Turkey: Zara shoppers find labour complaints inside clothes

"I made this item you're going to buy, but I didn't get paid for it!"

Shoppers at Zara stores across Istanbul found these unusual tags left on garments, hidden in the crease of a pair of jeans or in the pocket of a jacket.
But who was putting out the secret messages, like a prisoner in a World War Two drama?
The tags were left by workers from local company Bravo Tekstil, which produced clothes for Zara and other big international brands like Next and Mango.
The manufacturer went bankrupt overnight in July 2016, and its workers said they were not paid in the period up to its closing. Now, they ask Zara to compensate their losses and pay them three months of back wages and severance.
"One morning we came to work, and the firm was gone. The shutters were closed down. Our boss had disappeared," said Filiz Tutya, one of Bravo Tekstil workers.
"We had no other choice but start this campaign. We put these tags on garments across every Zara store in every shopping mall across Istanbul. We don't want to harm Zara. That's not what this is about. But we want what is owed to us."

• The kids who have to sew to survive

Image copyright Alamy

Image caption The Turkish workers have asked Zara for compensation after their company went bankrupt

Another worker, Betul Sahin, said: "Some of us had to postpone our weddings due to financial reasons, some of us cannot send our kids to school."
"Maybe this kind of money is not a big deal for everyone. But for us every penny counts. We worked so hard for it. We ask Zara: 'Why don't you pay us? Why don't you give us our basic right?'"
Since the campaign started, thousands of people have posted supporting messages on social media using the hashtag suggested on the tags: #BravoIscileriIcinAdalet, meaning "Justice for Bravo workers".
The online petition has already been signed by over 270,000 people.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption The messages were found in various Zara stores in Istanbul

Zara's parent company Inditex said they had paid Bravo Tekstil all it was due but that money failed to make its way to the pockets of the workers.
The company said it had set up, along with Mango and Next, a hardship fund of 210,000 euros ($246,000; £188,000) to help the most vulnerable workers in need.
"There is an unjust suffering here and we're very sorry that these workers have to endure this," said Murat Akkun, Inditex's manager of sustainability in Turkey.
"But it's not us but the local firm and its boss that has caused this suffering. He has escaped justice. Turkish courts need to find this man and make him pay all that is due."

• Child refugees in Turkey making clothes for UK shops

In a statement, Zara also said it "immediately took action to try to help workers in this unfair situation and that Inditex remains committed to be a part of the joint efforts to find a solution for workers".
The workers' union representative DISK Tekstil, however, underlines that if Inditex does not compensate each and every worker's lost wages, their campaign will continue.
"Zara announces to the whole world that they are responsible for each worker producing their goods. The fund they proposed only covers a quarter of the workers' losses," said Asalettin Arslanoglu from DISK Tekstil.
"There are cancer patients amongst these workers, there are those who suffered from strokes. If the brands do not compensate all of these 153 workers, we are going to continue to raise awareness with this campaign."

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Zara has previously been under fire for alleged slave and child labour

Spain-based Inditex is one of the world's largest fashion retailers, and it owns 7,405 stores and employs 162,450 people.
Its biggest brand Zara has previously come under fire when it was accused of slave and child labour, as well as exploiting Syrian refugees.
The Inditex group promised to look into such incidents and to strengthen supervision of its suppliers' production facilities.


Originally published on http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41981509

Zimbabwe crisis: Mugabe 'under house arrest' after army takeover

Zimbabwe's military has placed President Robert Mugabe under house arrest in the capital Harare, South African President Jacob Zuma says.

Mr Mugabe told Mr Zuma in a phone call that he was fine, the South African leader's office said.
Troops are patrolling the capital, Harare, after they seized state TV and said they were targeting "criminals".
The move may be a bid to replace Mr Mugabe with his sacked deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, BBC correspondents say.
Mr Mnangagwa's dismissal last week left Mr Mugabe's wife Grace as the president's likely successor.
Heavy gun and artillery fire could be heard in northern parts of Harare early on Wednesday.

• Latest reaction and updates
• What we know so far
• The rise of Grace Mugabe

Mr Mugabe, 93, has dominated the impoverished country's political scene since it gained independence from the UK in 1980.
The UK Foreign Office advised Britons "currently in Harare to remain safely at home or in their accommodation until the situation becomes clearer", while the US embassy in Harare advised US citizens in Zimbabwe to "shelter in place" until further notice.

Skip Twitter post by @usembassyharare

Due to ongoing uncertainty in Zimbabwe, the U.S. Embassy in Harare will be minimally staffed and closed to the public on November 15.  Embassy personnel will continue to monitor the situation closely. @StateDept

— U.S. Embassy Harare (@usembassyharare) November 15, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @usembassyharare

China, Zimbabwe's biggest trading partner, says it is closely watching the situation and hopes that the relevant parties can properly handle their internal affairs.

What do we know of Mr Mugabe's situation?

The firing heard during the early morning came from Harare's northern suburbs, where Mr Mugabe and a number of government officials live, the BBC's Shingai Nyoka reports from Harare.
In a statement, Mr Zuma's office said: "President Zuma spoke to President Robert Mugabe earlier today who indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine."
A Zimbabwean army officer, Maj Gen Sibusiso Moyo, went on TV after the takeover to say Mr Mugabe and his family were "safe and sound and their security is guaranteed".

