Why President rejected electoral amendment bill, by Malami

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December 28, 2021

A senior U.N. official said on Monday the main focus after the delay of last week’s planned election in Libya should be on ways to move forward with the vote rather than on the fate of the interim government.

The U.N. secretary general’s special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, told Reuters in an interview that most Libyans wanted an end to what she called “this interminable transitional period”.

The election had been scheduled for Dec. 24 but was delayed after disputes over basic rules including the eligibility of candidates and the judiciary’s role in appeals.

The eastern-based parliament, elected in 2014, is debating how long to delay the election and whether the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) and Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, a presidential candidate, can stay in place.

Gambia’s Supreme Court dismisses election result challenge

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December 28, 2021

Gambia’s Supreme Court has dismissed a legal challenge to President Adama Barrow’s recent election victory, ruling that its proponents had not followed proper procedure in filing it, court documents showed on Tuesday.

Barrow won the Dec. 4 poll with 53% of the vote. Runner-up Ousainou Darboe, who got about 28%, and two other candidates refused to accept the results, citing alleged problems at polling stations without providing evidence.

L1N2SQ078Darboe’s United Democratic party (UDP) petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the results the following week despite election observers having said the poll was conducted fairly.

The court dismissed the petition on Tuesday on the grounds that Darboe’s party had failed to serve Barrow within five days of filing it, which violated the Gambia’s fair trial procedures, judicial sources said.

Tanzania signs $1.9 bln railway contract with Turkish firm
anzania on Tuesday signed a contract with Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi to build a 368 km section of standard gauge railway that is expected to cost $1.9 billion and will be funded by loans.

It is part of a 1,219 km line which Tanzania is building to help boost trade with neighbouring countries and Yapi Merkezi is already building two other sections which are near completion.

The section announced on Tuesday will link Makutopora with Tabora, two towns in the country’s central region, Masanja Kadogosa, director general of Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC), said in a televised ceremony.

The full line will connect Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port and commercial capital of Dar es Salaam with Mwanza, a port city on the shores of Lake Victoria which straddles the borders of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan said at the ceremony that Tanzania would borrow to finance the project.

South Africa court blocks Shell’s oil exploration

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December 28, 2021

A South African court has halted oil giant Shell’s seismic testing for oil and gas along the country’s eastern coastline, pending a final ruling.

The decision has been hailed by environmentalists who fear that the sound blasting will harm marine life.

Shell said it had “paused” operations while it reviewed the judgement.

South Africa’s Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe had condemned the project’s critics, saying they wanted to deprive Africa of energy resources.

In his ruling, High Court Judge Gerald Bloem said that Shell’s right to explore the waters near the Wild Coast “was awarded on the basis of a substantially flawed consultation process”.

The 250km (155-mile) stretch of coastline in Eastern Cape province is known for its natural beauty and marine life.

Campaigners argued that many sea creatures – including whales, dolphins and seals – would be affected by the seismic testing.

Egyptian pharaoh’s mummy digitally unwrapped for first time

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December 28, 2021

The mummified body of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh has been studied for the first time in millennia after being digitally “unwrapped”.

The mummy of Amenhotep I, who ruled from 1525 to 1504 BC, was found at a site in Deir el-Bahari 140 years ago.But archaeologists have refrained from opening it in order to preserve the exquisite face mask and bandages.

Computed tomography (CT) scans have now revealed previously unknown information about the pharaoh and his burial.

Dr Sahar Saleem, professor of radiology at Cairo University and lead author of the study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, said they showed Amenhotep I was about 35 years old when he died.

South Africa Develops Programme To Reboot Education System In 2022

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Precious Obazee

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December 28, 2021

The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), together with the department of education and other partners, have developed a programme to reboot the school system in 2022 after losses incurred over the last two years due to the pandemic.

Research conducted by the NECT, which is due for publication in January 2022, shows that 60% of South African schools were only able to cover 30% of the written work in 2021, while a majority of learners in the foundation phase struggled to complete half of the exercises in the recommended mathematics work books. This was further compounded by a backlog caused by disruptions in 2020.

Because of the pandemic, the education curriculum had to be trimmed and learners had to attend school on a rotational basis.

According to the NECT, the programme aims to improve school functionality and recover the time and learning lost as a result of the pandemic with the involvement of parents, stakeholders and civil society to help teachers.

Some of the plans that have already been put in place since November include the delivery of materials and training on managing learning recovery to 900 circuit managers who support approximately 15 180 schools.

About 22 000 reading champions are also being recruited to support the same number of teachers as well as eight million learners, as part of the presidential youth employment initiative. More than 16 000 of these reading champions have already been trained by the NECT and a network of 10 non-governmental organisations.

Curriculum trackers have also been developed for teachers and principals to assist schools and have been supplied to 800 subject advisors, 40 000 school management teams and 200 000 educators who teach grades one to nine in languages, mathematics and science.

Some 10 500 of the poorest primary schools, which account for about 60% of the South African schooling system, and 270 teacher union leaders will be supplied with structured learning programme packs.

Global Coal Demand Set To Hit New High

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December 28, 2021

Rapid economic recovery is driving global coal power generation to a record this year and overall coal demand to a potential all-time high as soon as 2022, underlining urgent need for policy action

One month after the world pledged to abandon coal at COP 26, global demand for the commodity is set to hit an all-time high.

