Yair Lapid Takes Over As Israel’s 14th Prime Minister

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July 1, 2022

Israeli foreign Minister Yair Lapid officially becomes prime minister at the stroke of midnight between Thursday and Friday, taking office as the 14th premier in Israel’s history.

Lapid’s term leading the country could be a fairly short one, as he takes over a caretaker government ahead of national elections on November 1. But the new prime minister appeared determined to make the most of the potentially brief tenure, and bolster his prospects of winning a full term in four months’ time.

“We’ll do the best we can for a Jewish, democratic state, good and strong and thriving, because that is the job, and it’s bigger than all of us,” Lapid said at a handover ceremony with outgoing prime minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday afternoon.

On his first day in office Friday, Lapid’s first agenda item was a meeting with Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security agency, at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

A statement from Lapid’s office said the meeting included a “broad defense and intelligence briefing on what is happening on the different fronts.”

Shortly afterward, the new prime minister held a meeting to discuss “the captives and MIAs” — a reference to the two Israeli men and the remains of two IDF soldiers being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The particularly sensitive issue returned to the headlines once again this week after Hamas disseminated a video showing Israeli captive Hisham al-Sayed hooked up to an oxygen mask — the first image of him seen since he crossed into Gaza in 2015.

Hamas is believed to also be holding Avera Mengistu, as well as the remains of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Talks to secure their release have stalled repeatedly over the years.

Directorate Trains 50 Unemployed Youths And Women In Plateau State

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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July 1, 2022

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The National Directorate For Employment(NDE) has commenced training of 50 unemployed graduates and women on goat farming in Plateau State North Central Nigeria.

The one-week training from June 30 to July 6 under its Department of Rural Employment Promotion(REP), is being implemented in 18 states across the Nation

At the flag off training in Jos, the Director of Rural Employment Promotion Dr. Michael Mbata said the training was aimed at reducing poverty in the country as goat rearing has great employment potential.

Represented by one of its Rural Employment Promotion Officers, Mrs Anne Ita, he said the implementation of the scheme was following the success of a pilot test conducted in March in Katsina state.

He urged participants to take the training seriously to enable them to become self-employed, and also be future employers of labour.

Earlier in his remarks, the Plateau State Coordinator of NDE Mallam Directorate Trains 50 Unemployed Youths And Women In Plateau State

The National Directorate For Employment(NDE) has commenced training of 50 unemployed graduates and women on goat farming in Plateau State North Central Nigeria.

The one-week training from June 30 to July 6 under its Department of Rural Employment Promotion(REP), is being implemented in 18 states across the Nation

At the flag off training in Jos, the Director of Rural Employment Promotion Dr. Michael Mbata said the training was aimed at reducing poverty in the country as goat rearing has great employment potential.

Represented by one of its Rural Employment Promotion Officers, Mrs Anne Ita, he said the implementation of the scheme was following the success of a pilot test conducted in March in Katsina state.

He urged participants to take the training seriously to enable them to become self-employed, and also be future employers of labour.

Earlier in his remarks, the Plateau State Coordinator of NDE Mallam Ibrahim Abdulaziz said the training would continue for six months on the practical aspect of goat production.

He said the scheme would make the beneficiaries self-reliant, and reduce poverty and over-dependence on white-collar jobs.

He said the 15 resource persons selected to train the beneficiaries are experts from different relevant disciplines in high institutions, animal husbandry and agric-entrepreneurs.

On behalf of the participants, Mr. Miri Selbol said that the training would increase their knowledge of the improved variety of goats, and create more opportunities to access financial assistance for business expansion.

rahim Abdulaziz said the training would continue for six months on the practical aspect of goat production.

He said the scheme would make the beneficiaries self-reliant, and reduce poverty and over-dependence on white-collar jobs.

He said the 15 resource persons selected to train the beneficiaries are experts from different relevant disciplines in high institutions, animal husbandry and agric-entrepreneurs.

On behalf of the participants, Mr. Miri Selbol said that the training would increase their knowledge of the improved variety of goats, and create more opportunities to access financial assistance for business expansion.

Int’l Commission Calls on Ethiopia to End Violations

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Zoe Maven

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July 1, 2022

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A U.N. investigative panel is calling on the government of Ethiopia to end conflict-related rights violations on its territory and bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice. The commission has submitted its first report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The three-member International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia reports that violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law continue and appear to be committed with impunity.

Commission chair Kaari Betty Murungi said the panel is alarmed by ongoing atrocities against civilians, including events reported in the Oromia region. This is a reference to the recent killings of an estimated 250 people, mostly from the Amhara ethnic group, allegedly by the rebel Oromo Liberation Army.

Hundreds of people were slaughtered in a village and its surroundings this month in the latest explosion of ethnic violence in Ethiopia.

The commission was established last December at a special session on the human rights situation in Ethiopia since Nov. 3, 2020. That was when the government’s military offensive in Tigray began in response to attacks by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Ethiopia has rejected as unwarranted the adoption of the resolution that established the commission.

