The Apex Council, an umbrella body of all unions representing government workers in Zimbabwe, last month called for a five-day strike to press for higher salaries and better working conditions after the collapse of negotiations between the council and the Public Service Commission.

The head of the Civil Service Apex Council, Tendai Chikowore, said in a letter written to Tsvangirai that the government workers were unhappy about the current impasse over an acceptable salary review and wanted the premier to intervene in the dispute.

“We, the Civil Service Apex Council, are writing to you because we are convinced that it is the current government’s policy to restore social service delivery in Zimbabwe to optimum levels.

We are convinced that you deeply appreciate and embrace the observation that, the country’s civil service carries the prime responsibility of delivering such services and as such deserves improved salaries and conditions of service,” said Chikowore.

The unions want the lowest paid worker to be paid $538 a month from the current $250 as well as an upward review of transport and housing allowances.

Source African Press Agency

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has worked in his decade-long leadership towards closer relations within the Middle East, especially among the two dominant sects of Islam Sunni and Shi’ite.

Turkish foreign policy expert Soli Ozel says though Turkey’s Muslim population is overwhelmingly Sunni, the government has played the role of mediator between both Sunnis and Shi’ites across the region.

"Turkey tries to present itself as more of an ecumenical force than a sectarian force. Therefore, it wishes to be able to speak to all sides — the Sunni, Shi’ia and Kurd alike, rather than take sides with the Sunnis. Because if it does that, then it will be part of the division between Shi’ia and Sunni, which is going to take this region to (an) even more hellish situation than exists today," Ozel said.

The Middle East is divided between followers of the Shi’ite and Sunni sects of Islam. Iran is the largest Shi’ite state, and the leadership of both Iraq and Syria are also Shi’ite.

Ankara in the last month has strongly criticized Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, for what it says is a policy of targeting the country’s Sunni minority. With Syria, Ankara has strongly opposed President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on the opposition, which is mainly Sunni.

Sinan Ulgen, a former senior Turkish diplomat and research fellow of the U.S.-based Carnegie Institute, says while the policies can be seen as supporting democracy in Syria and stability in Iraq, they are also viewed through the prism of religious sectarianism.

"There are reports coming out of the region essentially portraying Turkey, or accusing Turkey, of playing the Sunni card. And in this particular case, of course perception matters even more than reality," Ulgen noted.

Diplomatic tensions have been rising between Turkey and Iran, which until recently enjoyed close relations with Turkey. In addition to its opposition of Tehran’s close ally, Syria, Turkey infuriated the Iranian leadership with a decision to deploy NATO radar as part of a missile defense system primarily aimed at Iran.

Still, in a speech to his deputies, Erdogan on Tuesday denied his government is following a sectarian agenda to support Sunni aims.

He said his government is neither against nor behind any sect, and that those who perceive its policies as interference should first look at themselves. He said Turkey does not discriminate and does not base its policies on what he called "artificial elements."

Erdogan also said his government is planning to organize a regional meeting of Sunni and Shi’ite leaders later this month aimed at defusing regional tensions.

Last month, Turkey offered to host an international gathering aimed at resolving growing tensions over Iran’s controversial nuclear program, which is suspected of being used to develop atomic weapons.

Researcher Ulgen says Ankara knows religious sectarianism could further destabilize the Middle East. "The polarization of sectarian tensions would essentially mean long years of instability in the region — whether it’s Iraq, whether it’s Syria, whether it’s Lebanon — and these are very heterogeneous societies. And if sectarian tensions are on the rise, it’s going to be much more difficult to bring and peace and stability to these societies," Ulgen stated.

Still, observers warn divisions in the Middle East are increasing along sectarian lines. And helping to resolve that divide poses a major diplomatic challenge to Turkey.

Source: VOA
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Mr. Gomes who is also the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, was speaking in the margins of the first stone laying of subsidized houses in Bissau.

“I am running for the presidency and I am sure to win”, he asserted.

Following the death of President Malam Bacai Sanha on 9 January, the interim leader Raimundo Pereira set the presidential election for 18 March amidst disagreements by the country’s political leaders.

The death of President Malam Becai Sahna from diabetes had rendered the presidency vacant. The country’s constitution prescribed that an election be held at least three months after the death of the sitting president to fill the vacant position.

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The government program the Prime minister described as “ambitious” is meant, according to him, "to build a solid, stable, sympathizing, interdependent society”.

