Portugal signals support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara
The dispute, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco — which claims sovereignty over Western Sahara — against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state there.
Rangel showed support for the autonomy proposal, first presented by Moroccan King Mohammed VI to the UN in 2007, following a meeting in Lisbon with Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita.
The plan would establish a local legislative, executive, and judicial authority for Western Sahara elected by its residents, while Rabat would retain control over defence, foreign affairs, and religion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
38 minutes ago
- eNCA
22 killed in Angola fuel hike unrest
Two days of unrest and looting in Angola during a protest against a fuel price hike claimed the lives of 22 people, the government said Wednesday, as a tense calm returned to the capital. Violence erupted on Monday, the first day of a strike called by taxi drivers to protest the July 1 increase in fuel costs in the oil-rich nation where millions live in poverty. It was some of the worst unrest in several years in the Portuguese-speaking southern African country, which has been governed by the MPLA party since 1975. Sporadic gunfire was heard across Luanda and several other cities on Monday and Tuesday as people looted shops and clashed with police. "We regret 22 deaths, including one police officer," Interior Minister Manuel Homem told reporters on the sidelines of a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President Joao Lourenco. Nearly 200 people were injured in the violence, he said, and more than 1,200 people had been arrested. The unrest was marked by massive looting in which people raided supermarkets and warehouses, making off with food and other supplies. Sixty-six shops were damaged, Homem said. The streets of Luanda were tense and largely empty Wednesday, although there were some queues outside petrol stations and shops, AFP reporters said. There was a heavy presence of security forces. Many shops remained closed, but public transport had slowly resumed in some areas after a two-day standstill. With the protests having spread outside the capital, a statement after the ministers' meeting said vandalism and rioting had "triggered a climate of widespread insecurity". It said "elements with criminal intentions" had turned the demonstration into a "threat to security". Police in the southern city of Lubango confirmed separately that a police officer had shot and killed a 16-year-old on Tuesday. The teenager was part of a group attempting to invade the headquarters of the ruling MPLA party, a statement said. - Series of protests - The strike was the latest in a series of protests this month after the price of fuel was hiked from 300 to 400 kwanzas ($0.33 to $0.43) a litre on July 1. The government's move to lower its heavy fuel subsidies reportedly followed International Monetary Fund calls for more public money for health and education. But it has angered many in the country of 36 million people, already under pressure from inflation of around 20 percent while nearly 30 percent are unemployed. High inflation and limited growth "are likely to keep poverty rates high, around 36 percent by 2026, underscoring the need for a stronger social safety net and more development spending", according to the World Bank. At a demonstration of around 2,000 people in Luanda on Saturday, protesters condemned the fuel price hike but also brandished signs denouncing MPLA "corruption" or discontent with the rule of Lourenco, who was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2022. There had been similar protests the two previous weekends. In a joint statement Wednesday, the opposition UNITA and Bloco Democratico parties said Angola was in a "severe economic and social crisis" that was a result of government policies "disconnected from the country's reality". Amnesty International and other rights groups have accused the police of using excessive force against protesters in Angola, which suffered through a 1975-2002 civil war and almost four decades of repression under former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. In January 2021 police killed at least 10 people after opening fire on an anti-poverty protest in the diamond mining town of Cafunfo, around 750 kilometres (470 miles) east of Luanda, according to Amnesty. By Mario Paiva
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
Trump hits India with 25% tariff and 'penalty' over Russia ties
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that imports from India will face 25 percent tariffs, while also announcing an unspecified "penalty" over New Delhi's purchases of Russian weapons and energy. The measures will kick in on Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding to a bevy of other tariff hikes set to take effect the same day. In a separate post, Trump said the August 1 deadline "stands strong, and will not be extended." Trump has issued multiple delays to his so-called "reciprocal" tariffs since first announcing them in early April, while instituting an interim 10 percent baseline. The 25 percent tariff on India would be marginally lower than the rate announced in April, but is higher than those of other Asian countries that have struck preliminary trade agreements with Washington. India, the world's most populous country, was one of the first few major economies to engage the Trump administration in broader trade talks. But six months later, Trump's sweeping demands and India's reluctance to fully open its agricultural and dairy sectors have so far prevented New Delhi from sealing a deal. "Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country," Trump said Wednesday morning. He added that India has "always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE." In addition to the 25 percent tariff, India will face "a penalty for the above," Trump said, without any specification. The measure comes as the 79-year-old Republican has signaled he intends to tighten US pressure on Moscow to halt fighting in Ukraine and negotiate a peace deal. On Tuesday, Trump said he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 days -- which would mean the end of next week -- to change course in Ukraine or face new tariffs. He had previously threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" that would target Russia's remaining trade partners -- such as China and India -- seeking to impede Moscow's ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions. - China trade talks - Trump has set out to upend the global economy by trying to leverage US economic power to squeeze trading partners with tariffs and force foreign companies to move to the United States. He has already announced deal outlines with five countries -- Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines -- as well as the one with the 27-nation EU. US and Chinese officials held talks this week in Stockholm on extending a trade truce that has temporarily lowered tariffs from soaring triple-digits. While no deal was announced at the meetings, both sides are eying an extension ahead of the August 12 deadline. Meanwhile Trump has threatened Brazil with 50 percent tariffs beginning Friday -- in part to pressure the South American ally to shut down the trial of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro on coup charges.
