Even as Exxon makes more money than ever,

its long-simmering toxic culture has

employees heading for the exits

How Eritrea fuels the war in Ethiopia, making peace more unlikely

The country on the horn of Africa has apparently deployed a massive contingent of its own troops to Ethiopia's Tigray. This could torpedo further peace negotiations. International criticism is mounting.

Soldiers everywhere: The Ethiopian army has taken control of the towns 

of Dessie and Hayk in Amhara state

Germany has joined the ranks of nations taking a stand on the latest developments in Ethiopia. Together with the United States, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Germany condemned the resumed war in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.

In the statement released by the US State Department, the group of nations called on Ethiopia and the Tigray region to suspend fighting and to return to the negotiating table.

The statement, however, also highlights new developments in the conflict: "We condemn the escalating involvement of Eritrean troops in northern Ethiopia."

This is a reference to Eritrea's active participation in the Ethiopian war against regional forces in Tigray, deploying its own soldiers and tanks on Ethiopian soil.

It was at the end of August that a five-month ceasefire between the Ethiopean government and Tigrayan separatist forces broke down, leading to fresh clashes.

Eritrea as a warring party

There is little doubt in the truthfulness of reports of Eritrean troops getting involved in the conflict, even though Eritrea is notorious for its blackout on information getting out of the isolated country.

"We have detected Eritrean troop movements across the Ethiopian border - and we condemn them," US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer said a few weeks later after a trip to the region. Evidence of this included pictures  shared by the US satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies.

At the same time, there had just been a renewed attempt at negotiations: On Saturday, the conflicting parties were supposed to meet in South Africa for negotiations mediated by the special representative of the African Union (AU) and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Both the central government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which leads the government in the northern Ethiopian region, had agreed to meet. However, that meeting did not take place in the end.

"The AU issued invitations at very short notice and provided few details," says analyst William Davison of the International Crisis Group.

"Key parties such as the Tigray government and Kenyan envoy Uhuru Kenyatta have asked for clarification on individual points," which due to time constraints could not be given, he added.

Satellite imagery from private company Maxar reportedly shows troop 

movements on the Eritrean-Ethiopian border

A lack of commitment on both sides

Even in the run-up to the collapsed meeting, there were doubts about its success. Ethiopian analyst Befekadu Hailu told DW that both sides lacked a sense of decisive commitment to negotiations: "They used the war for their political agenda," he said.

Ghanaian security expert Adib Saani meanwhile stressed that "(e)ven umpteenth talks can't bring peace if both warring parties don't show the necessary commitment."

Saani also added that Ethiopia and Tigray must avoid falling under the influence of outside interests: "It looks very much like third parties are playing into the situation."

Ethiopia is home to multiple ethnicities and cultures, with the Tigray and Amhara regions

 showing the greatest interest in seceding

Hostile allies

The growing influence of neighboring Eritrea, which may now have as many as 100,000 troops in Ethiopia,is likely to only further complicate any prospects for renewed negotiations.

It is no secret that the Eritrean government in Asmara does not exactly hold its former Tigrayan allies in the south in the highest regard: The TPLF de facto ruled Ethiopia for nearly three decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, elected in 2018, initiated a new course, and pushed for reconciliation with Eritrea.

In the 1970s and 80s, the then-liberation movements from Tigray and Eritrea had joined forces against the communist regime in Addis Ababa.

Following the victory of the TPLF, Eritrea finally gained independence in 1993. But years later, border disputes resulted in the former allies declaring war on each other.

Today, Asmara appears to be on the side of the Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa in the Tigray conflict, but its interests and intentions likely reach beyond the simple objective of helping Prime Minister Ahmed.

Analyst Davison says that Eritrea is quickly becoming one of several crucial players in the Tigray conflict: "There is no indication that Eritrea will participate in peace negotiations, or that it is interested in an amicable solution," he told DW. 

Solutions to the conflict in Tigray are being sought at the Tana Forum,

 with participants from around the globe taking part

Enough problems already

Meanwhile, the German government is trying to talk some sense into the warring parties. Before her recent trip to Ethiopia, German Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Katja Keul said: "The security of Africa and Europe are inextricably linked. We are facing great challenges."

Keul, who is participating at the Tana Forum security conference in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia from October 14 to 16, added that there were already plenty of other crises affecting the Horn of Africa without any potential escalation of the Tigray conflict.

She stressed that the Russian war against Ukraine is seriously exacerbating the food crisis situation in many African countries, while climate change is also threatening livelihoods across the region. 

"The only possible consequence is (establishing) more cooperation between Europe and Africa," she said.

Edited by Sertan Sanderson

DW RECOMMENDS

Ethiopia's peace process dealt a setback

Only negotiations will bring an end to the conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, mediators and security experts agree. But the latest escalation and involvement of Eritrean troops is a setback to peace.  

