Brazil’s incoming President Lula unveils more cabinet picks

 Left-wing leader, set to take office on January 1, says his team aims to ‘rebuild the country’ after Bolsonaro’s tenure.

Brazil’s incoming President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has unveiled more cabinet picks in the run-up to his inauguration on January 1, including Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin as minister of development, industry and trade.

Da Silva, better known as Lula, on Thursday announced that economist Esther Dweck would lead the newly created management ministry, while business-friendly Congressman Alexandre Padilha was appointed institutional affairs minister.

He also named the incoming heads of Brazil’s human rights, labour, education, and social development departments, among others.

“We know that the challenge ahead is great, but we will work together to rebuild the country,” Lula wrote on Twitter before the announcements.

Google translation: Ministry of Human Rights: @silviolual , postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Law at USP, professor at FGV and Mackenzie and visiting professor at Columbia University. President of the Luiz Gama Institute.

Google translation: Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce: @geraldoalckmin , elected vice president of Brazil, governor of São Paulo for four terms, was federal deputy and mayor of Pindamonhangaba. Coordinated the transition team.

The left-wing leader, who previously served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010, narrowly defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a second-round, presidential run-off in late October.

He garnered 50.9 percent support compared with 49.1 percent for the former army captain.

Amid widespread fears that Bolsonaro would contest the results, after he falsely claimed for months that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud, the outgoing president authorised the government transition – though he has not explicitly conceded defeat.

Many of Bolsonaro’s supporters continue to reject the election results, with some taking part in protests and roadblocks since the results were announced.

Earlier this month, some pro-Bolsonaro demonstrators attempted to invade the federal police headquarters in the capital, Brasilia, on the day that Lula was certified as the country’s next president.

Late last month, the head of Brazil’s highest electoral authority rejected an attempt by Bolsonaro’s allies to challenge the election results. Judge Alexandre de Moraes denounced the effort as being in “total bad faith”.

Lula has tried to strike a conciliatory tone after one of the most divisive election campaigns in Brazil’s history, promising to govern for all Brazilians.

He has pledged to combat the climate crisis and end deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, which surged under Bolsonaro’s leadership; defend the rights of Indigenous people; and pull millions of Brazilians out of poverty.

Lula’s incoming administration also has said it plans to rebuild relations with neighbouring Venezuela; a diplomatic mission will travel to Caracas in January to organise an official Brazilian residence in the city before an ambassador is appointed by Brazil’s legislature.

Earlier in December, Lula announced the first of his incoming cabinet appointments, naming close ally Fernando Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo, as his finance minister.

He also chose career diplomat Mauro Vieira as foreign minister, former congressman Jose Mucio as defence minister, Bahia Governor Rui Costa as chief of staff, and the ex-governor of Maranhao state, Flavio Dino, as justice minister.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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US says Putin’s call to end war in Ukraine insincere

 ‘Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict,’ Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s call for an end to the war in Ukraine has been met with a sharp rebuke from the United States, which said the Russian leader had shown “zero” interest in peace negotiations.

“Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin said on Thursday.

“We will strive for an end to this and the sooner the better, of course,” he said.

“All armed conflicts end one way or another with some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track,” he added.

“Sooner or later, any parties in a state of conflict sit down and make an agreement. The sooner this realisation comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on this.”

Putin’s comments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House and later made a stirring speech to the US Congress where he said support for Ukraine was an investment in security and democracy for the entire world.

The US also announced an additional $1.85bn in military assistance for Kyiv to coincide with Zelensky’s first known trip outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded in February.

Washington was swift in response to Putin’s peace comments.

The White House’s national security spokesman John Kirby said Putin has “shown absolutely zero indication that he’s willing to negotiate” to bring an end to the 10-month-old conflict.

“Quite the contrary,” Kirby told reporters during an online briefing. “Everything he (Putin) is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people” and “escalate the war”.

Kirby said US President Joe Biden was open to a dialogue with Putin but only if he “showed a seriousness about negotiations”.

Kirby’s statements were echoed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Fundamentally right now, Russia has shown no interest in meaningful diplomacy, in meaningfully engaging, to bring this war to an end,” Blinken said at a press conference on Thursday, the AFP reported.

The conflict, Blinken reiterated, could be ended if Russia simply withdrew its troops.

“In the absence of that, we have to see some meaningful evidence that Russia is prepared to actually negotiate a just and durable peace,” Blinken said.

“By just – one that doesn’t simply ratify another country seizing by force the territory of another,” he said.

“Durable – in the sense that we want to make sure that it holds and that we’re not simply putting Ukraine in a position where Russia is going to repeat what it did a month, six months, a year later,” he added.

