What’s new with you? What Americans talk about with family and friends

BYJOSEPH COPELAND  

|

 JULY 2, 2024

 ]  PEW RESEARCH

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

When Americans gather for the July Fourth holiday, they will likely discuss a wide variety of topics, from work and personal health to politics and pets.

Yet for most people, simply catching up is a far more popular topic of conversation than any of those issues when they talk with family and friends.

How we did this

Nearly seven-in-ten Americans (69%) say they talk to their close friends and family a lot about what’s happening with them. That is by far the highest share for any of the 12 topics Pew Research Center asked about in a recent survey.

Family and friends are a popular topic across demographic groups. Sizable majorities of Americans across nearly all groups – and close to identical shares of Republicans and Democrats – say they talk a lot about what’s going on with family and friends.

Work and school also come up frequently. Almost half of Americans (46%) say they talk a lot with family and close friends about jobs, work or school. Adults younger than 50 are far more likely than those 50 and older to say they talk a lot about this with family or friends (58% vs. 32%).

Younger adults are more likely than older ones to chat about pop culture. More than four-in-ten (44%) of those under 50 say they talk a lot with family and friends about movies, TV shows and other things people are watching or listening to. That compares with 30% of those 50 and older.

Related:

• Most Americans don’t closely follow professional or college sports
• About half of pet owners say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member

Men and women differ in how often they discuss pets and sports. A third of Americans, including 39% of women and 27% of men, say they talk about pets a lot. And 27% of men say they talk about sports a lot, compared with 16% of women.

Political issues are not discussed a lot. About one-in-five adults (18%) say they talk a lot about political issues; another 58% say politics comes up a little. More Americans say they discuss issues and problems facing the country a lot (30%) than say they discuss politics that often.

Few partisan differences in conversation topics

For the most part, Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to say they often talk about various topics with family or close friends. For example, comparable majorities of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (71%) and Republicans and Republican leaners (68%) say they talk a lot about what’s happening with their family and friends.

And only about one-in-five Republicans (21%) and Democrats (18%) say they discuss political issues frequently.

However, there are slight partisan differences in how frequently religion and pop culture come up in conversation:

• Republicans are nearly twice as likely as Democrats to say they talk about faith and religion a lot (24% vs. 13%).
• Nearly half of Democrats (47%) say they talk about movies, TV shows or music a lot – compared with only about three-in-ten Republicans (28%).
• Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to say they talk about celebrities and famous people a lot, though few in either group say they do this (9% vs. 3%).

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.

Topics

• Family & Relationships
• Friendships
• Leisure

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Joseph Copeland is a research analyst at Pew Research Cente

Why news about Kenya is trending in Africa

Anti-government protests clash with riot police in Kenya

Kenya ant-riot police beat a protester in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. -
Copyright © africanewsHenry Naminde/

By Rédaction Africanews 

KENYA

Protests continued in Kenya's capital and elsewhere Tuesday over a finance bill that would raise the cost of living, even after the president said he would not sign it in the wake of the storming of parliament last week.

Police fired tear gas at protesters in Nairobi as many businesses remained closed for fear of looting.

The main highway to Kenya's second largest city, Mombasa, was closed as protesters lit bonfires.

While there are concerns that President William Ruto might change his mind and sign the finance bill before next week's deadline, some protesters are calling on Ruto to resign, accusing him of bad governance.

One of those protesting is Rogers Oloo, 26 homeless, unemployed and with nothing to lose apart from a bird of prey he found abandoned and who has been with him for the past three months after he found it abandoned.

Like his bird whom he has named Johnson, Oloo lost his mother in 2011 and began living on the streets the same year.

He is frustrated with how Kenya's government is operating.

"If this is what the government is doing to us, (Kenyan President William) Ruto should leave. He is supposed to listen to common citizens," he said.

In a recent protest against the government, he was hit in the head by a rubber bullet.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with how the police are managing the demonstrations.

"This is not fair, they should just use teargas if they must, but now they are using bullets, do they want to kill us?" he said.

The two weeks of protests have left 39 people dead, according to the Kenya National Human Rights Commission.

Ruto on Sunday put that number at 19.

The president has offered to have dialogue with Kenyan youth and has promised budget cuts on travel and hospitality for his office in line with some protesters’ demands.

As unemployment remains high and prices rise, there has been outrage over the luxurious lives of the president and other senior officials.

Members of the youthful but leaderless protest movement have said they do not trust the president to implement his new austerity plans.

Kenya's main opposition party on Tuesday called on Ruto's government to take responsibility for the deaths that occurred last week.