• Date 15.10.2022

Africa Is Being Marginalized on World Stage, Finance Chiefs Say

Prinesha Naidoo

Sat, October 15, 2022

(Bloomberg) -- Africa’s influence on issues of global importance remains far too narrow for a continent of 1.2 billion people who are bearing the brunt of external shocks, finance ministers said

“We are at the table and increasingly so, but we occupy a small stool at the table,” Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told reporters Saturday after the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. “Most of the time we are recipients of support -- of aid, of resources -- as opposed to the giver of resources to the rest of the world and that creates a naturally uneven relationship, but we should strengthen ourselves and we should be listened to.”

Assistance would be “more impactful” if contributors, including international financial institutions, listened to those they are helping who better understand the conditions on the ground, Ncube said.

Africa’s weight at the table is “very narrow” and it remains “marginalized” even as the continent’s population and youth demographic is second only to Asia, said Situmbeko Musokotwane, Zambia’s finance minister.

Their comments add to the growing list of criticism by African leaders of rich nations in Washington this week as emerging markets deal with the fallout of developed nations’ policy decisions, including aggressive interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve that raise loan-servicing costs and have effectively locked some nations out of capital markets.

The Fed’s actions -- which strengthened the greenback -- also raised the cost of dollar-priced energy and food imports particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where floods and droughts are adding to price pressures induced by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Top Kenyan central banker Patrick Njoroge warned that the spillover effects for emerging markets will have costly consequences while South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said this week that the continent’s leaders have little faith in the developed world and that Group of 20 nation’s debt-restructuring mechanism needs to be reformed.

While the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical issues were at the fore in Washington, African leaders presented their cases strongly and appealed for the continent not to be forgotten, said Dier Tong Ngor, South Sudan’s minister of finance and economic planning.

“We can’t expect that the development burden of Africa will be on the shoulders of institutions like the World Bank and IMF and so forth -- their resource levels are just too small compared to the needs,” Ngor said. “There’s a disjoint between what we get out of these institutions and what will be required for private sector money to draw in and complement the effect of the public money from these institutions. That is one of the issues that, hopefully, institutions like the World Bank need to listen to very carefully and adjust the way they do the business.

Caught on camera: As massive fire engulfs Istanbul skyscraper, flames rip through all floors

As a massive fire engulfed a high-rise building in Turkey’s Istanbul, flames were seen ripping through all floors.

India Today Web Desk
New Delhi,

UPDATED: Oct 16, 2022 

A screengrab from the video

By India Today Web Desk: As a massive fire tore through a huge tower block in Turkey’s Istanbul, flames were seen ripping through all the floors. Footage from the incident shows smoke spreading across the night sky as flames burn the tower.

The incident took place in Fikirtepe in Istanbul with its videos circulating on social media.

The video also shows the presence of emergency response vehicles surrounding the burning tower as crowds gather to watch.



There have been conflicting reports as to whether the tower block is a hotel or a residential building and the cause of the blaze is not yet known.

The latest videos from the scene show the blaze more under control with most of the fire put out.

The incident comes days after another similar fire broke out in the same area of the city.

Last weekend, a reported gas leak led to a huge explosion in another residential building in Fikirtepe that killed three people and injured another.

During that fire, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said: "The explosion occurred on the top floor of the building and the fire spread to a neighbouring building".

The fourth person was a foreigner, but their nationality was not confirmed.

Both fires devastated the same part of the city's only a week apart.

The first blaze on October 9 was caused by an explosion that occurred on the second floor of a three-storey building in the Fikirtepe neighbourhood at 7 pm that day.

It spread to the two buildings next door after successive explosions and firefighters were able to bring it under control after about an hour. However, a ten-year-old girl and her 68-year-old grandfather died along with another person and the child's father was injured due to smoke inhalation, according to Ali Yerlikaya

.

--- ENDS ---

Lloyd’s at ‘advanced point’ in network investigation, remains mum on the details

The organization has remained tight-lipped on the nature of its unusual network activity — including the root cause — but it has moved quickly to isolate systems.

Published Oct. 7, 2022
Naomi EideLead Editor

The Lutine Bell hangs in the center of the atrium underwriting room at Lloyd’s of London on September 15, 2022 in London, England. 

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Dive Brief:

Lloyd’s of London is at an “advanced point” in its investigation after detecting unusual network activity and cutting external connections earlier this week. The organizations reset its network and systems Wednesday after identifying unusual network activity.

“We isolated a number of external-facing systems as a precautionary measure and will reconnect them when we are confident they are fully secure,” a spokesperson told Cybersecurity Dive. “We will provide a more detailed update in due course.”