Ukraine and its allies have routinely blasted the Kremlin’s statements on peace as hollow attempts to stall after months of prolonged setbacks on the battlefield.

Putin on Thursday also minimised the Patriot air defence system Biden has pledged to supply to Kyiv.

He described the Patriots as “quite old”, in contrast with Russia’s S-300 system and said the Kremlin would seek a way to outmaneuver – and “crack” – the sophisticated surface-to-air missile defence system.

“An antidote will always be found,” Putin said of the Patriot system.

“So those who do it are doing it in vain. It’s just prolonging the conflict, that’s all.”

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have perished and Ukraine’s population is enduring brutal winter conditions – with many surviving without water, power or heat amid the Kremlin’s relentless bombardment, which has been hitting “critical infrastructure”, including power stations and energy supply hubs in areas surrounding the capital and elsewhere in the country.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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UN Security Council resolution demands end to Myanmar violence

The only other Security Council resolution on Myanmar was in 1948, which recommended then-Burma’s entry to world body.

The United Nations Security Council has adopted its first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years, which demands an end to violence and calls on the country’s military rulers to release all political prisoners, including democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar’s military seized power from Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021, arresting her and other officials, and has responded to pro-democracy protests and dissent with lethal force that has killed several thousand people and seen more than 16,000 jailed.

China and Russia, who have supported Myanmar’s military leaders since the coup, abstained from the UN vote on Wednesday, along with India. The remaining 12 members of the powerful council voted in favour of the resolution.

“Today we’ve sent a firm message to the military that they should be in no doubt – we expect this resolution to be implemented in full,” the United Kingdom’s UN ambassador, Barbara Woodward, said after the vote.

“We’ve also sent a clear message to the people of Myanmar that we seek progress in line with their rights, their wishes and their interests,” Woodward said.

The only other resolution concerning Myanmar was adopted by the Security Council in 1948, when the body recommended the UN General Assembly admit the country – then known as Burma – as a member of the world body.

China’s UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, told the council after abstaining on the vote that “there is no quick fix to the issue”.

“Whether or not it can be properly resolved in the end, depends fundamentally, and only, on Myanmar itself,” he said.

He said China had wanted the Security Council to adopt a formal statement on Myanmar, not a resolution.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said Moscow did not view the situation in Myanmar as a threat to international security and therefore believed it should not be dealt with by the UN Security Council.

Enormous internal public opposition to the military’s takeover of Myanmar has since turned into armed resistance some UN experts have characterised as “civil war”.

Last month, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organisation, said more than 16,000 people had been arrested on political charges in Myanmar since the military coup. Of them, more than 13,000 were still in detention.

The association also said at least 2,465 civilians had been killed since the military’s power grab, although the actual number is thought to be far higher.

Negotiations on the draft Security Council resolution began in September. The initial text – seen by the Reuters news agency – urged an end to the transfer of arms to Myanmar and threatened sanctions, but that language has since been removed.

Russia and China are among the largest supplier of weapons to Myanmar’s military with missiles, primarily, and aircraft supplied by Moscow and naval ships, aircraft, guns and armoured vehicles purchased from China.

The group Burma Campaign UK welcomed the resolution but said it would have “no practical impact” and that imposing a global arms embargo on Myanmar’s military should have been a “no-brainer first step”.

“The supply of arms doesn’t even get a mention in the resolution,” said Mark Farmaner, the group’s director, said in a statement.

“Russia, China and India are using their seats on the Security Council to protect their profitable dodgy arms deals with the Burmese military,” he said.

“At the United Nations it might be seen as a diplomatic coup to get this resolution passed but in Burma it will have no impact for people living under a military coup,” he added.

The adopted resolution expresses “deep concern” at the continuing state of emergency imposed by the military when it seized power and its “grave impact” on Myanmar’s people.

It also urges “concrete and immediate actions” to implement a peace plan agreed on by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and issues a call to “uphold democratic institutions and processes and to pursue constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people”.

Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from the UN in New York, said that diplomats he spoke with were not expecting the military government in Myanmar to comply with all the articles in the resolution, but “they are hoping it will restart diplomacy”, which is being led by the regional ASEAN grouping.

Malaysia’s ministry of foreign affairs said on Thursday it welcomed the resolution and the support expressed for ASEAN’s role in finding a “peaceful solution to the situation in Myanmar”.

“Malaysia will work closely with ASEAN and with external partners to ensure progress on these efforts in the interests of the people of Myanmar,” the ministry said in a statement.

The resolution also underlines the need “for a peaceful, genuine and inclusive process to de-escalate violence and reach a sustainable political resolution.”

