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UK, U.S. Impose Sanctions Over Navalny Poisoning

By
Zoe Maven
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Britain and the United States imposed sanctions on Friday on men they said were Russian intelligence operatives responsible for the poisoning one year ago of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The two countries both targeted seven Russians with sanctions and also issued a joint statement warning Russia over chemical weapons.

Washington separately imposed sanctions on another two men and four Russian institutes it said were involved in chemical weapons research or what it described as an assassination attempt against Navalny.

Navalny was flown to Germany for medical treatment after being poisoned in Siberia on Aug. 20 last year with what Western experts concluded was the military nerve agent Novichok.

Moscow has rejected their findings and accused the West of a smear campaign against it.

An updated version of the British sanctions list published by the government on the first anniversary of Navalny’s poisoning included seven new names.

British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the move was a warning to Russia. “We are sending a clear message that any use of chemical weapons by the Russian state violates international law, and a transparent criminal investigation must be held.”

Russian Foreign Ministrys spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on social media that the “unilateral sanctions are illegitimate as they have not been approved by the UN Security Council”.

Merkel, Putin Clash Over Navalny On Her Last Trip To Russia

By
Zoe Maven
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday used her final official visit to Russia to tell President Vladimir Putin to free Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, but the Kremlin leader rebuffed her, saying the jailing was unrelated to politics.

The talks, as Merkel prepares to step down following elections next month, coincided with the first anniversary of Navalny’s poisoning, an incident that strained Russia-Germany ties.

Navalny was flown to Germany last year after being poisoned with what the West concluded was a military nerve agent. Moscow rejects that and alleges a Western smear campaign. Navalny was jailed when he flew back to Russia.

Putin rebuffed Merkel’s remarks, while not identifying Navalny by name and referring to him only as the “subject”.

He said as far as political activities are concerned, no-one should hide behind political activities to carry out business projects, while breaking the law,” he said.

On Friday, Britain and the United States imposed sanctions on Friday on men they said were Russian intelligence operatives responsible for the poisoning of Navalny. Neither the Kremlin nor any of those named offered any immediate comment.

Washington has also imposed sanctions on one Russian vessel and two Russian individuals involved in the yet-to-be-completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, soon after Putin said it is almost finished.

In a letter to mark the anniversary that was published in three European newspapers on Friday, Navalny appealed to the West to do more to combat corruption in countries like Russia.

U.S. Says Countries To Let Kabul Evacuation Flights Transit

By
Zoe Maven
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FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Marine assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit checks in evacuees before their flight during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, August 18, 2021. U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara/Handout via REUTERS

The U.S. government says a dozen countries, from Europe to the Middle East and Central Asia, will allow Americans and others evacuated from Kabul to transit their territory as it steps up its evacuation efforts from Afghanistan.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Bahrain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the UAE, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan had already begun or will soon begin transiting Americans, or in some circumstances others, through their territories.

Earlier reports stated that Germany and other countries in the Middle East had agreed to temporarily host people evacuated from Kabul.

The United States is desperately trying to evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan as reports of Taliban reprisals against Afghans who worked with U.S.-led forces increase, forcing foreign powers to accelerate the evacuation effort.

But officials said no evacuation flights left Kabul for nearly six hours on Friday because they had nowhere to go due to an overflow at Al Udeid air base in Qatar, already sheltering 8,000 Afghan evacuees. Those flights have now restarted.

Price said most of the flights would go from Kabul to Qatar and then these countries. He added that another nearly a dozen countries had also made “generous offers” regarding the relocation of Afghans at risk.

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to host 5,000 Afghan evacuees for 10 days on their way to a third country at the request of the United States, its foreign ministry said.

