Mezhar Alee’s Post

Mozambicans Called Up For Week Of Protests Starting Today Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane has called for a week-long general strike in Mozambique starting today, demonstrations at the district headquarters of the National Elections Commission (CNE) and marches to Maputo on November 7. What he called the third stage of the challenge to the results of the October 9th general elections announced a week ago by the National Elections Commission (CNE), follows the protests held on the 21st, 24th and 25th that degenerated into clashes with the police , which resulted in at least 10 deaths, dozens of injuries and 500 arrests, according to the Center for Public Integrity (CIP), a Mozambican non-governmental organization that monitors electoral processes. The protest called by Mondlane received the support of around forty opposition political parties, mainly extra-parliamentary, who announced on Wednesday an "unprecedented alliance" to challenge the results announced by the CNE and promised to "lead the people" in the challenges, considering that if deals with constitutional law. Also on Wednesday, the Mozambican Government warned that it "does not want a repeat" of the almost total strike recorded over three days last week, promising security to companies, given the call for a seven-day strike. "Our appeal is that companies remain open. Our appeal is that workers, employees, go to their workplaces. The Government will do everything possible to guarantee safety and we want the country not to have a shutdown, because this will have major effects on the country's economy", said the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Silvino Moreno. On Monday, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique announced that it had opened a criminal case against Venâncio Mondlane and supporters, for the escalation of post-election violence in the country. According to the Minister of the Interior, Pascoal Ronda, Mondlane is "commanding", from South Africa, the "manipulation of public opinion", inciting violence. In an intervention made on Tuesday on his official account on the social network Facebook, Mondlane called for demonstrations at the local structures of the CNE and headquarters of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, party in power) from today onwards, for those who do not have the capacity to get moving, asking others, from all over the country, to start the trip to Maputo by November 7th. "We are going to fill the entire city of Maputo and I am predicting four million Mozambicans (...), a flood never seen before", he appealed, acknowledging that he was asking the population for "a sacrifice". The National Elections Commission (CNE) of Mozambique announced on the 24th the victory of Daniel Chapo, supported by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, party in power since 1975) in the election for President of the Republic on October 9th, with 70 .67% of the votes. Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist...

Bangladesh Protests Update: Supreme Court Reduces Quota System for Government Jobs https://lnkd.in/dcktvn_w The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has taken a significant step by reducing the quota system for government jobs. This decision follows nationwide protests and clashes that turned deadly, as reported by AFP. The court has now ordered that 93% of government jobs be allocated based on merit. Attorney-General A M Amin Uddin confirmed to AFP that 5% of civil service jobs will still be reserved for children of veterans of the independence war, and an additional 2% for other specific categories.Curfew and Current SituationThe government of Sheikh Hasina has extended the nationwide curfew until 3 pm on Sunday to control the situation. Police have been instructed to use "shoot-on-sight" orders to suppress the protests, which have resulted in a death toll of 114 people. Only emergency services are operational, and public holidays have been declared for Sunday and Monday.Escalation of ProtestsThe protests intensified in the past week following remarks made by Sheikh Hasina on July 14. She questioned whether the grandchildren of freedom fighters should receive job benefits while asking, "Should the grandchildren of Razakars...

Workers, unions, and activist groups are set to demonstrate across Europe this Wednesday, 1st May, as people mark International Workers' Day - May Day - across the continent. Demonstrations are seen annually on May Day in European cities, but, with ongoing grievances linked to cost of living, low pay, and industry-specific issues (such as the recent farmers' protests), the number of, and attendances at, these protests could be higher than normal this year. Political activists and environmental groups may also take the opportunity to join the protests, with issues such as climate change and the Israel-Palestine conflict both causing frequent large-scale demonstrations across Europe recently - the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions has called on employees in the international trade union movement to take action in solidarity with Palestine by going on strike, for example. The demonstrations are likely to cause significant disruption to travel and business, while clashes could also occur, and should be planned for out of precaution. Protests are not just planned in capital cities, but across Europe, as demonstrated in the image below. At Intelligence Fusion we have mapped more than 340 separate planned demonstrations ahead of time that are due to take place in Europe on May Day. We frequently identify and map protests before they happen as part of our threat intelligence coverage, helping our clients stay ahead of and prepare for potential threats and disruption. If you'd like to learn more about how we do this, and how to use our threat intelligence platform, get in touch with a member of the team today to find out how we can help you and your organisation: https://hubs.ly/Q02vy6y80 #MayDay #InternationalWorkersDay #BusinessContinuity #SecurityIndustry #RiskManagement #OperationalRisk

Protests vs Strikes: What's the difference? Can peaceful protests turn into strikes? Share your thoughts on effective demonstration tactics! What legal experts say- https://lnkd.in/eMCC9DHR #ProtestsVsStrikes #DemonstrationTactics #PeacefulProtest #StrikeAction #LaborRights #SocialJustice #Activism #CivilDisobedience #EffectiveProtest #SocialChange

Bangladesh Protests Update: Supreme Court Reduces Quota System for Government Jobs https://lnkd.in/dcktvn_w The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has taken a significant step by reducing the quota system for government jobs. This decision follows nationwide protests and clashes that turned deadly, as reported by AFP. The court has now ordered that 93% of government jobs be allocated based on merit. Attorney-General A M Amin Uddin confirmed to AFP that 5% of civil service jobs will still be reserved for children of veterans of the independence war, and an additional 2% for other specific categories.Curfew and Current SituationThe government of Sheikh Hasina has extended the nationwide curfew until 3 pm on Sunday to control the situation. Police have been instructed to use "shoot-on-sight" orders to suppress the protests, which have resulted in a death toll of 114 people. Only emergency services are operational, and public holidays have been declared for Sunday and Monday.Escalation of ProtestsThe protests intensified in the past week following remarks made by Sheikh Hasina on July 14. She questioned whether the grandchildren of freedom fighters should receive job benefits while asking, "Should the grandchildren of Razakars...