Why news about Kenya is trending in Africa

Activists are gearing up for a new round of protests this week

Written byZita Zage

Posted 2 July 2024 19:09 GMT

Screenshot of protesters from YouTube video, ‘Kenya anti-tax protests: Where do things go from here?‘ by DW News. Fair use.

A lot has been happening in Kenya lately, from the controversial deployment of 1,000 troops to Haiti to deadly demonstrations fueled by the passage of a finance bill that proposed tax hikes.

With rising taxes and the increasing cost of living, tensions among Kenyans have been simmering since the beginning of the year. However, the current chaos began on June 25, when lawmakers passed the contentious bill, as noted by Al Jazeera. After the vote was announced, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest the bill proposed by parliament, with some protesters storming the Kenyan parliament and setting sections of it on fire. The protests occurred in 35 of Kenya’s 47 counties.

Initially peaceful, the demonstrations quickly turned violent as police used tear gas and live ammunition on protesters. A CNN journalist, Larry Madowo, documented police shooting at protestors:

This escalation angered the protesters even more.

Unlike previous protests, this wave was predominantly led by young, urban-based, and was multi-ethnic in composition, as noted by The Conversation. Some of these young people went live on social media to share the incidents as they occurred:

The national rights watchdog said at least 39 people have been killed, yet protestors are not deterred. 

Although the protests led to an immediate reaction from the government, with President William Ruto withdrawing the bill a day later, it did not make much of a difference. As Sky News reported, there are still ongoing tensions within the country.

Citizens are now calling for the resignation of President Ruto, and social media hashtags like #RutoMustGo have been created. The populace is angry not only because of the finance bill but also because of the inequalities and hardships they are facing. One user on X (formerly Twitter) said:

Citizens living abroad have also joined the demonstrations. Below is a group of demonstrators in Germany: 

There were also protests in the US state of Texas: 

As CBS News reported, Kenya has one of the fastest-growing economies in all of Africa. According to the World Bank, however, around one in six Kenyans lives below the international poverty line, with millions of people, especially in rural Kenya, living on the equivalent of just a few dollars.

According to Reuters, the country's public debt is currently 68 percent of GDP, which exceeds the 55 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recommended by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

With the introduction of the finance bill, the Kenyan government aimed to generate USD 2.7 billion in additional taxes to lower the budget deficit and reduce borrowing. The bill included new taxes on essential items like bread, vegetable oil, sugar, milk, diapers, and others, as well as a new motor vehicle circulation tax set at 2.5 percent of a car's value to be paid annually.

Speaking with Sky News about the root cause of this nationwide protest Yousra Elbagir, a Kenyan journalist, said:  

This bill is a symptom of a bigger issue and the protesters we spoke to today said that this isn't about a bill. This is about bad governance. I think the young people that are taking to the streets are incredibly aware. They're incredibly engaged and they feel like the government is is flagrantly overspending, showing off their excess. The MPS in Kenya are some of the highest paid in the world. Yet telling them to start their lives off on the back foot with facing these taxes and dealing with the unemployment that President Ruto himself said during his election campaign two years ago that he will actively worked to tackle.

Young people in other African countries are using social media to praise Kenyan citizens for their bravery and determination. They are also urging the youth in their own countries to emulate Kenyans’ boldness in protesting poor governance.

In this Tik Tok video which gained over a million views, user bigzaiire encourages the youth of Congo to follow the example of Kenya:

A Nigerian TikTok user shared his opinion: 

Under this YouTube video by a popular Ghanaian YouTuber, Kwadwo Sheldon, one comment read: “Ghana let's learn from Kenya…lets stop the NPP and NDC arguments and put Ghana first.” The NPP and NDC are the two dominant parties in Ghana's political landscape, but it seems the youth are growing frustrated with these parties that mostly gain power yet fail to address their needs. This has sparked a desire for a third political party. 

As activists gear up for a new round of protests this week, it seems the crisis in Kenya may not be over until the government addresses the concerns of its young people.Categories

Written byZita Zage

'RutoMustGo': Kenya braces for fresh protests after dozens killed in anti-tax demos

Kenyan youths gestures at policemen as they march in memory of protesters killed during the nationwide deadly protest against a controversial now-withdrawn tax bill that left over 20 dead and shocked the East African nation, in Nairobi on 30 June 2024. (Simon Maina/AFP)

Kenya is experiencing significant unrest due to anti-tax hike demonstrations that have led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Despite President William Ruto's decision not to sign the controversial finance bill into law, activists continue to protest, demanding his unconditional resignation.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported that the protests have resulted in 39 deaths, 361 injuries, and numerous cases of excessive force by law enforcement

Kenya was bracing on Tuesday for fresh protest action against the government after anti-tax hike demonstrations last month descended into violence that left dozens of people dead.

