Day: October 17, 2023

Jostling for space, people jam the crowded footpaths crisscrossing a massive open market in Uganda’s capital. They are mostly looking for secondhand clothing, sifting through piles or trying on shoes despite getting pushed around in the crush.

Downtown Kampala’s Owino Market has long been a go-to enclave for rich and poor people looking for affordable but well-made used clothes, underscoring perceptions that Western fashion is superior to what is made at home.

Discarded by Europeans and Americans, these clothes are often purchased from wholesalers and then shipped to African countries by middlemen. It’s a multimillion-dollar business, with some two-thirds of people in seven countries in East Africa having “purchased at least a portion of their clothes from the secondhand clothing market,” according to a 2017 U.S. Agency for International Development study, the most recent with such details.

Despite the popularity, secondhand clothes are facing increasing pushback. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a semi-authoritarian leader who has held power since 1986, declared in August that he was banning imports of used clothing, saying the items are coming “from dead people.”

“When a white person dies, they gather their clothes and send them to Africa,” Museveni said.

Trade authorities have not yet enforced the president’s order, which needs to be backed by a legal measure such as an executive order.

Other African governments also are trying to stop the shipments, saying the business amounts to dumping and undermines the growth of local textile industries. The East African Community trade bloc — consisting of Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda — has recommended banning imports of used apparel since 2016. However, member states have not enforced it at the same pace amid pressure from Washington.

President’s order spreads panic

In Uganda, the president’s order has spread panic among traders, for whom such a ban, if implemented, spells disaster. They hawk used clothes in scores of large open-air markets across the country of 45 million people, at roadside stands and even in shops in malls where it’s possible to buy secondhand clothes marketed as new.

The clothes are cheap and drop further in price as traders make room for new shipments: a pair of denim jeans can go for 20 cents, a cashmere scarf for even less.

At one of Uganda’s Green Shops, a chain specializing in used clothes, apparel reseller Glen Kalungi shopped for items his customers might want: vintage pants for men and cotton tops for women.

“I am a thrift shopper,” he said. “I usually come to these Green Shops to check out clothes because they have the best prices around town.”

Kalungi likes to visit on clearance days when he can buy clothes for a fraction of a dollar. Then he sells them at a profit.

The chain, whose owners include Europeans, unveils new clothes every two weeks at its three stores. Some of the items are sourced from suppliers in countries including China and Germany, retail manager Allan Zavuga said.

“How they collect the clothes, we are not aware of that,” Zavuga said of their suppliers. “But [the clothes] go through all the verification, the fumigation, all that, before they are shipped to Uganda. And we get all documents for that.”

The Green Shops are environmentally friendly because they recycle used clothes in bulk, he said.

Traders group opposes ban

The association of traders in Kampala, known by the acronym KACITA, opposes a firm ban on used apparel, recommending a phased embargo that allows local clothing producers to build capacity to meet demand.

Some Ugandan apparel makers, like Winfred Arinaitwe, acknowledge that the quality of locally made fabric is often poor. Not surprisingly, many people would rather buy used clothing, she said.

“Because it lasts longer,” she said.

In Owino Market, a ban on used clothes is inconceivable to many, including some who say they don’t think the president’s threat was serious.

Abdulrashid Ssuuna, who tries to persuade customers in the market to stop by his brother’s used clothing business, said a ban would deny him a livelihood.

“It’s like they want to chase us out of the country,” he said of the president’s order. “From these old clothes, we get what to eat. If you say we leave this business, you are saying we go into new clothes. But we can’t afford to go there.”

An Australian Chinese journalist detained for over three years in China said Tuesday she was jailed for breaking an embargo by just a few minutes.

Cheng Lei, a former anchor at the Chinese state-run TV channel CGTN, was detained in Beijing in August 2020. A closed-door trial later took place in 2022.

But details of what led to that arrest had not previously been disclosed. 

China’s Ministry of State Security said that a foreign organization approached Cheng in May 2020, and she provided them with state secrets. A police statement did not name the organization or say what the secrets were.

But in her first interview since being freed and returned to Melbourne, Australia, last week, the journalist told Sky News that Beijing arrested her for sharing a government briefing before she went on air, breaking an embargo by a few minutes. 

“In China, that is a big sin,” Cheng, 48, said. “You have hurt the motherland. And the state authority has been eroded because of you.” 

For years, analysts have pointed to Cheng’s plight as an example of the restrictive media environment in China. The country is one of the leading jailers of journalists and ranks behind only North Korea on the world press freedom index.

“What seems innocuous to us here — and it’s not limited to embargoes but many other things — are not in China,” said Cheng, explaining that issues that would not be as serious in Australia or the West are not handled the same way in China.

