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ECOWAS Summit – Mali Sanctions To Include Travel Bans, Asset Freeze

November 8, 2021

West Africa’s main political and economic bloc imposed sanctions on Sunday against Mali’s transitional leaders after they informed the organisation they would not be able to hold presidential and legislative elections in February.

Mali’s interim government, which took power following the military’s overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, had promised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to oversee an 18-month transition back to democracy culminating in elections on Feb. 27, 2022.

But it has made only fitful progress toward organising the vote and repeatedly suggested it might be delayed, in part because of an ongoing insurgency by Islamist militants.

ECOWAS said in a statement following a summit in Ghana that the interim authorities had informed it “of their inability to meet the transition deadline of February 2022”.

The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on all members of the transitional authority and their family members, the statement said, adding ECOWAS would consider additional sanctions in December if no progress is made.

A spokesperson for the interim government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ECOWAS first imposed sanctions, including border closures, immediately after last year’s coup but lifted them less than two months later after the coup leaders agreed to the 18-month transition.

Since then, the leader of the initial coup, Colonel Assimi Goita, staged a second coup in May, this time ousting the interim president and taking over the position himself.

Mali’s transition is seen as a key test of West African leaders’ commitment to protecting democracy against a return to the frequent putsches that earned the region its reputation as a ‘coup belt’ in the decades after colonialism ended.

In addition to the two coups in Mali, Guinea’s military also staged a putsch in September, ousting longtime president Alpha Conde. ECOWAS said it was appointing Ghanaian diplomat Mohamed Ibn Chambas as a special envoy to engage with Guinea’s transitional leaders.

Guinea’s interim president Mamadi Doumbouya, who led the coup, has promised a transition back to democracy but not said when he will organise elections. ECOWAS imposed travel bans and asset freezes against the coup leaders in September

United Nations, European Union, International Observers Invited To Witness Venezuela Election

Angel Gimalo

November 7, 2021

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has invited the United Nations, European Union and International Observers from across the world to witness what it described as “credible and transparent electoral process” on Nov. 21.

Mr Yuri Pimentel, Venezuela’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs to Africa, disclosed this in a virtual video conference with African Partners and political parties, movements and Platforms of International Solidarity with Venezuela.

According to Pimentel, the Venezuelan government is inviting the high-level multilateral and international observers to have a first-hand experience of how credible its elections have always been against past false reports of electoral malpractices.

Pimentel said that since the Bolivarian revolution, the Venezuelan authority have ensured a complete democratic process which allows every eligible citizen and the opposition to participate in electoral processes.

“November 21, we will have a large delegation from across Africa, the United Nations, European Union, Jimmy Carter Foundation who are going to come to Venezuela to accompany us on these elections.

“Where, we are going to have to choose the next governors of the 23 states of our country, 335 Mayors as well as the Members of the Regional Councils and Municipals which are the legislative members.

“For this process, we hope to receive more than 80 guests from 25 African countries, delegation from 11 Electoral bodies of Africa.

“So they will be able to see for themselves this 29th electoral process in 22 years of this Bolivarian revolution.

“They will be able to see the functioning of our electoral system. The participatory democracy is one of the constitutional principles and it is part of the constitution chosen by the people in the referendum.

Collins Mgbo Elected To Lead Nigeria Union South Africa

Angel Gimalo

November 7, 2021

The Nigeria Union South Africa (NUSA) has elected Mr Collins Mgbo to lead its new executive that would pilot the affairs of the umbrella body of all Nigerians in the rainbow nation for the next three years.

Speaking after his election on Sunday in Pretoria, South Africa, Mgbo urged the citizens to join forces with the new executive to begin the process of changing the narratives about Nigerians in South Africa.

“I am passionate about serving our community, hence, I take this new responsibility knowing that I stand on the strong shoulders of committed and supportive family, friends and comrades.

