saied sacked the government and froze the parliament dominated by Tunisia's Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party.

He later extended his powers in what critics see as a coup against democracy in the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings.

The constitution, the centrepiece of Saied's drive to remake the Tunisian political system, sparked instant criticism for the nearly unlimited power it gives the president.
A 'dictatorial regime'

"The draft that has been presented has been made to measure for Saied, Ennahdha party spokesman Imed Khemeri said.

"This document did not come from the people or from a national dialogue."

The legal expert who headed a committee to draw up the new charter said the final text published by Saied had "nothing to do with the text we drafted and submitted to the president".

The expert, Sadeq Belaid, added that it risked paving the way for a "dictatorial regime", more than a decade after Tunisia's pro-democracy revolt sparked copycat uprisings across the region.

On Tuesday, Saied defended the proposed constitution in an open letter.

He said "this draft was built on what the Tunisian people have expressed from the start of the revolution up until the correction of its path" last July, and that those who worried about it creating a new autocracy hadn't read it properly.
Ennahdha under pressure

Ennahdha, which has dominated Tunisia's politics since the revolt that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, has found itself under pressure since Saied's power grab.

A Tunisian court on Tuesday froze the bank accounts of its chief and speaker of the now-dissolved parliament Rached Ghannouchi, as well as his son Mouadh and former prime minister and one-time senior party member Hamadi Jebali, who is accused of money-laundering.

The party urged its supporters on Thursday to boycott the referendum on Saied's new constitution, saying it would "lead to a repressive, authoritarian regime".

"We call for a boycott of the referendum because what is being voted on is not in the interests of Tunisians," Khemeri said.

Around 30 NGOs including the SNJT journalists' union and rights group the LTDH also called for a boycott of the referendum, saying the text was "written by a single person without participation by civil society or experts".

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Ben & Jerry's ice cream fight in Israel heats up


FILE - Two patrons enter the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop, July 20, 2021, in Burlington, Vt. The Vermont-based ice cream maker is suing its corporate parent Unilever over a plan that would allow its product to be sold in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, July 6, 2022 in New York, the ice cream maker asked a court to block the decision by Unilever to sell the business interest in the ice cream company in Israel to a local company that would sell ice cream with Hebrew and Arabic labeling poses “poses a risk” to the integrity of the Ben & Jerry’s brand name. 

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

WILSON RING
Wed, July 6, 2022 

One week after its parent company found a way to get Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sold in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, the company known for its stance on social issues almost as much as for its Chunky Monkey ice cream is suing to block that from happening.

Unilever announced that it was selling its interest in the Vermont ice cream maker to its Israeli licensee, which would market Ben & Jerry’s products with Hebrew and Arabic labels.

In a Manhattan federal court this week, the ice cream maker said that Unilever’s maneuver “poses a risk” to the integrity of its brand. It claims the deal violates the 2000 acquisition agreement that allowed Ben & Jerry's to continue its progressive social mission independently of business decisions made by Unilever.

“An injunction restraining Unilever from violating the express terms of the Merger Agreement and Shareholders Agreement is essential to preserve the status quo and protect the brand and social integrity Ben & Jerry’s has spent decades building," the complaint says.


That passage in the lawsuit refers to the intense bidding process that took place in 2000 for Ben & Jerry’s, one of the most recognizable brands in America. Ben & Jerry's was adamant that even after a sale, it would be allowed to continue to pursue its social causes.

The final agreement was so unique that Richard Goldstein, then group president of Unilever North American Foods, said ““I never did another deal that was remotely like it,” according to the suit.

In agreeing to the sale, Ben & Jerry's was allowed an independent board of directors which was authorized to prevent Unilever from making decisions that are “inconsistent with the Essential Integrity of the Brand," according to legal filings.

Unilever said it does not comment on pending litigation, but said it did have the right to the sale and that, “The deal has already closed."

The complaint outlines Ben & Jerry's history of social activism over its 44-year history, including opposition to U.S. nuclear weapons spending in the 1980s and in the 1990s supporting LGBTQ+ rights and farmers.

That activism has continued under Unilever with the focus on, among other issues, migrant justice and climate change. In the aftermath of the 2020 death of George Floyd, Ben & Jerry's became an advocate for Black Lives Matter.