The organization said a dedicated team, alongside two specialist partners, are conducting the investigation.

Lloyd’s has remained tight-lipped on the details of its network incident — including the root cause or the nature of the incident — but it has moved quickly to isolate systems.

Its response is textbook in terms of how financial services organizations approach risk mitigation and management, according to Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist at Sophos.

Lloyd’s initial response is indicative of a “pretty mature security program,” Wisniewski said.

“Companies that aren’t prepared, don’t know what’s happening until it’s already happened and generally are in reaction mode,” he said.

By releasing a statement that said it has detected unusual activity and is investigating is a “positive sign” that Lloyd’s is actively, if not proactively, monitoring its network exceptionally carefully, according to Wisniewski.

The response speaks to the risk-adverse nature of financial services organizations and its continued heavy investment in technology. Alongside IT services, financial services is one of the top sectors expected to increase IT budgets next year, Spiceworks Ziff Davis research shows.

Security, too, is taking on a larger portion of IT spending overall, creeping into software, hardware and cloud budgets.

Jobs Are Getting in the Way of Work

 (Here’s What’s Coming Next)

The days of good old-fashioned job roles are beginning to give way to skills-based workforce models. Here is how that works and what it means to employers, universities, and workers.

Pam Baker

Contributing Writer

October 12, 2022

Credit: Andreas Prott via Alamy 

Traditional work models based on hierarchy and good old-fashioned job roles are giving way to skills-based workforce models. In this newer work model, employees are hired and/or assigned to work projects based on the entirety of what they can do rather than limiting them to what they have done in the past. But what does that mean, exactly?

“Skills-based hiring is the practice of screening and hiring workers based on the skills and capabilities they can bring to the table -- rather than their degree or prior job experience,” explains Michael Griffiths, a senior partner in Deloitte's Workforce Transformation practice.

In this context, Deloitte defines “skills” as encompassing a candidate’s or employee’s measurable abilities in three areas of expertise:

• Hard or technical skills (such as coding, data analysis, and accounting)
• Human capabilities (such as critical thinking and emotional intelligence)
• Potential (including latent qualities, abilities, or adjacent or transferrable skills that may be developed and lead to future success)

Most industry analysts similarly define the skills assessed in skill-based hiring. But don’t go thinking that an employee can just claim skills, or an employer can guess at them.

“By using AI to understand the skills and capabilities workers have that are correlated to their success --using “affirmative” filters that “screen in” based on skills and demonstrated capabilities, even if these workers have never had a similar job before -- organizations can open the doors of opportunity and movement to millions who have previously been shut out,” says Griffiths.

A McKinsey report points to new AI-based talent management systems that “can infer adjacent skills to eliminate guesswork.” It cites Career Exchange, a talent intelligence platform the firm as well as numerous big employers support, as an example.

Hiring and promotion biases are more likely to be avoided or at least diminished in the skills-based model. Meanwhile, diversity and inclusiveness tend to climb.

“When workers are selected based more on their verified, fact-based skills than on pedigree or subjective judgements of others, then the chances of bias creeping in to hiring decisions is reduced,” says Griffiths.

The skills-based workforce movement is generally more hardcore than that and ultimately focused on leveraging every ounce of everyone’s abilities. Tests, performance verifications, AI analysis, and other assessments are the norm. At least, so far.

Why Hire and Assign Based on Skills vs. Experience or Education?

Given the massive talent shortages and low unemployment rates in the US and elsewhere, there’s plenty of motivation for employers to smash the old workforce molds and grab onto something new.

Take cybersecurity, for example. For months or even years now, companies have, out of desperation, hired all the warm bodies they can find without too hard a look at actual cold, hard skills. The assumption is that the company will train them on whatever skills they lack later. But sometimes work is piled high and “later” never comes. Or the employee turns out not to have the aptitude for such detailed and strategic work, despite a formal education and some prior experience.

Hiring people by their skills rather than their titles or degrees looks to some to be a better solution.

According to a McKinsey & Company report, “assessing candidates based on skills, rather than their last job title, can help fill critical roles with the best talent.”

But shifting to skills-based models bring other advantages to employers, too. Most notably via improving the employee experience, shareholder returns, and community value.

“A majority (79%) of business executives agree that the purpose of the organization should be to create value for workers as human beings, as well as for shareholders and society at large, and 66% are facing increased pressure to show their commitment to doing so, moving from rhetoric to results,” says Griffiths.

Allowing workers to stretch on the job, meaning to fill different roles on a variety of work projects, beats the heck out of tedium associated with work and enables a faster path to explore new skills and multiple paths to higher pay and promotions. Employers can also take a more active role in developing raw talent into the workforce they need.

