Albania Renames Street In Capital As Free Ukraine

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March 7, 2022

Albania will rename a street in its capital Tirana where the Russian and Ukrainian embassies are located as Free Ukraine to honour Ukraine’s resistance to war, the mayor said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, NATO member Albania has joined other European countries in introducing economic sanctions and banning Russian aircraft from its air space.

“Our generation will be marked by this bloody Russian aggression, and the heroic resistance of Ukraine should be remembered in our public places,” Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj said.

The street was previously named after Donika Kastrioti, who was the wife of Albania’s national hero Skanderbeg. The embassies of Serbia and Kosovo are also located on the street.

Mayor Veliaj said the new name would be a reminder for the Russian embassy staff. “The Russians will have to work, live and get their mail on a Free Ukraine street address.”

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Air Taxi Startup, Volocopter Raises $170 Million

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Angel Gimalo

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March 7, 2022

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German aviation startup Volocopter says it has raised $170 million from investors including funds run by Korean WP Investment in a new financing round as it seeks certification for its battery-powered flying taxi.

Volocopter, the startup out of southern Germany (Bruchsal) that has been developing electric VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft and a business model for operating them in taxi-style fleets in urban areas, has picked up another big round of funding as it inches closer to its first commercial launches.

It raised $170 million, funding that it said it will be using to kick off its first air taxi services, which it noted in an announcement would be “in cities like Singapore, Rome, and Paris.”

Using Aeroponics To Transform Desert Farming

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Angel Gimalo

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March 7, 2022

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Tucked in the rural areas of Jerash city, Jordanian Faisal farm grows a variety of crops using only a marginal amount of water.

With cherry tomatoes and green leaf vegetables grown in vertical rows and irrigated through water-saving technologies, manager of the farm Bahjat Sawalmeh considers it a prototype for the future of agriculture in the arid kingdom.

The use of aeroponics and hydroponics is amongst the country’s most viable options to develop its agricultural sector, he says, as they could save up to 90% of water in contrast to traditional farming methods.

The agriculture sector consumes 52% of Jordan’s water resources, yet the sector’s contribution to GDP is only 4%, the government’s green growth national action plan 2021-2025 reveals.

WildAid Nigeria Continues Largest Conservation Awareness Programme

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Angel Gimalo

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March 7, 2022

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Nigeria is popular for its music, Nollywood, and entertainment. But with Wildlife conservation and tourism, Nigeria seats at the bottom. Rhinos, giraffes, and leopards are extinct in Nigeria.

Currently, Nigeria has less than 50 lions, 100 elephants, and 100 gorillas left in the wild.

United States-based environmental organisation, WildAid, launched a public awareness conservation campaign in Nigeria to reduce demand for illegal bushmeat in major urban centres.

The campaign developed in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other government agencies is targeted at inspiring Nigerians to end illegal bushmeat consumption and ivory trade.

The population of Nigeria’s iconic wild animal is threatened more than ever before. This is courtesy of the illegal wildlife trade and a growing appetite for bushmeat consumption in a city like Lagos.

In the past year, WildAid has teamed up with influential ambassadors like Davido, Alex Iwobi, Stephanie Linus, and Mayorkun, filming public service announcements and mini-documentaries about local conservation projects in Nigeria and working with media partners to start wildlife-focused programmes.

Two Former Warlords Still Held Hostage By Militia In DR Congo’s Ituri

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Zoe Maven

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March 7, 2022

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The eight negotiators sent by President Félix Tshisekedi to Ituri to negotiate a ceasefire with armed groups are still being held by the CODECO militia.

They were taken prisoner on 16 February. Among them are two former warlords, Thomas Lubanga and Germain Katanga who were previously convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the early 2000s.

They were captured in the territory of Djugu, the militia’s headquarters and since then, the authorities have been trying to obtain their release, but the militiamen have set conditions.

