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Guinea Suspended From ECOWAS Following Coup

By
Zoe Maven
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Guinea has been suspended from the West African regional bloc Ecowas following the coup that overthrew President Alpha Condé on Sunday, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry has said.

The bloc also demanded Mr Condé’s release from custody, he added.

Leaders of the 15-nation bloc held a virtual meeting to discuss the coup waged by elite troops led by the 41-year-old Col Mamady Doumbouya.

He accused Mr Condé, 83, of rampant corruption and human rights abuses. The deposed president’s whereabouts are unclear, although the coup leaders have said he is safe.

Guinea is one of the world’s biggest producers of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium, and prices have leapt to a 13-year-high following the coup.

The junta released about 80 political prisoners who had been detained during Condé’s rule. Around 400 people had been imprisoned during protests in 2020.

Many of those released were arrested last year during massive nationwide protests against Mr Condé’s plan to stand for a third term.

“I feel free, free, free, thank you to the people,” said Ismaël Condé, a member of the opposition UFDG party, and no relation to the former president.

He said his time in prison had been difficult, but he was now hoping for a better future for his country:

Turkey, Egypt Agree To Further Talks In Bid To Ease Tensions

By
Zoe Maven
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East Mediterranean rivals Turkey and Egypt have agreed to continue talks aimed at stabilizing relations after the end of a second round of negotiations, the two governments said Wednesday.

A joint statement said that after a two-day meeting in Ankara it was agreed to extend talks, “confirming (the mutual) desire to make progress in areas under discussion and the need for further steps to facilitate normalization” of bilateral relations.

The discussions — led by deputy foreign ministers Sedat Onal of Turkey and Egypt’s Hamdi Samad Loza — followed a first round in Cairo in May. Those Cairo talks were the first high-level contacts since 2013.

They came as Ankara sought to ease tensions with Egypt and other Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey fell out with Egypt following the removal of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi by the military in 2013. Wider disputes with Egypt, the Saudis and the UAE included the conflict in Libya, where they backed opposing sides, and Ankara’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.

Although the talks with Egypt have yielded little concrete, they have focused on Libya, Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the eastern Mediterranean.

US Navy Launches Mideast Drone Task Force Amid Iran Tensions

By
Zoe Maven
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The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said Wednesday it will launch a new task force that incorporates airborne, sailing and underwater drones after years of maritime attacks linked to ongoing tensions with Iran.

Navy officials declined to identify which systems they would introduce from their headquarters on the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.

However, they promised the coming months would see the drones stretch their capabilities across a region of chokepoints crucial to both global energy supplies and worldwide shipping.

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the 5th Fleet said, “We want to put more systems out in the maritime domain above, on and below the sea, adding, “We want more eyes on what’s happening out there.”

The 5th Fleet includes the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes. It also stretches as far as the Red Sea reaches near the Suez Canal, the waterway in Egypt linking the Mideast to the Mediterranean, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.

The systems being used by the 5th Fleet’s new Task Force 59 will include some of those involved in an April test led by the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Drones used in that exercise included ultra-endurance aerial surveillance drones, surface ships the Sea Hawk and the Sea Hunter and smaller underwater drones that resemble torpedoes.

The 5th Fleet includes shallow water areas, salty waters and temperatures in the summertime that can go above 45 degrees Celsius with high humidity. That can prove rough for crewed vessels, let alone those running remotely.

EU Preparing For Afghans Already Abroad To Reach Europe

By
Zoe Maven
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The EU says it is preparing for an influx of Afghans seeking asylum, whether or not people flee en masse from the new Taliban government, noting that millions are already displaced in neighbouring countries.

In an interview, Fabrice Leggeri, director-general of border agency Frontex, said the body was preparing for a possible surge, both through traditional routes such as from Turkey to Greece, and new routes such as via Belarus, which Brussels accuses of sending illegal migrants across the frontier.

He said Frontex is monitoring what’s going on inside Afghanistan itself, but also keeping an eye on Afghan communities in neighbouring states, listing Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The EU has sought to reform its migration system after a crisis in 2015-2016, when more than a million people arrived, most crossing the Balkans on foot to reach northern Europe.

The EU is now better at returning migrants who do not have a valid asylum claim to their country of origin, Leggeri said.

As long as it is unsafe to send Afghans home, migrants from other countries may be tempted to pose as Afghans to gain entry. Leggeri said border guards were better now than six years ago at determining where people are from.

Afghan migration could become entangled in Europe’s dispute with Belarus, which the EU accuses of flying in migrants from the Middle East to send them illegally across the border, causing a 1,500% spike in irregular arrivals into Lithuania.