Turkish Leader says EU Must Act To stop Afghan Migrant Wave

By
Zoe Maven
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara on July 22, 2014, ahead of August 10 presidential elections. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a telephone call Friday that a new wave of migration will become inevitable if necessary measures are not taken” to help Afghanistan and neighboring countries, such as Iran, where Afghan migrants would head before trying to reach Turkey and Europe.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed developments in Afghanistan in a rare call, as both countries worry over a potential influx of refugees fleeing the Taliban.

Erdogan also said that Turkey, which has reinforced its border with Iran, was discussing the issue of Afghan migrants with Tehran, according to a statement from his office. There’s been an increase in recent weeks in Afghans entering Turkey from Iran.

Meanwhile, Athens insists it will not allow a repetition of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed in smugglers’ boats to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, on their way to seek asylum in more prosperous EU countries.

Turkey has also expressed concern over the potential of large numbers of Afghans heading its way.

On Thursday, Erdogan called on European nations to shoulder the responsibility for people fleeing the Taliban, warning that Turkey will not become Europe’s “refugee warehouse.”

Greece’s defense and citizens’ protection ministers visited the northeastern Evros land border with Turkey on Friday to view barriers against potential migratory pressure and other recently installed security systems.

US Education Department Cancels $5.8 Billion Student Debt

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday it will cancel $5.8 billion in student debt for more than 320,000 borrowers.

The debt forgiveness, which will go to borrowers with a total and permanent disability, will be automatically granted using data already available to the Social Security Administration. People should start seeing the relief in September.

The Education Department said it also plans to stop asking these borrowers to continue sharing earnings data after they receive the relief.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from borrowers with disabilities and advocates about the need for this change, and we are excited to follow through on it,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, in a statement.

“This change reduces red tape with the aim of making processes as simple as possible for borrowers who need support.”

The Education Department under the Biden administration has also canceled student debt for thousands of students who attended for-profit schools.

Still, President Joe Biden remains under pressure from Democrats, advocates and borrowers to go further and cancel $50,000 per borrower in student debt for all.

Biden has asked the Education Department and the U.S. Department of Justice to review his legal authority to forgive student debt through executive action. The findings of those reports are not yet public.

“You don’t need Congress,” Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said. “All you need is the flick of a pen.”

Abiy’s Government Accused Of Blocking Aid In Ethiopia’s Tigray

By
Zoe Maven
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Ethiopian Army soldiers stand as a pick-up truck with militia men passes by at Mai Aini Refugee camp, in Ethiopia, on January 30, 2021. - Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia fear their suffering may not be over, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed strains to end a brutal conflict in the northern region of Tigray that has rendered them uniquely vulnerable. Nearly 100,000 refugees from Eritrea, an oppressive, authoritarian nation bordering Ethiopia to the north, were registered in four camps in Tigray when fighting erupted in November between Abiy's government and the regional ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). (Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP) (Photo by EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP via Getty Images)

The US international development agency has blamed the Ethiopian government for a shortage of humanitarian aid in the country’s conflict-torn Tigray region.

USAID accused the government of “obstructing” access to Tigray, as it warned that food aid was set to run out this week for the first time.

Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of famine amid the conflict between government and rebel forces but Ethiopia has denied “purposely” blocking aid.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokeswoman told reporters that the government was allowing aid convoys to enter Tigray, but that security was a “priority that cannot be compromised”.

In her statement, USAID chief Samantha Power described the flow of humanitarian assistance into the northern region as “woefully insufficient”.

She said food warehouses were “virtually empty” and that aid workers would soon have nothing to distribute.

“This shortage is not because food is unavailable, but because the Ethiopian government is obstructing humanitarian aid and personnel, including land convoys and air access,” she said.

USAID called on the Ethiopian government to “immediately allow humanitarian assistance”.

It noted that aid trucks have been unable to leave the town of Semera in the neighbouring Afar region – currently the only accessible land route into Tigray.

Kenyan Appeals Court Upholds Order To Halt Constitutional Changes

By
Zoe Maven
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Kenya’s Court of Appeal upheld a decision to stop President Uhuru Kenyatta from making broad constitutional changes, limiting his ability to prevent his estranged deputy from succeeding him next year.

