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Author: Ummul Idris

  • S/African president mourns soldiers killed in DR Congo

    S/African president mourns soldiers killed in DR Congo
    Soldiers
    Johannesburg, June 27, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday expressed his profound sadness over the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to 20 others in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
    The casualties of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members were inflicted by a mortar attack on one of their bases in Sake, in the eastern DRC, on Tuesday.
    In a statement issued on Thursday, Ramaphosa offered his “deep condolences” to the families of the fallen troops as well as their commanders and colleagues.
    “The president’s thoughts are also with the SANDF members who are recovering from their injuries,” the statement said.
    Ramaphosa assured the bereaved families and the injured troops that the SANDF would take the utmost care to provide the necessary logistical and psychosocial support to all those affected.
    “As we mourn the deaths and casualties inflicted on our soldiers, we value and are humbled by the sacrifices they have made for the cause of peace and stability in our region, and they shall not be forgotten,” he said.
    According to the statement, the South African soldiers were part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC, which was deployed in December 2023.
    They were deployed to support DRC government efforts to restore peace and security in the eastern part of the country. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Halima Sheji

  • German Foreign Office calls on Germans to leave Lebanon

    German Foreign Office calls on Germans to leave Lebanon

    Germans

    Berlin, June 27, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The German Foreign Office in Berlin on Thursday called on all Germans in Lebanon to leave the country, due to the very tense situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

    A further escalation could also lead to air traffic from Rafic Hariri Airport in Beirut being completely suspended, according to new travel and security advice posted by the ministry on X.

    “It would then no longer be possible to leave Lebanon by air.’’

    The security situation in the region is highly volatile; the military clashes in the border area between Lebanon and Israel have increased in intensity in recent weeks.

    “After the Palestinian Hamas launched a major attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah and other armed groups have also been firing mortar shells, anti-tank weapons and rockets at Israel from Lebanese territory since October 8, 2023.

    “Accordingly, a further escalation of the situation and expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out.

    “This applies in particular to the southern parts of Lebanon up to and including the southern urban areas of Beirut and the Bekaa Plain, including the Baalbek-Hermel district,” the travel and security advice stated.

    The Foreign Office had already called on German citizens and their relatives to leave the country a few days after the Hamas attack on Israel prompted the Gaza war in October. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    UMD/HS

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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Halima Sheji

     

     

     

  • Top EU officials condemn coup attempt in Bolivia

    Top EU officials condemn coup attempt in Bolivia
    Coup
    Brussels, June 27, 2024 (dpa/NAN) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has slammed Bolivia’s military for trying to storm the country’s government palace in La Paz in what appeared to be an attempted coup.
    “I firmly condemn the attempts to overthrow the democratically elected government of Bolivia,” the head of the EU’s executive wrote on X.
    “The European Union stands by democracies. We express our strong support for the constitutional order and rule of law in Bolivia.”
    European Council President Charles Michel also took to X to condemn the military’s action.
    “I strongly condemn the military uprising against the Bolivian constitutional order and the democratically elected government of President Luis Arce,” he wrote.
    “The European Union supports democracy and the Bolivian people.”
    The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that “The European Union condemns any attempt to undermine the constitutional order in Bolivia and overthrow democratically elected governments, and expresses its solidarity with the Bolivian government and people.”
    NAN reports that Bolivian armed forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening and a general was arrested after President Luis Arce slammed a “coup” attempt against the government and called for international support.

    Earlier in the day, military units led by Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga, recently stripped of his military command, had gathered in the central Plaza Murillo square, home to the presidential palace and Congress.(dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/SH
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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • Bolivian general arrested after failed coup attempt