That the apparent reason for Cheng’s jailing was breaking an embargo “shows how ridiculous the whole thing is,” said Yaqiu Wang, the China research director at Freedom House.  

Wang noted that the arrest came at a time when China-Australia relations were at a low, and Cheng’s arrest was Beijing’s attempt at sending a message.

“She was just an unlucky person being targeted,” Wang said.  

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia did not trade anything to secure Cheng’s release.  

“Her return brings an end to a very difficult few years for Ms. Cheng and her family,” Albanese said in a statement. “The government has been seeking this for a long period of time and her return will be warmly welcomed not just by her family and friends but by all Australians.” 

While still detained, Cheng detailed what her life in prison was like. In an open letter released in August, she described the harsh conditions and said she had little access to sunlight. 

In response to VOA’s email requesting comment, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Cheng’s rights “were fully protected.”  

“China’s judicial authorities tried the case and delivered the sentence in accordance with the law,” Liu said.  

Now back in Australia, Cheng has been reunited with her children and is adjusting.

“Sometimes, I feel like an invalid, like a newborn, and very fragile,” she told Sky News.  

Freedom House’s Wang said she believes Cheng’s case will have lasting consequences for the few remaining foreign correspondents in China. The nature of the charge is likely a warning from Beijing that no journalist is safe in China, according to Wang.  

“That’s the message they want to send — anybody can be charged with anything, for any reason,” she said.  

 

(NewsNation) — Tonight, President Joe Biden leaves for Israel; this note will stay away from the domestic political considerations of his trip and focus on the Middle Eastern aspect.

Biden’s announcement could be seen as forcing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hand and making him wait another few days, in which case, points for political shrewdness for the Biden administration.

The longer the Israelis wait, the more pressure grows regarding “civilians in Gaza.” The only thing the pro-Palestine/anti-Israel crowd will be happy with is giving Hamas whatever they want. Lots of people want to tell Israel what not to do, but nobody will tell them how to or help them deal with Hamas on their border.

Ground truth: The suffering in Gaza continues to get worse and Hamas, and Hamas alone, could change that. They won’t. The Arab world could help. They refuse. Egypt could single-handedly open the border and create refugee camps, but they say no. Why does the world hold Israel solely responsible for Gaza, a place they withdrew from nearly 20 years ago?

The more the United States “stands by Israel,” the harder it is to justify a ground invasion, especially if rocket fire from Gaza diminishes.

Four years in the Middle East taught me to not believe in coincidences.

Is it really a surprise that Hamas announces it will release foreign hostages “when conditions on the ground allow,” only to have Biden announce a visit a few hours later? This is setting up for Biden to demand or broker some type of ceasefire in the name of giving hostage negotiations a chance. Nobody with real, regional experiences gives this a chance, but Hamas clearly knows where they can play the United States off Israel.

We predicted the turn in public opinion against Israel and demands for proportionality and restraint that only apply to Israel. Nobody has called for Ukrainian restraint. Watch carefully for what is happening here, especially during Biden’s visit.

Also remember that Netanyahu and Biden hate each other, seriously hate each other. Netanyahu embarrassed Biden while he was vice president and he hasn’t forgotten it.

A friend of mine who is smarter than I am said: “Not clear why he feels the need to go. Best case — Israel exercises caution with Gaza civilians, which is already likely. Downside case — Bibi embarrasses Biden once he’s wheels up. Worst case — our enemies take a crack at him or launch an assault of some sort on Israel while he’s on the ground.”

The delay in the massive ground invasion is starting to become the story. The reasons for it are more important than the tactical military delay. The Jerusalem Post has a great piece about this.

The IDF had a plan to invade Gaza on the shelf. Now they are having to massively rework it for two reasons:

1. They clearly underestimated Hamas’s technology, training and abilities. They are asking themselves, “What else don’t we know?” and “What other weapon systems do they have?”
2. The objectives have clearly changed from diminishing and wounding Hamas to destroying them.

Iran can’t seem to get their talking points straight. On Sunday, they said they wouldn’t attack Israel. How much of this would be happening if Biden had been tougher with Iran from the start?

The argument of getting aid to “Palestinian civilians” is a straw man. Hamas controls the Gaza strip and is intercepting all aid and putting it toward their war effort. It is impossible to get aid to Gaza civilians. Remember the Hamas bigwigs sit in luxury villas provided by Qatar; the rest of the Arab world cries about the plight of the Palestinians all while doing precisely nothing to help them. They have no safe zones, have not pressured Hamas, have done no work at the United Nations. The Wall Street Journal just put out a piece saying what we have been saying for a long time: Hamas, and Hamas alone, is responsible for the suffering in Gaza.

