Peretty Miriama ekes out a living selling handmade greeting cards to tourists on this Indian Ocean island paradise where buildings went up in flames during last week’s anti-government rioting in the capital.
The violence caught her and her husband by surprise. A homeless couple, they hid their precious stock of souvenirs but when they went back, the cards were gone.
“It’s not been good,” a dazed Miriama said on Friday while leaning against a tree. “We’re poor. Always poor.”
At least 43 people were killed in unrest which began on Monday when protesters set the government broadcasting complex ablaze, along with an oil depot, shopping mall and a private TV station linked to Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana.
The protests were sparked by government’s decision that day to close a radio station, owned by the capital’s mayor, Andry Rajoelina. He accuses Ravalomanana’s government of misspending funds and threatening democracy.
By Friday the violence had subsided. But Rajoelina called for another anti-government rally yesterday, and that has left many people bracing for the possibility of more violence.
For two days police had battled to control looters who roamed the streets of the capital. Tourists were advised to stay in their hotels. Most of the casualties were people caught up in the chaos or trapped in burning buildings. By Friday, the violence had subsided.
“Business has been bad this week,” said Fula Bao, who sells pink garnets at her roadside stall. “Even foreigners aren’t stopping much at the moment.”
Madagascar, off Africa’s southeast coast, is known for its rare wildlife and eco-tourism — but also for its history of political unrest and infighting. It is one of Africa’s poorest nations, with more than half the population living on less than US$1 per day.
Ravalomanana clashed with former president Didier Ratsiraka when both claimed the presidency after a disputed December 2001 election.
After low-level fighting split the country between two governments, two capitals and two presidents, Ratsiraka fled to France in June 2002. Ravalomanana won re-election in 2006, though two opposition candidates tried to challenge the validity of the vote.
TURNAROUND: The Liberal Party had trailed the Conservatives by a wide margin, but that was before Trump threatened to make Canada the US’ 51st state Canada’s ruling Liberals, who a few weeks ago looked certain to lose an election this year, are mounting a major comeback amid the threat of US tariffs and are tied with their rival Conservatives, according to three new polls. An Ipsos survey released late on Tuesday showed that the left-leaning Liberals have 38 percent public support and the official opposition center-right Conservatives have 36 percent. The Liberals have overturned a 26-point deficit in six weeks, and run advertisements comparing the Conservative leader to Trump. The Conservative strategy had long been to attack unpopular Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but last month he
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
RSS