“In an ever-evolving world of work in which the half-life of hard skills is shorter than ever, increasingly more important will be hiring based on adjacent skills, or foundational human capabilities such as learnability. Workers then have the ability to build on the foundation of other capabilities to continually develop the hard skills they need,” says Griffiths.

Other industry analysts put a finer point on the ecosystem payoffs.

“We’re going to need jobs that are skill-based, don’t necessarily require college degrees, and are co-located in communities where they could use the jobs,” said McKinsey partner, Eric Chewning, on the impact of US manufacturing on inclusion and sustainability in an episode of McKinsey's Future of America podcast.

All told, employers can develop an “Anything Workforce,” as workforce agility and talent marketplace platform Gloat calls it, wherein cross-functional teams can be built overnight or in a matter of hours to complete any given work project. Done correctly, this converts the one remaining obstacle to a company being truly agile, a stuck-in-place workforce, into the ultimate agility organization capable of near limitless innovation and productivity levels.

The Thorns in the Rose Garden

Skills-based workforces are not a panacea. A company’s leadership must still steer the company forward to bigger profits and stable, sustainable returns. But it’s easier to do when the business is manned properly.

Skills-based models carry a lot of promise in that regard. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any challenges ahead.

“It’s an entire mindset shift; our research reveals that by far the biggest barrier to taking a skills-based approach is legacy mindsets and practices. Only 28% of organizations are using skills-based hiring to a significant extent, but 62% are experimenting,” says Griffiths.

Recruiters, established workers, and universities are likely to push back hard as skills-based hiring causes college degrees to plummet in value while the associated student loans remain high or suffer escalating interest rates. Next to mortgages, student loans are arguably the highest investments the average American family makes. It’s hard to watch the value drop when the payments still come due.

Traditions also die hard. The C-suite is usually populated by persons who are proud to have graduated from the “right” universities. Only to see those same university degrees fall in value as other colleges and university degrees do. Along with such degrees comes a feeling of elite belonging and a camaraderie with a “special” group. Skills-based organizations will likely find their own leadership and numerous managers and older workers balking at the loss of school identities that still linger decades later.

Beyond stuck mindsets, hurt feelings, and lost school identities, the practical tasks are a major challenge. Identifying and matching skills, let alone adjacent skills and hidden talents, to specific work is “far more granular and inherently more complex than matching someone’s degree or prior job experience to a job,” according to Deloitte.

“Workers are no longer viewed as “job or degree holders”; they are seen as unique individuals with a portfolio of skills, adjacent skills, and human capabilities -- and with varying motivations, work preferences, and more. And increasingly, work is also no longer solely defined in terms of “jobs,” says Griffiths.

“Work can now be organized in other ways too – fractionalizing work by deconstructing it into tasks or projects performed by permanent employees or freelancers, for example, or broadening it so that it is organized around problems to be solved or outcomes to be achieved,” he adds.

Ultimately the challenge is what it has always been: Adapt to change or die. Given change is the only constant, adaptation is the only answer for companies. Yet another dramatic shift in the workforce is just one more step in the steady march of business.

WORK TO RULE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Quiet Quitting in the IT Department Impacts the Entire Enterprise

There are several ways to get a handle on the quiet quitting phenomenon, so it does not have a lasting effect on current or future business operations.

Andrew Froehlich

President & Lead Network Architect, West Gate Networks

October 12, 2022

Credit: Ivan Marc Sanchez via Alamy 

Business leaders are growing increasingly concerned over a troubling trend known as “quiet quitting.” This is when employees perform the bare minimum of their duties to get by as they plan their prolonged, but eventual exit. Although quiet quitters can negatively affect a business in any department, perhaps the most damaging examples can be found in the IT department. Here’s a look at the impact of quiet quitters in IT, why it’s occurring, and what you can do about it.

When IT Services and Operations Slow to a Crawl

Within the IT department, employees serve one of four distinct faculties. For each of these roles, I’ll point out how quiet quitters can cause a harmful ripple effect on the entire organization.

1. Those who service the needs of employees -- These are professionals that operate in customer/employee-facing IT service desks. When employees have questions or problems with enterprise technologies, these IT professionals are commonly the first point of contact. All onboarding and offboarding duties also fall under this role. Thus, quiet quitters here can have an immediate impact for employees that require any sort of technical assistance as any significant delay in technical assistance can disrupt business operations across the entire business workflow chain.

2. Those who research and design technologies -- IT architects are the ones that seek to solve existing problems with current business processes or look to technology to facilitate new business goals. While this group of IT employees may not have a direct impact on day-to-day business operations, these quiet quitters can do the most long-term damage on future business growth. Delayed technology projects can hinder a businesses ability to gain competitive advantages, ultimately eroding future revenue.

