VOA News: Economy: Spain Struggles as Europe Questions Austerity Drive

VOA News: Economy Economy Voice of America

Spain Struggles as Europe Questions Austerity Drive Apr 27th 2012, 21:20 Spain's economic crisis has deepened as unemployment has reached a record high and its credit rating is downgraded.  It comes as fears grow across the continent that the worst of the euro crisis may not be over - and a growing belief that the German-led prescription of harsh austerity may not be working.   Protest marches have become a common sight in Spain - but this was one of the most colorful. Wearing masks and exotic costumes, prostitutes demonstrated in Barcelona Friday against the city's plans to outlaw street prostitution. The spokesperson for the group, who calls herself Montse, says because of the economic crisis they can't get any other job. "There are no real alternatives to earn a living," said Montse. "Jobs need to offer enough money to support a family." Spain's unemployment has hit a record high of 5.6 million, or nearly a quarter of the potential workforce.  The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt Thursday and the country has fallen back in recession. Tobias Blattner is chief European economist at Daiwa Capital Markets. "At the same time we have this very austere budget, actually the most austere budget since the 1970s in Spain," said Blattner. "And that obviously leads to a lot of concerns in the markets about the growth prospects of Spain."   Austerity versus growth: the debate now at the heart of Europe's crisis is whether countries can cut ((eliminate workers and programs)) their way to back to economic health. Like Spain, Italy has seen its borrowing costs rise in recent days. After the economic crisis hastened the fall of Silvio Berlusconi last November, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti  shepherded through a harsh austerity program. At a European Business Summit Thursday, Mr. Monti said it was time to re-focus on growth. "Structural reforms per se will never deliver growth because if a country becomes more productive and more competitive but there is no demand for its products domestically or around it growth will not materialize," said Monti. Analysts say debt-laden governments like Italy face a delicate balance; convincing the markets they are solvent while also trying to invest to grow their economies. Even Britain, with a top credit rating and access to cheap borrowing, has just slipped back into recession. Again, Tobias Blattner of Daiwa Capital Markets: "It just shows again I think that too much austerity which is obviously the preferred policy of the UK government is maybe not the right approach to tackle the situation right now," he said. After a few months of respite, analysts say that Europe is once again in danger of plunging back into an economic storm.   Media files: SPAIN-STRIKE.jpeg (unknown, 0.1 MB) SPAIN-STRIKE_edited-1.jpeg

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VOA News: Middle East: Somalis, Yemenis Face US Prosecution for Khat

VOA News: Middle East Middle East Voice of America

Somalis, Yemenis Face US Prosecution for Khat Apr 27th 2012, 21:00 Thirteen natives of Somalia and Yemen are on trial in U.S. Federal Court near Washington for allegedly smuggling millions of dollars' worth of khat into the United States. Khat is a plant whose leaves and upper branches contain a mild stimulant and has been openly chewed in those and other countries for centuries, often while drinking tea. <!--AV--> Khat is chewed in social settings around the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa.  It is legal in Somalia and Yemen, and in Britain and the Netherlands, but not in the United States. Khat's green leaves and branches contain cathinone, a stimulant known to produce a mild high but considered a serious drug under U.S. federal law. Grant Smith with the Drug Policy Alliance says the government overreacted. "When people have taken a look at khat, they have found that it is really just a mild stimulant," said Smith.  "It is akin to a couple of cups of coffee or some energy drinks.  And while there may be some long term health effects from using it, that doesn't mean we should criminalize people who use it." But some believe khat is addictive and often leads to child abuse and domestic violence as depicted in this film by the Minneapolis based organization Somali Cause. "So, they stay up for maybe a day or two or so," noted Mohamed Hassan works with Somali Cause. "And then once they start feeling the sleepiness, then they crash for two or three days.  So there you can see that person cannot really be productive." Drug policy reform advocates argue that prosecuting people for khat is a waste of public resources.  They say the use of khat should be treated as a public health issue.   "We should have a reasonable response that is based on public education, that looks at health, the health effects that is reality-based education," Smith added.  "And not respond to the typical sort of response we usually have to drugs which is to criminalize first and ask questions later." Smith says people are less likely to seek help for khat use if using it is a crime.  But Mohamed Hassan says khat is not a recreational stimulant that can be used within reason. "I do think strongly that it is addictive.  I mean it makes people go beyond their means.   Obviously, it is not helping them," said Hassan. Hassan says khat use is not very common in the Somali-American community.  Attorneys for the 13 defendants say the case stems from concerns that smuggled khat is being used to fund terrorism, but that no evidence of that has turned up in court. Media files: HD_FOR_THE_WEB_Khat_Smuggling_US-desktop-FCPImportProResP101Tease.jpg Khat_Smuggling_WEB_16x9-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHDFull__569393.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Europe: Spain Struggles as Europe Questions Austerity Drive