In addition to an amnesty for its fighters and their integration into the regular army, the CODECO militia has asked for the lifting of the state of siege that has been in place for ten months in Ituri, but also for a halt to military operations in the same province.

These demands according to analysts seem difficult for Kinshasa to meet and for the moment it is ruling out the release of hostages by force.

According to the Minister of National Defence, the negotiations are nevertheless progressing positively. He is even optimistic and says that the talks could soon reach a successful conclusion. The negotiations have been conducted for a fortnight from a distance. The authorities have appointed another former warlord as mediator.

Since their capture, the hostages have been taken to Gutsi, one of the militia’s strongholds. This weekend, images of the captives were shared on social networks as proof of life.

But according to a government source, Thomas Lubanga and two other hostages are reportedly ill and without treatment,.

According to the Codeco militia, the emissaries were held because the army, on the orders of the military governor, had carried out bombing raids in the area close to where the talks were being held. This accusation was rejected by the political-military leader.

French Army Says Senior Al-Qaeda Leader Killed In Mali

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Zoe Maven

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March 7, 2022

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France’s army said Monday that its anti-jihadist force in Mali had killed Yahia Djouadi, a “senior leader” of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) responsible for finance and logistics.

Djouadi, an Algerian also known as Abu Ammar al-Jazairi, was killed overnight from February 25 to 26 around (160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Timbuktu in central Mali, the army said in a statement.

His death “once again weakens Al-Qaeda’s governance” in Mali, it added, calling him “a major link in northern Mali and especially the Timbuktu area” to the Qaeda-aligned GSIM group.

According to the Army, a former “emir” of Al-Qaeda’s Libyan operations, Djouadi fled to Mali in 2019 and settled in the Timbuktu region, helping organise the group and coordinating supplies, financing and logistics

It added that he was killed by ground forces supported by a Tiger attack helicopter and two drones.

France is preparing to redeploy some 2,400 troops away from Mali to other countries in the Sahel region facing cross-border jihadist insurgencies, after falling out with the military junta in Bamako.

While the pullout is set to stretch over six months, the army said that “operations continue against armed terrorist groups, especially against the top leaders of Al-Qaeda, GSIM and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group.”

French forces first intervened in Mali in 2013, but disputes between Paris and Bamako since a 2020 coup have prompted the military government to turn to other allies like Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group.

Even with international allies on the ground, the Malian state has struggled to reassert control of territory from the jihadist insurgency that began in the country’s north in 2012 and has since spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Protests Ring Out In Europe Demanding End To Ukraine Invasion

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Zoe Maven

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March 7, 2022

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Around 41,600 people demonstrated in 119 protests in towns and cities across France, over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Aline Le Bail-Kremer, a member of Stand with Ukraine, one of the groups which organised the protest said they would be there every weekend, in Paris or elsewhere, until Putin leaves, withdraws his tanks

According to interior ministry estimates. In Paris itself, some 16,000 turned out.

Nataliya, a French-Ukrainian woman who did not wish to give her surname to protect her son who is in Ukraine, said despite the suffering, they will win.

One of the largest rallies to demand the withdrawal of Russia’s troops from Ukraine on the invasion’s 10th day was in Zurich where organisers believed 40,000 people took part, according to Switzerland’s ATS news agency.

Demonstrators in the largest Swiss city called for “peace now”, while others carried signs saying: “Stop War” and “Peace”. Hundreds also turned out in London including Ukrainians whose families were forced to flee Russian bombs.

In the centre of Rome, unions and organisations rallied in a large “procession of peace”, demonstrating against Putin but also NATO.

More than a thousand people also demonstrated in the Croatian capital Zagreb with banners saying: “Stop the War, Save Europe” and “Glory to Ukraine”.

In the Balkans, the invasion has revived dark memories of the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, which killed over 100,000 people during a series of conflicts.

Last weekend, hundreds of thousands also turned out in yellow and blue across Europe including in Russia, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic.