3. Those who integrate technologies -- These are network, server, security, and cloud engineers that integrate technology solutions based on architectural designs. When quiet quitters fail to address new technology build-out requests, business goals and expected revenues can slip in the mid-term.

4. Those who perform ongoing infrastructure maintenance – These are server/cloud, security and network operations staff that are responsible for maintaining production environments by ensuring hardware/software is patched, operating efficiently and free from security vulnerabilities.

As we know, most business processes these days have become digitized. Quiet quitting ITOps staff that are slow to respond to bug fixes, feature enhancements and security flaws can significantly impact business efficiency in both the short and long term.

Why Is Quiet Quitting Such a Problem These Days?

It’s important to understand that quiet quitting is not something new or revolutionary. Rather, the issue has simply grown due to a lack of management readiness as it relates to newly implemented work-from-home policies. Now that employees are working remotely -- and often in asynchronous work environments -- management has failed to adopt to these changes from a management support, accountability, and collaborative perspective.

Because of this lack of proper management and vision, employees are more likely to grow dissatisfied with their current role and feel that they want something more. However, due to a gap in visibility and accountability, these people are in no real hurry to find something new as they know they can likely “phone it in” for a longer period without repercussion.

How to Address Quiet Quitting in the IT Department

There are several ways to get a handle on the quiet quitting phenomenon, so it does not have a lasting impact on current or future business operations. The first task is to readdress remote work policies and ensure that there are processes outlined that management could use to keep track of individual employee task and progress metrics. This will help to baseline productivity across the board and quickly identify those employees that seem to be slipping. Once policy is in place, the right tools must be deployed that allow for improved communication, documentation, and project status within the various IT roles. This includes the use of voice/video software, collaboration tools for individual and team-based text communication, project management software and presence/time-tracking services to identify who is online at any given moment.

Keep in mind, however, that the monitoring of employees can be taken too far. While tools exist that monitor and log every keystroke and mouse click, in most circumstances, this is not necessary and counterproductive. Instead, tools should be used that facilitate communication, documentation, support and generally aid employees instead of surveilling them. This allows for the right balance of performance insight without being overbearing.

What to Read Next:

Return-to-Office Moment Drives Discord

How to Keep IT Team Members From Quitting in a Tight Employment Market

The Great Resignation: How to Combat the Knowledge Drain Effect

Women’s Rugby World Cup: Black Ferns star on Sunday while Canada and Fiji win

Dylan Coetzee 

ABOUT TO DO THE MAORI BATTLE CRY THE HAKKA

The Black Ferns claimed a dominant 56-12 win over Wales in their second clash of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Despite there being no score after 17 minutes, New Zealand scored four tries in quick succession courtesy of Chelsea Bremmer, a brace from superstar Portia Woodman and teenager Sylvia Brunt who all scored tries before the half-hour mark with only one being converted by Ruahei Demant.

Wales responded with a try from Ffion Lewis before half-time, converted by Elinor Snownsill to leave the score at 22-7 at the break.


Hunter: An unbelievable Red Roses ...
MacDonald: Previous success guarantees...
 

The Black Ferns were out of the blocks quickly in the second period as Maria Roos, and Theresa Fitzpatrick scored before Brunt crossed for her second in the 49th minute.

Replacement Krystal Murray added to the score with a converted try of her own before Demant crossed for try number nine despite the yellow card for Sarah Hirini.

Hirini was joined in the sin bin by Charmaine McMenamin, resulting in Wales star Sioned Harries crossing for an unconverted try.

Superstar Ruby Tui rounded out the scoring late in the game, completing a solid victory for the hosts.

Canada qualify for quarter-finals

Canada secured a spot in the quarter-final after a 22-12 win over Italy on Sunday at Waitakere Stadium.

Italy started the strongest with a first-minute try through an outstanding effort from Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi that Michela Sillari failed to convert.

Canada responded in the 20th minute with winger Paige Farries crossing for a try converted by Brianna Miller to take a 7-5 lead.

Hooker Emily Tuttosi scored before half-time as Miller missed the conversion this time for Canada to lead 12-5 at the break.

Canada was on hand again in the 50th minute as centre Sara Kaljuvee scored before Tuttosi completed her brace.

Emma Taylor was yellow carded late in the game, and Italy made the most of their numerical advantage, scoring a consolation try through Elisa Giordano.

Fiji edge thriller

Fiji claimed their first win in a World Cup as they edged South Africa 21-17 on Sunday.

South African Nomawethu Mabenge was yellow carded after 15 minutes for a deliberate knockdown, and Fiji capitalised, scoring through Illisapeci Delaiwau while Lavena Cavuru added the extra two points.

Zintle Mpupha responded for South Africa, scoring a try of her own that Libbie Janse van Rensburg converted.