VOA News: Europe Europe Voice of America

Spain Struggles as Europe Questions Austerity Drive Apr 27th 2012, 21:20 Spain's economic crisis has deepened as unemployment has reached a record high and its credit rating is downgraded.  It comes as fears grow across the continent that the worst of the euro crisis may not be over - and a growing belief that the German-led prescription of harsh austerity may not be working.   Protest marches have become a common sight in Spain - but this was one of the most colorful. Wearing masks and exotic costumes, prostitutes demonstrated in Barcelona Friday against the city's plans to outlaw street prostitution. The spokesperson for the group, who calls herself Montse, says because of the economic crisis they can't get any other job. "There are no real alternatives to earn a living," said Montse. "Jobs need to offer enough money to support a family." Spain's unemployment has hit a record high of 5.6 million, or nearly a quarter of the potential workforce.  The rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded Spanish sovereign debt Thursday and the country has fallen back in recession. Tobias Blattner is chief European economist at Daiwa Capital Markets. "At the same time we have this very austere budget, actually the most austere budget since the 1970s in Spain," said Blattner. "And that obviously leads to a lot of concerns in the markets about the growth prospects of Spain."   Austerity versus growth: the debate now at the heart of Europe's crisis is whether countries can cut ((eliminate workers and programs)) their way to back to economic health. Like Spain, Italy has seen its borrowing costs rise in recent days. After the economic crisis hastened the fall of Silvio Berlusconi last November, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti  shepherded through a harsh austerity program. At a European Business Summit Thursday, Mr. Monti said it was time to re-focus on growth. "Structural reforms per se will never deliver growth because if a country becomes more productive and more competitive but there is no demand for its products domestically or around it growth will not materialize," said Monti. Analysts say debt-laden governments like Italy face a delicate balance; convincing the markets they are solvent while also trying to invest to grow their economies. Even Britain, with a top credit rating and access to cheap borrowing, has just slipped back into recession. Again, Tobias Blattner of Daiwa Capital Markets: "It just shows again I think that too much austerity which is obviously the preferred policy of the UK government is maybe not the right approach to tackle the situation right now," he said. After a few months of respite, analysts say that Europe is once again in danger of plunging back into an economic storm.   Media files: SPAIN-STRIKE.jpeg (unknown, 0.1 MB) SPAIN-STRIKE_edited-1.jpeg

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VOA News: USA: Obama Attacks Colleges Targeting Veterans' Benefits

VOA News: USA USA Voice of America

Obama Attacks Colleges Targeting Veterans' Benefits Apr 27th 2012, 19:09 U.S. President Barack Obama has signed an executive order to help protect active-duty troops and veterans from fraudulent and misleading college recruiting practices that target their federal education benefits. The president signed the order Friday after he and first lady Michelle Obama spoke to troops at Fort Stewart army post in the southern state of Georgia. Obama said some colleges were trying to "swindle and hoodwink" military families and that his administration was "putting an end to it." The order limits recruiters' access to military facilities and requires schools to provide more information to current and former troops before signing them up for programs. It targets for-profit colleges and universities that market heavily to military families for their education loan money provided by the government under what is known as the "GI Bill." First Lady Obama told troops that "America does have [their] backs" (supports them). She said the government wanted to serve soldiers and their families just as they have served their country. The trip to Georgia comes about a week before Obama's first official re-election campaign rallies in Virginia and Ohio. The president lost the state of Georgia to Republican candidate John McCain in the 2008 election. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. Media files: apObamaVeteransEducationGIBill27Apr2012-resizedpx480q100shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB) apObamaVeteransEducationGIBill27Apr2012-resizedpx480q100shp8Tease.jpg

