Latest news with #opposition
Bloomberg
15 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Turkey Central Bank Cuts Interest Rates More Than Expected
By Updated on Save Turkey's central bank delivered a sizable interest-rate cut for the first time since March, resuming a reduction cycle that was derailed by a political crisis stemming from the arrest of a leading opposition figure. The Monetary Policy Committee reduced the one-week repo rate to 43% from 46% on Thursday, more than expected in a Bloomberg survey of analysts, where the median forecast predicted a cut of 250 basis points. The bank also lowered the overnight lending rate to 46% from 49% and the overnight borrowing rate to 41.5% from 44.5%.
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
Zimbabwe: Can patriotism be legislated?
Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF is pushing to criminaliSe government criticism further, introducing 'patriotic' education and national ideology initiatives. Activists and opposition denounce the motion as repressive, claiming it suppresses freedoms and violates democratic principles. Citizens and organisations view the Patriot Act as unconstitutional, urging reforms to protect rights and democratic governance. Lawmakers from the ruling ZANU-PF party in Zimbabwe are moving a motion to further criminalise government critics. They're advocating for a comprehensive strategy to promote patriotism and national identity. Proposed measures include formalising a national ideology, establishing a national institute of ideology and integrating 'patriotic' education into the curriculum. The motion comes on top of the contested Patriotic Act of 2023, which was seen to effectively closed the door on dissent In Zimbabwe. It makes provision for criticism issues such as provision of healthcare, basic services and accountability to be judged criminal. The government dismissed criticism, saying the legislation was necessary to hold accountable individuals who threaten 'national interests'. It said the legislation was modelled on the Logan Act in the US, which bars citizens from engaging in certain unauthorised communications with foreign governments. In Zimbabwe, violations could result in life imprisonment and death, termination of citizenship, suspension from voting or holding public office. Another layer to repressive legislation In a recent parliamentary debate, ZANU-PF MP Ophious Murambiwa suggested that it should be criminal to speak 'evil' about Zimbabwe. 'The most important issue is to love our country, let us praise our country in all circumstances, whether in good or bad times, during the night or day,' Murambiwa said. The motion has prompted opposition lawmakers and human rights groups to push back harder. 'Patriotism is not blind loyalty. It is not empty slogans. True patriots question injustice, challenge corruption and demand systems that serve people not a selected few,' Prosper Mutseyami, an opposition MP, said. Our patriotism must ignite participation, ensuring that every Zimbabwean plays an active role in shaping the future. Prosper Mutseyami Human rights activists say it's another attempt to silence dissent. 'You cannot necessarily legislate patriotism,' Nigel Nyamutumbu, the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe programmes manager, told DW. 'It is a concept that can naturally clamp down on the requisite freedoms. Patriotism is not a legal concept but rather a political nationalist ideology.' Activists have in the past been accused of treason and unpatriotic behaviour for expressing concerns over human rights abuses, corruption, and governance in Zimbabwe. Is it really 'business as usual' in Zimbabwe? Citizens have expressed concern over what they fear are attempts to enforce a one-party state. ZANU-PF, with its absolute majority in parliament, is seen to be abusing its authority and violating the constitution. 'As parliamentarians we are supposed to uphold the constitution,' Gladys Hlatshwayo an opposition MP told DW. 'Section 119 of the constitution demands that parliament protects the constitution and democratic governance.' In June 2025, Zimbabwe's High Court struck down sections of the Patriotic Act. The court ruled that the drastic penalties prescribed by the Patriotic Act infringed on various sections of the country's constitution. Several civic organisations and private citizens had petitioned the court, arguing that the legislation was overly broad and vague and had high potential for abuse and misuse. 'The most patriotic people are those who hold their government to account. A government must not be seen as the most dangerous institution,' Eric Chisora, a political analyst, told DW. 'Whatever they [ZANU-PF lawmakers] are doing is unreasonable and irrational. Citizens' rights must be protected.' A need for law reforms Political and civic rights activists are calling for the repeal of colonial legacy laws which they say are retrogressive. Laws such as the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, with provisions have been used to incriminate government critics, date back to Zimbabwe's pre-independence era when they were used to suppress black majority rule. The activists are concerned over the shrinking of democratic space under Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe's president since 2018. 'We are now living in a country where there is no freedom of expression due to the number of pieces of legislation being passed by the ZANU-PF regime,' Blessing Vava, executive director of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, told DW. 'When you see a government passing repressive laws, just know that it is not a popular government. Zimbabweans must fight to defend the constitution.'
Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
What Kemi Badenoch's reshuffle says about the state of the Tories
K emi Badenoch was warned. A succession of senior Tories told her, privately and publicly, that life as opposition leader would be an unrelenting grind. Even Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has offered her sympathy. However, unlike previous Conservative opposition leaders, Badenoch is contending with a new — and potentially existential — threat. The rise and rise of Reform is largely at the expense of the Tories. The Conservatives have gone backwards in the polls since the general election and most voters think Badenoch would be a worse prime minister than Starmer, whose own poll ratings remain dire. So where are the Tories? And can Badenoch begin to turn it around, starting with today's shadow cabinet reshuffle?
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Wednesday briefing: The Conservatives reshuffle in an attempt to stay relevant amid poor polling
Good morning. Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party (remember them?), has announced a reshuffle of her top team a year into her leadership. The reshuffle itself has not come as a surprise – it was rumoured for months. Badenoch has kept much of her team in place, including the shadow home secretary, Robert Jenrick, shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, and the shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel. The reshuffle has seen a return of Sir James Cleverly to frontline politics as shadow minister for housing, facing off against Angela Rayner. He served as foreign secretary and home secretary in the Conservative government. Cleverly previously declined an offer to serve in Badenoch's shadow cabinet after losing the post-election race to be Conservative leader. Edward Argar – who has stepped down as shadow health secretary on the advice of his doctors after a health scare – will be replaced by Stuart Andrew, a former minister who has been shadow culture minister. Kevin Hollinrake, who had been shadow housing and communities secretary, will become party chair. He takes over from Nigel Huddleston, who will be shadow culture secretary. If you're drawing a blank on who these MPs are, you are not alone. The Conservatives have yet to truly make their mark as the party of opposition. To better understand why that is, the challenges the party faces, and where the Tories go next, I spoke to the Guardian's deputy political editor Jessica Elgot. That's after the headlines. Israel-Gaza war | Israel's government is pursuing an 'unacceptable and morally unjustifiable' policy in Gaza, the Catholic Latin patriarch of Jerusalem has said after visiting a church in the territory that was attacked by Israeli forces and meeting survivors. Environment | The world is on the brink of a breakthrough in the climate fight and fossil fuels are running out of road, the UN chief said on Tuesday, as he urged countries to funnel support into low-carbon energy. Immigration | Officials are to start using artificial intelligence to help estimate the age of asylum seekers who say they are children, Angela Eagle, the immigration minister, said on Tuesday. UK news | A man has been found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service after handing over personal details of the then defence secretary, Grant Shapps, to two British undercover officers he believed to be Russian agents. Music | Ozzy Osbourne, whose gleeful 'Prince of Darkness' image made him one of the most iconic rock frontmen of all time, has died aged 76. His death comes less than three weeks after his retirement from performance. The Conservative party was, until very recently, known as the most electorally successful political party in western Europe. Founded in 1834, the Tories dominated British politics in the 19th, 20th and much of the 21st century. Then came last year's election, which saw them lose a record 251 seats. They only have 121 MPs left, limiting the talent Badenoch has to draw from. Recent polls have been brutal, with one in May showing the Conservatives dropping to fourth place, behind the Liberal Democrats. 'When you're around the Tory party in Westminster, almost all of the MPs have completely checked out,' Jessica told me. 'There are a few people who are energetically trying to make a big impact: Robert Jenrick, who's obviously still very keen on being leader, and Claire Coutinho, who clearly sees that she's got a future in the party.' Whether this reshuffle will be the boost needed to motivate and mobilise the party is more tricky to say. 'It's hard to find many people in the Conservative party who think that Kemi Badenoch's going to be the leader that takes them into the next election, especially after what we expect to be a real hammering at the May 2026 elections, particularly in Wales and Scotland,' Jessica added. The real opposition The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has set up Nigel Farage's Reform party as 'the real opposition' in the next general election, describing Badenoch, and the Conservatives, as 'sliding into the abyss' (ouch). It is a deliberate strategy to help motivate disgruntled progressives to vote Labour or risk having Nigel Farage as prime minister. But it does also speak to the fact that the Tories have struggled for airtime against Reform. 'You can see that, from the Tory MPs who are defecting, like Jake Berry, who is a quite eccentric political character. But essentially what he represents is an ambitious former Tory MP kicked out of the last election who is from a younger generation who clearly doesn't believe that their time in public life should be over. People like him see Reform as a party that is more likely to help them get re-elected,' Jessica said. 