Last year Ben & Jerry's independent board said it was going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem, saying the sales in the territories sought by the Palestinians are “inconsistent with our values.”

Unilever said it was committed to its operations in Israel, and earlier this year it was sued by its Israeli licensee, American Quality Products Ltd, over the termination of their business relationship, saying it violated U.S. and Israeli law.

When Unilever announced it was selling the Israeli operations to American Quality Products last week, it said it had “used the opportunity of the past year to listen to perspectives on this complex and sensitive matter and believes this is the best outcome for Ben & Jerry’s in Israel.”

Israel hailed the decision by Unilever as a victory in its ongoing campaign against the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which aims to bring economic pressure to bear on Israel over its military occupation of lands the Palestinians want for a future state.

Unilever does not support the BDS movement and has said it was “very proud” of its business in Israel, where it employs around 2,000 people and has four manufacturing plants.

Ben & Jerry’s 2021 decision was not a full boycott, and appeared to be aimed at Israel’s settlement enterprise. Some 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, which Israel annexed and considers part of its capital. Israel captured both territories in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want them to be part of their future state.

Most of the international community views the settlements as a violation of international law. The Palestinians consider them the main obstacle to peace because they absorb and divide up the land on which a future Palestinian state would be established. Every Israeli government has expanded settlements, including during the height of the peace process in the 1990s.

Disneyland's social media accounts were hacked with racist, offensive posts after a 'super hacker' took 'revenge' on the park



Erin Snodgrass
Thu, July 7, 2022 

Visitors pose for a selfie at the Disneyland Resort on April 30, 2021 in Anaheim, California

Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images

A hacker "compromised" Disneyland's social media accounts early Thursday morning.

The culprit posted on the resort's Instagram page using obscene language and a racial slur.

A spokesperson for the company told media outlets that they worked quickly to remove the content.

Disneyland Resort's Instagram account was hacked early Thursday morning with racist and homophobic posts after a self-identified "super-hacker" said he was taking revenge on the theme park.

The culprit made four posts on Disneyland's Instagram account before 5 a.m. PT, according to The Disney Blog, which captured photos of the profanity-laced posts. The hacker identified themself as David DO, and posted two selfies as well as memes. In the caption of one photo, he said he was tired of "all these Disney employees mocking me," using both a racial slur and expletive.

In subsequent posts, the hacker also claimed to have invented the COVID-19 virus and threatened to release a new "COVID-20" virus.


The posts have since been removed.

A spokesperson for Disneyland confirmed to Insider that its Instagram and Facebook accounts were "compromised" on Thursday morning.

"We worked quickly to remove the reprehensible content, secure our accounts, and our security teams are conducting an investigation," the representative said.

The Anaheim, California-based resort boasts 8.4 million followers on Instagram and typically posts content featuring the park's parades, rides, and events.

The MCU’s Biggest ‘Ms. Marvel’ Tweak Undoes a Powerful Story on Race

Joshua N. Miller  

Wed, July 6, 2022 

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Disney

When Marvel Studios made its proper entrance into the film business with 2008’s Iron Man, it seemed committed to staying true to Marvel characters’ origins—at least initially. After he’s wounded by shrapnel from his own missile, Tony Stark sets to work as Iron Man to keep his weapons from falling into the wrong hands. Thor Odinson learned humility when he was stripped of his powers and exiled to Earth. Steve Rogers then swung onto the scene as Captain America to take down Nazis in a similar fashion to his 1941 comic book debut.

It wasn’t until 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) deviated radically from the comic books. Despite appearing in a few major comic events, the Guardians didn’t hold much cachet with general audiences—making them the perfect test case for Marvel Studios (and its new owner, Disney) to gauge just how much their audiences cared about sticking to the source material. Rather than a competent group of heroes that united to proactively deal with major threats, the MCU’s Guardians are a ragtag group of outlaws, whose initial incentive to collaborate was a common genocidal enemy.

‘Ms. Marvel’ Proves That Marvel’s TV Shows Are Now Way Better Than Its Movies

When the movie came out, my fellow middle schoolers—who’d never heard of the team—questioned what kind of superheroes would recruit a talking raccoon and a walking tree. But sure enough, Guardians won over viewers by successfully uniting the team in their first outing without spending three years fleshing them out individually. Since then, Marvel has taken more liberties with its storytelling, to varying degrees of success—such as with 2017’s acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok and 2021’s panned Eternals. Based on this more liberal approach to their adaptations, it appears that Marvel’s learned that people don’t really care if their content sticks to the source material–until they do.