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VOA News: Africa: Nigerian Journalists Undeterred by Bombings

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Nigerian Journalists Undeterred by Bombings Apr 27th 2012, 18:27 The death toll from Thursday's bomb attacks on Nigerian newspaper offices in the capital Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna has risen to at least nine people. Suspicion has fallen on the militant Islamist sect Boko Haram, which has threatened the media in the past, but Nigerian journalists say they will not be deterred from disseminating information. The Premium Times, a local online publication, posted what it said was an exclusive interview with the group's spokesman late Thursday. Known as Abul Qaqa, the purported Boko Haram spokesman reportedly said the bombings were payback for dissemination of what he called inaccurate and biased reports on the sect's activities, and that ThisDay, a prominent Nigerian newspaper, was targeted for its particularly egrigious "sins." Qaqa usually communicates with local reporters via teleconference, and the authenticity of the published interview was not immediately verifiable. Standing outside the bombed-out newspaper office in Abuja Thursday, ThisDay's executive director Israel Iwegbu defended the paper's reporting. "We've always quoted their representative, their spokesman," he said. "We've always said whatever that man said. We have never gone out of the way to report anything against them whatsoever. We report things as they are." On Friday, ThisDay published an editorial saying "no amount of threat or intimidation can weaken our resolve." The paper said Thursday's late morning blast killed five people, including the bomber, after a jeep rigged with explosives rammed the front doors of its Abuja office and printing press. Later in the day, bombings in the northern city of Kaduna killed at least four other people and injured several more. One of the latter attacks targeted a building that houses local offices for three newspapers: ThisDay, The Sun and The Moment. In that attack, police said they arrested a bomber after witnesses said a mob tried to beat him to death. Boko Haram Facts 2002: Founded as a non-violent Islamic splinter group. Concentrated in northeast Nigeria. Launched 2009 uprising; leader killed in police custody Killed hundreds in bombings, shootings since 2010. Name means 'Western education is sin.' Seeks national adoption of Islamic law. The Kaduna bureau chief for The Moment, Garba Mohammed, said all Nigerian news outlets face significant challenges in covering Boko Haram, which remains a largely "faceless" entity. To cover the news, he said, reporters must often go by unverified statements from security forces. "They are always very, very challenging," said Mohammed. "They don't open up with all of the truth of the matter, and we are always left with the accounts of eyewitnesses to rely on." Thursday's attacks underscore the growing complexity of the security threat in northern Nigeria, as bombings and drive-by shootings -- not all of which are claimed by Boko Haram -- increasingly target civilians. Beefed-up security has not been able to stop the near-daily violence. Boko Haram has made threats against media outlets in recent months, but even if claims of responsibility are confirmed, said Igwegbu, journalists would be merely another addition to a growing roster of targets. "We are calling on the president to sit up and assure the security of lives and property, because if they can target the schools, people in church, media organizations like ThisDay, then apparently there is no one that is safe." Boko Haram, the Islamist sect's nickname in the Hausa language, means "Western education is sacrilege," a condemnation of what the group calls a wealthy, foreign-educated elite that has confiscated power in Nigeria. The sect has said it wants to impose Islamic law in northern Nigeria. According to Human Rights Watch, Boko Haram has killed more than 1,000 people since its 2010 resurgence. Media files: ap_nigeria_violence_26Apr12-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB) VOA-Hausa-ThisDay-Kaduna-042612-081-300.jpg

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VOA News: Africa: Sudan Fighting Damages Both Sides' Oil Industry