“I have the feeling that I can represent you well to structure ideas that bring relevance to Nigerians in South Africa and beyond,’’ Mgbo said in his post election speech made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mgbo, who until his election served as Secretary-General of the Union in the outgoing exco, assured that “the best is yet to come for the Nigerian Community in South Africa.

“NUSA is a family of resolute and progressive compatriots and through this election, you have once again reminded us of our responsibility to create a better tomorrow for our community.

“We do not want to downplay the fact that the road may not be easy, but with our confidence in God and with your support, we can achieve our aims and aspirations not just for our benefit but also for successive generations of Nigerians in South Africa.

“ We urge you to remain law-abiding and promote Nigeria’s image positively in all you do,’’ Mgbo said.

He expressed appreciation for the contributions of past executives and other stakeholders for driving the union to success in spite of numerous challenges.

We Have Seen An Improvement In Terms Of Efficiency – Nigeria Ports Authority

Angel Gimalo

November 7, 2021

Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, Acting says the two Lagos seaports located in Lekki and Tin Can Island were operating “far beyond their installed capacities”.

“What it simply means is that if they were built to handle 500,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), for instance, probably they are now handling about 700, 000 TEUs,” he told newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.

He said that the situation had led to massive congestion worsened by the fact that the city had caught up with the ports.

“There is no space to expand the ports. What we need to do is to improve on the activities in the ports, in terms of efficiency.

“In 2006, when NPA concessioned the terminals, there was a Development Plan between the NPA and the terminal operators and that development plan included both physical development and the deployment of equipment.

“The terminal operators have met those agreements and everything has evolved, but there is need for bigger and more efficient equipment, better Information Technology IT systems, and so on.

“We have seen an improvement in terms of efficiency; there is increase in efficiency. But there is room for more. We have observed system downtime in one or two of the terminals, especially the APM Terminals, which is one of the terminals.

“Whenever APM Terminal system is down, it causes a lot of backlog in terms of traffic.

“What we have done is to sit down with the terminal operators and tell them that they need to improve on their operations; we have Monitoring and Regulatory Department in the NPA, which has an index that, on a monthly basis, we look at the operations and grade them.

“We also sit with them at the end of the quarter to discuss their performance; we examine where they have done well and where they are lagging behind.

“We have also emphasised the need for better synergy between what the terminal operators are doing and the shipping lines, because some of them also have affiliated shipping lines working with them.

“To improve the operations within the ports, we came up with a policy that established empty container holding bays and we mandated all shipping lines to ensure that they have a holding bay outside the port premises for their empties.

“This is to ensure that importers, when they take away their cargo from the port to offload at their business premises or warehouse, do not bring the empty container into the port.

ECOWAS Summit To Assess Previous Resolutions, Review Political Situation In Guinea And Mali

Angel Gimalo

November 7, 2021

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo departed Abuja on Sunday for Accra, Ghana to represent Nigeria at an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity , Office of the Vice President, who disclosed this in a statement, said the summit was on the political situations in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.

Sunday’s extraordinary meeting, which will be the third on the same agenda in 2021, will assess previous resolutions and further review the political situation in Guinea and Mali.

Osinbajo had participated at the 2nd ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali held on Sept. 16 in Accra, Ghana.

Before that, he also attended a virtual ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit held on Sept. 8 on the same agenda.

ECOWAS leaders in the communique issued at the end of the last special summit in Accra had, among other resolutions, decided to freeze the financial assets of members of the military junta.

The regional body also placed a travel ban on them, while also demanding that the junta returned Guinea to constitutional rule within six months.

Nigeria’s position on the situation in Guinea had been restated by Osinbajo at the summit, urging for the unconditional release of President Alpha Condé.

Experts Say Nigeria Needs To Deploy Space, Geospatial Technologies To Boost Sustainable Development

Angel Gimalo

November 7, 2021

Experts have explained that geographic mapping of urban settlements, population, mineral and natural resources, property location, unsecured locations, disaster areas, among other strategic sectors in the society could help the government plan well.