Minsk denies fostering illegal migration but says Europe must lift sanctions if it wants it to stop.

Iran Warns West Of IAEA Move As U.S Says Time Running Out

By
Zoe Maven
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FILE PHOTO: Ebrahim Raisi, who assumed office as Iran's president in August, speaks during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, June 21, 2021. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran’s president on Wednesday warned Western states against rebuking Tehran at the U.N. atomic watchdog after its latest reports criticized his country.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in reports to member states that there had been no progress on two central issues: explaining uranium traces found at several old, undeclared sites and getting urgent access to some monitoring equipment so that the IAEA can continue to keep track of parts of Iran’s nuclear programme.

According to Iranian state media President Ebrahim Raisi said in a phone call with European Council President Charles Michel, that in the event of a counterproductive approach at the IAEA, it would not make sense to expect Iran to react constructively.

Tuesday’s criticism by the IAEA means the United States and its European allies must now decide whether to push for a resolution at next week’s meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors pressuring Iran to yield.

In 2018 then-President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 deal, under which Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions.

The Islamic Republic responded to the Trump administration’s withdrawal and re-imposition of sanctions by violating many of those restrictions.

Indirect talks between U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration and Iran on how both countries could return to compliance with the deal have not resumed since Raisi, an anti-Western hardliner, took office on Aug.

Speaking in Germany, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said time was running out for Iran to return to that accord.

Western diplomats have said that a decision on how to respond to the IAEA reports has yet to be reached.

Syrian Army Enters Birthplace Of Uprising Under Peace Deal

By
Zoe Maven
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Syrian army troops entered Deraa al Balaad, the birthplace of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, for the first time since it lost control over the area a decade ago.

Army units set up at least nine checkpoints across the city under a Russian-brokered deal between the army and rebels that was finally agreed this week.

Previous ones had faltered over disagreements over the extent of army control in the area and disarming rebels.

The government said state authority was finally established to restore order and securty in an area where the first peaceful protests against Assad family rule broke out in 2011 before security forces cracked down and the unrest developed into civil war.

Pro-Iran army units had for almost two-month bombarded the area in several failed attempts to take it, and laid seige to neighborhoods that had over 50,000 people, preventing food and medicine from getting through. They also opened a corridor for many civilians to flee.

In 2018, Assad’s army, aided by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, retook southern Syria, bordering Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west

Under a Russian-orchestrated deal then, the Western-backed Deraa rebels handed over heavy weapons but were allowed to continue their own administration of Deraa al Balaad.

Moscow also gave guarantees to Israel and the United States in 2018 that it would restrain Iranian-backed militias from expanding their influence in the sensitive border region.

Local officials hope Russia will rein in Iranian-backed local militias whom they say act with impunity and now hold sway in the border area.

Exiled Ghani Apologizes To Afghan People

By
Zoe Maven
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FILE PHOTO: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani makes an address about the latest developments in the country from exile in United Arab Emirates, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video on August 18, 2021. Facebook/Ashraf Ghani/via REUTERS

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul as Taliban forces reached the outskirts of the city last month, apologized on Wednesday for the abrupt fall of his government but denied that he had taken millions of dollars with him.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Ghani said he had left at the urging of his security team who said that if he stayed there was a risk of “the same horrific street-to-street fighting the city had suffered during the Civil War of the 1990s.”

He said leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of his life, but that he believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens.

The statement largely echoed a message Ghani sent from the United Arab Emirates in the immediate aftermath of his departure, which drew bitter criticism from former allies who accused him of betrayal.

Ghani, a former World Bank official who became president after two bitterly disputed elections marred by widespread allegations of fraud on both sides, dismissed reports that he had left with millions of dollars in cash as “completely and categorically false.”

He said, “Corruption is a plague that has crippled our country for decades and fighting corruption has been a central focus of my efforts as president,” adding that he and his Lebanese-born wife were “scrupulous in our personal finances.”

He offered appreciation for the sacrifices Afghans had made over the past 40 years of war in their country.

He further expressed deep and profound regret that his own chapter ended in similar tragedy to his predecessors – without ensuring stability and prosperity.

Exploring Awhum Waterfall, Enugu Nigeria

By
Angel Gimalo
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Nigeria is Indeed Beautiful. Ever heard about the Awhum (pronounced Ohum) Waterfall?

It’s quite impossible to talk about nature’s gift to SOUTH-EAST Enugu without mentioning The Awhum Waterfall.

Although it’s quite on the city’s outskirt, some 24km away, in Amaugwe village, this 30 meters high waterfall and the cave are something for the adventurous tourist.

Though a Catholic Monastery manages the site, there is no religious restriction into the place.