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Sudan Fighting Damages Both Sides' Oil Industry Apr 27th 2012, 17:57 U.S. officials say the most recent fighting between Sudan and South Sudan damaged some of the oil infrastructure on which both countries' economies depend. African Union is working to implement terms of a cease-fire. During South Sudan's brief occupation of the town of Heglig, there was damage to an oil collection manifold joining pipelines from adjacent oil fields. The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative says satellite imagery can not determine whether the damage came from aerial bombardment or ground action. Either way, it is another setback for Sudanese oil at a time when both countries are counting on that revenue. "That's not a very good situation at all," said Princeton Lyman, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. "It will take some time to get that back on track. Both countries are suffering from the crisis in the oil sector. South Sudan lost 98 percent of its budget revenue. Sudan is facing serious foreign exchange shortages, which means they can't import as much food. They have fuel shortages." At independence last year, South Sudan took over most of Sudan's oil fields. But Juba shut down production in January after refusing to pay what it said were inflated fees imposed by Khartoum to use northern pipelines and ports. One of the biggest investors in oil infrastructure on both sides of the border is China. Beijing is playing a more active diplomatic role in the dispute, hosting South Sudanese President Salva Kiir this week on a state visit. Ambassador Lyman travels to China next week along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. "They have a stake in the oil sector," said Lyman. "But they have a larger stake in their relations between Sudan and South Sudan, and their relations with Africa in general. And I think they have increasingly recognized that if the political issues in Sudan and between Sudan and South Sudan are not resolved, neither the oil nor their other interests can be served." In an interview Friday with VOA, Lyman said Juba and Khartoum need to formalize their cease-fire and act on an already agreed upon system to demilitarize and monitor their border. That, he says, should help resolve longstanding security concerns that Khartoum is backing raids into the south and southern forces are helping rebels in the Sudanese provinces of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. "I think a political process there will decrease the problem of southern support to that conflict," added Lyman. "But the government of Sudan has to stop sending arms or other kinds of support to militia in South Sudan to try and weaken the government there." Lyman says the strength of this week's African Union resolution to stop the fighting reflects the gravity of the conflict's threat to the region. "They realize that a breakdown in peace in Sudan will spill over in every country - whether it is Uganda, whether it is Kenya, whether it is Ethiopia, whether it is Egypt," he said. "So all the countries in the region are affected if you have widespread conflict in Sudan." The Arab League has joined the African Union and United Nations in a plan to open humanitarian corridors in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Lyman says Khartoum is still studying the proposal and has concerns about how some parts of the plan will be carried out. Aid officials say more than 140,000 people have already left Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and are now refugees in South Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia. Media files: reuters_us_sudan_lyman_eng_480_2011.jpg (image/jpeg, 0 MB) reuters_us_sudan_lyman_eng_230_2011.jpg

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VOA News: Africa: Friday Protests Continue Before Egypt's Contested Election

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Friday Protests Continue Before Egypt's Contested Election Apr 27th 2012, 18:26 Rival crowds of pro-democracy activists and Islamic fundamentalists protested in different corners of Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday for the second straight week. Hundreds of mostly young men turned out for Friday's protest, chanting slogans against the country's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). The turnout fell far short of what had been billed as a "million man march," and highlighted growing divisions among secular and Islamic activists. Bearded Islamic fundamentalists, or Salafists, erected a separate podium across from their secular rivals, as both sides protested. Loudspeakers for the Salafists played verses of the Koran as the young activists repeated slogans from last year's revolution which toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. The election commission announced the final list of 13 candidates for president on Thursday. Ten candidates were disqualified. The roster included the two top Islamists, but reinstated Ahmed Shafiq, who served under Mubarak during last year's uprising. Missing from the list are liberal reformers who spurred last year's protests. Veteran Egyptian editor and publisher Hisham Kassem argues that revolutionary fervor is waning as the country's economy continues to deteriorate. He also argues that support for Islamic fundamentalists has diminished: "On the whole, the Islamists have lost points. People's expectations are too high, and I don't think that even if the liberals or any other current had [won last year's election], that they would have done better. They would have lost a lot of points. People now are result-oriented. They don't want to just keep hearing political jargon and not feel this is reflecting on their life," said Kassem. Kassem says that parliament has been trying to remove the government and to prosecute people who have allegedly insulted Islam, issues which do not resonate with most Egyptians. The first round of voting is set for May 23-24. If none of the candidates wins more than 50 per cent of votes, a run-off will be held in June. A winner will be declared on June 21. The military has pledged to turn over power to a civilian government by the end of June. Media files: Reut_EgyptProtest_27apr12-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB) Reut_EgyptProtest_27apr12-300.jpg Yerania_Egypt_Tahrir_Square-mp3.mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Africa: Half a Million Reportedly At Risk of Starvation in Sudan