    Bolivian general arrested after failed coup attempt
    Coup
    Rio de Janeiro, June 27, 2024 (dpa/NAN)  The Bolivian army’s general commander, Juan José Zúñiga, has been arrested following a failed coup attempt.
    It comes after the Bolivian military occupied the square in front of the government palace in La Paz with armoured vehicles and tried to breach doors, live images on Bolivian television showed.
    Zúñiga, who is believed to have led the attempt to storm the government palace, has been accused of terrorism and armed insurrection against the security and sovereignty of the state.
    The public prosecutor’s office had previously issued an arrest warrant and launched investigations into Zúñiga and fellow putschists.
    Left-wing President Luis Arce dismissed the top general, replacing the entire leadership of the armed forces.
    The new army chiefs then ordered the withdrawal of troops from around the government palace in central La Paz.
    As the putsch unfolded, with a tank ramming the doors of the seat of government, Zúñiga addressed the media, saying: “Enough of the impoverishment of our homeland.
    “Enough of the humiliation of the military. We have come to express our displeasure.”
    Speaking to media representatives, he spoke of “attacks on democracy” without elaborating.
    The attempt to topple the left-wing government was met with immediate resistance from the country’s leadership.
    “We denounce the irregular mobilisations by some units of the Bolivian Army,” President Luis Arce wrote on X as events were unfolding. “Democracy must be respected.”
    Former Bolivian president Evo Morales also condemned the military’s actions on the Murillo square, calling them a “planned coup d’état” in a post on X.  (dpa/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/HA
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

  • EU leaders to seal final deal on package of top jobs

    EU leaders to seal final deal on package of top jobs
    Package
    Brussels, June 27, 2024 (dpa/NAN) EU leaders are set to agree on a package deal to divide up the European Union’s top jobs at a two-day summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
    The pre-packaged pact, informally agreed among EU leaders, would see current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen nominated for a second term.
    Former Portuguese prime minister António Costa should be the next European Council president and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is to be the EU’s new foreign policy chief.
    The agreement on the top jobs was negotiated among the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group and the liberal Renew Europe group.
    The EU’s top jobs are shared out after European Parliament elections in an intricate process that is meant to account for the results of the vote, according to the EU treaties.
    In practice, the path to power is more complicated, and national and European politics take over, with EU leaders haggling over their preferences to fill the bloc’s most important policy positions.
    Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pushed hard for her far-right party’s results in the European elections to be recognised and has harshly criticised the process to divide up the jobs.
    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also hit out at the deal.
    In a post on X, the conservative prime minister said “EU top officials should represent every member state, not just leftists and liberals.”
    The three names were the front runners for the roles over a week ago in Brussels the last time EU leaders tried to reach a deal amongst themselves but they did not reach the finish line.  (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/HA
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

  • Ethiopian coffee gains foothold in China with rising popularity

    Ethiopian coffee gains foothold in China with rising popularity

    Coffee

    Addis Ababa, June 26, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Ethiopian coffee has been gaining a foothold in the Chinese market, with its sales volume showing a 27 per cent average increase in recent years, an Ethiopian official said.

    Adugna Debela, director general of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA), said a few years ago, Ethiopia had been exporting 8,000 to 10,000 metric tonnes of coffee annually to China.

    He added that it ranked 33rd among importers of Ethiopian coffee.

    “However, China has been importing up to 20,000 metric tonnes of Ethiopian coffee annually for the last two years, becoming the eighth-largest importer of Ethiopian coffee.”

    In the past three years or so, the amount of coffee Ethiopia exports to China has been growing at an average rate of 27 per cent annually, said Debela.

    Debela attributed the surge to a significant increase in Chinese coffee buyers who import coffee directly from Ethiopia.

    He also credited the close collaboration between the Chinese Embassy in Addis Ababa and the ECTA in terms of searching for new markets, connecting Chinese coffee roasting companies, organising exhibitions, and launching e-commerce and online sales.

    Debela said the China International Import Expo and cross-border e-commerce platforms, which serve as effective gateways for overseas brands to enter China, have presented numerous opportunities for Ethiopian coffee beans to gain popularity in the Chinese market.

    He said Ethiopia has exported 252,000 metric tonnes of coffee to the world market, earning 1.28 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of the 2023/2024 Ethiopian fiscal year that ends on July 7, 2024.

    He said there would be a huge, growing demand for Ethiopian coffee in China as more and more people in China, especially youngsters, enjoy drinking Ethiopian coffee.

    Debela said he hoped that China would become one of the top five Ethiopian coffee importers shortly as the ECTA continues exploiting untapped market opportunities there.

    Ethiopia’s coffee, originating from the region where Arabica coffee was first discovered, is praised for its distinctive flavors ranging from fruity and winy to chocolaty.  (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    UMD/AMM

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    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

     

     

  • Georgia putting EU path at risk, bloc’s top diplomat says

    Georgia putting EU path at risk, bloc’s top diplomat says

    Diplomat

    Luxembourg, June 24, 2024 (dpa/NAN) EU foreign ministers are considering a response to Georgia’s recently passed law that tightens rules for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in receipt of foreign funding, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell.