Activists have stepped up their campaign against President William Ruto despite his announcement last week that he would not sign into law a controversial finance bill that triggered what he has branded "treasonous" protests.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said on Monday that 39 people had been killed and 361 injured during two weeks of demonstrations, and condemned the use of force against protesters as "excessive and disproportionate".

Largely peaceful rallies against a raft of tax increases - led by mostly young Gen-Z Kenyans on social media - turned into shocking scenes of deadly chaos on Tuesday last week when lawmakers passed the deeply unpopular legislation.

Kenyan youths arrive at the Kenyatta National Hospital to donate blood in memory of protesters killed during the nationwide deadly protest against a controversial now-withdrawn tax bill that left over 20 dead and shocked the East African nation, in Nairobi on 30 June 2024. 

(Simon Maina/AFP)

After the announcement of the vote, crowds ransacked the parliament complex in central Nairobi and it was partly set ablaze as police fired live bullets at protesters.

Ruto had said in a television interview on Sunday that 19 people had lost their lives, but defended his decision to call in the armed forces to tackle the unrest and insisted he did not have "blood on my hands".

It is the most serious crisis to confront the president since he took office in September 2022 following a deeply divisive election in a nation often considered a beacon of stability in a turbulent region.

Ruto's decision on Wednesday to reverse course and scrap the tax legislation has appeared not to have appeased his critics.

And despite him saying he was ready to talk with young Kenyans about their grievances, activists have vowed to pursue their protests, with leaflets posted on social media calling for more action this week.

READ | At least 30 killed in Kenya anti-government protests – Human Rights Watch

One leaflet with the hashtag" RutoMustGo" insisted, "We will not relent until William Ruto unconditionally resigns."

It declared both Tuesday and Thursday public holidays for an "OccupyEverywhere" movement and called on all Kenyans to stage sit-down protests on major roads in the country on those days.

'Unwarranted violence'

The state-funded KNCHR said Monday that in addition to the dead and injured in the previous protests, there had been 32 cases of "enforced or involuntary disappearances" and 627 arrests of protesters.

The KNCHR said:
The Commission continues to condemn in the strongest terms possible the unwarranted violence and force that was inflicted on protesters, medical personnel, lawyers, journalists and on safe spaces such as churches, medical emergency centres and ambulances.

It also said it "strongly condemns the violent and shocking acts of lawlessness that was exhibited by some of the protesters", including attacks on the parliament and other government buildings.


The body also highlighted what it said were "unacceptable" incidents of the "wanton destruction" of property linked to some politicians and threats and violence against them.

READ | Hundreds attend funeral of Ibrahim Kamau,19, killed in Kenya's anti-tax protests

Kenya's cash-strapped government had said previously that the tax increases were necessary to fill its coffers and service a massive public debt of some 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), or about 70 percent of GDP.

Ruto had already rolled back some tax measures after the protests began, prompting the treasury to warn of a gaping budget shortfall of 200 billion shillings ($1.6 billion).

In Sunday's interview, Ruto warned that the government would have to borrow another $7.7 billion because of the decision to drop the finance bill.

Generation Z Is at the Forefront of a Powerful Uprising in Kenya

In response to an attempt by Kenya’s government to tax basic goods, a youth uprising has emerged that shows no signs of ending soon. Anti-imperialist youth internationally can strengthen the movement by showing solidarity with the protests and putting forward demands against the IMF and U.S. imperialism.

Samuel Karlin 

LEFT VOICE

July 1, 2024

Brian Inganga - Associated Press

Youth in Kenya are rising up in the face of extreme repression. Mass protests began spreading rapidly in response to President William Ruto’s attempt to pass a tax bill. The bill would have raised taxes on household essentials including sugar and cooking oil in compliance with austerity measures that the government is trying to implement in order to receive a loan from the predatory International Monetary Fund (IMF). In response, young Kenyans, proudly identifying as “Generation Z,” have organized a mass movement online. For now, this uprising is developing independently of Kenya’s traditional parties and institutions which would benefit from co-opting the movement out of the streets.