They say that the current war against insecurity in the country could be tackled via appropriate utilisation of mapping systems, especially with unmanned aerial systems.

They also noted the importance of space technology and geospatial technology and stressed the need to deploy them for sustainable development.

Space technology, a technology related to entering, retrieving objects or life forms from space have been evident in areas like weather forecast, remote sensing, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), satellite television and some long distance communications systems that rely on space infrastructure.

Geospatial technology collects and analyses the geospatial data (any data that is indicated by or related to a geographic location).

Experts stressed the need for Nigeria to deploy space and geospatial technologies to boost sustainable development and good governance.

Prof Jide Kufoniyi of Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, described mapping system as the technology for the acquisition, processing, management and dissemination of Geospatial Information (GI).

Kufoniyi further said that geospatial information is any information referenced to a location, while a mapping system would include geospatial data acquisition equipment, such as satellite and aerial platforms carrying appropriate sensors.

He listed geospatial data acquisition tools as land and hydrographic surveying equipment, data processing, management and dissemination equipment, such as computers and appropriate software.

The don explained that geospatial information of any location can be acquired in spite being manned, unmanned, accessible or not, secured or not.

“We only need to use the appropriate mapping system and technique. If it is a dangerous environment that is unsafe for human involvement in the data acquisition, we can use images from Earth Observation Satellites or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) depending on the level of accuracy and details required.

“The current war against insecurity in the country will be significantly assisted by appropriate utilisation of mapping systems, especially with unmanned aerial systems. ‘’

He acknowledged that this technology had been in existence over time, but the country had lagged behind in deploying it for a better society.

Kufoniyi explained that lack of adequate access to earth observation satellite images, inadequate geodetic infrastructure for mapping purposes, especially for applications such as urban and land management in cities with multi-level buildings, which require 3D geospatial data had impeded deploying the technology.

He listed other problems to include non-digital geospatial information archives, insufficient capacity utilisation and poor knowledge transfer, obsolete system of training geospatial professionals, technologists and technicians in map productions.

He added that lack of adequate awareness by national GI producers on the benefits of the technology have contributed to its challenges.

“Changes are often so rapid for organisations and personnel to catch up with, there is inadequate infrastructure support, especially power and ICT.

“The government on its part has failed to yield to the consistent call to properly fund mapping activities.

“Not less than 2.5 per cent of the national budget each year has been generally advocated, but the amount allocated is often typically a far cry from this percentage,’’ he said.

The don said that good governance and sustainable development require access to fit-for-purpose geospatial information because according to him, whatever we do, whatever that happens, happens somewhere.

He said that citizens and governments need to be enabled to answer the spatial question of where every development activity is.

Today In History – Nov. 7 – Saying, “Heaven, Heaven, My True Home,” Chinese Convert Peter Wu Guosheng Is Executed

Angel Gimalo

November 7, 2021

1492 Ensisheim Meteorite strikes a wheat field near the village of Ensisheim in Alsace, France. Oldest meteorite with a known date of impact.

1814 Saying, “Heaven, heaven, my true home,” Chinese convert Peter Wu Guosheng is executed. He had led 128 family and friends to Christ.

1841 Marie Rafaravavy, a staunch Christian who had been severely persecuted and forced to flee Madagascar because of her faith, leaves England in the hope of returning to her homeland. Because persecution is ongoing, she will have to settle in Mauritania, where she will preach until she passed on seven years later.

1872 Cargo ship Mary Celeste sails from Staten Island for Genoa; mysteriously found abandoned four weeks later

1880 Baptism of twenty-year-old Edgar Young Mullins. At birth his parents had dedicated him to God, praying that he might become a minister; however he had not become a Christian until shortly before his baptism. He will go on to become a Baptist minister and president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which he will greatly expand.