During his government’s tenure (2012-2016), Premier Benkirane, who is also leader of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), further said he would seek to cut the unemployment rate to 8pc against the current 9.6pc, and to drop the budget deficit to 3pc.

In his address to the Parliament, he insisted that Moroccan official languages, namely Berber and Arabic, would be strengthened in a way to ensure national unity and diversity.

He also reiterated the attachment of the Kingdom to the Islamic religion and the constitutional monarchy, the democracy and defense of territorial integrity.

His program deals also with housing issues, the restructuring of suburbs and the creation of a “public social insurance fund for the poor”.

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“Indeed, I am bidding for the presidential election to reinstate the authority of the State, justice and confidence in politics.

Solutions do exist and they are the establishment of good governance and the fight against corruption,” Keita said Saturday during a meeting that brought about hundreds of his supporters at the “Palais de la Culture” in Bamako.

However, IBK will be officially nominated by his party, the Rally for Mali (RPM), during their meeting slated for 14 January at the Modibo Keita sports stadium of the Malian capital, sources said.

This is the third time that the political leader, his supporters dub “Kankeletigui” (i.e the trusted man in bamanan dialect), is vying for the presidential seat in Mali after he failed in 2002 and 2007 to win the race.

IBK, who will be 66 on 29 January, has been minister of Foreign Affairs, Malian nationals in the Diaspora, and African Integration in 1993 before he was appointed Prime Minister for six years, from 1994 to February 2000.

The leader of RPM, a breakaway faction of former President Alpha Oumar Konare’s Alliance for democracy in Mali (Adema), was the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007, i.e during President Amadou Toumani Toure’s first term of office.

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Tsvangirai has since last week been embroiled in a bribery scandal in connection with allegations by the state broadcaster that he had given an undisclosed amount of money to editors of three private newspapers in return for “favorable coverage” to his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka has since denied the report, saying they were deliberately calculated to undermine his reputation in a bid to alienate him from Zimbabweans and spoil his chances in the country’s next elections.

Tamborinyoka described the claims as libelous and pointed out that Tsvangirai was contemplating legal action against the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and the Zimbabwe Newspapers Group (ZIMPAPERS), official publishers of Herald daily, the newspaper that published the story.

“We are looking at the possibility of suing the source of the information” Tamborinyoka said.

The allegations, first made by the ZBC, are that Tsvangirai secretly met with editors of The Standard, NewsDay and Daily News in December last year and “directed them to get editorial instructions from his office”.

The Standard editor, Nevanji Madanhire, NewsDay editor Brian Mangwende and Daily News editor Stanley Gama are also reported to be considering “suing a notorious spin-doctor from President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party who was the source for the ZBC and ZIMPAPERS bribery story”.

The editors are understood to be consulting their lawyers over the possibility of suing former MDC lawmaker Gabriel Chaibva for defamation.

Since his dismissal from the MDC Chaibva has been a ZANU PF supporter.

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Tsvangirai was said to have bribed local media to help improve his political image following negative publicity about his failed marriage to Ms Locadia Karimatsenga Tembo in November last year.

His errors of judgment on homosexuality and gay rights also presented him in bad light.

According to sources on Friday, the PM enlisted the services of private newspapers to clean his public image by turning a blind eye on his transgressions while magnifying those of his critics.

Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka Friday dismissed the bribery reports as "utter rubbish" although sources close to the drama said the PM had paid unnamed editors in exchange for favorable coverage.

"That is utter rubbish. The money disbursed to the PM’s Office is subject to accountability through the fiscus," Mr Tamborinyoka maintained.

However sources whose claims could not be verified, said the PM’s Office, in cahoots with Western NGOs provided the funds to the private media to rehabilitate the PM’s image.

Instead of attacking PM Tsvangirai, the private media was directed to target Zanu-PF, its allies and officials in government.

Meanwhile, editors from private newspapers who spoke to The Herald Thursday denied receiving money from the PM.

"I do not know anything about that. I saw that story for the first time on the ZBC website," Daily News editor Stanley Gama professing ignorance of the said scandal was quoted as saying.

Other editors in a number of press houses had also reportedly denied any knowledge of the PM’s attempt to bribe some of them and expressed incredulity over the whole story.

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The new cabinet comprising 30 ministers and 11 more junior portfolios was sworn in on Saturday at the presidential palace in Carthage before President Moncef Marzouki.

Mr. Jebali, 62, has voiced his commitment to show an example in relation to probity, transparency, good governance and judicious management of public funds.