It underscores the need to address the crisis in Rakhine state and create conditions for the return of ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims who were forced out of Buddhist-majority Myanmar in a brutal military operation in August 2018, which the US has described as an act of genocide.

Some 700,000 Rohingya people still live as refugees in neighbouring Bangladesh while others remain displaced in Myanmar.

Myanmar’s UN ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, who represents Suu Kyi’s toppled government and still holds the Security Council seat, said while there were positive elements in the resolution, the National Unity Government – comprised of remnants of Suu Kyi’s administration – would have preferred a stronger text.

“We are clear this is only a first step,” he told reporters.

“The National Unity Government calls on the UNSC (to build) on this resolution to take further and stronger action to ensure the end of the military junta and its crimes.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Cost of living: Japan’s inflation hits a 41-year high

 Japan’s core consumer price inflation edged up to 3.7% in November, the highest it has been since 1981.

That was when a Middle East crisis disrupted oil production and caused energy prices to soar.

But after decades of the country trying to boost inflation, Japanese consumers are now experiencing the pain of higher prices despite stagnant wages.

Until now, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) had kept its ultra-loose monetary policy to boost its economy.

But earlier this week, it surprised the market by raising the cap on the interest rate on its 10-year government bonds from 0.25% to 0.5%.

As a result, the Japanese currency has spiked against the US dollar, hitting 151 yen to the greenback for the first time since 1990.

The weak currency has fed into the country’s inflation as it accelerated high import costs which went up due to the war in Ukraine.

Japan has one of the lowest inflation rates in the world, and has bucked the trend of other G7 countries that have gradually raised interest rates to curb soaring prices.

The annual inflation rate in the US is 7.1% while it is 11.1% in the EU and 10.1% in the UK.

By Monica Miller & Mariko Oi

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Alan Kyerematen Calls For Strategic US Investment In African Agribusinesses

 Ghana’s Trade and Industry Minister, Honorable Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, has advocated for intensive investment in the agricultural sector as part of major plans to economically empower the African continent. The industrial expert made this pronouncement during the recent summit of US- African leaders in Washington DC from December 13-15, 2022.

The U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit was anchored on the shared values of fostering new economic engagement; reinforcing the U.S.-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights; mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

It also focused on working collaboratively to strengthen regional and global health; promoting food security; advancing peace and security; responding to the climate crisis; and amplifying diaspora ties.

African Trade Ministers used the opportunity to stage a round table discussion with US Members of Congress and other high-ranking officials led by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative.

They also used the platform to discuss continental matters with emphasis on the industrialization agenda as exposed by recent external shocks that threaten to ground most economies in Africa.

Speaking on behalf of the US Government, Ambassador Tai highlighted the importance of the U.S. – Africa economic relationship in addressing current financial challenges and building a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive future. Ambassador Tai reiterated the need for the two sides to work together to fulfill AGOA’s promise boosting the productive capacity of the continent and to pursue equitable growth for all segments of both societies.

Central among the many areas discussed was the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which is set to expire in September 2025.

Hon. Kyerematen, in his speech at the roundtable called for the need for enhanced US investment in selected strategic sectors such as Agriculture and Agribusiness, oil and gas, blue ocean economy and investment in light manufacturing industries, support for the development of infrastructure including roads, rail, port infrastructure and renewable energy.

The longest serving Trade and Industry Minister in Ghana, urged African leaders and the United States to identify key areas whose transformation will be felt by the average African amidst the global economic meltdown.

Hon.Mr. Kyerematen also joined President Akufo-Addo to attend a series of high-profile meetings and events including the meetings with the Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the President of the World Bank Group.
He represented the President of the Republic at the National Black Chamber of Commerce Business Forum as well as the US Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Council on Africa’s Presidential Dialogue all in Washington DC.

The Ghana delegation has since returned home.

Source: Peacefmonline.com

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Togo presidency to oversee armed forces amid security woes

 The move comes after recent incidents of armed group activity in the country’s north, near the border with Burkina Faso.

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé will oversee the armed forces as part of a reshuffle amid growing security concerns in the northern regions, according to a decree which has been announced.

Under a presidential decree, read by a spokesperson on national television on Friday, the ministry of the armed forces will become part of the presidency.

Until this year, Togo had been spared the frequent violence from armed groups across parts of West Africa over the past 10 years, including in its northern neighbour Burkina Faso.

But a series of attacks, including one in July in which at least 12 people were killed, has forced residents to flee and rattled the armed forces.

In May, eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded when armed gunmen ambushed an army post in the Kpendjal prefecture near the border with Burkina Faso.