Hundreds Of Bakeries Shut In Sri Lanka After Cooking Gas Runs Out

By

Zoe Maven

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March 7, 2022

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Nearly 1,000 bakeries have closed in Sri Lanka due to a severe shortage of cooking gas, an industry association said on Monday, as the impact of dwindling foreign exchange reserves ricochets through the country’s economy.

The island nation is facing its worst financial crisis in a decade with foreign exchange reserves shrinking 70% to $2.36 billion in January, leaving the government struggling to pay for imports including food, medicine and fuel.

People are lining up at fuel pumps across the country and a shutdown of multiple power plants has led to rolling power cuts, sometimes lasting more than seven hours a day.

N.K. Jayawardena, chairman of the Ceylon Bakery Owners Association, said the cooking gas shortage has almost doubled bread prices to about 150 rupees ($0.75) in some urban areas.

Jayawardena, whose association, the largest in the sector in the country, represents some 7,000 members said the government must find a solution urgently

He said if this situation lasts for one more week, 90% of bakeries will have to close as many bakers have taken out loans and they will not be able to repay them.

Two government spokesmen could not be immediately reached for comment on the bakeries but ministers have said they are working to normalise fuel distribution.

While bread products are not such a vital staple as rice, nearly every village and town would have at least one bakery supplying breads for curries and snacks to families and workers.

The gas shortage is also hitting small restaurants and households, with dozens of cooking gas retailers forced to suspend business due to lack of supplies.

Russia will stop Aggression If Ukraine Meets Terms – Kremlin

By

Zoe Maven

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March 7, 2022

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Russia has told Ukraine it is ready to halt military operations “in a moment” if Kyiv meets a list of conditions, according to a Kremlin spokesman on Monday.

Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.

It was the most explicit Russian statement so far of the terms it wants to impose on Ukraine to halt what it calls its “special military operation”, now in its 12th day.

Russia has attacked Ukraine from the north, east and south, pounding cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv and the port of Mariupol.

The invasion launched on Feb. 24, has caused the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two, provoked outrage across the world, and led to heavy sanctions on Moscow.

But the Kremlin spokesman insisted Russia was not seeking to make any further territorial claims on Ukraine and said it was “not true” that it was demanding Kyiv be handed over.

On the issue of neutrality, Peskov said: “They should make amendments to the constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc.”

He added that they have also spoken about how they should recognise that Crimea is Russian territory and that they need to recognise that Donetsk and Lugansk are independent states. And that’s it. It will stop in a moment.”

Edo State House Of Assembly Confirms Yussuf Alli As New Sports Commission Chairman

By

Emenike Agu

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March 7, 2022

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The Edo State House of Assembly has officially confirmed Yussuf Alli as the new chairman of the state’s Sports Commission.

Ali, a former Team Nigeria Captain and national long jump record holder met with the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Marcus Onobun and other Lawmakers on Monday

The Lawmakers who were very impressed with Alli’s wealth of experience enjoined the University of Missouri alumnus to do his best in taking sports in Edo State to the next level.

Alli who has seamlessly transited from active sports involvement into administration and organisation thanked the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki for considering him for the new role while promising to justify the confidence reposed in him.

The Commonwealth Gold Medalist also expressed gratitude to the sports-loving Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu who has helped re-engineered a revival in sports in Edo State.

He said “I feel very honoured to be appointed by my people to help oversee sports in Edo State and make it better than it is presently.

“While I know it is not an easy task, I know with the support of the state government, the lawmakers, other members of the sports commission board and of course the good people of Edo State, we will all succeed together”

Among many other accomplishments, Alli was the competition director for the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival which was widely adjudged as one of the best organised in recent times.

Frank Ilaboya, Mrs. Anehita Emeya, and Osayaba Osareren, Dr. Emmanuel Igbinosa, Asue Ighodalo and Uyi Akpata are the other nominees in the new-look Edo Sports Commission board.