“We are supposed to be held accountable to the people and institution”, he opined, describing Tunisia’s political example as a unique episode in the Arab-Muslim world following its “civic takeover”.

The new Premier, a member of the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, affirmed that his cabinet would carry out its mission in consultation with the former government, for the sake of Tunisia and its people.

With key cabinet positions going to its members, Ennahda is the largest party in government.

Jebali vowed that he and his ministers would ensure they comported themselves while in power in the service of all Tunisians and identify national priorities.

The constituent assembly which emerged from October’s poll on Friday approved the line-up following a confidence vote with 154 voting for, 38 voting against while 11 abstained.

Ennahda, which won the constituent assembly poll, holds the key portfolios of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Justice among others.

The formation of a new cabinet came after Tunisia overthrew President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s 23 year authoritarian regime in January.

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Jebali, 62, will begin consultations for the formation of his government within the next 21 days.

The new government is expected to take office immediately after its formation and after winning the vote of confidence of the members of the Constituent National Assembly.

Hamadi Jebali’s appointment occurs as a result of the enforcement of the constituent law pertaining to the provisional organization of public powers, which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly.

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Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said in the statement that two senior cabinet ministers from Mugabe’s dominant ZANU PF party were working with members of the spy Central Intelligence Office (CIO) on a plot to plant incriminating documents in the MDC’s offices in central Harare, which would be used to arrest the Prime Minister and other MDC officials.

“The plot involves members of the CIO and two named cabinet ministers who want to plant documents and then raid the Prime Minister’s Charter House and Harvest House offices where they will “discover” their own documents incriminating the Prime Minister and some members of the party’s top hierarchy,” Tamborinyoka said.

“The raid, which is scheduled to take place in the next two weeks, will result in the discovered documents being used not only to prosecute the Prime Minister and some members of his leadership, but also as an excuse to pull out of the inclusive Government without implementing the necessary reforms needed for a free and fair election,” added Tamborinyika.

The allegations were immediately rubbished by a ZANU PF spokesman who said the MDC was trying to find a scapegoat for its internal problems.

“There is absolutely no basis to such allegations and, in fact, all this points to a party running scared and unsure about its future,” the official said.

Tsvangirai agreed to form an uneasy coalition government with Mugabe two years ago following disputed presidential elections in 2008.

Mugabe has been pushing for the dissolution of the inclusive government and the immediate holding of fresh elections to choose a new leadership.

The MDC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are, however, against early elections without the creation of a level political playing field in Zimbabwe where ZANU PF relies on partisan security forces for survival.

SADC mediator and South African President Jacob Zuma is pushing for the adoption of a roadmap that would guide the conduct of Zimbabwe’s next general elections scheduled for next year or in early 2013.

Source African Press Agency

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Ethiopia has finalized preparation to host World AIDS gathering starting on Sunday that around 10,000 people across the globe are expected to attend.

While discussing with UNAIDS Executive General Michel Sidibe, PM Meles said that there is need for the continent to work together more than ever before to tackle the spreading of AIDS, which still remains as a major health challenge for Africa, home to close to a billion people.

Africa is said to have the greatest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world while recent figures show decline in new infection.

Meles said that his country is committed to support the efforts of African countries to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS at continental level.

UNAIDS Executive General said Ethiopia is among the African countries that managed to bring change in minimizing the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

He said the number of people infected with the virus has been declining from time to time because of the various measures taken by the government.

He mentioned that currently the number of people who have access to Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) has reached more than 200,000 as one of the successes gained due to the various efforts in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is expected to introduce a new National action plan to further strengthen these efforts.

Source African Press Agency

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The head of the OAS said in a letter addressed to the Primer Minister that, “from all indications, the people of Saint Lucia were able to exercise their civic responsibility in a free and fair manner, and the elections themselves were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. This is a tribute to the strongly held democratic traditions for which your country and the Caribbean region as a whole are well known.”

Secretary General Insulza expressed his wish to soon start working again with Primer Minister Anthony, who held the post from 1997 to 2006. “Please be assured that the Organization stands ready to work with you in advancing your country’s development agenda,” he added.

Source: Organization of American States
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After years in opposition, Abdelilah Benkirane’s Islamist Justice and Development Party – or PJD – won more than one-quarter of the seats in a new parliament, and is now moving to form a coalition government with three secular parties.

