Steelmaker removed from Beijing to cut pollution

01-14-2011 11:12 BJT

Shougang Group, a leading heavyweight steelmaker in China, announced Thursday it had halted all its steel-making operations in Beijing amid efforts to cut air pollution in the capital.

A shutdown ceremony was held Thursday morning in Shougang's Shijingshan site in western Beijing, marking the end of the company's plant that was founded almost a century ago and had an annual production capacity of 8million tonnes.

That also means Shougang had reduced air pollutants it had discharged into the capital's sky from the maximum of 9,000 tonnes a year to zero now.

Workers watch a furnace operate for the last time at Shougang Group's steel plant in Shijingshan district, in the western suburbs of Beijing on Dec 19, 2010. The country's leading steelmaker halts operations in Beijing amid efforts to cut the capital's air pollution. It has built a 21-square-kilometer new plant in Caofeidian, an islet 220 kilometers east of Beijing in Bohai Bay, to replace Shougang's old facilities. (Xinhua Photo)

"We fulfill our solemn commitment to the nation and the people, " Zhu Jimin, board chairman of Shougang, told the ceremony.

The company has built a 21-square-kilometer new plant in Caofeidian, an islet 220 kilometers east of Beijing in Bohai Bay, to replace Shougang's old facilities.

An official at Shougang Group receives a plate honoring the company's outstanding performance in the past decade at a closing ceremony at a steel plant in Shijingshan district, Beijing on Jan 13, 2010. (Xinhua Photo)

China has encouraged steelmakers to build factories in coastal areas to take advantage of ports to minimize the purchasing cost of iron ores.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang attended Thursday's shutdown ceremony, saying the relocation was significant as it is the first steelmaker to have moved from a big city to a coastal area.

"The relocation has strategic significance in promoting the restructure of the iron and steel industry, and transformation of urban functions," he said.

"It is also an important move for China to accelerate the transformation of economic development mode," he said.

At least 13 southern activists arrested in Yemen

Supporters of Yemen's Southern Movement wave flags of former South Yemen during a rally in the town of Radfan in 2010. At least 13 Southern Movement activists were arrested, including a regional chief, during a demonstration in the city of Mukallah on Friday, police and sources within the movement said.

AFP - At least 13 Southern Movement activists were arrested, including a regional chief, during a demonstration in the city of Mukallah on Friday, police and sources within the movement said.

A security official told AFP that Abdulmagid Saeed Wahdin, the secessionist movement's chief for Hadramawt province of which Mukallah is the main city, was detained for "inciting trouble."

At least another 12 activists were also arrested, said Faid Baoum, a Southern Movement official in charge of its youth wing.

Witnesses said the arrests were carried out as police dispersed a demonstration which followed the weekly Muslim prayers in the centre of Mukallah.

The gathering was called in protest at the death of a woman who was run over by a police vehicle in the city on Thursday during a demonstration to demand the release of militants.

South Yemen was independent from the 1967 British withdrawal from Aden until the region united with the north in 1990. The south seceded in 1994, sparking a short-lived civil war that ended with it being overrun by northern troops.

Jordanians protest living conditions, blame govt

A Jordanian man shouts slogans next to a loaf of bread hanging on a placard reading "where are you my dear" during a protest in Amman. Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman and other cities to protest soaring commodity prices, unemployment and poverty, calling for the sacking of the government.

A Jordanian boy holds a placard reading "be aware of my hunger and anger" during a protest in Amman. Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman and other cities to protest soaring commodity prices, unemployment and poverty, calling for the sacking of the government.

Jordanians holding a placard with a loaf of bread reading "where are you my dear" march during a protest in Amman. Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets of Amman and other cities to protest soaring commodity prices, unemployment and poverty, calling for the sacking of the government.

AFP - Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Amman and other Jordanian cities on Friday to protest at soaring commodity prices, unemployment and poverty, calling for the government to be sacked.