While Ruto’s tax bill incited the current uprising, the situation has escalated quickly due to the misery that youth in Kenya have been experiencing for years. According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, youth (classified by FKE as ages 15-34 years old) make up 35 percent of the country’s total population but 67 percent of the country’s unemployed. Exacerbating the economic situation, Kenya’s foreign and domestic debt make up 70 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. This has all contributed to a feeling among the large youth population that there are few prospects for their futures, and many struggle day to day.

It is no wonder then that Ruto’s attempt to address the country’s illegitimate imperialist debts by raising taxes on basic goods ended up being so explosive. Further fueling the youth’s anger was the government’s brutal response. The first protests, which included an occupation of parliament, were met with police firing tear gas and live bullets. Dozens of young people were massacred, and doctors and journalists were also attacked by the police. This, of course, further angered the youth and strengthened support for the protests from older generations and wider sectors of Kenyan society.

As outrage began to spread, Ruto sought to quell the uprising by promising to pull the tax bill, but young people have continued to protest, with many saying on social media that this was just a stalling tactic. There is widespread sentiment among young people online that the struggle needs to stay in the streets, and they are calling for Ruto to resign. Some sectors of the movement are even putting forward the demand that all members of parliament be recalled. In an attempt to fight against co-optation of the movement, some are calling for the occupation of churches to prevent capitalist politicians from speaking to large numbers of people.

Along with using influential institutions such as churches to try to co-opt the struggle in the streets, and promising “reforms,” the Kenyan state is resorting to severe measures to violently crush the protests. There have been reports of people being disappeared off the street, and police continue to use live ammunition. Snipers have also been deployed against the protesters.

With how rapidly and dynamically the protests and repression in Kenya are developing, people around the world should follow and amplify the struggle of the youth who are bravely rising up. It is especially relevant for anti-imperialists in the United States to follow the situation, because the U.S. government has recently been courting Kenya as a special partner for imperialist domination of Africa. Just two days before the protests began, President Joe Biden designated Kenya as a major non-NATO ally. President Ruto also visited the United States in May of this year, making him the first African head of state to be received by Washington with a formal state visit in more than 15 years. If U.S. imperialism is looking to Kenya as a strategic ally to maintain its dominance of Africa, the anti-imperialist youth in the United States, which has emerged in response to the genocide in Gaza, must see solidarity with the uprising in Kenya as strategic. If the Generation Z movement can maintain itself and unite with the country’s workers who have strategic power to withhold their labor that produces Kenya’s economy, this struggle could deal a powerful blow to the IMF by making it impossible for the state to implement austerity measures.

In solidarity with the uprising in Kenya, all young people around the world should amplify the protests taking place. We must also highlight the violent role of the IMF which makes oppressed countries from Kenya to Argentina suffer by forcing them to pay off illegitimate foreign debts. A victory for the movement in Kenya against the IMF could show the whole world that imperialism can be weakened, even in countries that have strategic relationships with the United States. Let the youth in Kenya inspire resistance to imperialism across the world.

Wisconsin Supreme Court to consider whether 175-year-old law bans abortion

BLACK AMERICANS WERE SLAVES THEN

 Demonstrators protest outside the Wisconsin Capitol, May 3, 2022, in Madison, Wis. The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided Monday, July 1, 2024, to consider two challenges to a 175-year-old law that conservatives maintain bans abortion without letting the cases wind through lower courts. (Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court listens to arguments from Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Anthony D. Russomanno, representing Gov. Tony Evers, during a redistricting hearing at the state Capitol, Nov. 21, 2023, in Madison, Wis. The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided Monday, July 1, 2024, to consider two challenges to a 175-year-old law that conservatives maintain bans abortion without letting the cases wind through lower courts. (Ruthie Hauge/The Capital Times via AP, Pool, File)

BY TODD RICHMOND
AP July 2, 2024

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided Tuesday to consider two challenges to a 175-year-old law that conservatives maintain bans abortion without letting the cases wind through lower courts.

Abortion advocates stand an excellent chance of prevailing in both cases given the high court’s liberal tilt and remarks a liberal justice made on the campaign trail about how she supports abortion rights.

Wisconsin lawmakers enacted statutes in 1849 that had been widely interpreted as outlawing abortion in all cases except to save the mother’s life. The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nullified the statutes, but legislators never repealed them. The high court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade reactivated them.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit challenging the statutes in 2022, arguing they were too old to enforce and a 1985 law that permits abortions before a fetus can survive outside the womb supersedes them. A Dane County judge ruled last year that the statutes outlaw attacking a woman in an attempt to kill her unborn baby but doesn’t ban abortions. The decision emboldened Planned Parenthood to resume offering abortions in Wisconsin after halting procedures when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski, a Republican, asked the state Supreme Court in February to overturn the ruling without letting an appeal move through the state’s lower appellate courts. He argued the ruling will have a statewide impact and guide lawmakers and the case will ultimately end at the Supreme Court anyway.