The amount of electricity generated worldwide from coal is surging towards a new annual record in 2021, undermining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and potentially putting global coal demand on course for an all-time high next year, the International Energy Agency said in its latest annual market report.

After falling in 2019 and 2020, global power generation from coal is expected to jump by 9% in 2021 to an all-time high of 10,350 terawatt-hours, according to the IEA’s Coal 2021 report, which was released today. The rebound is being driven by this year’s rapid economic recovery, which has pushed up electricity demand much faster than low-carbon supplies can keep up. The steep rise in natural gas prices has also increased demand for coal power by making it more cost-competitive.

Overall coal demand worldwide – including uses beyond power generation, such as cement and steel production – is forecast to grow by 6% in 2021. That increase will not take it above the record levels it reached in 2013 and 2014. But, depending on weather patterns and economic growth, overall coal demand could reach new all-time highs as soon as 2022 and remain at that level for the following two years, underscoring the need for fast and strong policy action.

In China, where more than half of global coal-fired electricity generation takes place, coal power is expected to grow by 9% in 2021 despite a deceleration at the end of the year. In India, it is forecast to grow by 12%. This would set new all-time highs in both countries, even as they roll out impressive amounts of solar and wind capacity. While coal power generation is set to increase by almost 20% this year in the United States and the European Union, that is not enough to take it above 2019 levels. Coal use in those two markets is expected to go back into decline next year amid slow electricity demand growth and rapid expansion of renewable power.

Director of Energy Markets and Security at the IEA Keisuke Sadamori said, “The pledges to reach net zero emissions made by many countries, including China and India, should have very strong implications for coal – but these are not yet visible in our near-term forecast, reflecting the major gap between ambitions and action,”.

“Asia dominates the global coal market, with China and India accounting for two-thirds of overall demand. These two economies – dependent on coal and with a combined population of almost 3 billion people – hold the key to future coal demand.

Mauritius Oil Spill: Captain and First Officer Get 20-Month Jail Terms

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December 28, 2021

The MV Wakashio, a Japanese-owned but Panamanian-flagged vessel with Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar has admitted he had been drinking alcohol as cargo ship ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tons of fuel into the Indian Ocean.

The captain and first officer of a cargo ship that crashed into a coral reef off Mauritius, resulting in the Indian Ocean archipelago’s worst ever environmental disaster, were handed 20-month prison sentences on Monday.

The Wakashio cargo ship was sailing from Singapore to Brazil when it struck the coral reef on July 25, 2020. Some 1,000 tons of oil began spilling into the pristine waters on August 6, prompting the Mauritius government to declare a state of “environmental emergency.”

The vessel’s captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who was convicted by a court in the capital Port Louis last week, admitted drinking during an onboard birthday party.

He and first officer, Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna, were found guilty of “endangering safe navigation.”

“The captain and his second in command were irresponsible and did not deliver as they should on their ‘navigational duties,’” the magistrate said Monday.

The MV Wakashio was sailing from Singapore to Brazil with 3,800 metric tons of fuel oil and 200 metric tons of diesel onboard when it ran into the reef off the southeast coast of Mauritius.

During the trial, the captain said he had given instructions to approach Mauritian waters in order to gain access to a mobile phone network so that crew members could contact their families.

“The sea was bad, but the visibility was clear and it was safe to navigate. … At one point, the ship could not move and had touched the sea floor,” Nandeshwar said.

“Since I had had a few drinks, it did not seem worthwhile to intervene and it did not occur to me that we were sailing that close.”

The two men were taken into custody in August 2020, and have been behind bars since then.

Akwa Ibom Fishermen Say Exxonmobil Yet To Pay Compensation Years After Oil Spills

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December 28, 2021

Fishermen in Akwa Ibom State South-South Nigeria have accused ExxonMobil, the American multinational oil and gas corporation, of refusing to take responsibility and pay compensation for a series of oil spills that occurred in the state between 1998 and 2012.

The fishermen said they were encouraged to take their case out of the court in expectation a settlement will be reached. Years after, despite several petitions and reminders to government officials and the company, nothing has been done to help them.

The fishermen, under the Akwa Ibom Cooperative Fisheries Association, said oil spills occurred between 1998 and 2012, leading to the destruction of their nets and other fishing tools and livelihoods.

The group held a protest in Abuja in July to press ExxonMobil to pay for damages for hardships its members suffered in the last 14 years as a result of oil spills, estimating the compensation at N11 billion.

On October 4, 2021, it sent a petition to the National Assembly through the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, requesting the Nigerian government’s intervention in the push for compensation from the oil firm.

On 24 September, 2021 the group sent a reminder to the lawmakers through the office of Ike Ekweremadu, the Enugu senator.

“We, the board of directors and members of Akwa Ibom Co-operative Fisheries Association Limited wish to remind you of our plight and request contained in our letter of 24 July, 2018 (copy attached) on the above subject and to express our utter disappointment at the way our matter of injustice and spiteful treatment is being handled by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the notice read.

The union said it went to court in 2005 to seek redress, but ExxonMobil quickly approached Eme Ufot Ekaette, a former senator, to plead with them to withdraw the case from court, with a promise that they were willing to settle the matter and pay compensation to enable them to return to business.

Ethiopia Asks U.S. to Reconsider Its Decision to Terminate Ethiopia From AGOA

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December 28, 2021