Two months later, the army admitted to killing seven children on July 10 in a blast in the village of Margba, in Tone Prefecture, in its northernmost region Savanna region. In a statement, the military said the youngsters were mistaken for a group of fighters who entered the country on the basis of intelligence gathered.

The minister of the armed forces, Marguerite Gnakadè, has stepped down. The Chief of Staff of the Togolese Armed Forces, Brigadier General Dadja Maganawé, has been replaced by Air Brigadier General Tassounti Djato.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Will Elon Musk’s ultimatum cost him Twitter?

 Elon Musk’s poll, asking whether he should stand down as the boss of Twitter, appeared hours after he was photographed at the World Cup final in Qatar.

That photo tells us two things: firstly, Musk was standing beside Jared Kushner – the son-in-law of Donald Trump, the former US President whom Musk has tried, and failed, to entice back to the social network he now owns.

Musk knows that a bombastic Trump tweet would likely provide a controversial, but ‘jackpot’ moment for Twitter – and bring huge audiences to the platform.

Trump knows this too, of course, and has his own agenda – specifically his own social network, Truth Social, to which he has so far remained loyal.

Pardon the pun but Musk’s trump card remains unplayed.

The second point about the photo? It proves Musk was geographically in the vicinity of Saudi Arabia – home to Twitter’s biggest investors. Did he drop in, and did they – along with millions of people who use Twitter every day – pose some serious questions about his leadership during the past couple of months?

And then there’s the matter of the poll itself. How we view the results – 57% of the 17.5m votes cast were in favour of Musk standing down as Twitter CEO – depends on what we think he wanted to achieve by it.

The poll has either spectacularly backfired – if Musk was looking for an ego-boost – or it has been a huge success in getting him off the rather large hook he has found himself caught on since his purchase of Twitter was, basically, forced through.

Let’s not forget that the Tesla owner spent months trying to get out of buying this company.

As I write, Musk’s Twitter feed is uncharacteristically silent.

That won’t be the case for long, undoubtedly. He has a track record for listening to polls. After all, he put to the vote whether or not he should buy Twitter in the first place, when this entire circus began.

In the past, he has also asked Twitter users to help him decide whether to sell valuable Tesla stock.

It’s an unorthodox way of doing big business, to say the least. But with Elon Musk, we have grown to expect the unexpected.

The next CEO

So… if he does what he’s been told by the people and quits – who takes over?

He’s been a one-man band since his arrival at the social media company. There’s been no regular mention of a deputy, or someone with whom he has worked closely.

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg had Sheryl Sandberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos had Andy Jassy (now CEO). Musk has no obvious Twitter wingman.

Even those senior figures he initially saw as allies, like Head of Trust and Integrity Yoel Roth, have since left the business and criticised Musk’s leadership.

But before you dust off your CV, consider for a moment the job description of Twitter CEO. You have the world’s most demanding boss; you inherit a demoralised workforce – half of it recently laid off and the remainder under instruction to work long hours. The finances are bleak according to Musk: he says Twitter is operating at a loss of $4m per day.

And then there is the legacy of chaotic decision-making which has defined recent months at Twitter. Musk’s approach to moderation was decidedly personal. The “digital town square” he claimed he wanted to create was rapidly beginning to feel more like you had walked into his house and were trying not to knock over the ornaments.

Any future chief also faces the challenge of trying to maintain the safety of some 300 million Twitter users, posting in real time – including content which can be abusive, offensive and, sometimes, illegal.

Throw into that mix the unpredictability of Musk himself – and the ongoing risk that his next tweet could cause untold reputational damage and/or regulatory scrutiny. After all, he was banned from tweeting about Tesla after causing the share price to fall when he said it was over-valued.

Then again, you could say that the only way is up.

A new CEO who is less intent on relentless revolution might calm investors and improve employee morale. Currently every second tweet in my timeline is people threatening to leave Twitter or complaining about it. A social network obsessed with itself is arguably not fulfilling its potential.

Space enthusiast Elon Musk thought Twitter needed a bit of rocket fuel and he’s certainly provided that.

But perhaps he’s now learning the hard way that social media, and the people who bring it to life, are not machines. Perhaps the future of this troubled firm lies not in the stars, but with feet firmly on solid ground. If he’ll allow it.

Source: BBC

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Q&A: Uganda’s Museveni on staying in power, rights abuses

 The Museveni administration has repeatedly been accused of muzzling dissenting voices in the country since 1986.

Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda since 1986, is currently serving his sixth term at the helm of affairs of the East African country.