Days after Urmanski filed his request, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin sued Urmanski and asked the Supreme Court to take it directly. The organization is seeking a ruling that the 1849 statutes are unconstitutional, arguing that the state constitution’s declaration that people have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness means women have a right to control their own bodies — essentially asking the court to declare a constitutional right to abortion.

The court released orders indicating the justices voted unanimously to take Urmanski’s appeal and voted 4-3 to take the Planned Parenthood case. The court’s four liberal justices voted to take that case, and the three conservative justices voted against taking it.

Urmanski’s attorneys, Andrew Phillips and Matthew Thome, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Persuading the court’s liberal majority to uphold the statutes looks next to impossible. Liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz even went so far as stating openly during her campaign that she supports abortion rights, a major departure for a judicial candidate. Typically such candidates refrain from speaking about their personal views out of concerns they could appear biased on the bench.

The conservative justices accused the liberal majority in their Planned Parenthood dissents of playing politics.

“The signal to a watching public is that, when certain policy issues touch the right nerve, this court will follow the party line, not the law,” Hagedorn wrote.

Liberal Justice Jill Karofsky countered in a concurrence that the state Supreme Court is supposed to decide important state constitutional questions.

“Regardless of one’s views on the morality, legality, or constitutionality of abortion, it is undeniable that abortion regulation is an issue with immense personal and practical significance to many Wisconsinites,” Karofsky wrote.

Michelle Velasquez, chief strategy officer for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said in a statement that the organization was grateful the court agreed to take its case and Wisconsin residents need to know whether abortion is legal in the state.

Wisconsin Watch, a media outlet, obtained a leaked draft of the order accepting the case last week, prompting Chief Justice Annette Ziegler to call for an investigation.

Anti-abortion groups decried the Supreme Court’s decision to take the Planned Parenthood case.T

“Every Wisconsinite should be troubled by this blatant weaponization of the court system to enshrine death on demand,” Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said in a statement.

Last known survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre challenge Oklahoma high court decision


Lessie Benningfield Randle, a Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, is pictured during the House General Government Committee meeting at the Oklahoma Capitol, Oct. 5, 2023. Attorneys for Randle and Viola Ford Fletcher, the last two remaining survivors of the massacre, asked the Oklahoma Supreme court Tuesday, July 2, 2024, to reconsider the case they dismissed last month and called on the Biden administration to help the two women seek justice. Credit: AP/Doug Hoke

By The Associated Press

July 2, 2024 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Attorneys for the last two remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday to reconsider the case they dismissed last month and called on the Biden administration to help the two women seek justice.

Viola Fletcher, 110, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 109, are the last known survivors of one of the single worst acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history. As many as 300 Black people were killed; more than 1,200 homes, businesses, schools and churches were destroyed; and thousands were forced into internment camps overseen by the National Guard when a white mob, including some deputized by authorities, looted and burned the Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street.

In a petition for rehearing, the women asked the court to reconsider its 8-1 vote upholding the decision of a district court judge in Tulsa last year to dismiss the case.

“Oklahoma, and the United States of America, have failed its Black citizens,” the two women said in a statement read by McKenzie Haynes, a member of their legal team. “With our own eyes, and burned deeply into our memories, we watched white Americans destroy, kill, and loot.”

“And despite these obvious crimes against humanity, not one indictment was issued, most insurance claims remain unpaid or were paid for only pennies on the dollar, and Black Tulsans were forced to leave their homes and live in fear.”

Attorney Damario Solomon Simmons also called on the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the massacre under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007, which allows for the reopening of cold cases of violent crimes against Black people committed before 1970. A message left with the DOJ seeking comment was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit was an attempt under Oklahoma's public nuisance law to force the city of Tulsa and others to make restitution for the destruction. Attorneys also argued that Tulsa appropriated the historic reputation of Black Wall Street “to their own financial and reputational benefit.” They argue that any money the city receives from promoting Greenwood or Black Wall Street, including revenue from the Greenwood Rising History Center, should be placed in a compensation fund for victims and their descendants

.