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Lamola calls for more countries to ‘urgently' recognise Palestinian statehood at UN conference
The international legal and multilateral system has been turned into a blunt tool, says Lamola. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has urged more countries to 'urgently' recognise a Palestinian state at a United Nations (UN) conference this week that was devoted to a two-state solution. Speaking at the high-level conference in New York on Tuesday, 29 July 2025, Lamola said the recognition of Palestinian statehood was 'fundamental to restoring the credibility of the two-state solution'. 'Global attention is on this conference. There is an expectation that we will deliver an effective response to the destruction of an entire population and a peaceful path for preserving the prospect of a viable Palestinian state existing side by side with the state of Israel in peace and security. This expectation is not misplaced, and it could not be higher. 'Eighty years since the founding of the UN, this is a matter that has plagued our collective conscience. The solution lies with a tangible recommitment from all of us to the values that bind us,' said Lamola. South Africa is anti-war and prefers dialogue over violence. Global attention is on this Conference. There is an expectation that we will deliver an effective response to the destruction of an entire population and a peaceful path for preserving the prospect of a viable… — Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) July 29, 2025 Lamola was among dozens of high-level representatives who gathered at the UN this week to promote a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025, after it adopted a resolution related to the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran. Both Israel and the US have boycotted the three-day meeting, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. In a statement issued on Monday, the US State Department called the conference a 'publicity stunt' that 'will prolong the war'. The high-level meeting is taking place against the backdrop of the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as starvation grips the region as a result of Israel's restrictions on aid. On Tuesday, the leading international authority on hunger crises said that the 'worst-case scenario of famine' was unfolding in Gaza, and called for an urgent ceasefire to 'alleviate the catastrophic suffering of people' in the region. 'Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. The latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City,' read the alert from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). 🚨 #GazaStrip Alert The worst-case scenario of #Famine is rapidly unfolding in the #GazaStrip amid relentless conflict, displacements, and extremely limited humanitarian access. 📄 Read more: @TheIPCinfo #FoodInsecurity #Malnutrition — The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (@theIPCinfo) July 29, 2025 'This conference takes place at a time when we are witnessing the destruction of Gaza and its people in real time, in a brazen and wanton act of genocide in full view of the world,' said Lamola. 'South Africa continues to condemn the horrific events of 7 October 2023 where innocent Israeli citizens were killed. Despite this challenging context, in which the international legal and multilateral system has been paralysed and turned into a blunt tool, the focus today on a real path to lasting peace must prevail. 'The might is right doctrine can no longer be justified. It has led to perpetual insecurity and it justifies an attempt to eradicate the Palestinian people through killing and starvation,' he said. Lamola added that South Africa hoped the conference would 'plot a real path forward, based on concrete actions, for the creation of a Palestinian state existing peacefully and side by side with the state of Israel, along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital'. Recognition of a Palestinian state The UN conference, which began on Monday, came days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. Macron made the announcement in a surprise statement on X, following months of hints and hesitations over potential French recognition of a Palestinian state, according to a report from The New York Times. Speaking to delegates in New York, Lamola welcomed France's intention to recognise Palestinian statehood as 'an important step towards achieving a two-state solution'. At the opening of the talks on Monday, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France was ready to fully recognise the state of Palestine at a time when the two-state solution is 'more threatened than ever'. 'Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative,' he said. According to a report from The Guardian, Barrot said that the UN conference would also serve as a platform for other European countries to recognise Palestinian statehood. On Tuesday afternoon, the UK followed France, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing that Britain would recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel did not agree to a ceasefire with Hamas. My statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and our plan for peace including the recognition of a Palestinian State. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2025 Speaking at the UN on Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK intended to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN General Assembly gathered in September. 'We will do this unless the Israeli government acts to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ends its military campaign and commits to a long-term sustainable peace based on a two-state solution,' he said. DM