Despite government measures to create jobs and control increasing prices, around 8,000 people took part in peaceful demonstrations across the kingdom.

Carrying national flags and chanting anti-government slogans in downtown Amman, demonstrators including trade unionists and leftist party members called Prime Minister Samir Rifai a "coward" and demanded he resign.

"Jordan is not only for the rich. Bread is a red line. Beware of our starvation and fury," read one of the banners carried after mid-day Muslim prayers, amid a heavy police presence.

"Down with Rifai's government. Unify yourselves because the government wants to eat your flesh. Raise fuel prices to fill your pocket with millions," the protesters chanted as they marched in the city centre.

"He who appoints governments is responsible, fighting corruption starts with the head," opposition figure Leith Shbeilat told a crowd of demonstrators.

Under the constitution, the king names the prime minister. Rifai, 43, formed his government in December 2009.

"We protest against arbitrary government actions against the Jordanian people. We urge the king to dismiss the government and replace it with a national government," Deifallah Salem, a retired serviceman, told AFP in Amman's city centre.

Similar demonstrations took place in the cities of Maan, Karak, Slat and Irbid, where protesters chanted that Jordan was "too big" for Rifai.

"We are protesting against the government's economic policies which have made people poorer," said Nihad Zuhair of the Democratic Youth Rally group in Irbid.

On Tuesday, Jordan announced a 169-million-dollar plan to reduce prices of commodities, including fuel, and create jobs in a bid to face rising popular discontent.

But critics say the measures are not enough, complaining of rising unemployment and poverty as inflation last month hit 6.1 percent. Government economic policies "have made the poor poorer and the rich richer," they say.

Unemployment is around 14 percent in the country of six million people, 70 percent of them under 30, but other estimates put the figure at 30 percent, while the minimum wage is 211 dollars a month.

Poverty levels are running at 25 percent in the desert kingdom, whose capital Amman is the most expensive city in the Arab world, according to several independent studies.

The measures to control prices and create jobs follow widespread violent protests and fatal clashes with police in Algeria and Tunisia over inflation.

"We want the government to meet people's fair demands as quickly as possible, ease their burdens and start a dialogue with national powers to launch true and comprehensive reforms," the powerful Islamist opposition said.

The Muslim Brotherhood, its political arm the Islamic Action Front (IAF), and the country's 14 trade unions said they will hold a sit-in outside parliament on Sunday to "denounce government economic polices."

"God knows where this tension would lead the country," the unions said.

"We demand a solution to this problem to avert any negative repercussions through reforming policies and carry out true and fair economic and political reforms."

Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out

14 January 2011 Last updated at 19:52 GMT

Police fire tear gas at the protesters outside the interior ministry

Tunisia's President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has stepped down after 23 years in power, amid widespread protests on the streets of the capital Tunis.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said he would be taking over.

A state of emergency was declared earlier, as rumbling nationwide protests over economic woes snowballed into anti-government demonstrations.

Unconfirmed reports say Mr Ben Ali has left the country.

Earlier, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters gathered outside the interior ministry.

Analysis

Wyre Davies BBC News, Tunis

---

The protesters have put their bodies on the line, and many people have been killed. Tonight, they ignored the curfew to celebrate on the streets.

At the end of a dramatic day, President Ben Ali fled, no longer able to hold back the growing tide of public discontent and anger with his regime.

Now, the protesters will want to see the fruits of their demonstrations.

They won't settle for meagre reform, they won't settle for the same elite remaining in power. They're very happy that the president has gone, but they don't like the regime that surrounded him, and they'll want his cronies out as well.

Doctors say that 13 people were killed in overnight clashes in Tunis, and there are unconfirmed reports that five people have been killed in protests on Friday outside the capital.

Troops have surrounded the country's main international airport, Tunis Carthage, and the country's air space has been closed.

Mr Ghannouchi, 69, a former finance minister who has been prime minister since 1999, will serve as interim president.