Tulsa Race Massacre survivor Viola Ford Fletcher gestures while speaking during an interview with The Associated Press, June 16, 2023, in New York. Attorneys for Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, the last two remaining survivors of the massacre, asked the Oklahoma Supreme court Tuesday, July 2, 2024, to reconsider the case they dismissed last month and called on the Biden administration to help the two women seek justice. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer

More than 210 candidates exit French election runoff to block far right progress

More than 210 left-wing or Macronist candidates who qualified for the runoff round of the legislative elections have withdrawn in an effort to block the far right from taking power, a move supported by the French president.

Issued on: 02/07/2024 
A campaigner pastes an election poster of French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) candidate Sandrine Chadournec in Libourne, southwestern France on 2 July, 2024 as part of the French legislative elections. © Philippe Lopez / AFP
By:RFIFollow
ADVERTISING


France votes Sunday in the second round of snap legislative polls Macron called seeking a "clarification" in politics after his camp was trounced in European elections last month.

National Rally block?

His gamble backfired, with the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen winning the 30 June first round. But the key suspense now is whether the RN can get enough seats to form a government.

With the clock ticking to a deadline later Tuesday to register, over 210 pro-Macron or left-wing candidates had pulled out of contests to prevent the RN winning seats.




Results from first round of France's snap elections mapped out
The three-way factor that makes France's election results so unusual
Horse-trading begins after France's far right wins first round of snap elections

Le Pen appeared to row back on previous comments that the RN would only form a government with an absolute majority of 289 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, saying it would still try if slightly below this figure.

She said her party would seek to form a government and make the 28-year-old Jordan Bardella prime minister from a minimum of "for example, 270 deputies" and then find support from 19 more MPs.

"If we then have a majority, then yes, of course, we'll go and do what the voters elected us to do", she told broadcaster France Inter.

If Bardella becomes prime minister, this would create a tense period of "cohabitation" with Macron, who has vowed to serve out his term until 2027.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 35, said late Monday it "would be catastrophic for the French" to give the far right an absolute majority.

Just 76 lawmakers, almost all from the far right and left were elected outright in the first round of voting at the weekend.

The fate of the remaining 501 seats will be determined in the second round in run-offs between two or three remaining candidates.
Candidates quit

Of the candidates who have decided to quit the race more than 120 are members of the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP - Nouveau Front Populaire) coalition, which came second in the first round, and more than 70 represent Macron's camp.

A RN candidate on Tuesday also dropped out of the race over a social media post showing her in a cap from the Luftwaffe air force of Nazi Germany, a party official said.

But there has been discord within the presidential camp over backing those NFP candidates who hark from the France Unbowed (LFI) hard-left party.

Several heavyweights in the Macron camp, including economy minister Bruno Le Maire and former prime minister Edouard Philippe, have argued they should not help candidates from the LFI which is accused by its critics of extremism and failing to back Israel after the 7 October attack by Hamas.
'Administrative coup'

As tensions rise five days ahead of the ballot, Le Pen accused Macron of rushing to appoint officials to key jobs in the police and other institutions before any cohabitation in what she described as "a form of administrative coup d'etat"

Macron's office urged her to show "restraint", saying appointments have been part of an established routine.

Most projections in the immediate aftermath of the first round showed the RN falling short of an absolute majority.

Analysts say the most likely outcome is a hung parliament that could lead to months of political paralysis, at a time when France is hosting the Olympics.

The chaos also risks damaging the international credibility of Macron who is set to attend a NATO summit in Washington immediately after the vote.

(with AFP)

Human rights groups ‘appalled’ at Egypt being added to safe countries list




Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced that Egypt was among a list of countries considered as ‘safe’ for immigration purposes (Liam McBurney/PA)

By Cate McCurry, PA

Today 

Human rights groups have criticised the decision to add countries such as Egypt and Malawi to Ireland’s list of “safe” countries for asylum applications as concerning and “reckless”.


The Government made five additions to its list of safe countries on Tuesday: Brazil, Egypt, India, Malawi and Morocco.

Countries added to this list are viewed by the Irish government as places where “there is generally and consistently no persecution”, no torture, and no armed conflicts.

The proposal by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee was approved at Cabinet on Tuesday, meaning protection applications from these countries are to be accelerated from Wednesday following an “extensive review” by the department.




Applications from the ‘safe countries’ will now be expedited (Niall Carson/PA)

Amnesty Ireland said it was “appalled” at the decision by Ms McEntee to add Egypt, an act it called “deeply reckless”.

“This categorisation is particularly shocking, given the protracted human rights and impunity crisis in Egypt, where thousands are arbitrarily detained, and where Amnesty International has consistently documented the use of torture and other ill-treatment and enforced disappearances.”