'It's existential for a party leader to be facing that. There's been quite a deliberate attempt by Kemi Badenoch to talk about similar issues to Nigel Farage, whether that's grooming gangs or small boats.' The economy might be a subject on which the Tories can distinguish themselves from Reform, Jessica added, with Farage shifting to the left on the topic, backing the abolition of the two-child benefit cap. But it's not something the Tories have jumped on yet, for one clear reason: 'That's really difficult for a party that was in power for 14 years, to say 'We're back to being the credible ones on the economy.'' Fixing the church roof While many have focused on Reform's impact on the Tories, the party had also lost votes to the Liberal Democrats – but Badenoch doesn't seem to regard this as significant. 'The Lib Dems are such an interesting phenomenon when it comes to what the Tory party's looking for as it tries to regain power,' Jessica said. 'There are 70 Lib Dem seats which it seems to be making almost no attempt whatsoever to try and regain.' Jessica pointed to a revealing podcast interview that Badenoch did with Jordan Peterson. 'They don't have much of an ideology other than being nice,' Badenoch said. 'A typical Liberal Democrat will be somebody who is good at fixing their church roof. And, you know, the people in the community like them. They are like, 'Fix the church roof, you should be a member of parliament.'' Unsurprisingly, the Liberal Democrats took this criticism as a badge of honour – with party leader Ed Davey writing that they were proud to be a party that focuses on local issues. The poisoned chalice Badenoch herself hasn't made the mark she wanted to as opposition leader. The main successes of the Conservative party have been down to Jenrick, who notably got the government to back down on long-consulted guidelines on sentencing. There has been some frustration in Tory-supporting newspapers about Badenoch's performance, particularly at prime minister's questions. One Labour party source joked to Jessica that when Starmer prepares to take her on, aides look at what's been trending on X and from there work out what Badenoch will choose to attack him on. 'It obviously takes some time to improve at PMQs in opposition,' Jessica said. 'That's always been the case for opposition leaders. But Starmer's clearly taken the view that she's not going to be the leader he's facing at the next election. So he doesn't take her questions hugely seriously. He instead concentrates on his own clip that he wants for social media.' But Badenoch has had notable support. 'Michael Gove wrote a fairly compelling defence of her, saying there's no way anyone else would be doing better,' Jessica added. And while it's taking the Tories time to adjust to being in opposition, some Conservatives have enjoyed the freedom it has given them. But, as one Tory MP told Jessica: 'Sometimes they seem weirdly happy to be free of government constraints. They can say and do more innovative things, like Jenrick's fare-dodging video. But it's a party flirting with fourth place in the polls.' The next key date for Badenoch is November, when she could be challenged for the leadership. But with dangers to the party coming right and left, it is hard to see who could take the poisoned chalice and do much better. Jessica added: 'The first year of opposition is very difficult. The strategy's hard to get right. You're fighting for airtime. The impact she's had is probably just the reality of being first-year opposition after 14 years.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion After the indescribable Ozzy Osbourne died late yesterday at 76, Alexis Petridis remembers 'the people's Prince of Darkness' who took heavy metal to the masses. 'Every artist who chose to work in the genre carries something of Black Sabbath in their DNA, and one suspects they always will,' he writes of the star's influence. For an extra treat, make sure you dive into this extraordinary gallery of the singer's life in pictures. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters A special issue in a Harvard journal on the destruction of the education system in Palestine was abruptly cancelled. This adds to a mounting list of censorship of pro-Palestinian speech. Aamna British surgeon Nick Maynard has worked in Gaza on and off for 15 years, and is back for the third time since December 2023. In this column, he writes starkly on what he is seeing in Nasser hospital now: 'Deliberate starvation.' Charlie The news is full of horror right now, so I particularly loved reading this list by my colleagues on their favourite feel good films. Aamna Writing in the Face, Annabel Nugent has a well-reported piece on the slippery slope of buy now, pay later schemes, and the young people who have fallen deep into 'Klarnamaxxing' to get by. 'People can't afford to pay rent so they buy a Labubu just to feel something,' says one. Charlie Football | Chloe Kelly scored the rebound from her saved penalty to send England into the Euro 2025 final after extra time with a 2-1 comeback victory against Italy. Women's cricket | India finished their tour of England with a 13-run win at Chester-le-Street and a 2-1 one-day international series victory, although England almost managed what would have been a record chase, falling just short of the 319-run target. Cycling | The Tour de France debutant Valentin Paret-Peintre banished the bitter memories of Julian Alaphilippe's misplaced celebrations in Carcassonne on Sunday by becoming the fifth French rider to win at the summit of Mont Ventoux. 'Israel faces growing outrage over 'indefensible' killing of civilians' says the Guardian's lead story headline. 'For pity's sake stop this now' – the Express goes on to say that Gaza 'shames us all'. 'PM's fears for summer of riots in 'fraying' UK' – that's in the Times while the Telegraph has 'Police take pro-migrant protesters to asylum hotel'. The Daily Mail splashes on 'British Air India families are sent the wrong bodies'. 'Lynch's estate poised for bankruptcy after £740mn Hewlett-Packard ruling' – that's the Financial Times and it's about Mike Lynch who died when his mega-yacht sank. The Metro shares that the 'Pandemic aged our brains' and the i paper runs with 'British workers will get emergency access to pension cash under plan to boost savings'. 