    Borrell on Monday said, if further measures of the same kind were taken, then “the door to the European Union would not be open.’’

    The legislation requires independent media and other civil society organisations to register as “foreign agents’’ and submit information to the state if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.

    The ruling Georgian Dream party justified the law as being in service of greater transparency and boosting Georgian sovereignty.

    Mass protests and the intervention of the EU and the United States, which both oppose the law, failed to move the government.

    Opponents believe the law will serve to silence organisations critical of the government in a way similar to what has happened in Russia.

    EU foreign ministers are debating a range of responses, including a freeze on high-level meetings and channeling EU funding directly to NGOs in the country.

    But there are also concerns about provoking the Georgian public, which remains solidly pro-EU.

    “It is really important to keep them engaged towards the EU,’’ Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu said.

    Speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis however said the options currently under consideration do not go far enough.

    He also said that halting Georgia’s progress towards the EU needs to be considered. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    UMD/HS

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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Halima Sheji

     

     

     

  • World Bank urges Philippines to invest in children’s early years 

    World Bank urges Philippines to invest in children’s early years
    Children
    Manila, June 24, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  Increasing investment in children’s early development will improve the well-being of all Filipinos and strengthen the country’s economic potential, according to a World Bank report released on Monday.
    The report describes the impoppppllpppppppppprtance of health, nutrition, education, and social protection during the first decade of life, stressing the need to invest in these areas to boost human capital in the country.
    The Philippines, with a relatively young population, can harness its demographic dividend with adequate investment in human capital, said Ndiame Diop, World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
    However, according to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI), the Philippines struggles in this regard.
    The HCI measures the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers.
    Because of underinvestment in those key areas, Filipino children born today are projected to be only about half as productive when they reach adulthood as they could be.
    The report finds several factors contributing to the productivity gap, including limited and unequal access to education and health services.
    It recommends targeted capacity building, budget support, and an equitable incentive mechanism for the country’s local government units, which play a critical role in service delivery to boost human capital.  (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Russia open to dialogue with U.S. amid global security concerns – Kremlin

    Russia open to dialogue with U.S. amid global security concerns – Kremlin
    Dialogue
    Moscow, June 21, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  Russia is ready for comprehensive dialogue with the United States, particularly due to the rise of global security concerns, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
    “The Russian president said that we are ready for dialogue with the United States but only for comprehensive dialogue,” Peskov said.
    He added that such talks are necessary as problems continue, especially about the global security architecture.
    Such dialogue must be comprehensive and cover all spheres, including the current Ukrainian crisis and “the direct involvement of the United States in this conflict,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
    Peskov further noted that Russia’s cooperation with its partners “is in no way directed against third countries,” and is ultimately only aimed at improving the well-being of the peoples of those countries. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng )
    UMD/YEE
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    (Edited by Ummul Idris/Emmanuel Yashim)

  • Below-average rainfall threatens Botswana’s livelihood

    Rainfall
    Gaborone, June 21, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi has declared the 2023-2024 an “extreme agricultural drought year”.
    He made declaration after considering a report on the recently ended Drought and Household Food Security Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis.
    The report indicated that the rainy season from October 2023 to March 2024 was exceptionally dry, with below-average rainfall throughout the entire country.
    It noted further that February was particularly harsh, with the country experiencing the driest conditions since 1980, leading to critically low water levels in reservoirs, and major rivers.
    It said that the rivers such as Thamalakane and Chobe experienced lowest water levels in a decade.
    “The delayed rains and extended dry spells have severely impacted crops, with most wilting and failing early.
    The area planted for this season fell 36 per cent compared to the previous year.
    “The total output is expected to meet only six  per cent of the country’s need of 300,000 metric tonnes,” it observed.
    It also noted that at the time of assessment, grazing conditions had started to show signs of deterioration across the country, with limited surface water availability in some areas.
    “An estimated 16,000 heads of livestock died as a result of drought”, said Gaba Mogapi, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
    Dry conditions and high temperatures have forced wild animals to travel long distances for water, resulting in human-wildlife conflict, the report analysed.
    “More than 1,170 fires have also been reported around the country, affecting about 855,861 hectares of land”, Mogapi said.(Xinhua/NAN(www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/KAY
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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Kayode Olaitan