The latest entry in the MCU to differ from the comics is Disney+’s Ms. Marvel, which gives its Pakistani American protagonist Kamala Khan a new set of superpowers. Instead of gaining shape-shifting abilities through exposure to a DNA-altering vapor called the Terrigen Mists, MCU Kamala can manipulate light to create objects, like weapons and platforms by wearing a bangle that’s been passed down in her family.

In the comics, Kamala has faced a multitude of threats with her polymorphic abilities, ranging from killer robots in her hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey, to the time-traveler Kang the Conqueror. And she’s become hugely popular with real-life fans while doing it: numerous volumes of her solo series landed on the New York Times bestseller list within their first year on the market, and Kamala quickly achieved one of Marvel’s highest honors: becoming an Avenger. That level of recognition begets another big one, this time off the page and on the screen. In May 2018, Disney announced that Ms. Marvel would become a Disney+ show, which finally premiered earlier this month.

With Kamala’s level of popularity and publicity, it only makes sense that fans were watching closely to see how her story would translate onto TV. Which is why it’s no surprise that their eyebrows rose when Kamala’s MCU entrance came with a new backstory, in which her powers derive from a bangle that was passed down in her family.

Fans on social media have speculated as to what inspired the power change. One theory that’s become particularly popular is that the MCU didn’t want Kamala and the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards to have similar powers ahead of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. (This idea was recently dispelled by Kamala’s co-creator Sana Amanat in an interview with The Direct.)

But Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige maintains that the MCU isn’t “an exact translation of the comics,” as he said in a recent interview. He also explained in the same interview that the true nature of Kamala’s powers would be developed further in 2023’s Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels. How her powers will develop until then remains to be seen. But no matter what happens, this initial change is a major one: it erases a major element of her origin story in a way that demonstrates their reluctance to confront real issues.

In both the Ms. Marvel show and comics, Kamala is experiencing an identity crisis. Torn between the cultures of her traditional Pakistani family and her more free-wheeling American peers, she takes comfort in her idolization of superheroes to detach from her day-to-day life. Her favorite hero is Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), who once saved Kamala from the comic’s version of Yon-Ragg and helped save the world in Avengers: Endgame. Kamala looks up to Carol as a role model; she’s a strong, independent woman who charts her own path, just as Kamala wishes to become. But while the show frames Kamala’s idolization for Carol as fannish—the same way young girls might’ve idolized Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel after watching their respective films—the comic emphasizes that a substantial part of Kamala’s idolization of Carol extends from the fact that Carol is white.

Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) in the comic books.

Marvel Comics

In a scene from the comics, Kamala sees Carol in a vision as she is transforming into her super-powered self. She uses the opportunity to talk to her favorite hero, voicing her frustration with who she is and who she wants to be. Kamala wishes she were “beautiful, awesome, butt-kicking, and less complicated,” all traits that she directly equates with being Carol. Kamala immediately receives her wish, emerging from her transformation as the spitting image of Carol from her own Ms. Marvel days, sporting the Warbird costume with white skin and blonde hair.

Yet even as she gets exactly what she asks for, Kamala still doesn't feel as confident or beautiful as she imagined she would. Part of this is shown through the character of Zoe, a popular, blonde, white girl who bullies Kamala in bigoted ways throughout the second issue. Her insults are blatantly Islamophobic, ranging from implying that Kamala’s friend Nakia might’ve been forced to wear her hijab to running away from Kamala at a party, complaining that she smells like curry.

It’s after that party that Kamala acknowledges that her idolization of whiteness is only internalized racism. Although Kamala initially defends Zoe’s actions—in part because she also represents Carol’s carefree lifestyle— she can’t ignore how badly her bully actually makes her feel. Struggling to control her new powers as she tries to make it back home afterward, she runs into Zoe. Her powers react accordingly: as soon as she sees Zoe, Kamala assumes her Carol-like form, as she feels like she has to be a different person—a cooler person—around her bully. But she ultimately reverts to her true appearance and then shrinks down, admitting to herself that Zoe makes her “feel small.”