Amnesty is opposed to the “safe countries” list, arguing that it is discriminatory.

It said that if Irish authorities consider countries such as Egypt safe, it will place those applying for asylum at “higher risk of being returned to persecution (and) torture” and other violations.

“No country is safe for everyone. But, putting Egypt with its abysmal human rights record on such a list is deeply reckless. Under Irish and EU law, the Minister for Justice may do so only if there is generally no persecution, torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment in that state. That absolutely cannot be said of Egypt.”

Egypt Researcher at Amnesty International, Mahmoud Shalaby, said that since 2013 the Egyptian authorities have been “severely repressing” the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

“Dissidents in the country remain at risk of persecution solely for expressing critical views,” he said.

“Thousands of people including human rights defenders, journalists, protesters, and opposition politicians remain arbitrarily detained solely for exercising their human rights or after grossly unfair trials or without legal basis.”

Chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, said they were very concerned at the designation of Morocco, Malawi and Egypt as “safe”.

“Frankly, when you look at some of the human rights information from countries such as Egypt, I’m quite staggered and flabbergasted how they could be designated as safe,” he told RTE’s News at One.

“In Malawi, there are frequent examples of abuse of LGBT people, same-sex relations in Malawi remain a crime.”

He said the bar to designate a country as safe was high, and accused the Government of not applying its tests to assess countries’ safety correctly.

The other 10 countries that are designated as safe countries of origin are: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa.

The introduction of accelerated processing in November 2022 has had a significant impact on the number of applications from those countries, which have dropped by more than 50% in that time.

Since Botswana and Algeria were added to the list by the minister earlier this year, applications from those countries fell by 71% and applications have fallen by 47% from Nigerian applicants since the country with the most applicants was accelerated.

The designation of a state as a safe country of origin does not mean that a claim is inadmissible or that a person forfeits the right to make an application, however, it places the onus on the applicant to demonstrate why, and by way of exception, they are in need of protection.

Human rights organisations said it gives applicants less time to get legal advice before being interviewed, and means they cannot appeal the decision in person.

Ms McEntee intends to continue to review what additional countries can be designated safe, or if further categories can be accelerated.

Doctors Without Borders calls on big pharma to continue supply of insulin pens as contract ends

Illustrative image: People with diabetes who are dependent on state care will have to switch to vials and syringes for their insulin injections. (Photos: iStock)

By Estelle Ellis

DAILY MAVERICK, SA
02 Jul 2024 0

The scramble for semaglutide-containing injectables as an aid to weight loss means manufacturers are prioritising them over insulin pens.

People with diabetes who rely on state healthcare will have to be taught to use insulin in vials and syringes again as the long-term supplier of insulin pens to the Department of Health will no longer provide these devices.

Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk will not be tendering again for the contract.

Globally, big pharmaceutical companies have turned their attention to the manufacture of semaglutide-containing weight-loss injectables in­­stead of insulin pens. Ozempic is the best known of them, but Novo Nordisk makes an alternative called Wegovy.

The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 4.2 million adult South Africans are living with diabetes and only about 16% of them have access to private healthcare.

“Both people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are prescribed premixed insulin pens,” said Dr Patrick Ngassa Piotie, project manager of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria, and chairperson of the Diabetes Alliance. “Indeed, individuals with type 1 diabetes need to inject insulin from the time of diagnosis.

“People living with type 2 diabetes start insulin injections when oral medications are no longer sufficient to control their blood glucose levels.”

Piotie said there are estimates of the number of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in South Africa, but it is not really known how many people have it.

He said, of the 4.2 million estimated to have a form of diabetes, about 10% to 15% are living with type 1 diabetes.

“Of those with type 2 diabetes, up to 50% will eventually need insulin.

“During the implementation of the Tshwane Insulin Project at primary care level, we found that 25% to 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes should be prescribed insulin.”
A step backwards

Piotie said that compelling diabetes patients to return to syringes and vials of insulin is like compelling phone users to go back to using landlines.

“Just think how that would impact your life,” he said. “Except that we are talking about a life-saving medication here.

“I truly believe that only people living with diabetes can tell us how that backward move will affect their lives.

“I cannot speak on behalf of the 75-year-old woman who has arthritis and failing eyesight, and who has been using insulin pens for years and relies on the sound the pen makes to ensure that she is injecting the right dose.

“Her arthritis makes it difficult or even impossible for her to operate a syringe and a vial,” Piotie said.