Ethiopia’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Zenebe Kebede Korcho, however, has told the council his government will cooperate with the commission despite ongoing reservations. He said discussions have begun.

The ambassador said his government has declared an indefinite humanitarian truce in northern Ethiopia. As a result, he noted humanitarian assistance is reaching all those in need.

Mastercard’s Farm Pass Digitising Agricultural Value Chains in Africa

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 1, 2022

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Mastercard and Ecobank Group have partnered to connect millions of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa to Mastercard’s Farm Pass – a digital platform that makes it safer and easer for farmers to sell their produce at a fair price.

Under the partnership, Ecobank will extend the reach and impact of the Mastercard Farm Pass platform leveraging its Pan-African network of 33 countries. Many smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa face several challenges.

These include limited access to markets, working capital to finance activities or secure quality inputs, and relevant financial tools to pay and get paid efficiently. This has led to insecurity, inefficiencies, and a waste of resources and food, preventing farmers from running sustainable businesses.

Farm Pass brings together various agri-sector stakeholders from the supply and demand sides, in one agricultural marketplace, amplifying the collective positive impact on farming communities.

Smallholder farmers can sell their produce at a better price, access quality inputs and farming information, get paid and pay digitally and develop a financial profile that can unlock financing opportunities for working capital and inputs.

According to McKinsey and Company, more than 60 per cent of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa are smallholder farmers, with the agricultural sector contributing an estimated 23 per cent of the continent’s GDP. Yet only three per cent of the sector receives banking credit, limiting the farmers capacity to grow their business or mitigate poor harvest losses.

By integrating their businesses with payment systems, Farm Pass enables smallholder farmers to build a digital transaction record that can facilitate formal credit or other financial services from banks and other financial institutions.

Julian Assange Submits High Court Appeal To Fight Extradition

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Zoe Maven

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July 1, 2022

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Julian Assange is seeking permission to appeal against a decision to extradite him to the United States.

Last month, the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the Wikileaks founder’s extradition to the US and the High Court in London confirmed that an application by Assange has been submitted.

The Australian is wanted by American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011, which the US says broke the law and endangered lives.

Assange had until Friday to decide whether or not to appeal against his extradition.

The Australian is being held at Belmarsh prison in London after mounting a lengthy battle to avoid being extradited.

The Wikileaks co-founder is wanted by the US on 18 counts, including a spying accusation, after his organisation published confidential military records and diplomatic cables.

He faces up to 175 years in jail, according to his lawyers. However, the US government has said the sentence is more likely to be between four and six years.

Media company Wikileaks is a whistle-blowing platform that publishes classified material provided by anonymous sources.

Assange’s legal team claims Wikileaks publishing the documents – which related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – exposed US wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

Those documents revealed how the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan, while leaked Iraq war files showed 66,000 civilians had been killed, and prisoners tortured, by Iraqi forces.

Turkey Says Nordic Promises Must Be Kept For NATO Approval

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Zoe Maven

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July 1, 2022

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Final Day Of The NATO Summit In Madrid — President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to the venue on the final day of the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain on June 30, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara the country wants to see Sweden and Finland upholding their pledges under the new trilateral memorandum, signed this week, in order to secure Turkey’s support for their NATO membership bids.

An accord signed with Finland and Sweden to lift Turkey’s veto on their NATO membership bids is not the end of the matter and obliges the Nordic states to keep their promises, President Tayyip Erdogan was cited as saying on Friday.

After four hours of talks in Madrid on Tuesday, Erdogan and his Finnish and Swedish counterparts agreed on a series of security measures in return for backing by Ankara, which had raised concerns about terrorism and arms embargoes.

Speaking to reporters on a flight back from the NATO summit in Madrid, Erdogan said there was no need to rush ratifying the two bids in parliament.

Ankara should first see if they keep promises made under the memorandum, including on extraditing suspects sought by Turkey, he said.

Asked about the extradition of suspects, Erdogan said if the Nordic countries did not send these individuals “then we will do what is necessary through our institutions and units.”

Nigeria Earns $1bn From Gas Export to Portugal in 2022 alone

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 1, 2022

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Nigeria has earned over $1 billion from the sale of natural gas to Portugal in 2022 alone.

Group managing director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, Mele Kyari said this when President Muhammadu Buhari led a high-level Nigerian business delegation to the Nigeria-Portugal Business & Trade Forum on the sidelines of the 2nd UN Ocean Conference in Portugal

Kyari also said that Nigeria will in the next five years begin the massive exports of Liquified Natural Gas to Portugal and other European countries.

President Buhari and the President of Portugal, Marcelo Sousa led other top officials of both countries to a visit to the NNPC exhibition centre.

The visit was made at the sidelines of Nigeria-Portugal Business Forum which is being organised as part of measures to unlock fresh investments in critical sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Some of the sectors being targeted by the government are oil and gas, agro business, information and communication technology, manufacturing and processing, renewable, pharmaceuticals and construction.