However, Fiji took the lead at the break through an Akanisi Sokoiwasa try just before half-time, with Cavuru making no mistake from the kicking tee.

Sokoiwasa was yellow carded in the second period opening the door for an Aseza Hele try converted by Van Rensburg before the kicker added a penalty to take the lead late in the game.

Fiji stuck to their guns and won the match with a converted try from Karalaini Naisewa before the final whistle.

READ MORE: Premiership: Gloucester edge Bristol in West Country thriller, while Saracens and Northampton also win

'For me, it is a fight against darkness': How Iranian men are standing up for women, life, and freedom

The murder of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent uprisings across Iran has placed a fresh spotlight on Iranian state-sponsored repression against its people. With many men standing up to support a feminist revolution, this may be a watershed moment.

Melina Spanoudi
11 October, 2022

The murder of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent uprisings across Iran has placed a fresh spotlight on Iranian state-sponsored repression against its people. With many men standing up to support a feminist revolution, this may be a watershed moment.

Women burning their headscarves may have seemed a protest narrowly targeting Iran’s morality police and their enforcement of the mandatory hijab law to those on the outside.

But in Iran, to advocate for a woman’s right to choose the clothes she wears is to stand up against the oppression that is woven into the fabric of everyone’s life.

The uprisings sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody, have been rocking the country for more than three weeks. But even as the authorities aggressively cracked down on the protests, people have continued risking their lives to stand up against the rule of the regime.

"Iranians have understood that discrimination and violence are inherent to the regime’s ideology and their freedom will not materialize as long as clerics monopolize power"

Niloofar, a medical student, joined others striking from universities and hospitals and has been attending protests in Tehran.

Her family fear for her safety and worry that her participation may lead to her being expelled from university. But as a woman who grew up under the rule of the regime, not going to the protests was never an option. “I feel useless if I don’t go,” she said. “It’s my right to live like a normal human, to wear something that I want.”

And it was evidently not just women who took to the streets: men have stood right there beside them, chanting Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (women, life, freedom).

“The death of Mahsa ignited broad rage because of its shocking arbitrariness,” a spokesperson from the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for human rights in Iran (ABC) told The New Arab.

The fact that Mahsa Amini could have been anyone’s mother, sister, daughter, or wife tipped an already precarious balance.

“We’re seeing the [young] women of Iran taking charge,” said Firuzeh Mahmoudi, Executive Director of the non-profit United for Iran – an organisation dedicated to improving civil liberties in the country. “They are galvanizing the entire country, and the men are with them.”

Like Niloofar, computer science master’s student Ahmad joined protests in Tehran. “At first, we were just peacefully protesting […] to give women the freedom to choose what they should wear or what they should choose for their lives,” he said. But when the authorities started using force on the protesters, taking to the streets became a highly dangerous undertaking.

One of Niloofar’s male friends was beaten with a baton while trying to protect another protester and sustained multiple injuries. Her other friends urged her to perform sutures on his wounds as they did not want to take him to the hospital, fearing the doctors would identify him as a protester and alert the authorities.

But the injuries were too severe to take the risk. “I couldn’t do that, he needed CT scans, it was so dangerous,” she said. They told the doctors that he was on drugs and had been in a brawl – this seemed safer than admitting how he had really been injured.

Niloofar told them she was a medical student, pleading with them not to arrest him. “We had to lie to save him,” she said, “I think saying junkie is better than saying he was a protester.”

RELATED

Iran's feminist revolution is just getting started

Society

Yousra Samir Imran

But according to Firuzeh, it is the fearlessness that young people have shown in the face of this violence that has proven to be the real threat. “I think the riot police, the government, and the mullahs are in fear,” she said. “These young people are taking their scarves down, walking up to them – even though they know they might die and get beat up: without fear, and standing and looking and saying, ‘don’t you dare touch me’.”

This fight is personal for young Iranians, who have only known life under the rule of the Islamic Republic. “For me, it is a fight against darkness,” Ahmad said. “In this country, we live all our lives without any type of freedom,” he explained, adding that it is even worse for women. And for the older generations, the protests offer a glimpse of hope that they might still get the chance to experience the country that the young people are fighting for.

When Niloofar asked her grandmother why she does not dye her hair and paint her nails, she answered that she hopes to see the day when she will have the freedom to do these things. “It’s more than just [the] hijab: the problem is [the] Islamic Republic of Iran,” Niloofar said.

On Twitter, Iranians gave thousands of reasons for how the regime cast a shadow over their own lives, starting each sentence with “baraye” (for).

Social media has been a powerful protest tool for Iranians. “People used the hashtag #mahsaamini to keep the protests in Iran at the top of global trends on Twitter,” said Sara Tafakori, a lecturer in media and gender at the University of Leeds. “What we are seeing is how mourning has been ‘democratised’ by social media platforms,” she explained.