The former physics instructor, 59, is a veteran of Moroccan politics, joining the Muslim Youth Organization in 1976 before leaving to help found the more-moderate Islamic Group Organization, which eventually became the PJD party he now leads.

Appointed by King Mohammed VI to lead a new government this week, Benkirane said he intends to put the Moroccan people first.

The new prime minister said government today should be ready to serve its citizens. It is those voters who elected the party to parliament and gave it enough seats to form a government, so he said the focus on citizens is now paramount, and state officials should realize that they are here to serve them.

Benkirane’s party is a strong defender of the monarchy’s “divine right to rule” and backs a continuation of the king’s religious, security, and military authority against protesters from a group known as the “February 20 movement” who want many of those direct powers reduced.

Benkirane said the February 20 Movement is a social movement that was established to bring about change, and many of those changes were made in a July referendum. As the group continues, he said he needs to know what they want now. If those demands are reasonable, he said it is natural that the government will agree to them. But if those demands are not clear or logical, then they will have to discuss how else to move forward.

The February 20 Movement demonstrations were sparked by the political upheaval across North Africa. Several of July’s constitutional changes brought about by the Arab Spring directly benefit Benkirane.

Morocco’s king could previously choose any prime minister he liked. He must now select the head of the party that won the most seats in parliament. Both the prime minister and parliament also gained some new authority.

Political observers here say the moderate nature of his party and its deference to the monarchy means Benkirane’s government is likely to maintain Morocco’s long-standing alliances with Europe and the United States.

The prime minister says it is unthinkable to dismantle Morocco’s historic alliances with the West, which remain based on many mutual interests. He says Morocco’s relationships with France, Spain, Britain and the United States will not change.

Benkirane’s party doubled its seats in parliament, in part, because it campaigned on reducing corruption, reforming education, creating more jobs, and raising the minimum wage in a country where nearly one-third of young people are unemployed and nearly one-quarter of the population of 33 million live in poverty.

Determined to move ahead with that social agenda, Benkirane said he is realistic that no meaningful change can be achieved without the king’s consent.

The prime minister said individual liberties are an internal matter between Moroccans that are regulated by law. Religion is the king’s prerogative, not of the head of the government. He says Moroccans must not forget that this is a monarchy, and the head of state is the king, not the prime minister.

Turnout for last Friday’s vote was only about 30 percent. Benkirane said he understands that the political situation is “very tense,” and he is promising a “strong government that will give hope to Moroccans.”

Source: VOA
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He challenged the sector to explore innovative means of providing affordable energy within the shortest possible time-frame towards the realization of vision 2030 goal.

"I would like to challenge you to be innovative in finding affordable and efficient means of providing electric energy to Kenyans in the shortest time possible to accelerate economic development and secure the future of the country" Odinga said.

In a statement issued on Monday, the PM announced government projections to scale up power generation from the current 1,460 to 21`, 620 MW by 2030 when plans to harness the unexploited geothermal potentials were concluded.

He said "our dream remains that we have 5,000 megawatt of geothermal by 2030 but we only exploit 200 megawatt out of an estimated potential of 7,000 megawatts in the country."

Odinga also reiterated the government’s resolve to go green and create a kerosene-free zone in the country through the introduction of clean energy sources to at least 10 million households in two years’ time.

He said "the program aims to replace the kerosene as a source of energy with solar panels, solar lanterns, and green charcoal and improved cooking stoves."

The cost of energy hit the roofs in recent times due to escalating price of oil and low production at hydro power plants whenever unfavorable weather pattern visited the country’s water catchment areas.

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The $12 billion facility is located in the mountains between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan provinces on the upper reaches of the Indus River. Gilani told the assembled guests that the Diamer-Bhasha dam would generate 4,500 megawatts of electricity and store over 8 million acres of water to meet country’s growing power and irrigation need, Islamabad’s The News Online newspaper reported.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said that the dam would open new vistas of agricultural and economic development in the impoverished, mountainous region.

According to Water and Power Development Authority official Syed Raghib Abbas Shah,  WAPDA will build nine new villages to rehabilitate the people affected by the construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam. Shah told journalists, “We will get sufficient water for agricultural sector from Diamer-Bhasha Dam and barren lands will be made cultivatable after its completion in eight years, while it will also help increase power generation capacity of Tarbela Dam,” adding that the government had decided to build two to three new small dams in every province under its poverty alleviation program.

By. Charles Kennedy, Deputy Editor OilPrice.com

Reproduced With the Kind Permission of Our Source: OilPrice.com

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