Cost realism protests can prevail even against a higher-priced competitor. GAO recently sustained BAE Systems’ protest because the Air Force failed to evaluate the realism of Guidehouse’s professional compensation. After Guidehouse won an initial protest against BAE, the Air Force took corrective action during which it permitted the offerors to alter only their cost proposal volumes.  Guidehouse had originally proposed in its technical volume to provide certain personnel by paying them at high percentiles of salary survey data. But in its revised cost proposal, Guidehouse proposed labor rates that were average or below average for these personnel.  Although this lowered Guidehouse’s total cost, its final evaluated cost was still over $270 Million higher than BAE. The Air Force selected Guidehouse for award, and BAE protested that the Agency had not conducted a proper cost realism analysis. The Air Force admitted it had not evaluated professional compensation against Guidehouse’s approach, but instead argued that the evaluation was proper because it compared labor rates to a market rate baseline. GAO disagreed and sustained because the Air Force had not evaluated how Guidehouse could support its technical proposal to pay above-average wages with a cost proposal that proposed below-average wages. A cost realism analysis focuses on whether proposed costs are too low to support the proposed performance. While it is tempting to assume that an evaluation that focuses on whether cost is too low cannot prevail against a higher-cost offeror, GAO’s decision shows that realism evaluations focus on cost specifically as it is tied to technical performance. The question is thus not whether the offeror’s cost or price is low in the abstract, but whether it is high enough to support to specific technical performance proposed. Even a higher-cost offeror can fail a realism evaluation if the proposed costs are not aligned with the offeror’s unique technical approach. Protesters challenging an award where a realism analysis was required should not assume that realism protests are unavailable simply because the awardee was higher priced. #governmentcontracting #govcon #bidprotests #smallbusiness #NVTC

The Week Ahead: March 18, 2024 -- • Dublin, Ireland: Protest Advisory | On March 23 at 1:00 PM, protesters opposing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict will hold a demonstration at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, Ireland. The protest is expected to remain peaceful, but heightened security is expected. Travelers should avoid the area surrounding the protest and monitor local media for updates. • Nationwide, Dominican Republic: Protest Advisory | From March 18 – March 19, Uber drivers across the Dominican Republic will strike. Driver grievances include unfair fare computation practices and excessive commissions taken by Uber. Related protests are expected. Travelers should also anticipate transportation shortages.  • Victoria, Australia: Protest Advisory | On March 22, unionized railway controllers and conductors will be striking from 3:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Demonstrators are disputing pay, tenure, and work-life balance. Travelers should monitor local media for information about travel disruptions and avoid strike-related protests. • Nationwide, Senegal: Protests Advisory | Until March 24, demonstrations are likely to increase nationally in Senegal as a result of the upcoming presidential elections. The election was originally planned for February 25 but was delayed by the national congress. There has been widespread unrest as a result of the suspension of the presidential elections. Travelers should avoid large crowds and protests. Travelers should also monitor media outlets for updates on any planned demonstrations and maintain enhanced situational awareness when traveling through Senegal. -- https://lnkd.in/eb9sv4Nm #internationaleducation #studyabroad #travelsafety #travelsecurity

The Week Ahead: March 18, 2024 || • Dublin, Ireland: Protest Advisory | On March 23 at 1:00 PM, protesters opposing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict will hold a demonstration at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, Ireland. The protest is expected to remain peaceful, but heightened security is expected. Travelers should avoid the area surrounding the protest and monitor local media for updates. • Nationwide, Dominican Republic: Protest Advisory | From March 18 – March 19, Uber drivers across the Dominican Republic will strike. Driver grievances include unfair fare computation practices and excessive commissions taken by Uber. Related protests are expected. Travelers should also anticipate transportation shortages.  • Victoria, Australia: Protest Advisory | On March 22, unionized railway controllers and conductors will be striking from 3:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Demonstrators are disputing pay, tenure, and work-life balance. Travelers should monitor local media for information about travel disruptions and avoid strike-related protests. • Nationwide, Senegal: Protests Advisory | Until March 24, demonstrations are likely to increase nationally in Senegal as a result of the upcoming presidential elections. The election was originally planned for February 25 but was delayed by the national congress. There has been widespread unrest as a result of the suspension of the presidential elections. Travelers should avoid large crowds and protests. Travelers should also monitor media outlets for updates on any planned demonstrations and maintain enhanced situational awareness when traveling through Senegal. || https://lnkd.in/ejydNFcu #internationaleducation #studyabroad #travelsafety #travelsecurity

‘Extreme Right’ Smears Fail To Deter German Farmer Protests The European Conservative (Thomas O'Reilly) covers profoundly how incessant media attempts to label the protests as ‘extreme right’ are failing to convince the wider public as the German farmers’ protests continue, with a third consecutive day across the country against Olaf Scholz’s planned cuts to diesel subsidies. As I posted on 7th Jan ("Innenministerium und BKA warnen vor Unterwanderung durch Extremisten"), so for the sake of objectivity, please read EUROPOL's report "European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2023 (TE-SAT)". Number of arrests related to left-wing and anarchist terrorism in 2022 is the same as in 2021. The sharp rise in violence against the police by far-left and anarchist extremist groups is a fact. Of course, this does not eliminate the threat of the extreme right, but these elements must always be considered side by side. The world is not black and white, but grey. EUROPOL TE-SAT 2023: https://lnkd.in/dg7GNnYk Parliamentary question - E-004370/2021:  Time to address extreme left-wing violence in Europe https://lnkd.in/dKSBYqd3 https://lnkd.in/dVBiT7sW