1931 Chinese People’s Republic proclaimed by Mao Zedong

2000 Controversial US presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore is inconclusive; the result, in Bush’s favor, is eventually resolved by the Supreme Court

2020 Former Vice-President Joe Biden declared the winner of the US Presidential race, four days after the US election, defeating sitting President Donald Trump

Today’s Historical Events
Today in Film & TV
1932 1st broadcast of “Buck Rogers in the 25th century” on CBS-radio

Today in Music
1786 The oldest musical organization in the United States is founded in Boston, Massachusetts as the Stoughton Musical Society

Today in Sport
1991 Magic Johnson announces he has HIV virus & retires from LA Lakers

Do you know this fact about today? Did You Know?
1874 – 1st cartoon depicting elephant as Republican Party symbol, by Thomas Nast

Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe?
2000 – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration discovers one of the country’s largest LSD labs inside a converted military missile silo in Wamego, Kansas

Dean Smith: Aston Villa Sack Manager After Three Years In Charge

Emenike Agu

November 7, 2021

Aston Villa have sacked manager Dean Smith after three years in charge.

Smith, 50, leaves following Villa’s 1-0 loss to Southampton on Friday, the club’s fifth successive defeat in the Premier League.

Villa are 17th in the league, two points above the relegation zone.

“This year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for,” Villa chief executive Christian Purslow said.

“For this reason we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact.”

Villa say the process to replace Smith has started but they will not rush into an immediate appointment – however, it is understood that Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand is a name of interest to the club and is admired by fellow countryman, Villa’s sporting director Johan Lange.

Hjulmand guided Denmark to the Euro 2020 semi-final, when they lost to England at Wembley, and the 49-year-old has a growing reputation.

Other names are also under consideration, with Villa using the time afforded to them by the international break to home in on Smith’s successor.

Smith becomes fifth Premier League manager to lose job

Smith was appointed Villa manager in October 2018, guiding them to promotion from the Championship in his first season in charge.

Though they struggled in their first season in the top flight, narrowly avoiding relegation, Smith led the club to the 2019-20 Carabao Cup final.

The 2020-21 season saw Villa achieve an 11th-place finish in the Premier League, but after the departure of star player Jack Grealish to Manchester City in the summer, results started to slip.

The club have not won since they defeated Manchester United on 25 September, picking up just 10 points from the first 11 games of the season.

It is their worst losing run since January to February 2017 in the Championship.

Smith leaves the club having won 28 of his 87 Premier League games in charge (32.2%) and with an overall win rate of 39.6% from his 139 games.

Smith is the fifth managerial change in the top flight this season with Tottenham sacking Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday and Norwich dismissing Daniel Farke late on Saturday.

Watford sacked Xisco Munoz in October, while Steve Bruce left his role as Newcastle manager by mutual consent on 20 October.

There were just four managerial changes in the whole of last season.

“The board would like to sincerely thank Dean for his many excellent achievements, on and off the pitch, during this time,” added Purslow.

“Everyone knows how much Aston Villa means to Dean and his family. He has represented the club with distinction and dignity – universally liked and respected by everybody associated with Aston Villa.”

Grealishb Liverpool

“No-one will ever compare, the real goat (greatest of all time).”

Analysis

Dean Smith can leave Aston Villa with his head held high after taking his boyhood club back into the Premier League and establishing them there but growing expectations, big ambitions and five straight defeats brought his reign to an end.

Villa sold talisman Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100m but the money was reinvested in club record signing Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City, as well as Danny Ings and Leon Bailey from Southampton and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

Grealish was always going to be missed but Villa’s hierarchy were hoping the new faces would allow them to build on last season’s 11th place.

He has had bad luck with injuries to players like Ings and Bailey but the 1-0 win at Manchester United proved to be a false dawn and Villa decided it was time for action after the defeat at Southampton.

It will be a desperate personal blow to Smith, with the 50-year-old fulfilling a dream when he left Brentford for Villa Park in 2018.

Smith is a popular figure, regarded as one of their own by Villa fans, and there will be real disappointment that this decision has been taken but club owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are fiercely ambitious and believe they should be at least challenging for European places.