The scene makes it clear that Kamala’s idolization of whiteness (and the privilege it grants) is what motivates her at first. But that desire is also what frustrates her, even as she tries to mask the true nature of her frustration by blaming it on her family’s Muslim traditions. She doesn't really hold her culture in contempt; what she hates is that her peers are too ignorant to learn about it and too insensitive to respect it. That’s what leaves her ostracized from them, and that’s what leaves her wanting to be more like them—not less like herself.

So far, however, the show omits these crucial nuances. Zoe is still a bully but without the racism, throwing dodgeballs at Kamala’s face when she's distracted in gym class. And while Kamala still idolizes Carol, her participation in the Captain Marvel cosplay competition at AvengerCon doesn't compare to her assuming the form of a white woman because she can’t see herself as a superhero otherwise.

Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) tests out her powers (alongside her friend Bruno, played by Matt Lintz) in the Ms. Marvel TV show.

Marvel Entertainment/Disney+

The problem isn’t that the MCU’s version of Kamala doesn’t appear to face racism or Islamophobia in the same explicit ways that she does in the comic books. For example, her family discusses their experience living under Partition—when the British Empire cut India into two different nations—and how colonialism deeply impacted the Khans for generations. But the trauma of Partition is the most prominent example the show gives of how white supremacy affects them and, in turn, Kamala. The family doesn't talk about, say, 9/11 and the increase of Islamophobia it engendered, which continues to exist in the country. Kamala isn't given many modern touchpoints to refer to in terms of the actual material impact of the white majority's oppression. It's something that affected her parents when they were her age; that is in the past, and her present is concerned with other issues.

By downplaying this backstory’s modern reverberations in Kamala’s life, the show becomes just the latest MCU entry to shy away from the social issues that otherwise affect her. Like Tom Holland’s Peter Parker before her—the one who rose out of his canonical poverty thanks to Tony Stark—the MCU’s Kamala has other enemies to face.

‘Ms. Marvel’ Creator on the Right-Wing Backlash to Her Muslim Superhero and Remixing Wonder Woman

It’s hard not to feel cynical about the decision not to replicate these parts of Kamala’s story on-screen. Considering that Ms. Marvel is the only Marvel TV show to feature a female lead of color thus far (and the only one to be review-bombed after its release), this creative decision feels as though Disney avoided depicting this conflict in the show, as to not make white audiences uncomfortable.

Perhaps Ms. Marvel’s viewers—and its makers—would benefit from watching Amanat recount her experiences growing up in New Jersey as a Pakistani-American. They’d easily see just how strongly the comic book version of Kamala’s struggles are lifted directly from her own: from the temptations of BLTs to the ostracization she faced after 9/11, Kamala is her reflection. Not only was the comic books’ Kamala meant to offer readers a hero who shared their struggles to find themselves, but she also was to do it with a sense of pride in her heritage. If Kamala’s origin offers any lesson to readers, it’s that sometimes it takes confronting your issues directly to change for the better. The MCU ultimately facilitates the existence of white supremacy and the other social issues it refuses to address by pretending that they’re no longer as relevant to the character as they were in the comics.

Exclusive-How an Indian cement maker bought Russian coal using yuan



Sudarshan Varadhan, Nupur Anand and Aftab Ahmed
Thu, July 7, 2022 

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian cement maker's recent purchase of Russian coal using yuan involved India's biggest private lender, HDFC Bank, according to an invoice seen by Reuters and a source, as more details emerge of the kind of trade that could blunt Western sanctions against Moscow.

There is no suggestion that the purchase, the particulars of which have not previously been reported, in any way breaches sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

But the document shows one way in which Russia could continue to sell commodities abroad without settling in U.S. dollars despite restrictions aimed at freezing it out of financial markets.

According to the invoice dated June 5 and a source familiar with the matter, HDFC Bank backed cement maker Ultratech's purchase of Russian coal from producer and trader SUEK for 172.7 million yuan ($25.74 million).