And while social media united and propelled young people to protest the injustices perpetrated against them, the authorities restricted access and imposed internet shutdowns, causing further outrage.

RELATED

Let’s be honest, Iran’s hijab saga is not about religion

Perspectives

Kourosh Ziabari

From experiencing censorship and having limited rights, to being forced to deal with the economic situation of the country, the anger of Iranians is cumulative and widely felt. “In geographical and social terms, these protests may be the most widespread in the history of the Islamic Republic, having reached all 31 provinces by September 28,” the ABC spokesperson said.

“The key to understanding the widespread nature of this movement is fundamental dissatisfaction with the power of which the mandatory hijab and Guidance Patrols are obvious symbols: the regime of religious dictatorship that is the Islamic Republic.”

The issue of women’s bodily autonomy is not separate from the overall oppression of the regime that men and women were protesting against. “Iranians have understood that discrimination and violence are inherent to the Islamic Republic’s ideology and their freedom will not materialize as long as clerics monopolize power,” the ABC spokesperson said.

Although the outcome of these protests is yet to be seen, many have said that a turning point has been reached. “These people would not be in the streets risking their lives if they didn’t want absolute change,” Firuzeh argued. “They want secular democracy, they want equality, they want an end to discrimination, they want body autonomy,” she explained. “So, if you want to have all of those things, you cannot have the Islamic Republic.”

Melina Spanoudi is a journalist based in London. She writes about society, culture and the environment. Her work has appeared in VICE World News, HuffPost UK and The Sunday Times.

China: Applause greets Xi Jinping as he sets out future vision at Communist Party Congress

President Xi Jinping hailed China's rise as a global power and demanded unity around his leadership on Sunday, launching a Communist Party Congress that is set to rubber-stamp his bid to rule for a historic third term.

The New Arab Staff & Agencies
16 October, 2022

'The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a very important congress convened at a critical moment,' Xi said [source: Getty]

Rapturous applause greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping as he took the stage on Sunday at the start of a carefully choreographed Communist Party Congress expected to confirm him as the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Around 2,300 delegates gathered in Beijing's imposing Great Hall of the People, bedecked in the party's signature red and gold with banners bearing slogans hailing the "great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party".

Xi's opening speech came after a minute's silence for deceased party heroes, such as Mao and his successor Deng Xiaoping, and a live military band's rendition of the national anthem.

Beneath a giant hammer-and-sickle emblem, he spoke for around an hour and a half, presenting his scorecard of the government's work under his tenure and setting out his vision for his precedent-breaking third term.

RELATED   UN body rejects debate on China's human rights record

Attendees diligently scribbled notes, with the occasional flash of colour from those in military attire or the traditional dress of one of China's ethnic minority groups punctuating a sea of monochrome suits.

Among more unusual delegates were the first Chinese woman to spacewalk, astronaut Wang Yaping, and Olympic hero speed skater Wu Dajing, wearing his national tracksuit.

In line with strict health protocols, all those attending were masked, apart from the front row of top-ranked guests.

These included Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao, grey-haired and looking frail, though Hu's predecessor Jiang Zemin did not appear to be in attendance.

Also present was Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier accused by tennis star Peng Shuai of "forcing" her into sex, before she retracted her allegations after disappearing from public view for three weeks.

The Congress is a display of party unity and strength, with carefully vetted delegates drawn from all of China's provinces.

It is also a show of loyalty to Xi personally, with the 69-year-old expected to secure a third term as Communist Party general secretary, throwing out leader succession norms that have prevailed since the 1990s.

Guangxi delegate He Xiangyin told AFP she fully supported that move.

"As long as he (works) for the happiness of the people, and continues to improve our quality of life, we will all support him," she said. "He's the core of what we do."

Asked whether there were worries that there would be no one suitable to take over after Xi, Jiangsu delegate Li Yinjiang was dismissive.

"Our party will surely train someone properly for the role. Each generation passes the torch to the next," he said.

During the speech, thunderous clapping greeted Xi's mention of perceived successes, ranging from stamping out Covid-19 outbreaks to quelling unrest in Hong Kong.

The longest and loudest applause came for his comments on Taiwan, as he stated: "Reunification of the motherland must be achieved and will be achieved."

Xi made no direct mention of the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Western countries have accused China of widespread human rights abuses against the country's Muslim minorities, primarily the Uyghurs.

"We in Xinjiang live such happy lives, because our great party is leading us... As a Uyghur person, I am extremely thankful that I can live here in China," Rehema Awuqi, from the party's Xinjiang delegation, told AFP after the speech.