'RIP Ozzy' – the Mirror farewells 'Black Sabbath legend'. Will the Epping hotel riots spark another summer of unrest? A year after Southport, what's driving the turmoil in Essex? Ben Quinn reports A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad At first glance, the idea of buying books by the metre to fill out our bookcases may seem like an indictment of our shallow, consumption-obsessed culture. However, as Lucy discovers in this piece, this interior decorating trend has real value for booksellers, and is 'a savvy way for retailers to get rid of large numbers of titles that would otherwise be difficult to shift'. But books are made to be read, you may say! As Lucy herself notes: 'In an age of constant scrolling, there is social capital to be gained by simply looking as if you are a cultured person who listens to music on vinyl and reads lots of books. And creating an aesthetically pleasing bookshelf is now easier than ever.' Well, to that one bookseller has a strong counterpoint: 'We've all got lots of books on our shelves that we haven't read.' Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Eswatini opposition attacks US deal as ‘human trafficking disguised as deportation'
Civil society and opposition groups in Eswatini have expressed outrage after the US deported five men to the country, with the largest opposition party calling it 'human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal'. The men, from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba, were flown to the small southern African country, an absolute monarchy, last week as the US stepped up deportations to 'third countries' after the supreme court cleared them last month. Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique and has a population of about 1.2 million. It is Africa's last absolute monarchy and has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. The government estimated the five men would be held for about 12 months, a spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said, adding: 'It could be slightly less or slightly more.' She said Eswatini was ready to receive more deportees, depending on the availability of facilities and negotiations with the US, which has also deported eight people to South Sudan after holding them for weeks in a shipping container in Djibouti, and more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador. Officials have said the men, who were put in solitary confinement, were safely imprisoned in Eswatini. However, they have refused to disclose the terms of the deal, other than to say the US was footing the costs of keeping the men locked up and that they would work with international organisations to deport them to their home countries. Many civil society organisations and politicians were not convinced. 'This action, carried out without public consultation, adequate preparation, or community engagement, raises urgent questions about legality, transparency, and the safety of both the deported individuals and the people of Eswatini, especially women and girls,' said a coalition of seven women's groups. The organisations delivered a petition to the US embassy on Monday calling for the US to take back the deportees, for the deportees' human rights to be respected, and for Eswatini not to become a 'dumping ground for unresolved problems from elsewhere'. The groups' leaders held a protest outside the US embassy on Friday, where they sang, danced and held up signs with messages including: 'Whose taxpayers?', 'Eswatini is not a prison for US rejects' and 'Take the five criminals back to the US!!' Eswatini's largest opposition party, the People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), said in a statement: 'Pudemo vehemently condemns the treacherous and reckless decision by King Mswati III's regime to allow the United States of America to dump its most dangerous criminals on Swazi soil. 'This is not diplomacy but human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal. It is an insult to all Emaswati who value peace, security, and the sanctity of our homeland.' The coordinating assembly of NGOs, an umbrella group, said the situation was 'deeply alarming' and condemned the 'stigmatising and dehumanising language used by US officials'. It called for the Eswatini-US agreement to be made public and to be suspended pending 'genuine public consultation and transparent national dialogue'. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on X on 16 July that the men, who she said had been convicted of crimes including child rape, murder and burglary, were 'so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back'. She added: 'These depraved monsters have been terrorising American communities but … they are off of American soil.' Eswatini's prime minister, Russell Dlamini, told local media on Friday that the government was confident it would safely manage the prisoners. 'Eswatini is currently holding inmates who have committed more dangerous crimes than those attributed to the five deportees,' he said. A prison service spokesperson, Baphelele Kunene, said the country's citizens should not be afraid. 'We can confirm that the five inmates in question have been admitted to one of our high-security centres where they are responding very well to the new environment,' he said. 'Even though they come from the US, there is no preferential treatment for them as they are guided by the same prison regulations, eat the same food as others and are also expected to exhibit the same and equal amount of respect for prison protocols.' The US state department's most recent human rights report on Eswatini, in 2023, said there were 'credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; [and] political prisoners or detainees'. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections, which the system's advocates argue makes MPs more representative of their constituents. In September, Pudemo's leader, Mlungisi Makhanya, was allegedly poisoned in South Africa. The party said it was an assassination attempt, which Eswatini's government has denied. The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.