In an address on state television, he promised to "respect the law and to carry out the political, economic and social reforms that have been announced".

The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says Mr Ben Ali's demise will go down in history as the day that an Arab population rose and brought down a head of state they regarded as a dictator.

He says it may rattle the entire post-colonial order in North Africa and the wider Arab world.

Earlier, Mr Ben Ali - who had said in a TV address on Thursday night that he would relinquish power in 2014 - said he was dismissing the government and dissolving parliament, and that new elections would be held within six months.

Continue reading the main story

Fall from power

• 17 Dec: A graduate sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid over lack of jobs, sparking protests
• 24 Dec: Protester shot dead in central Tunisia
• 28 Dec: Protests spread to Tunis
• 8-10 Jan: Dozens of deaths reported in crackdown on protests
• 12 Jan: Interior ministry sacked
• 13 Jan: President Ben Ali promises to step down in 2014
• 14 Jan: President dissolves government and parliament, then steps down

The state of emergency decree bans more than three people from gathering together in the open, and imposes a night-time curfew. Security forces have been authorised to open fire on people not obeying their orders.

Human rights groups say dozens of people have died in recent weeks as unrest has swept the country and security forces have cracked down on the protests.

The protests started after an unemployed graduate set himself on fire when police tried to prevent him from selling vegetables without a permit. He died a few weeks later.

UK tour operator Thomas Cook is pulling out all 1,800 of its customers currently on holiday in Tunisia.

Thomas Cook and another holiday company, Thomson First Choice, are cancelling departures to Tunisia scheduled for Sunday 16 January. However, Thomson are not bringing home visitors already in Tunisia early.

Tourism is key to Tunisia's economy and an important source of jobs.

The UK, the US and France are among the countries advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia.

"The situation is unpredictable and there is the potential for violence to flare up, raising the risk of getting caught up in demonstrations," the UK Foreign Office said in its latest travel advisory.

In his speech on Thursday night, Mr Ben Ali, who had governed Tunisia since 1987, announced he would stand down in 2014.

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Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi: 'I assume responsibilities of the president'

He said there was "no presidency for life" in Tunisia. But he said he did not intend to amend the constitution to remove the upper age limit for presidential candidates, which would have allowed him to stand for a further term in 2014.

The president, who earlier this week had blamed the unrest on "terrorists", also said he felt "massive regret" over the deaths of civilians in the protests.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Arab leaders they would face growing unrest unless they enacted real economic and political reform.

Mrs Clinton was speaking in Doha at the end of a four-nation visit to the Gulf.

Mr Ben Ali, 74, was only Tunisia's second president since independence from France in 1956. He was last re-elected in 2009 with 89.62% of the vote.

France faces criticism over soft touch with Tunisia

As the death toll mounts in Tunisia from protests against Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s regime, France’s caution in denouncing the violence has drawn considerable criticism. France24.com takes a closer look.

By Perrine MOUTERDE (text)

As the Tunisian government clamps down on spreading civilian protests in the country, much of the international community has spoken out: the EU, US, and the UN, for example, have released firm statements against the Tunisian authorities’ actions and the dozens of deaths that have resulted from the violence.

But Paris’s muted response to the protests and repression in its former North African protectorate has raised eyebrows and drawn criticism from both inside and outside of France.

A ‘balanced’ French position?

On Thursday, weeks after the first protests started in mid-December, French Prime Minister François Fillon finally denounced what he called “a disproportionate use of force” by Tunisian authorities. Protesters have faced off against military units and riot police, with the International Federation for Human Rights saying Thursday that 66 people had been killed in the unrest.

“Deploring the violence, calling for peace, expressing our concern, this is a balanced position that France considers appropriate for the Tunisian situation”, added government spokesman François Baroin. “Considering our ties of friendship [with Tunisia] and our common history, going further would amount to interference, which is not at all French diplomatic style”.