In the week leading up to the event, Beijing has been spruced up with banners, exhibitions and flower arrangements extolling the party's virtues and Xi's political philosophy, and urging onlookers to "delightedly welcome" the Congress.

A heavy security presence was in place in the capital, with police standing sentry at major intersections and an increased number of personnel deployed on pedestrian bridges around the city.

The mostly closed-door conclave is taking place under China's strict zero-Covid policy, with journalists and other attendees holed up from Friday in a virus-secure bubble with mandatory mask-wearing and daily PCR tests.

'Will never renounce the right to use force on Taiwan,' says Xi at 20th CCP congress

He added that China will accelerate the building of a world-class military

Web Desk Updated: October 16, 2022 

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives for the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Sunday | Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping has opened the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), an event which will see him cement his grip on the party and assume an unprecedented third term.

Xi, who walked onstage to thunderous applause, addressed a gathering of over 2,300 delegates from around the country at the vast Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

During the opening of the once-in-five-year Congress, the Chinese President broached the topic of Hong Kong, claiming China has achieved comprehensive control over Hong Kong, turning it from chaos to governance. "China has also waged a major struggle against Taiwan separatism and is determined and able to oppose territorial integrity," Xi was quoted by Reuters. He added that China must ensure Hong Kong is ruled by patriots and that the country will support Hong Kong in integrating with the mainland. "One country, two systems' is the best system for Hong Kong and must be adhered to in the long run," he added.

The President said China will accelerate the building of world-class military and strengthen its ability to build a strategic deterrent capability. Xi is often credited for modernising China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) and moulding it into a world power.

On the Taiwan issue, the President said it is up to the Chinese people to resolve the Taiwan issue and China will never renounce the right to use force. Taiwan later responded to this remark saying it will not back down on its sovereignty or compromise on freedom and democracy.

Xi also touted the ruling Communist Party's fight against COVID-19, stating that the country's policies were aimed at the safety of the people. Xi's zero-Covid policy had come under the scanner for placing heavy curbs on people's lives. The president added that China had "protected people's safety and health to the highest degree and achieved significant positive results in coordinating epidemic prevention and control".

Suggesting that China will give priority to protecting the environment and promoting green consumption, production and lifestyles, Xi said the protection of nature was essential to building a modern socialist country. He added that China had made progress in tackling environmental problems and vowed to "basically eliminate" heavy air and water pollution while bringing soil contamination under control. He vowed to continue an "energy revolution" and promote the clean use of coal.

The president also said that Beijing opposed a "Cold War mentality" in international diplomacy. "China resolutely opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics, opposes the Cold War mentality, opposes interfering in other countries domestic politics, opposes double standards," he said.

China's Party Congress: Beijing won't rush clean energy transformation, says Xi

China's path to decarbonisation is clear: It will not stop burning fossil fuels until it is confident that clean energy can reliably replace them. PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping has promised a slow and steady end to the growth of planet-warming emissions in China, with energy security taking top priority as the country contends with a flagging economy and tumult on global fuel markets.

In a two-hour speech to kick off the week-long Communist Party Congress, Xi said that prudence would govern China's efforts to peak and eventually zero-out carbon emissions. The cautious wording comes after a spate of high-profile power shortages in recent years, and as global energy costs have soared after Russia's invasion of Ukraine upended trade flows.

The speech made China's path to decarbonisation clear: It will not stop burning fossil fuels until it is confident that clean energy can reliably replace them.

"We will work actively and prudently toward the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality," Xi said in his address. "Based on China's energy and resource endowments, we will advance initiatives to reach peak carbon emissions in a well-planned and phased way, in line with the principle of getting the new before discarding the old."

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and Xi electrified climate activists two years ago when he vowed to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 after peaking emissions before 2030. The announcement sparked a massive surge in investment in clean energy by local governments and state-owned firms.

But last year, focus began to return to China's mainstay fuel of coal after a shortage triggered widespread power curtailments to factories, slowing economic growth. The country vowed to increase mining capacity, and production has risen to record levels this year, keeping storage sites well stocked and reducing imports.

China will also expand exploration and development of oil and gas resources, and increase reserves and production as part of the measures to ensure energy security, according to a congress work report released after Xi's speech.

China invests more than any other country in clean energy, and is on pace to shatter its record for new solar installations this year. But it hasn't been able to outrun the growth in energy demand, forcing it to burn more coal and setting a record for consumption last year that is likely to be eclipsed in 2022.

Xi made clear that fossil fuels and renewables will have to work in tandem.

"Coal will be used in a cleaner and more efficient way and we will speed up the planning and development of new energy systems," he said.

He also vowed that China would be actively involved in the global response to climate change. His government was criticised after it broke off climate negotiations with the United States in August after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the contested island of Taiwan. BLOOMBERG
MORE ON THIS TOPIC