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Half a Million Reportedly At Risk of Starvation in Sudan Apr 27th 2012, 17:55 The secretary-general of Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) north sector says the government of Sudan is holding more than half a million people hostage in Sudan's Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.  Yassir Arman says the civilians in the two states lack food, medicine and shelter. He blames the international community for failing to put pressure on the Sudanese government to allow aid agencies in the areas worst hit. Arman stressed that the government in Khartoum is buying time in lieu of the current political and economic crisis in Sudan.  He urged the international community to exert more efforts and search for alternative ways to deliver relief aid urgently to villages under control of Sudan government and rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) north sector. "There is a need for this issue to be in the front seat, it should not be in the back seat given the present situation and many crises in Sudan, but we should remain focused on the issue of humanitarian aid to the Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur," he said. Access to humanitarian agencies Khartoum has been paying little attention to concerns by the international community over the dire humanitarian situation in the two states, maintaining that its government commissioned a survey conducted in February of this year, and that the situation in South Kordofan was not serious.  The Sudan News Agency (SUNA) and the Sudan Media Center reported earlier this week that the Sudanese government has agreed to form a joint mechanism to manage coordination between U.N. agencies and the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission, to provide humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the fighting between Sudan's armed forces and rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) north sector. Food, medicine and shelter Arman stressed that food, medicine and shelter should be given first priority to save lives in villages where thousands of people are surviving on tree leaves and hiding in mountain caves. "Humanitarian aid should go immediately and now to those people to save their lives before talking about development or any other agenda,'' he said. Arman added that scores of people in Nuba Mountains and villages in Blue Nile state have died because of disease, lack of food and constant attacks by Sudan armed forces and proxy militias fighting alongside Sudan government.  He acknolwledged the presence of non-governmental organizations sending food to the area, but said the need is overwhelming. "It is a crisis because people are unable to survive and they may die and many of them soon because of this policy of mass starvation practiced by Khartoum," he lamented. Cessation of hostilities to save lives The SPLM north secretary-general said his group is ready to sign a deal with Sudan government to avert the looming humanitarian catastrophe. He accused Sudan government for showing little commitment in negotiating a deal to secure humanitarian aid to the region.  He asserts his groups readiness to strike a deal with Sudan government and aid agencies. "In the first place, we need to have an agreement and see what is the requirement to take food, those are our people and we can do anything to let the humanitarian aid to go to them," Arman said. After the rebellion of SPLM north in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in September 2011, Khartoum accused Juba of supporting the rebels and decided to close the border and ban trade between Sudan and South Sudan. Recently Sudan's Vice President Ali Osman Taha announced that his government plans to declare a state of emergency in the border areas with South Sudan to prevent what authorities termed as "the smuggling of food" into the newly independent country. Khartoum argues that the ban on trade between Juba and Khartoum will discourage Juba from supporting to the rebel groups of the SPLA north sector. Media files: AP_sudan_food_crisis_5oct11-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8.JPG (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB) AFP_Nic436091_YasirArman_1apr10_edited-1.jpg YASSIR ARMAN-HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SK PT1.Mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Africa: Uganda Minister Dismisses Claims Government is Becoming Repressive