One day before, Foreign Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie had refused to “pose as a lesson giver in a situation we realize is complex” and suggested that French police forces could help their Tunisian counterparts “appease the situation through law enforcement techniques ”. Her remarks created a buzz of disapproval on Twitter and Facebook where anti-Ben Ali militants have been posting messages and spreading information on the protests.

The riots in Tunisia were set off when a street vendor set himself on fire Dec. 17 after police confiscated his stand because he did not have a permit. Demonstrators have been demanding more jobs, but have also been protesting against the repressive government and calling specifically for the departure of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Criticism of France’s moderation in response to the turmoil mounted Wednesday with a statement from French Socialists “regretting the heavy silence of French authorities” in the matter. “France’s voice should be clear and today it is totally weak, as if it had to be in sync with President Ben Ali and his regime”, added French Socialist Jean-Marc Ayrault interviewed on French TV Thursday.

”France should condemn, and I personally condemn the repression [in Tunisia]: citizens are being shot, there are people being killed”, he said. He also qualified as “shameful” Michèle Alliot-Marie’s allusion to potential security cooperation between France and Tunisia to better control the protesters.

Socialist Party head and presidential hopeful Martine Aubry also added her voice to the growing chorus of criticism from the French left, urging France “to strongly condemn the unacceptable repression” in Tunisia.

'Unrealistic and shocking'

Interviewed by France24.com, Vincent Geisser, a researcher specialised in the Arab world, called the French reaction to the Tunisian crisis “unrealistic and shocking to many people”. Meanwhile, the executive editor of Algerian newspaper Le Matin, Mohamed Benchicou, slammed France’s last two presidents (as well as former US president George W. Bush) for supporting the Tunisian regime in the name of a “cynical opposition” between “dictatorship and terrorism”, “peace and freedom”.

France may pay ‘steep price’

France’s muted reaction to civil rights issues in Tunisia is nothing new. Officials on both side of the French political spectrum have for decades carried on a particular brand of “friendly” diplomacy with the country. France’s charged history in the region – Tunisia acquired total independence in 1956 following a period of violent backlashes against France – at least partly accounts for the fact that it treads lightly in its dealings with Tunisia. Moreover, there is today a large Tunisian diaspora in France and the two countries enjoy close economic ties.

French leaders have therefore often hesitated to take too firm a stance with their Tunisian counterparts. In 2003, former President Jacques Chirac ruffled feathers when interviewed about a female lawyer’s hunger strike in protest against Tunisian authorities’ human rights abuses. “The most basic of all human rights is to eat, to be cared for, to have access to an education and a home”, Chirac said, seeming to praise the country.

A similar tone was struck by Sarkozy on a visit to Tunis in 2008, when he announced that liberties were evolving in Tunisia and paid homage to “the country’s determined fight against terrorism, the true enemy of democracy”.

According to Vincent Geisser, France risks “paying a steep price” for this attitude. “Whether Tunisia moves toward a radical regime change or a more moderate solution, France could be left out of the process”, he said. “Not only in Tunisia, but all over North Africa”.

Tunisia riots offer warning to Arab governments

By Tom Pfeiffer

CAIRO | Fri Jan 14, 2011 2:35pm EST

CAIRO (Reuters) - Nervous Arab leaders watching young Tunisian demonstrators force an aging strongman to step aside are wondering if their own old established formula of political repression will have to change too.

There seems little likelihood that Tunisia's violence will quickly spread and unseat autocratic governments from Rabat to Riyadh, partly as opposition movements are weak and demoralized.

Few think Tunis is the Arab Gdansk, heralding a toppling of dominos of the kind that swept communist eastern Europe in 1989. It was not yet even clear whether the departure of President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali spelled a revolution in favor of democracy or a change of face for the established authority.

Yet some wonder how long the region's other unpopular rulers -- from absolute monarchs to aging revolutionaries clinging to power -- can rely on the hard, old ways to stay in power.

