Once Upon A Time – March 31 – 1889 – Eiffel Tower Officially Opens In Paris

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March 31, 2022

1146 Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine are present and join the Crusade

1492 Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon issue the Alhambra Decree which expels Jews from their kingdoms

1657 English Parliament makes the Humble Petition to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell offering him the crown: he declines

1799 Missionary and physician Johannes Van Der Kemp reaches South Africa. He will study the Xhosa and Khoikhoi languages and outrage European opinion by marrying a young African woman.

1920 British parliament accepts Irish Home Rule law

HISTORICAL EVENTS TODAY

TODAY IN FILM & TV

1930 The Motion Pictures Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film for the next 38 years

1981 1st Golden Raspberry Awards: “Can’t Stop the Music” wins

TODAY IN MUSIC

1967 1st time Jimi Hendrix burns his guitar (The Astoria, London)

TODAY IN SPORT

1877 Test Cricket debut of feared Australian fast bowler Fred “The Demon” Spofforth; Australia loses 2nd Test by 4 wickets vs England at Melbourne Cricket Ground

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1889 Eiffel Tower officially opens in Paris. Built for the Exposition Universelle, at 330m high it retains the record for the tallest man made structure for 41 years.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS FACT ABOUT TODAY?

1970 Thomas Mundy Peterson of Perth Amboy, New Jersey is the first African American to vote in the US under provisions of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, in a local election on town’s charter

El Salvador Boosts Jail Time For Gang Members

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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El Salvador’s gang lords and their followers will face prison sentences ranging from 20 to 45 years under penal reforms passed by Congress on Wednesday in the wake of 89 registered murders, allegedly by groups like MS-13, over the weekend.

President Nayib Bukele’s administration invoked emergency powers on Sunday to temporarily suspend or restrict some constitutional protections like free assembly after 62 murders on Saturday alone. Security and human rights experts said it was the most murders in one day so far this century.

In a followup action, members of his ruling party pushed through substantial increases in prison sentences. Convicted gang lords will now be sentenced to 40 to 45 years in jail, compared with six to nine years previously, while other gang members will be sentenced to 20 to 30 years, up from three to five years earlier.

In the past few days, some 2,500 alleged gang members have been captured by the police for possible “acts of terrorism,” and Bukele has ordered tougher measures in prisons and flooded neighborhoods with soldiers and military personnel.

An estimated 70,000 gang members now operate in El Salvador and fight for control of extortion and drug operations throughout the Central American country, though groups like Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, originated in the United States.

Amnesty International called on the Salvadoran government Wednesday to respect human rights as it tries to rein in crime, expressing concern about reported unprovoked arrests and food rationing in prisons.

It called on President Nayib Bukele and the State of El Salvador to guarantee that the design and implementation of public security policies put respect for human rights at the center.

Pakistan Parliament Begins Khan No-Confidence Vote Debate

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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Pakistan’s parliament will on Thursday begin a debate of no-confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, which could see the former cricket star ousted and the return of political uncertainty in the nuclear-armed country.

Khan, aged has been facing mounting criticism of his performance, including his management of an economy beset by high inflation and rising deficits, and he lost his majority in parliament on Wednesday when a main ally quit his coalition.

Parliament will begin debate on Khan’s leadership at 4 p.m. (1100 GMT). A vote on the motion must be held by Monday.

On Wednesday, Khan’s main parliamentary ally, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), abandoned his coalition and threw its lot in with the opposition seeking to oust him.

Opposition leaders had called on Khan to resign even before he lost his majority in parliament, but his aides have said he will not quit.

Khan’s ouster could mean another round of instability in a country in which the military has a long record of intervening in politics and no prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term.

Political analysts said Khan enjoyed the support of the military when he won an election to become prime minister in 2018 but he later lost the generals’ favour over various wrangles.

Khan has denied ever having the backing of the military and the military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half its history, denies involvement in civilian politics.

UN Seeks Stronger Afghanistan Aid Funding Despite Concerns

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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The United Nations is seeking $4.4 billion for Afghanistan at an international virtual event on Thursday in the largest humanitarian appeal launched for a single country even as concerns mount over Taliban rule.