How did the military justify its move?

"We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... that are causing social and economic suffering in the country," Maj Gen Moyo said, reading out a statement.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Troops are patrolling Harare

"As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy."
Other key points made by Maj Gen Moyo were:

• Citizens should remain calm and limit unnecessary movement
• The military assures the Zimbabwean judiciary that its independence is guaranteed
• Security services should "co-operate for the good of our country" and any provocation would "be met with an appropriate response"
• All leave for the defence forces is cancelled and personnel should return to barracks immediately

It is not clear who is leading the military action.
Army chief Gen Constantino Chiwenga, who visited China last week, said on Monday the army was prepared to act to end purges within the ruling Zanu-PF party.

An extraordinary gamble

By Andrew Harding, BBC Southern Africa correspondent
A quick show of military force, a few arrests... and then what?
These are, of course, unpredictable times for Zimbabwe and yet there is a chance that the army's extraordinary overnight gamble will pay off, and that President Robert Mugabe, humiliated and powerless, will nonetheless be allowed to retire with at least the pretence of dignity.
It is important to remember that Mr Mugabe is not being challenged by the Western governments he has warned against for decades, or by Zimbabwe's political opposition, or by a mass uprising against economic hardship.
This is, fundamentally, an internal power struggle within Zanu-PF and whoever emerges victorious can expect a newly purged party to fall, obediently, into line.
Mr Mugabe's mistake, at 93, was to assume he was still powerful enough to build a dynasty to back his wife, Grace, to succeed him.
Instead, his once loyal deputy, Emerson Mnangagwa, may be poised to take control. If so, many foreign governments are likely to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he can rescue Zimbabwe from years of misrule.

Has anyone else been detained?

A government source told Reuters news agency that Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo was being held.
He is a leading member of a Zanu-PF faction led by Grace Mugabe, 52.

Is this a coup?

Alex Magaisa, former adviser to Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, told the BBC: "They have decided not to call it a coup because they know that a coup does not sell, it will be condemned.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption General Chiwenga had warned of a military takeover

"But as far as authority is concerned it seems very clear that President Mugabe is now just a president in name and authority is now residing in the military."
Zanu-PF had accused Gen Chiwenga of "treasonable conduct" after he issued his warning that the army might intervene.

What was the political situation before the army acted?

Last month, Mrs Mugabe accused allies of Mr Mnangagwa of planning a coup.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Grace Mugabe is seen as a potential successor to her elderly husband

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Emmerson Mnangagwa is seen here at a recent funeral

The rivalry between Mrs Mugabe and Mr Mnangagwa split Zanu-PF.
Gen Chiwenga is a close ally of Mr Mnangagwa and both are veterans of the 1970s war which ended white minority rule.
The leader of the war veterans, Chris Mutsvangwa, welcomed the military move, telling Reuters: "This is a correction of a state that was careening off the cliff.
"It's the end of a very painful and sad chapter in the history of a young nation, in which a dictator, as he became old, surrendered his court to a gang of thieves around his wife."



Originally published on http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41997982

Alec Baldwin claims that Trump's wife loves his incarnation more than her husband

 
Actor Alec Baldwin (Alec Baldwin) said that he had a big fan in the White House. While President Donald Trump fiercely hates a parody of himself performed by Baldwin in the "Saturday Night Live" program, the first lady may have a different position."Someone told me who has or had friends in the White House that Melania Trump loves the show" Saturday Night Live "and loves my embodiment as a Trump," Baldwin said in an interview with WNYC radio.Baldwin did not stop there, stating that the first lady said to the informant: "That's the kind of thing I would like to see him in life." Baldwin added that "Trump is horrified and beside himself that his wife really thinks so."Since Baldwin did not name the source, the White House rejected his statement:"This is not true, because Mr. Baldwin did not give real names to confirm his bizarre statement," Stephanie Grisham of the White House Women's Relations Office told Newsweek.

Barbie will wear hijab from now on

 For decades, Barbie was synonymous with a slender blonde. However, the doll makers gradually introduced a variety in the image of Barbie, adding to its appearance different ethnic characteristics. And now, for the first time in 58 years of the history of doll creation, Barbie receives a hijab.
"Mattel," Barbie's producers, should release a doll modeled on Ibtihaj Muhammad, an American fencer who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 31-year-old Muhammad is known for being the first Muslim woman to wear the hijab during the Olympics for the US team.
The athlete expressed her thanks to Twitter on "Twitter" for the fact that the company invited her to the family of the brand "Shero", which celebrated the female models of celebrities. "I'm proud that girls can play everywhere with Barbie, who prefers wearing a hijab! This is the dream of my childhood, "Muhammad wrote.
Muhammad, a native of New Jersey, had previously complained about the difficulties of Muslim life in the United States. She told the Daily Beast that she felt in danger "all the time" in her home country. Often, when she returned from fencing training, she was reported to the police.
In December 2016, she was detained by US customs agents for two hours. "I do not know why. I can not say why it happened to me, but I know that I am a Muslim. I have an Arabic name. And although I represent the US team, and I have Olympic gear, this does not change how you look and how people perceive you, "Muhammad said.Read also the latest news in the section "Culture / Show Business":

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