From a United States foreign policy perspective, the whiplash is stunning, and the irony of Biden’s distasteful withdrawal from Afghanistan only to now refocus on the Middle East (and send two carrier battle groups) is pretty wild.

It might have been easier just to stay in the first place and maintain American deterrence. In the end, it took less than 20 months for weapons left behind in Afghanistan to (likely) make their way to Hamas, who we are now providing weapons for Israel to fight against.

This is a sign of our times: “Israel makes the hormones I need, but I support Palestinian liberation.”

And just this morning the Jordanians announced no Gazan refuges will be allowed in Jordan. 

 It is noteworthy that Jordan is majority “Palestinian.” They take up a majority of the original British Mandate, but are fully controlled by a Hashemite King. I am not an expert on these matters but that is the common definition of an apartheid state.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of NewsNation.

Ukraine starts using Atacms missiles from US, with Russian-held airfield targeted; $14bn damage toll from destruction of Kakhovka dam

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has confirmed that Kyiv used US-provided long-range army tactical missile systems (Atacms) missiles. “Today, special thanks to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. Very accurately – Atacms missiles proved themselves,” he said. This marks the first officially confirmed use in Ukraine of Atacms, which can fly up to 190 miles.

Ukrainian forces struck airfields in Russian-held territory in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight, destroying helicopters, knocking out an air defence missile launcher and damaging runways, Kyiv’s military said. The military said its forces had carried out “well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields” near the eastern city of Luhansk and the southern city of Berdiansk. Atacms are thought to have been used.

A telecommunication cable connecting Sweden and Estonia has been damaged, Sweden’s civil defence minister has said. Carl-Oskar Bohlin said it appeared to have occurred at the same time as a subsea gas pipeline and a telecom cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on 8 October.

China’s president, Xi Jinping, welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing, which is to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum on Xi’s belt and road initiative.

The lower house of the Russian parliament has reportedly given preliminary approval to a bill revoking the ratification of a global nuclear test ban treaty.

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in south-eastern Ukraine in June caused $14bn worth of damage and losses, according to a report by the Ukrainian government and the UN.

Grant Shapps, the UK defence secretary, is due to visit the US on Tuesday for urgent talks over conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Canada is targeting nine individuals and six TV stations in new sanctions against Russian collaborators in Moldova. Those targeted are associated with influential oligarchs, such as Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Mironovich Shor, while the TV stations promote and disseminate Russian disinformation, the Canadian foreign ministry said.

US, South Korean and Japanese officials have met in Jakarta to discuss North Korea’s engagement with Russia, including arms transfers violating UN security council resolutions.

A convoy of British ambulances has arrived in Lviv in western Ukraine and will be delivered to hospitals on the frontline. Five vehicles donated by the charity Medical Life Lines Ukraine are being sent to the southern city of Kherson – which is under intense Russian attack – as well as the towns of Kupiansk and Vorozhba in the war-torn north-east of the country. Since last year’s full-scale invasion the group has donated 43 vehicles.

Continue reading…

Jim Jordan spent last night and this morning trying to bully and threaten his fellow House Republicans into voting to make him Speaker, and twenty of them still voted against him. Jordan is now set to try again tomorrow, and it could go either way. But Jordan is a disaster.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi appeared the Joy Reid show tonight and proceeded to rip Jim Jordan to pieces. She pointed out that he’s never managed to pass any meaningful legislation, and that his one big (failed) bill aimed to “criminalize a woman’s right to choose.”

Pelosi also pointed out that some House Republicans still voted for Jim Jordan today, even after Jordan previously voted against disaster assistance in their districts. She added, “Well that’s why you see some people voting against him.”

Nancy Pelosi also pointed out that when she was Speaker of the House, she managed to keep the House functional even when her majority was as small as two votes. In contrast, House Republicans have fallen to pieces even with a four to five vote majority.

Pelosi also made clear that she looks forward to the time when Hakeem Jeffries becomes the Speaker of the House. That will likely require a Democratic House majority. You can do your part in making that happen by getting behind the Democratic candidates running in the decisive toss-up districts in 2024. Let’s go win this!

The post Nancy Pelosi just ripped Jim Jordan to pieces appeared first on Palmer Report.

White House announces Biden had canceled his visit to Jordan after the kingdom called off a summit that was to be held there.

U.S. calls for end to hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan …  Axios

Breaking the Chains of Poverty – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty  Modern Diplomacy

Wake up, America: Our enemies are an evil alliance taking advantage of our weakness around the world  New York Post

‘No safe area’: CNN journalist details his family’s desperate flight south from Gaza City  CNN