“I cannot speak for the seven-year-old or the teenager who got used to the convenience of using a pen. With the pain, they didn’t have to confront their fear of needles and now they are expected to carry syringes and vials and to operate those with the same dexterity of a professional nurse.

“In terms of danger, first you have the dosage errors as the risk of incorrect dosing is higher with syringes and vials.

“Injecting more insulin or less insulin is dangerous as hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia threatens the patient’s life. Insulin pens are therefore much safer than syringes and vials.

“We can also mention the issue of convenience, which is closely related to better adherence. Poor adherence will result in suboptimal glucose control, exposing the person living with diabetes to complications,” Piotie said.

He led research that was published earlier this year in the Journal of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of South Africa, which indicated that patient data collected in 23 public health facilities showed that control targets were already not being met.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Southern Africa has described the latest development as a major setback for people with diabetes.

Previously, Novo Nordisk has been the primary supplier of human insulin pens to the Department of Health and supplied more than 14 million to South Africa over the past three years.

In May, the department issued a circular to health facilities predicting a shortage of stock. It asked for existing stock to be used sparingly, and for the elderly, children and the visually impaired to be prioritised when distributing the pens.

“It is, however, important to highlight the global shortage of insulin pen sets, which is likely due to an increased demand of more profitable products requiring similar production needs as insulin pen sets, and manufacturers prioritising this production,” the circular explained.

The department also cautioned: “Where insulin vials are prescribed and dispensed, enhanced counselling and adherence monitoring is required to ensure appropriate administration and use.”
Neglecting responsibility

MSF warned in a statement that transitioning people with diabetes to vials and syringes in the absence of insulin pens could present major consequences for many of them.

It has called on Novo Nordisk and other manufacturers of insulin pens to acknowledge their responsibility and take immediate action to ensure a continuous supply of insulin pens to South Africa, where it is sorely needed. “Forcing tens of thousands of people with diabetes to switch from pens to vials and syringes on short notice is ­unacceptable and will have very serious consequences.

“We are astonished by the thoughtless irresponsibility of insulin manufacturers who didn’t consider warning the government in advance about their decision to no longer sell insulin pens in South Africa.

“We urge Novo Nordisk and other insulin makers to recognise their responsibility towards people with diabetes in South Africa and globally, while they continue to reap exorbitant profits on their products from high-income markets, and take immediate steps to continue supplying pen devices, which are essential for quality diabetes care,” said Camren McAravey, country operational representative for MSF in South Africa. DM


This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper

Hungary's Orban urges ceasefire on Kyiv visit

By Gordon Corera, @gordoncorera, 

Security correspondent

Reuters
The body language between the two leaders was not warm

Viktor Orban arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday for an unannounced visit having just taken over as rotating president of the European Union.

While in Kyiv, the Hungarian prime minister said a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine could speed up negotiations to end the war that has followed Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Mr Orban has been a critic of Western support for Ukraine and is seen as the European leader closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was his first visit to Ukraine in 12 years, although he has met Mr Putin repeatedly during that time.

During his joint appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the body language between them was not warm and neither took questions from the media after they gave their statements.

Mr Orban has previously slowed agreement on a €50bn ($54bn; £42bn) EU aid package designed to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia.

But for the next six months his position as head of the European Council means he has an influential role as a figurehead for Europe. He came to Ukraine on his second day in that role for discussions, saying there was a need to solve previous disagreements and focus on the future.

In his statement following their meeting, Mr Zelensky said it was “very important to have Europe’s support for Ukraine maintained at sufficient level… it’s important for cooperation between all the neighbours in Europe to become more meaningful and mutually beneficial".

In his own statement, Mr Orban stressed the need to work together but also said he had raised the idea of a ceasefire to hasten negotiations with Russia.

"I explored this possibility with the president and I am grateful for his honest answers and negotiation,” he said.

President Zelensky did not respond to those comments.

However, many Ukrainians believe such a ceasefire would simply cement Russia’s hold over territory it has taken from Ukraine and, if negotiations were to take place, they would prefer them to be conducted from a position of strength rather than on the back foot.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country was open to "work with everyone and solve problems".

"This work is difficult and time-consuming, but it eventually yields tangible results,” he told the BBC.

“During the visit, President Zelensky had a candid but constructive discussion with Prime Minister Orban about ways to achieve a just peace, not simply a ceasefire or peace talks.”

The two leaders also discussed bilateral issues including the 100,000 ethnic Hungarians who reside in Ukraine.

The EU opened membership talks for Ukraine the week before Hungary assumed the EU Council Presidency.