Kenyan President William Ruto said on Wednesday he will not sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes, a day after protesters stormed parliament and at least 20 people were shot dead by security forces.
The government wanted to raise funds to pay off debt but Kenyans said the bill would cause more economic pain as millions struggle to get by.
The chaos on Tuesday led the government to deploy the military and Mr Ruto called protesters' actions “treasonous”. It was the biggest assault on Kenya’s government in decades.
The death toll from the crackdown has risen to 22, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, which has pledged to investigate.
On Wednesday, the President said the bill had caused “widespread dissatisfaction”, that he has listened to the people and “conceded”. It is a major setback for Mr Ruto, who came to power vowing to help Kenyans cope with rising costs but has seen much of the country unite in opposition to his latest attempt at reforms.
"It is necessary for us to have a conversation as a nation on how we manage the affairs of the country together,” the President said.
The White House said it condemned the violence in Kenya, where thousands took to the streets in protest this week.
"We offer our deepest condolences, of course, to the families who have been impacted by this violence, and we continue to urge restraint so that no further people are put in harm’s way while exercising their right to peaceful public assembly," national security spokesman John Kirby said.
"The United States has been in touch with the Kenyan government to urge appropriate use of force by the police to respect human rights and, quite frankly, to respect due process for those that have been detained, and we will continue to push for calm to prevail," he said.
Earlier in the day, Kenyan protesters had vowed to keep up their demonstrations against new tax increases, a day after police opened fire on crowds trying to storm parliament, leaving at least eight dead and scores injured.
As heavily armed officers patrolled the streets of the capital Nairobi, supporters of the week-old protest movement took to X, using the hashtag #Tukutanethursday, or "see you on Thursday" in a mix of Swahili and English.
An online outpouring of anger over rising taxes has swelled into a nationwide protest movement calling for a political overhaul, in the most serious crisis of Mr Ruto's two-year-old tenure.
Many social media users focused on Mr Ruto's speech after the clashes, in which he said the attack on parliament was the work of "criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters".
"Good morning fellow CRIMINALS Tupatane Thursday To do what CRIMINALS do," one X user posted.
Nairobi's main public mortuary received the bodies of six people killed in Tuesday's protests, a police officer told Reuters. Another two bodies and 160 people with injuries were taken to Kenyatta National Hospital, health officials said.
Mr Ruto said in his televised address to the nation late on Tuesday that the debate about the tax measures – passed only minutes before the parliament building was stormed – had been "hijacked by dangerous people".
The government called in the army to help police deal with a "security emergency", though there were no reports of troops on the streets of Nairobi on Wednesday.
Last week, protesters circulated a schedule that called for the occupation of parliament on Tuesday and of State House, the President's office and residence, on Thursday.
Protester Wellington Ogolla said he would head back out on to the streets. "It's our right to demonstrate ... we are just expressing ourselves," he told Reuters as he walked through central Nairobi, where the smell of tear gas lingered.
Many said they had had enough of a political system under which the major parties took turns in power and funnelled jobs and opportunities to supporters and people from their own ethnic groups.
"Our parents failed us. They voted along tribal lines," Derick Kolito, 26, said. Despite having a master's degree in accounts he said he has been unable to find a job.
"I am the son of peasants," he added. "You must have a godfather to get a job ... I wish I was born in another country."
Mr Ruto won an election almost two years ago on a platform of championing Kenya's working underprivileged but has been caught between the competing demands of a hard-pressed population and lenders such as the International Monetary Fund, which is urging the government to cut deficits to obtain more funding.
The protest movement, which has no formal leadership and has primarily been organised on social media platforms, drew thousands of supporters in dozens of towns and cities on Tuesday.
Divisions among the main ethnic groups have traditionally been a key driver of politics and protest in Kenya, with members of one group coming out against what they see as favouritism towards another.
Westen Shilaho, a scholar who has studied Kenyan protest movements, said the political elite have traditionally used "the ethnic card" to enhance their own power.
"Now that that one is not working in this context, they will try to insert the class card," he said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Results
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