The letter of credit for the deal was issued by HDFC Bank's Mumbai suburban branch of Andheri East, according to the invoice. The dollar is the currency of choice for global trade in raw materials, but some traders say the yuan could be increasingly used to settle payments for supplies from Russia. In the invoice, SUEK requests Ultratech remit the 172.7 million yuan to SUEK's account at the Shanghai branch of China Everbright Bank. SUEK lists the Hong Kong branch of international lender HSBC as the correspondent bank. A correspondent bank acts as a middleman in the transfer of money from one bank to another. Reuters could not determine if a payment had been received by China Everbright or if HSBC or any other bank was involved in a transfer of funds. HDFC Bank and HSBC declined to comment. Ultratech, SUEK and China Everbright Bank did not respond to requests for comment. It was not clear from the invoice which currencies were used to effect the yuan payment. The amount listed was quoted in Chinese yuan and Reuters reported last week that Ultratech imported 157,000 tonnes of coal from Switzerland-registered SUEK and agreed to settle the final payment in that currency.

YUAN TRADES STILL RARE

For India, such payment methods could become more common as it seeks to maintain trade ties with Russia for commodities including oil and coal without the risk of contravening Western sanctions.

India has deep political and security ties with Russia and has refrained from condemning the Ukraine war, which Russia says is a "special military operation".

India's energy imports from Russia have soared recently as traders, unable to sell into many Western markets, have offered steep discounts.

New Delhi defends its purchases of Russian goods, saying they are legal and that a sudden halt would inflate prices further and hurt consumers.

Greater use of the yuan to settle payments could help insulate Moscow from punishment and bolster Beijing's push to further internationalise the yuan and chip away at the dominance of the U.S. dollar in global trade.

It is, however, still rare for an Indian firm to agree to settle a trade with a non-Chinese company in yuan. In the absence of sanctions, overseas payments to Russian commodity and energy companies would typically be made in dollars via SWIFT to Russian accounts.

For Indian trade settlements using the yuan, lenders would potentially send dollars to foreign banks with sufficient yuan reserves, or Chinese banks they have tie-ups with, in exchange for yuan to settle the trade.

The invoice mentioned the SWIFT transaction IDs of both HSBC's Hong Kong branch and China Everbright's Shanghai branch. Reuters could not confirm whether any payment was made using the SWIFT platform.

SWIFT is a secure messaging system that facilitates rapid cross-border payments, making international trade flow smoothly. Several Russian banks have been cut off from the system in recent months.

"As a matter of policy, SWIFT does not comment on flows between institutions," a spokesman said.

India's bilateral trade with China, for which companies largely pay in dollars, has flourished even after a deadly military border clash between the two in 2020 that ratcheted up tensions that have still not subsided.

New Delhi has increased scrutiny on Chinese investments and imports, and banned some mobile apps over security concerns.

The Indian government and the central bank were aware of potential payments for Russian cargo in Chinese yuan, sources told Reuters last week. The government and central bank did not comment for this article.

($1 = 6.7096 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Editing by Mike Collett-White and Carmel Crimmins)

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Continues in Japan

A ruling by the Osaka district court reflects the same outdated rhetoric as the conservative government.

By Airin Ri
June 28, 2022

Credit: Depositphotos

Same-sex couples will continue to remain legally discriminated against in Japan, as the Osaka district court declared that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional. The ruling, made on June 20, noted that Japan’s constitution defines marriage as between “both sexes.”

This was a demoralizing result for many LGBTQ rights advocates and same-sex couples in Japan. The Osaka ruling follows the Sapporo district’s unprecedented court ruling in 2021 that declared the failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Shamefully, Japan remains the only member of the G-7, a grouping of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies, where same-sex marriage is yet to be recognized by national law. That remains true, even though an opinion poll conducted last year shows that approximately 65 of the Japanese public support marriage equality.

Such an injustice to the LGBTQ community is arguably due more to the thinking of the conservative government than to social views.

The ban on same-sex marriage is a reflection of the tendency in Japanese politics to steadfastly champions laws and policies that uphold anachronistic values. To conservative politicians, the nuclear, heteronormative, and reproductive family model is considered to be the foundation of Japan’s social order, stability, and economic success. While this family model is no longer feasible in the post-industrial economy, it is still thought to engender prosperity, as it did during the period from post-World War II until the early 1990s, which is dubbed the Japanese economic miracle. While some LDP politicians such as Noda Seiko and Kono Taro are advocating for greater social diversity and inclusivity, the majority remain intractable in their adherence to the outdated belief that marriage must be between a man and a woman.

