Two days of civil disobedience and strikes began in Sudan on Tuesday, a day after the use of deadly force, including live rounds, against peaceful protesters was roundly condemned by many, including the US and the UN.
Seven protesters were shot dead by security forces during street rallies against military rule on Monday while several dozens also sustained gunshot wounds, according to a medical group aligned with the pro-democracy movement.
The rallies were the latest since mass protests began after an October 25 coup that upended Sudan’s democratic transition. Monday's death toll took the number of protesters killed since the coup to at least 71. More than 2,000 have been wounded.
The civil disobedience and strikes were called for by the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), an alliance of political parties that was the political patron and sponsor of the civilian-led government sacked by army chief and coup leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
“Let the period of civil disobedience be a time for regrouping and uniting our revolutionary forces and preparing them for the decisive battle to bring down the regime,” the FFC said on Monday night.
Khartoum's streets were almost empty of vehicular traffic and most shops in the city centre were closed in the early morning hours. However, many stores in the area opened and traffic picked up by lunch time, with residents apparently taking advantage of a day without street protests to shop and run errands.
Monday's protest call was immediately followed by statements from trade and professional unions, which declared their intention to heed the call for strikes.
The Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police, blamed Monday’s violence on the protesters, claiming they adopted “semi-military tactics.”
It said the police only used water cannons and tear gas but acknowledged that seven protesters had been killed in Khartoum.
The ministry said 50 policemen and 22 “citizens” were wounded while 77 protesters were detained.
International condemnation
Monday’s violence drew international condemnation that could have only turned up pressure on Gen Al Burhan and his associates to step aside in the face of growing opposition to their rule.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Twitter that Washington was "concerned by reports of escalating violence".
Mr Price said Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee and new special envoy David Satterfield "are headed to Khartoum and will reiterate our call for security forces to end violence and respect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly". The pair are expected in Khartoum this week.
Meanwhile, Britain and France were among nine UN Security Council members who urged all parties in Sudan to “exercise the utmost restraint” after Monday's deadly violence.
“We express our serious concern about the military coup in Sudan on October 25, 2021", said the text, which was also signed by Mexico, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, Ireland and Norway.
The statement, released after a meeting of the 15-member council, also urged all parties to “refrain from the use of violence and emphasise the importance of full respect for human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression".
Significantly, the meeting involved Karim Khan, a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court.
The UN mission in Sudan also strongly denounced Monday's violence, describing the use of live rounds by security forces as unacceptable.
“Violence must stop. We again call on authorities to cease using force against peaceful protesters and [to] conduct credible investigations into such incidents,” it said on its Twitter account.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
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The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
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In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