The unprecedented riots that have shaken Tunisia have been closely followed on regional satellite television channels and the Internet across the Middle East where high unemployment, bulging young populations, sky-rocketing inflation and a widening gap between rich and poor are all grave concerns.

"This could happen anywhere," said Imane, a restaurant owner in Egypt who did not want to give her full name. "The satellite and Internet images we can see nowadays mean people who would normally be subdued can now see others getting what they want."

"We are not used to something like this in this part of the world," said Kamal Mohsen, a 23-year-old Lebanese student. "It is bigger than a dream in a region where people keep saying 'what can we do.'"

While in recent decades democracy has supplanted despotism in regions once plagued by dictators, governments in the Arab world are almost uniformly autocratic and heavily policed.

Yet some think the departure of veteran Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, as well as efforts in Algeria to appease anger over price increases, have punctured the fear factor that has long kept discontent in check across the region.

"Perhaps all the Arab governments are monitoring with eyes wide open what is happening in Tunisia and Algeria," columnist Abdelrahman al-Rashed wrote in Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, after Ben Ali made sweeping concessions, but before he finally quit.

"Much of what prevents protest and civil disobedience is simply the psychological barrier," Rashed said.

"Tunisia's president has promised all he can to stop the trouble and Algeria reversed price decisions, but the psychological barrier is broken."

STRAINED BUDGETS

Tunisia's drama is a warning to Arab governments that still rely on tough policing, tight control of media and subsidizing basic needs to quash dissent.

Satellite news and Internet social media can sidestep such autocratic tactics and can quickly fuse frustrations of young people in isolated, deprived regions into a broad movement.

Veteran Tunisian leader quits after protests

Rioters throw stones during clashes with riot police in Tunis January 14, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

By Tarek Amara and Christian Lowe

TUNIS | Fri Jan 14, 2011 2:54pm EST

TUNIS (Reuters) - A surge of anger in the streets over police repression and poverty swept Tunisia's veteran strongman leader from power on Friday, sending a chill through unpopular authoritarian governments across the Arab world.

President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali stepped aside after two decades in power and looked to have flown to France, the former colonial power. Paris police said they were expecting him.

Ben Ali's prime minister told Tunisians he would steer the state until early elections. There was calm on the streets of Tunis under heavy security, but some analysts questioned whether the change of face at the top would satisfy the protesters.

After days of unrest that spread from provincial towns to the capital, leaving dozens dead as security forces struggled to contain angry young demonstrators, the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

The violence and rapid turn of events sent shockwaves across the Arab world, where similar authoritarian rulers are deeply entrenched, but face mounting pressures from growing young populations, economic hardship and the appeal of militant Islam.

The United States led international calls for calm and for the people of Tunisia to be given a free choice of leaders. But Western powers have long turned a blind eye to rulers in the region who provide a bulwark against Islamist radicals.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said: "Only dialogue can bring a democratic and lasting solution to the current crisis."

Tunis appeared quiet after the announcement on state television by Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi that he would act as president until elections could be held. It was not clear whether his taking charge would satisfy the protesters, however.

And it remained uncertain how far those around Ben Ali, only the second president Tunisia has had since independence from France, were ready to relinquish power to opposition groups.

"Since the president is temporarily unable to exercise his duties, it has been decided that the prime minister will exercise temporarily the duties," Ghannouchi said.

CALL FOR UNITY

"I call on the sons and daughters of Tunisia, of all political and intellectual persuasions, to unite to allow our beloved country to overcome this difficult period and to return to stability."

The latest unrest was sparked when police prevented an unemployed graduate from selling fruit without a license and he set fire to himself, dying shortly afterwards of his burns.

"Perhaps all the Arab governments are monitoring with eyes wide open what is happening in Tunisia," columnist Abdelrahman al-Rashed wrote in regional newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

"Much of what prevents protest and civil disobedience is simply the psychological barrier," he said in an article after Ben Ali had made sweeping concessions but before he quit.