Prejudicial and homophobic comments, thus, are frequently used to rail against increasingly loud calls to legalize same-sex marriage and secure other basic rights — despite the public backlash that ensues from such bigotry. For instance, Okochi Shigeta, a former LDP member, notoriously stated, “What would you do if homosexuals are to come together in Takarazuka and turn the city into a center of HIV infections?” on his official website in an effort to advocate against same-sex marriage in 2015.

More recently, Sugita Mio, a current member of the ruling party, expressed opposition to using taxpayers’ money to foster inclusivity for LGBTQ individuals in a Japanese publication. She claimed her stance is based on a belief that LGBTQ individuals do not reproduce and thus are not productive citizens. Sugita’s further assertion that sexual preference is something that individuals could grow out of to become futsu or “normal” is another clear sign that these lawmakers are unwilling to let go of the past.

Another archaic law based on similar principles is the koseki, or the family registration system, stipulated in Article 750 of the Japanese Civil Code. It was enacted in 1896 during the Meiji period with the purpose to protect and preserve the traditional family model. It is this law that famously forbids married couples from keeping different surnames. Like the same-sex marriage ban, repeated challenges to the ban on married couples having different names have been knocked down by courts, and the ruling LDP has showed little appetite to make a legal change, despite growing public discontent.

It appears that most of the LDP lawmakers adhere to the universally fading value that the husband must serve as the family breadwinner while the wife serves her family by bearing children and engaging in domestic work. With this outdated conception of the family, it is thus not surprising that same-sex couples are denied their right to marry, especially as some lawmakers believe the alarming birthrate decline in Japan is somehow induced by the LGBTQ community.

Considering that married couples in Japan are required by law to share a surname – which, in practice, nearly always means the woman changes her name – we should not expect that LDP politicians would accept a bill that legalizes same-sex marriage anytime soon, much less proactively put forward such a bill. Indeed, perhaps to skirt away from ruffling the feathers of either the public or his party members – two groups increasingly at odds over the issue – Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has maintained his seemingly neutral position regarding same-sex marriage, stating that the matter must be carefully considered. Given that he has yet to lay out a single plan for an actual review, however, it seems he merely wants to avoid taking action on the issue. Japan’s sclerotic government is allergic to change.

The current environment in Japan, which legally discriminates against sexual minorities, will continue to have negative impacts, and not just on the marginalized LGBTQ community. Japan’s lack of progress on LGBTQ rights forbodes negative economic prospects for the nation, as more and more foreign businesses are prioritizing inclusivity. If Japan wants to keep its status as a leading nation among liberal democracies – where LGBTQ inclusivity is of key importance – the government must eventually legalize same-sex marriage. The conservative government continuing to stall comes at the cost of narrowing the country’s economic potential and depriving millions of people of their basic human rights.

It is time for the government to let go of the past and look to the future.

Palestinian president, Israeli defence minister meet before Biden visit



Fri, July 8, 2022 

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz held a rare meeting in the occupied West Bank in an effort to calm tensions and coordinate on security days before U.S. President Joe Biden's first visit to the region.

Gantz said on Twitter that Thursday's meeting in Ramallah "was conducted in positive terms" and that the two discussed "civilian and security challenges" in the region.

"We agreed to maintain close security coordination and to avoid actions that may cause instability," Gantz said.

Abbas "stressed the importance of creating a political horizon, respecting signed agreements and stopping actions and measures that lead to the deterioration of the situation," Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, said in a tweet.

Abbas also stressed the importance of having a "calm atmosphere before President Biden's visit, which we welcome".

It was the third known meeting between Abbas and Gantz since August last year, and the first since Yair Lapid took over as caretaker prime minister in Israel last week ahead of elections on Nov. 1.

Simmering tensions between Israel and the Palestinians grew more intense following the May 11 killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during an Israeli army raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Palestinians say Abu Akleh was shot deliberately by an Israeli soldier. Israel denies this. The U.S. State Department said on Monday that Abu Akleh was likely killed by gunfire from Israeli positions but it was probably unintentional.

The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank. U.S.-brokered talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival.

(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Writing by Henriette Chacar; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Swiss court clears Blatter, Platini of fraud in FIFA trial

Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court acquits ex-world and European football chiefs over a suspected fraudulent payment.