Ahead of the drive, Britain pledged 286 million pounds ($374 million) for Afghanistan, where six out of every 10 Afghans need aid, much of it food, amid an economic crisis worsened by a financial aid cutoff following the Taliban takeover in August.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths told a news briefing ahead of the event co-hosted with Britain, Germany and Qatar, that Afghans need help in enabling their economy, sustaining their agriculture and enabling the basic functioning of social services.

The U.N. says funds under the appeal — three times the amount requested in 2021 and only 13% funded so far — go directly to aid agencies and none are channelled through the de facto authorities who swept to power as the last U.S. troops withdrew.

In a sign that recent Taliban moves on human rights and inclusivity may directly impact willingness to help the group, the United States cancelled meetings with them in Qatar after the movement reversed a decision on girls returning to high school study.

He urged political engagement with the hardline Islamist administration, saying that based on his talks in Kabul they want “a constructive path forward” with the global community, and that isolating Afghanistan would only bring more suffering.

Roughly 23 million people face acute food insecurity as Afghanistan also experiences its worst drought in 30 years.

Ethiopia Releases Former Tigray Government Officials – Lawyer

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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Ethiopia has released several former government officials from prison, according to a lawyer working with them.

The group of ethnic Tigrayans included former members of the government-appointed administration and a member of the ruling party.

The state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said on March 18 that at least eight officials had been arrested, but gave no names, or reasons for the arrests.

The lawyer and a second source said at the time 12 Tigrayan officials, an activist and another man had been arrested in raids on March 7 and 8 – a total of 14 people.

The government has sought to arrest leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government for the last 16 months. But since the conflict erupted, Tigrayans from all walks of life have been arrested and held without charge for weeks or months.

Police say they are investigating anyone they suspect of TPLF links and deny targeting any particular ethnicity. Those detained have included mothers and babies, elderly prisoners and nuns and priests – and members of the Tigrayan administration the government itself appointed.

The government has repeatedly said it is fighting against the TPLF and not Tigrayans in general.

The lawyer said no charges were brought against the group but that police accused them of involvement in terrorism and having TPLF connections.

The TPLF now controls Tigray after Tigrayan fighters forced the military to leave at the end of June 2021. But the government controls the territory around it and only a tiny trickle of aid has been able to enter famine-hit Tigray since the military pulled out.

Saudi Arabia Deposits $5 Billion In Egypt’s Central Bank – SPA

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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Saudi Arabia has deposited $5 billion in Egypt’s central bank, the Saudi state news agency reported on Wednesday, and the kingdom is expected to invest further as the Ukraine war adds to the pressure on the Egyptian economy.

Last week Egypt said it was in talks with the International Monetary Fund for potential funds and technical support to hedge against the effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on its economy.

Funding from additional donors is often a condition for finance from the IMF.

In addition, an Egyptian cabinet statement said on Wednesday Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Public Investment Fund (PIF) would invest additional funds in Egypt, but gave few details.

Cooperation between the PIF and Egypt’s sovereign fund will involve measures to attract $10 billion in investments, the cabinet statement quoted Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly as saying. A package of projects would be announced as soon as possible, he said.

It quoted Saudi Minister of State for Shura Council Affairs Essam bin Saeed as saying that a private investment company would be established in Egypt under an agreement signed with the Egyptians.

They would include investments in sectors such as education, health, especially medicine, agriculture, development and finance.

The PIF investments would help attract foreign currencies, support the use of local labour, bring in modern technology and expertise and enhance trade between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian cabinet statement said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February has had a global impact on markets.

Uganda Says Military Kills 309 In 8-month old Security Push

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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Uganda’s military says it has killed 309 people in an eight-month-old operation against cattle rustling in a northeast region rich in minerals including gold, limestone and potentially oil.

The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), the east African country’s military, said the deaths resulted from a push to quell violence by cattle rustlers in Karamoja region since last July.

A statement late on Tuesday, it said that the UPDF, working with other sister security agencies … will continue working together to completely pacify Karamoja and end all the criminality in the sub-region.

It termed those killed as “warriors”, without elaborating.

Inhabited by nomadic pastoralists, Karamoja has long suffered banditry, livestock raids and inter-clan warfare fuelled by cheap, readily available guns.