In that time, his administration has repeatedly been accused of muzzling dissent within the ranks of the opposition and in some cases abducting human rights activists and other citizens. There have also been speculation that he is grooming Muhoozi Kainerugaba, his army general son to succeed him, an idea infamously known in the country as the “Muhoozi project”.

Al Jazeera spoke to Museveni while he was recently in Washington, DC to attend the US Africa Leaders summit.

Al Jazeera: How does Uganda benefit from this summit today?

Museveni: Well, we have four aims one is to get more investments, two to get to consolidate trade access, three to get tourists, and then four to work with others on security issues against “terrorism” and crime.

Al Jazeera:  You have met at least seven American presidents who have ruled and have gone through a very peaceful transition but Uganda has not had that in close to 40 years. How does that make you feel, Mr President?

Museveni: Well, the United States was founded in 1623. Do you know that? 1623 when the Mayflower, the first ship which brought satellites here came and America did not get even elections until 1776. For us, we are having elections every five years, but there were no elections for more than 100 years here so our histories are different.

The Americans built United States for more than 100 years without democracy, without elections. For us, we have been able to rebuild and consolidate Uganda with democracy from the very beginning so countries have different histories. In fact, they did not adopt the two terms until 1945. There was a leader called Roosevelt who served more than I think three terms. So, countries have got different histories. Ours is different, theirs is different.

Al Jazeera: You are one of the world’s longest-serving leaders and on most occasions, regimes that have overstayed in power have their rule characterised by corruption, absence of civil liberties and bad leadership. Do we hope for a transition? Are you grooming someone?

Museveni: Uganda’s statistics are clear. The economy of Uganda has been growing at 6.5 percent per annum for the last 36 years. I want you to get me other countries which can compare with that. Then, the population has increased from 15 million to 23 million now. Education has gone up, infrastructure [too]. So you, just look at the figures to see how longevity of contribution becomes a problem. In fact, it’s a disadvantage if you do it with the support of the people. Because I’m in government supported by the people every five years.

Al Jazeera: Human rights abuses has been one of the big topics at this summit. There have been reports of abductions, killings, people wallowing in detention without a fair trial in Uganda. Are you aware of these?

Museveni: There were arrests, and all the people arrested were accounted for. There were some mistakes [in] mishandling people while they were being arrested but we corrected those mistakes. We showed the security forces what to do in writing, so there is nothing that can go wrong and we don’t know.

Al Jazeera: There are a number of families in Uganda today seeking justice and some of them accuse your government of kidnapping and torturing their kids. Some were killed during the elections and they have not gotten any justice yet. What do you have to say about that?

Museveni: I’m not aware. There are 54 people who died during the riots of November 18-19, riots like the ones you had here in Washington here in the US. People are being tried for organising riots. Democracy doesn’t mean that you organise riots. Now, those riots of the 18th and 19th where these people wanted to turn Kampala into … security forces intervened and defeated that insurrection and in the process, some 54 people died. They have analysed their cameras and everything was captured. There were some mistakes where people were hit with stray bullets different from the rioters who were shot when they were attacking other people. That report is there. You can come and read it and see for yourself. Uganda is very peaceful so some of these policemen panicked and fired aimlessly because people were throwing stones but those mistakes are being corrected.

Al Jazeera: Your son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba recently called journalists “terrorists” and he also said he’ll crush whoever is abusing him and this is on record in the local media. Recently, you came out and said you are going to stop him from making these reckless statements online. Are you an accomplice? Are you endorsing this character?

Museveni: Well, I’m not aware of those threats. What we discussed with Muhoozi was tweeting. He can tweet on non-controversial subjects like sports and so and we discussed that. Some journalists can be “terrorists” for sure. Why not? Al-Qaeda has journalists who support them. So being a journalist does not make you immune from being a wrongdoer.

Al Jazeera: You have been serving for all this time and your efforts are recognised by a big section of Ugandans when some oppose you. What do you want to be remembered for?

Museveni: First of all, for having worked with the NRM [National Resistance Movement party] and the people to save Uganda from a failed state. You’ve heard of failed states? Failed states where there is no security, there is no business, the economy has collapsed?  Uganda is now one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. For security, there is chaos in many parts of the world but Uganda is secure. I don’t care how people remember me but I am happy about that.

Al Jazeera: Are you running in the next election?

Museveni: The NRM are the ones who decide what to do, who runs and why so you wait for the party.

Al Jazeera: There have been soldiers who have made partisan statements. One of these is Muhoozi, Others have come out to endorse him [as successor] or endorse you. As commander-in-chief, are you taking action because this is in violation of army rules?

Museveni: These are small matters. Not every matter needs action or punishment no. We don’t have to arrest people. We guide. We now have many issues, let’s concentrate on them.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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