The event is also being attended by the minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; Nigeria’s Ambassador to Portugal, Alex Kefas; the group general manager, NAPIMS Bala Wunti, the executive secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Emeka Offor.

Nigeria is pursuing energy transition in order to promote economic growth and is gradually investing in gas so as to reduce carbon emissions whilst continuing to exploit hydrocarbon resources.

Currently, natural gas is the energy transition fuel for Nigeria.Nigeria is currently having six quadrillion BTU of energy production annually making it the second highest in Africa.

The country also has a geographical vintage position with easy access to the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean giving it unhindered access to the most critical global trade routes and markets.

Kyari told both presidents that Nigeria is part of the sovereignty of energy security in Portugal, adding that as a matter of fact, the country is insulated from the current energy challenges in Europe because of the quantum of gas supply that is coming from Nigeria.

He said, “Nigeria provides 70 per cent of Liquified Natural Gas to Portugal, we are part of the sovereignty of energy security in Portugal and as a matter of fact, the country is insulated from it in Europe because of the supply that is coming from Nigeria.

Chip Shortage Leaves 95K GM Vehicles Unfinished In Storage

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Elizabeth Williams

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July 1, 2022

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The global shortage of computer chips and other parts forced General Motors to build 95,000 vehicles without certain components during the second quarter.

The Detroit automaker said in a regulatory filing Friday that most of the incomplete vehicles were built in June, and that it expects most of them to be finished and sold to dealers before the end of the year.

The unsold vehicles amounted to 16% of GM’s total sales from April through June. The company said Friday that it sold more than 582,000 vehicles during the quarter, down more than 15% from a year ago.

The company reaffirmed its full-year net income guidance of $9.6 billion to $11.2 billion with pretax earnings of $13 billion to $15 billion. For the first time the company predicted that it would make $2.3 billion to $2.6 billion before taxes in the second quarter. That fell short of analyst estimates of $3.97 billion, according to FactSet.

The chip shortage has vexed automakers across the globe since 2020, forcing many automakers to temporarily close factories and trim production. The shortage has limited the supply of new vehicles on dealer lots in the U.S. to around 1 million, when in normal years it’s about 4 million at any given time.

EU’s Takuba Force Quits Junta-Controlled Mali

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Zoe Maven

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July 1, 2022

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France said the French-led Takuba task force of EU special forces has officially ceased operating in Mali, ending an anti-jihadist effort launched in March 2020 that soured after two military coups overthrew the civilian government.

Takuba, operating with France’s Barkhane mission, was set up after President Emmanuel Macron sought more help from European allies for the anti-terror campaign in the Sahel.

French army spokesman General Pascal Ianni told journalists that Barkhane and Takuba had showed what “Europeans can accomplish together in complicated security environments”, with on-the-ground experience that would be critical for future joint operations.

Announced in late 2019, Takuba at its peak brought together nearly 900 elite troops from nine of France’s allies: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.

Alongside the Barkhane force that at one point reached 5,100 soldiers, Takuba aimed to train and reinforce local armies trying to counter bloody insurgencies linked to al Qaeda or the Islamic State group.

But despite tactical successes such as the killings of some top jihadist leaders, the governments of the so-called G5 Sahel nations – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – have struggled to curtail the attacks against both military and civilian targets.

In Mali in particular, military coups in August 2020 and May 2021 resulted in diplomatic tensions with France.

The deterioration accelerated when the ruling junta in Bamako developed closer ties with Moscow, bringing in military personnel that France says are mercenaries form Russia’s Wagner Group.

West African States Review Post-Coup Sanctions At Key Summit

By

Zoe Maven

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July 1, 2022

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MALI-POLITICS- — New interim Malian President, Colonel Assimi Goita, looks on at members of the Malian Armed Forces after his swearing in ceremony in Bamako on June 7, 2021.

West African leaders on Sunday will weigh the future of sanctions imposed against three countries where the military have seized power, sparking concern for stability in one of the world’s most coup-prone regions.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has slapped tough economic and financial sanctions on Mali and less severe penalties on Burkina Faso and Guinea.

In a one-day summit in the Ghanaian capital Accra, ECOWAS will decide whether these measures should be maintained, strengthened or lifted.

At the core of their talks will be the bloc’s demand that the juntas set an early timetable for returning to their barracks.

Mali, a poor, landlocked country in the grip of a decade-long jihadist conflict, has been under a trade and financial embargo since January, a move that has badly strained its economy.

Burkina Faso — another Sahel country caught up in jihadist turmoil — and Guinea have so far only been suspended from the bodies of the 15-nation bloc.

The three states underwent four coups in 18 months: two in Mali in August 2020 and May 2021, one in Guinea in September 2021 and one in Burkina Faso in January this year.

Alarmed by the risk of contagion, ECOWAS has stepped up top-level meetings and piled pressure on military rulers to accelerate the return of civilian leadership.

On June 4, the bloc avoided ruling on sanctions and instead gave itself another month to negotiate.

An ECOWAS mediator, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, on Friday visited Mali’s capital Bamako, part of a string of recent trips to try to secure a deal.