Rivalry and competition for grazing land and watering points for animals as well as raids for cattle has traditionally fomented violence between different Karamajong communities and against pastoral communities across the border in Kenya.

In a tweet on Wednesday President Yoweri Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a commander of UPDF land forces, said they had probably killed more people than the number the UPDF gave in the statement.

UPDF said they had also recovered 184 guns in the operation and arrested 1,700 people.

In 2020, Uganda began conducting a mineral survey and mapping exercise in Karamoja, thought to hold substantial reserves of gold, copper, limestone, oil and other minerals.

Kenya’s Top Court In Final Ruling On Constitutional Changes

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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Kenya’s Supreme Court was set on Thursday to rule on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s bid to make sweeping constitutional changes, which critics have seized and turned into a top issue for a presidential election this August.

Last year, the High Court and the Court of Appeal struck down the proposed amendments popularly known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), prompting the government to appeal.

The Supreme Court, whose ruling is final, will settle seven questions raised by appellants, including whether the president acted illegally by initiating the amendments to the constitution.

If the court clears the changes, the ruling could lead to the creation of 70 new parliamentary constituencies and establish several powerful new posts: a prime minister, two deputies and an official leader of the parliamentary opposition.

The amendments became a lightning rod for politicians jostling ahead of the general election scheduled for August 9. Kenyatta and his deputy president, William Ruto, have publicly clashed over the proposals.

Ruto is running for the presidency in the August presidential poll; he opposes the changes. But Kenyatta is backing his former foe, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who favours the amendments.

Ruto said the constitutional changes will create an all powerful presidency by giving him control of the judiciary through a proposed office of a judicial ombudsman.

He said It will also put the legislature under the president’s thumb because he will control the appointment to the new posts to be created, including the prime minister.

South Africa’s Unemployment Rate Hits New Record High

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Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to a new record high of 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from 34.9% in the third quarter due to job losses mainly in manufacturing and construction.

Statistics South Africa said the number of unemployed totalled 7.921 million people in the October-December period, compared with 7.643 million people in the previous three months.

The rate was the highest since the quarterly labour force survey began in 2008.

According to an expanded definition of unemployment that includes those discouraged from seeking work, 46.2% of the labour force was without work in the fourth quarter, from 46.6% in the third quarter.

Job losses in the fourth quarter were concentrated in manufacturing, which lost 85,000 jobs, and construction which shed 25,000 jobs.

On the other hand, private households, trade as well as community and social services had recorded job gains.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated South Africa’s labour market woes last year. Before the pandemic, the economy was already suffering from high levels of joblessness as problems such as persistent electricity cuts choked growth, contributing to poverty and inequality.

The finance ministry expects economic growth of 2.1% this year, a rate officials and economists have said is far below the level required to make a meaningful dent in unemployment and poverty.

Anger at the worsening economy has at times spilled into violent protests and rioting, including in July last year when more than 300 people were killed and hundreds of businesses destroyed in riots that began as grievances over the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.

Ghanaians Criticize Parliament’s Approval Of E-Levy Tax

By

Zoe Maven

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March 31, 2022

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There has been growing widespread criticism of the government in Ghana after Parliament approved a new electronic transaction tax, which the government says will help raise $900m in much-needed revenue

The E-levy bill, passed on Tuesday, will introduce a 1.5 percent tax on electronic money transfers and transactions. President Nana Akufo-Addo’s has said the move will help address problems from unemployment to the country’s high public debt.

But for many Ghanaians, the tax represents yet another burden as living costs heightened by soaring fuel prices due to the Ukraine crisis piles even more pressure.

Legislators passed the law after the opposition minority walked out of the debate on Tuesday.

To the Chief crusader of the crusaders against corruption in Ghana, Emmanuel Wilson junior, the action by the majority in Parliament signified the government’s insensitivity to the plight of the people of Ghana.

The convener for Justice for Ghana, Bernard Mornah, prayed the Supreme Court to stand by its earlier decision on parliamentary voting to save the country.

He also urged the president to sack his economic team.

Ghana has been struggling to revive its economy which has been badly affected from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The west African nation reopened its land and sea borders this week after a two-year closure.