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Uganda Minister Dismisses Claims Government is Becoming Repressive Apr 27th 2012, 17:55 Uganda's Foreign Minister has dismissed as uninformed growing criticism that President Yoweri Museveni's government is becoming increasingly repressive. Henry Oryem Okello said that comments about Uganda's human rights record are not based on the situation in the country. "In Uganda there is no group or individual who is stopped from demonstrating or exercising their rights. What we are asking is simply [this], when you want to exercise those rights, exercise them in conjunction with the police." Okello, who was speaking from Arusha in Tanzania, said there was need to inform the police of any demonstrations so that the rights of others are not interfered with. The United States State department has expressed concern about Uganda's deteriorating human rights record. The British House of Commons on Tuesday also said that respect for fundamental freedoms and civil liberties were rapidly declining amidst the most appalling abuses of human rights in Uganda. The international outcry is a result of rising cases of police brutality against opponents of President Museveni's regime and journalists. The American Embassy in Kampala has condemned the alleged sexual assault on the leader of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) women's league, Ms. Ingrid Turinawe, during her arrest last week. Local media quoted a US embassy official Dan Travis as saying, "We condemn any excessive use of force by police or protestors. We urge the Uganda government to respect citizen rights to assemble freely and encourage Uganda to investigate allegations of excessive use of force by security services." But Okello blamed the demonstrators for the violence that has characterized activities of opposition politicians and other civil rights groups. "The intention of these demonstrators is the removal or change of government," he said. Whenever they hold these demonstrations, he continued, "They hire thugs and goons who provoke the police and put the police in an untenable position of having to react in self-defense." The minister admitted that the police have made mistakes that the government has acknowledged even in parliament. "Whatever the police have done, the government of Uganda doesn't condone the use of brutal force against peaceful demonstrators." He promised the government "will do everything possible to investigate those mistakes to the very end." Since President Yoweri Museveni's controversial 2011 re-election, there has been a wave of opposition demonstrations - many of which have ended in violence and arrests. Ugandan security forces have used force in arresting opposition politicians and their supporters who take part in protests against government corruption, spiraling food and fuel prices by walking to work. The walk-to-work protest, as it is called, began in April 2011. A group calling itself Activists for Change (A4C) organized the demonstrations and opposition politicians - keen to show they are concerned about people's discontent over rising prices - heeded the call to take part. At least nine people were killed and hundreds have been arrested during these protests. Media files: APUgandariotsarrests30apr2011Tease.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) ap_uganda_violence_230_29Apr11.jpg

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VOA News: Africa: Court Casts Doubt on Last Year's Congo Parliamentary Election

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Court Casts Doubt on Last Year's Congo Parliamentary Election Apr 27th 2012, 18:52 The Supreme Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo has ruled that at least 32 members of parliament were not rightfully elected. That figure includes 17 members of the ruling alliance and 15 opposition members. Nearly 100 other sitting MPs may also still face a legal challenge to their election last year.  There were some 19,000 candidates in the Congo's parliamentary elections last November, and 5,000 of them filed a legal challenge to the results. The Supreme Court decided that 521 of these cases needed to be investigated, and on Wednesday started announcing its verdicts. Among the MPs to have their elections thrown out are Jean Claude Baende, the governor of Equateur province, who was regarded as one of president Joseph Kabila's closest supporters in that region. Two brothers of the president of Congo's electoral commission also lost their seats. Doli Ibefo executive director of the human rights group, Voice of the Voiceless, tells what he thought of the rulings. He said the fact that members of the presidential majority have had their elections invalidated will come as a surprise to the public. But the public needs to ask if any big fish have lost their seats or if these are just minnows. Local media reports say that Jean Claude Baende had become very unpopular in Equateur and the government may have decided that his disputed re-election was an embarrassment. There have been rumors in Kinshasa that more senior members of the presidential majority might have their elections invalidated. Ibefo says that if this happened it would be significant. In that case, he said, people will say that change is starting to happen and that there is an idea of change. But, he said, if it's just the little fish who have to leave parliament, then the rulings are just to make the outside world think that the Supreme Court is doing its job. The replacement of the MPs whose elections have been invalidated will not affect balance of power in the 500-seat parliament as the ruling majority are net gainers from the changes by about six seats. An opposition MP, Martin Fayulu, whose party has lost a seat thanks to the rulings, says he thought the judges should explain how they reached their decision. "To invalidate someone you have to call him for recounting, but nobody has been called for a recount," said Fayulu. "Nobody can contest what the Supreme Court has done, I agree, but you have to follow the procedure.  What was the procedure that these guys followed?" A diplomatic source in Kinshasa believes the court has already decided that 388 of the results it has investigated can stand. Around 100 other MPs may still have an anxious wait for a verdict. The parliamentary elections last November were criticized by international observers for widespread irregularities. Media files: democratic_republic_of_congo_3001.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB)

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