And there is unlikely to be a shortage of interest in Smith’s services once he has taken stock and recovered from this sacking as so much of his work at Villa Park has been admirable.

Reaction – ‘International break is a killer for managers’

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports: “Villa must have looked at someone and thought they can do better. Smith hasn’t done a bad job. In the past, if you go on long runs without a win it is usually double what Villa are on now. The international break is a killer for managers.”

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Villa’s standards have gotten higher. Losing five games in a row, they’re sinking like a stone and that shouldn’t be happening for a team that was aiming as high as they were, so I get it.

“This is the last chance before the international break and that gives them two weeks to appoint someone new; the time wouldn’t be right later in the season.

“Smith has taken them so far, so it’s a shame, but as far as results go they haven’t been good enough.”

Ex-Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live: “When Dean Smith said at the start of the season that he expected a top-10 finish, that put the pressure on him.

“It’s a real disappointment for me. That shows the level we’re at in the Premier League; at the bottom of that table it’s getting a little bit too tight.”

West Ham 3-2 Liverpool: Hammers Move Third With Stunning Win As Liverpool’s 25-Game Unbeaten Run Ends

Emenike Agu

November 7, 2021

West Ham outfought and out-thought Liverpool to leapfrog their opponents into third in the Premier League with a 3-2 victory, ending the Reds’ 25-game unbeaten run.

It was the archetypal West Ham performance, punctuated with potency on the counter-attack and physicality at set-pieces, in what is turning out to be another outstanding season for David Moyes’ side.

West Ham took the lead with their first attack as Pablo Fornals’ corner skimmed off the glove of Alisson and into the net (4), going down as an own goal despite a VAR check for a potential foul. Moments later, Aaron Cresswell was fortunate not to see red for a studs up challenge on Jordan Henderson, also checked by VAR.

Liverpool dominated the ball and equalised just before the break, however, as Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a stunning free-kick into the top corner from 20 yards (41), the first-half’s only shot on target.

West Ham score — Image: West Ham celebrate their early goal

The game opened up in the second half as Fornals put West Ham ahead again, slotting under Alisson after brilliant work from Jarrod Bowen to put him through on goal (67), although questions will be asked again of Liverpool’s high defensive line.

West Ham’s power was too much for Liverpool as they grabbed a third through Kurt Zouma’s header from a Bowen corner (74), and although sub Divock Origi made for a nervy finish with a turn and finish (83), West Ham held on.

It is their fourth straight league victory, moving them to within just three points of leaders Chelsea, while Liverpool were beaten for the first time since early April, and the first time since March in the league.

Player ratings

West Ham: Fabianski (7), Johnson (7), Zouma (8), Ogbonna (6), Cresswell (6), Soucek (7), Rice (7), Fornals (8), Bowen (7), Benrahma (7), Antonio (7)

Subs: Dawson (7), Coufal (NA), Masuaku (NA)

Liverpool: Alisson (4), Alexander-Arnold (6), Van Dijk (5), Matip (5), Robertson (5), Henderson (5), Fabinho (5), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6), Jota (4), Salah (5), Mane (5)

Subs: Thiago (5), Origi (6), Minamino (NA)

Man of the match: Pablo Fornals

West Ham

–

Liverpool

UFC 268: Kamaru Usman beats Colby Covington in rematch

Henry Williams

November 7, 2021

Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman retained his title with a unanimous decision win against Colby Covington in their rematch at UFC 268 in New York.

Usman, 34, dropped the challenger twice in quick succession at the end of the second round with a big left hook then a huge right hand.

Covington, 33, rallied in rounds three and four and the pair traded heavy shots in the fifth without either able to land a fight-ending blow.

The judges scored it 48-47 48-47 49-46.

On a packed card at Madison Square Garden, Rose Namajunas defended her strawweight belt against Zhang Weili, while Justin Gaethje beat Michael Chandler to put himself in contention for a lightweight title fight.

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