Latest news with #economicstagnation
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
Kenya protests: 16 dead as government denounces ‘terrorism disguised as dissent'
Kenya's government denounced nationwide demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of anti-tax protests. The protests resulted in at least 16 deaths - mostly from gunshot wounds, 400+ wounded, and thousands of businesses destroyed through looting and arson. The demonstrations reflect deep public resentment toward President William Ruto over continued economic stagnation, high taxes, corruption, and police brutality. Kenya's under-fire government on Thursday condemned protests across the country during which at least 16 people were killed and thousands of businesses ruined as "terrorism disguised as dissent". The marches on Wednesday were called to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-tax demonstrations that peaked when a huge crowd stormed parliament and dozens were killed by security forces. The rallies began peacefully but descended into chaos as young men held running battles with police, lit fires and ripped up pavements to use as projectiles. "What unfolded yesterday was not a protest. It was terrorism disguised as dissent," Kipchumba Murkomen, interior cabinet secretary, said in a televised speech. "We condemn the criminal anarchists who in the name of peaceful demonstrations unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault and destruction upon our people," he said, calling events an "attempted coup". In Nairobi's business district, the epicentre of the unrest, AFP journalists found entire shopping centres and thousands of businesses destroyed, many still smouldering. At least two banks had been broken into, while businesses, ranging from supermarkets to small electronics and clothing stores, were reduced to ashes or ransacked by looters. "When we came we found the whole premise burnt down," said Raphael Omondi, 36, owner of a print shop, adding that he had lost machines worth $150 000. "There were guys stealing, and after stealing they set the whole premises on fire... If this is what protest is, it is not worth it." "They looted everything... I do not know where to start," said Maureen Chepkemoi, 32, owner of a perfume store. "To protest is not bad but why are you coming to protest inside my shop? It is wicked," she added. Several business owners told AFP that looting had started in the afternoon after the government ordered TV and radio stations to stop broadcasting live images of the protests. 'My everything' Amnesty International's Kenya director Irungu Houghton said the death toll had risen to 16. Rights group Vocal Africa, which was documenting the deaths and helping affected families at a Nairobi morgue, said at least four bodies had been brought there so far. "All of them had signs of gunshots, so we suspect they all died of gunshot wounds," its head Hussein Khalid told AFP. "We condemn this excessive use of force," he said. "We believe that the police could have handled themselves with restraint." "You come out to protest police killings, and they kill even more." One of those at the morgue was Winifred Mwangi, whose husband was killed during the demonstrations and who fainted as she tried to speak about the father of her two girls. "He was my everything," she said, adding she did not know what she would do without her husband. A coalition of rights groups earlier said at least 400 people were wounded, with 83 in serious condition in hospital. It recorded protests in 23 counties around Kenya. Emergency responders reported multiple gunshot wounds and there were unconfirmed local media reports that police had opened fire on protesters, particularly in towns outside the capital. President William Ruto, who came to power in 2022 promising rapid economic progress, faces deep resentment. Many are disillusioned by continued economic stagnation, corruption and high taxes, as well as police brutality after a teacher was killed in custody earlier this month.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Pessimism rising in Japan as 7 in 10 say country in decline: survey
A growing majority of Japanese believe their country is on a downward trajectory – a dramatic rise from less than a decade ago – as concerns mount over economic stagnation, political alienation and the social consequences of immigration, a global survey has found. Seventy per cent of Japanese respondents agreed with the statement that Japan is 'in decline', according to the latest survey by polling firm Ipsos – up 30 percentage points from a similar poll in 2016 and one of the steepest increases among the 31 countries surveyed. Only two countries – France and Turkey – reported a higher share of respondents believing their nation is in decline in the most recent poll, released last month. Japan was also well above the 57 per cent average of all countries. Ipsos described the findings as part of a global trend, warning: 'The diagnosis is stark: across the globe, a profound pessimism is setting in.' 05:59 'It will likely end with our generation,' Japan's last 'hidden Christians' face extinction 'It will likely end with our generation,' Japan's last 'hidden Christians' face extinction While the report noted that this sense of 'societal fracture' is especially acute in Western democracies such as the US, Britain and France, it emphasised that the sentiment has clearly spread to other regions – including Japan.
Zawya
16-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Online webinar: Navigating economic stagnation in South Africa
South Africa's unemployment crisis remains a serious challenge. Prof. Gabila Nubong, economist and senior lecturer at North-West University According to Statistics South Africa, the official unemployment rate dropped slightly to 31.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024, down from 32.1%. Despite this small improvement, around eight million people were still without work by the end of the year. The expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged job seekers, remained high at 41.9%. Youth unemployment, one of the country's most pressing issues, also dipped slightly from 45.5% to 44.6% among those aged 15 to 34. These numbers show a tiny step in the right direction, but they also make it clear: bold, focused action is urgently needed to grow the economy and create jobs. Join our upcoming webinar 'Navigating Economic Stagnation in South Africa' featuring Prof. Gabila Nubong, a respected economist and senior lecturer at North-West University. He will unpack the root causes of economic stagnation, break down the challenges behind these statistics, and explore real, workable solutions. We'll also look at how emerging markets and youth entrepreneurship can help drive South Africa toward a stronger, more resilient future. Webinar details - Date: Wednesday, 21 May 2025 - Time: 12pm to 1pm (SAST) - Teams meeting link: - Duration: One hour, including a 20-minute Q&A session For more information, please email Angeline Marokoane at Prof. Gabila Nubong bio Prof. Gabila Nubong is a political economist with a master's in economics and PhD in International Relations from the University of Pretoria. He is currently an associate professor at the School of Economics of the North-West University, South Africa. His research interests span across this nascent area of developmental regionalism and comparative regionalism with a focus on European Union and African Union integration processes. He has published articles and book chapters on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) focusing on drawing lessons from the European Union Integration experience. His current research is on the drivers on regional integration in the SADC region, focusing on trade, market integration, industrialisation, and peace and security. He also has a keen interest in pan Africanism and the African renaissance discourse with a focus on African growth and economic development questions focusing on the African Union integration and developmental processes and programmes. His recent publications have covered the areas of developmental regionalism, the African Continental Free Trade Area, political and economic institutions, foreign direct investment, and regional economic integration. Before joining the university, he worked as an economist for the European Union Delegation to South Africa, and as a project officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) in Maastricht, The Netherlands. He has served as a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program on the socio-economic response to Covid-19 for Guinea Bissau and the African Union and NEPAD on capacity imperatives for the implementation of the SDGs in selected African countries.