Blatter gives statements at the last day of his trial [Alessandro Crinari/EPA]

Published On 8 Jul 2022

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, once the chiefs of world and European football, have been acquitted over a suspected fraudulent payment that shook the sport and torpedoed their time at the top.

Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court in the southern city of Bellinzona on Friday rejected the prosecution’s request for a suspended prison sentence of a year and eight months, following a mammoth investigation that began in 2015 and lasted six years.

KEEP READING
Swiss trial opens for ex-FIFA boss Blatter, ex-UEFA chief Platinil
Swiss prosecutors charge Blatter and Platini with fraud

Former FIFA president Blatter, 86, and Platini, 67, were tried over a two million Swiss franc ($2.05m) payment in 2011 to Platini, who was then in charge of European football’s governing body UEFA.

The former French football great “submitted to FIFA in 2011 an allegedly fictitious invoice for a (alleged) debt still existing for his activity as an adviser for FIFA in the years 1998 to 2002”, according to the court.

Blatter insisted before the court that the pair had struck an oral “gentlemen’s agreement”, with some of Platini’s remuneration to be paid at a later date when FIFA’s fragile finances would allow it.

Both were accused of fraud and forgery of a document. Blatter was accused of misappropriation and criminal mismanagement, while Platini was accused of participating in those offences.

Platini surrounded by journalists as he arrives at Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court [Fabrice Coffrini/AFP]

Blatter and Platini maintained their innocence throughout their trial, which ran from June 8 to 22.

The indictment was filed by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland.

Both FIFA and UEFA are headquartered in Switzerland, in Zurich and Nyon respectively.
Banned from the sport

Platini and Blatter were banned from the sport at the very moment when the former seemed ideally placed to succeed Blatter at the helm of world football’s governing body.

The two allies became rivals as Platini grew impatient to take over, while Blatter’s tenure was brought to a swift end by a separate 2015 FIFA corruption scandal investigated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Joseph “Sepp” Blatter joined FIFA in 1975, became its general secretary in 1981 and the president of world football’s governing body in 1998.

He was forced to stand down in 2015 and was banned by FIFA for eight years, later reduced to six, over ethics breaches for authorising the payment to Platini, allegedly made in his own interests rather than FIFA’s.

Platini is regarded among world football’s greatest ever players. He won the Ballon d’Or, considered the most prestigious individual award, three times – in 1983, 1984 and 1985.

Platini was UEFA’s president from January 2007 to December 2015. He appealed against his initial eight-year suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which reduced it to four years.

PANAFRICANISM

Ndabaningi Sithole: Zimbabwe’s forgotten intellectual and leader


Despite being almost erased from history, Sithole’s ideas are still relevant today.

Ndabaningi Sithole, July 1977. Central Press/Getty Images

The Conversation
July 7, 2022

Ndabaningi Sithole was one of the founding fathers of the modern state of Zimbabwe in southern Africa. In August 1963, he became the first president of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu), the militant liberation organisation that fought against white minority rule that he led for a decade before being deposed in a palace coup engineered by his rival Robert Mugabe. Mugabe went on to become the post-independence leader of Zimbabwe.

Sithole was the most prolific black writer in colonial Rhodesia from the 1950s until the country gained independence as Zimbabwe in 1980. In that period he published nine books (one serialised in African Parade magazine). He also left an incredible archive of the liberation struggle that was generated in real time. Surprisingly, most of Zimbabwe’s liberation figures did not leave behind a lot of their own writings. Sithole is unique in that regard.

His most important book, African Nationalism, which has recently been republished, is part autobiography and part polemics that provides a history of the liberation movement in Zimbabwe at its nascent stages. It was first published in 1959 and then in 1968.

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Third edition of African Nationalism.
Ndabaningi Sithole Foundation

A third edition of African Nationalism is timely. It was released by his family through the Ndabaningi Sithole Foundation which was launched last year to “honour and perpetuate his legacy as an advocate for civil rights and pan African democracy” through republishing his books and hosting events.

It’s timely because there is a reconfiguration of the politics of Zimbabwe. Mugabe, who was a dominant force for almost four decades, has since died. There is currently a vigorous contestation for power and legitimacy going on in the country. Figures like Sithole who have been sidelined in Zimbabwe’s history offer us an opportunity to reconsider suppressed views and perspectives.