The site’s attraction is not merely its waterfall; there is a mind-blowing stretch of 300m long limestone wall.

The towering limestone walls engulf the footpath that terminated beneath a wall, narrowing into different parts of the cave in which laid the twin cascades of Awhum Waterfalls.

The First Waterfall Intrudes The Cave At About 100m From The Entrance, While The Second And Biggest Cascade Stands At The Far End Of The Cave.

Thick forest canopies that cast a mild blanket of green tincture on the limestone walls cover a good part of the site, giving the enchanting milieu of an ambiance of awe and wonder.

Nigeria, Netherlands, IOM Inaugurate Programme To Assist Migration, Traffic Victims

By
Koko Lawrence
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The Federal Government, in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and The Netherlands on Tuesday, inaugurated a programme to assist victims of illegal migration and trafficking in Nigeria.

The project, sponsored by the government of The Netherlands and tagged “Cooperation on Migration and Partnership to Achieve Sustainable Solutions (COMPASS)”, is a global initiative designed to protect migrants and victims of trafficking.

The initiative also aims to tackle human trafficking, human smuggling, and support dignified return as well as promote sustainable reintegration.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Saskia Kok, IOM’s Programme Manager, explained that the scheme takes advantage of a social approach to assisting individuals.

She said the project would be implemented simultaneously in 12 countries and would work across all levels, including households, communities, and the wider community.

Countries, where the programme will be implemented, include Nigeria, Afghanistan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, and Tunisia.

“There is a lot of opportunities to share best practices, work together, and make the most of migration management capacities of all countries involved.

“It has a very strong learning component designed to improve knowledge and update lessons learned.

“IOM and its partners have implemented and funded a couple of programmes and we have made significant progress.

“We have supported the review of relevant national policies including the migration policy, labour migration policy, and the diaspora policy.

“We have also worked with NAPTIP to revise and adopt the national policy for the protection and assistance of victims of trafficking,” she said.

According to her, the new programme is focused on returning irregular migrants and also reintegrating them into society.

She said that in the past four years, more than 21,000 migrants had been returned.

She said that most of the returnees had been exposed to violence, exploitation, and abuse and as such, “it is difficult to reintegrate them.”

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development Hajiya Umar Farouq commended the government of the Netherlands for sponsoring the project.

She assured of Nigeria’s commitment to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda, Agenda 2063, and key principles outlined in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration.

She said that the government “is prepared to support policies, programmes, and initiatives that keep migrants’ rights, dignity, and protection at the center” while strengthening cooperation for international migration.

Israeli Recycling Technology To Revolutionize Global Waste

By
Angel Gimalo
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0

By 2050, global production of municipal solid waste is expected to increase from a huge 2.01 billion tons per year to a colossal 3.4 billion tons per year.

As the world throws more away, global plastic production and consumption is also rising sharply, expected to soar from 350 million tons to 1.35 billion tons annually by 2050.

Despite increasing efforts to recycle unwanted household goods, the destination for the vast majority of solid waste is some form of landfill, causing methane and other damaging greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere.

While increased waste production and plastic demands both provide significant causes for concern, one Israeli company’s innovative technology promises a solution to both worrying trends simultaneously.

UBQ, based in Kibbutz Tze’elim, emerged last year from stealth mode to unveil its solution of converting unsorted household waste into a sustainable, bio-based, climate-positive thermoplastic material that can be used for commercial and industrial products instead of petroleum-based plastics.

Dubbed as “the most climate-positive material on the planet” by sustainability strategists Quantis International, the company is garnering significant international attention.

“We have created a new natural resource from the household waste that ends up in landfills, avoiding its decomposition into harmful gases, while replacing scarce and expensive plastic materials made from oil,” UBQ co-founder and chief executive Jack (Tato) Bigio told The Jerusalem Post. “That’s a blessing to the industry. Many companies in the last 10 to 20 years have emerged with solutions that turn out to be flops in one way or another. Never again,” he said.

Unlike the climate-negative plastics that dominate the market, such as polyethylene, PVC and polypropylene, producing 1 kg. of UBQ material saves 11.7 kg. of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and a total replacement offset value of 14.5 kg.

In other terms, producing one ton of UBQ is equivalent to stopping the melting of 35 sq-m. of arctic ice, or the sequestration of 540 trees over 10 years old.

One industrial-level operational UBQ facility, with a capacity of producing 80,000 tons per year, is equivalent to taking over 565,000 cars off the road for a single year.

Produced from unsorted household waste, the worldwide-patented bio-based product is a homogeneous composite material that can be mixed with plastic resins in the end-product plastic industry.

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