The philosopher-politician

More than six decades after the publication of African Nationalism, it remains a critical text to think about topical subjects such as self determination, political representation and decolonisation. Sithole’s foray into active politics was primarily through his writings and thus his bona fide credentials as a leading intellectual were embraced. His book’s wide critical acclaim and translation into half a dozen European languages earned him respect among his peers.

Sithole composed the book in the US where he was a student of theology. He explained his impetus in his introduction:

I was confronted by what some of my American friends said about African nationalism, which at the time was just beginning to be felt throughout the length and breadth of the continent of Africa, and which was also beginning to make fairly sensational international headlines. The big question which everyone was asking: Is Africa ready for sovereign independence? The majority greatly doubted that Africa was ready. Some regarded the rise of African nationalism as a bad omen for the whitemen in Africa.

As historian David Maxwell writes, nationalism – supporting the interests of the nation-state – has been a powerful force in Zimbabwean history as a mobilising ideology. It continues to play a key part in the arena in which political ideas and participation are imagined.

Zimbabwean nationalism, a version of which historian Terence Ranger called “patriotic history” remains central to debates about who belongs, and who has the right to speak, to vote and to own land.

The barrel of a pen

Sithole’s tenure as leader of Zanu was mostly from prison, between 1964 and 1974. It was a treacherous time. Most of the black political leaders had been rounded up, detained, killed or forced into exile. Besides directing Zanu’s insurgent activities from his prison cell, Sithole also filled up time writing books: novels, poetry, and political tracts. He considered writing as a revolutionary tool.

From left to right, Chief Jeremiah Chirau, Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole, 

Prime Minister Ian Smith and Bishop Abel Muzorewa in New York, 1978.
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

His manuscripts, smuggled from prison with the help of guards and sympathisers, were mostly published abroad to avoid censorship. Two of these included The Polygamist and Obed Mutezo – the story of an “African Nationalist (Christian) Martyr”. Sithole was also a leading contributor to the Zimbabwe News, a newsletter that was published by Zanu to convey its revolutionary messages.

As if he knew history was not going to be kind to him, Sithole spent considerable time writing his ideas, but also about people he met as a leader. He partly coordinated the liberation struggle through the barrel of the pen. Sithole writes himself into history. He is not just a chronicler of the liberation struggle, as it is happening in real time, but also acts as an archivist for the future.
The teacher and preacher

Sithole was a primary school teacher at home before studying theology in the US between 1955 and 1958. He had been mentored by the revered missionaries Garfield and Grace Todd at Dadaya Mission. This relationship was formative to his politics and civic interests. Despite later political disagreements, they maintained a cautious allyship and respect.

While in the US, Sithole published AmaNdebele kaMzilikazi in 1956, the first published novel in Ndebele in Zimbabwe. It was released by Longmans, Green & Co. in Cape Town before being republished in 1957 as Umvukela wamaNdebele by the newly established Rhodesia Literature Bureau. The book is inspired by the events of the Ndebele uprisings of 1896.

Sithole was the product of an unusual progeny – a father from the Ndau clan and a mother from the Ndebele clan. As such, he was not easily contained by the Shona-Ndebele binary that has informed much of Zimbabwe’s modern politics. Growing up in rural Matebeleland, he was raised under Ndebele tradition and culture. It is not surprising that his first published book was inspired by Ndebele traditions.

A complicated legacy

To look at Sithole’s life and career in retrospect is to wade through so much hubris, of his own making and of others. His fall from grace was spectacular. He has been for the modern Zanu-PF a persona non grata. But a figure like Sithole cannot be easily expunged from history, which he actively contributed to as a leading actor and as a writer.

At a time when a young generation of Africans are calling for decolonisation, Sithole’s ideas resonate even further. In the preface to the new edition of African Nationalism, former Kenyan prime minister, Raila Odinga posits:

Reading African Nationalism evokes mixed feelings of sadness and joy. It is sad to imagine that a whole book had to be written to try and explain to fellow humans why Africans were agitating for and deserved self rule.

It is always important to look back to the past, in order to navigate the present and the future. His ideas aside, Sithole is also a reminder of the fickleness of politics and history.

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Junior Research Fellow, University of Oxford

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.