The proposed amendments, popularly known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), would have been the biggest change to governance since a new constitution in 2010.

The court upheld a High Court decision in May that declared the proposed reforms illegal on the basis that Kenyatta acted unconstitutionally.

“The days of (an) unaccountable presidency are long gone,” said Patrick Kiage, one of the appellate judges, rejecting the government’s appeal.

The BBI has served as a lightning rod for the rhetoric of politicians jostling ahead of a general election due in August 2022. Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto have fallen out and they and their supporters are at odds over the proposals.

Ugandan Government Suspends Activities Of 54 Ngo’s

By
Zoe Maven
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The Ugandan government has ordered the suspension with “immediate effect” of 54 NGOs, including the main civil liberties organization Chapter Four, in a move seen as a move to tighten its grip on civil society.

In a statement, the NGO Bureau, which is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the 54 associations, which operate in the political, societal, religious and environmental fields, are accused of “non-compliance” with the law.

They were operating without being registered, with expired permits or repeatedly failed to submit their annual reports and accounts, it said.

Among these 54 NGOs, the association Chapter Four -whose name refers to Chapter 4 of the Ugandan Constitution which sets out fundamental rights and freedoms- and 14 other organizations have been “suspended indefinitely”.

Charity Ahimbisibwe, who heads the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CCEDU), another organization targeted by the authorities, called the decision “extremely regrettable.

She said CCEDU’s operating permit had expired, but that it had applied for an extension because it could not be renewed during the coronavirus containment and in the face of visible obstruction by government officials.

The Africa section of the International Commission of Jurists said it was “deeply concerned” by the suspension of Chapter Four.

It encourage the authorities to urgently resolve this situation to allow Chapter Four to resume its activities,” it said on Twitter.

– NGOs active during the presidential election –

Some of the organizations affected by the decision were involved in an observation operation during the disputed presidential election in January.

18 Dead In Fighting Between DRC Army And ADF Rebels

By
Zoe Maven
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Fighting between the army and the armed group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the east and northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo has left at least 18 people dead.

In a tweet, the Kivu Security Barometer, which has experts in the area, said at least 9 civilians were killed on the night of Thursday to Friday in Katanda, North #Kivu.

Abdul Kalemire, the leader of the Bashu chiefdom. Beni Territory, North Kivu), told Newsmen that there was an ADF incursion from 10pm to 3am in the village of Katanda: nine civilians were killed, dozens of houses were burned and several people are missing.

Provincial deputy Saidi Balikwisha said it was a strategy of the ADF to lure the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) and peacekeepers out of the forest from which they chased them.

In this area, the army and the peacekeepers have conducted joint operations that have dislodged the ADF from their main strongholds in the forest.

Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, army spokesman in the province, said in neighboring Ituri province, ADF rebels attacked the village of Malaya. “The enemy could not resist the army: eight ADF were neutralized (killed) and one soldier fell on the field of honor,” told AFP.

The ADF were originally Ugandan Muslim rebels, but they have been operating for nearly 30 years in eastern DRC, where they are accused of killing thousands of civilians. The jihadist organization Islamic State (EI) lists the group as its branch in Central Africa.

The U.S. placed them on a list of “terrorist organizations” affiliated with the EI in March.

Federal Executive Council Approves Over N21bn Projects On Education, Aviation & Others

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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0

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday, approved N21,107,212,510 for projects in the aviation and education ministries, as well as for some federal agencies.

This was disclosed at the end of the council’s virtual meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said Council approved four memoranda for his ministry worth about N16,697,742,839.

The projects are contracts for the construction of Wachakal Airport in Yobe State at the cost of N6.3 billion; post-construction services for the same airport worth N219.8 million;

Procurement of eight airport rescue and fire fighting vehicles at the cost of N9.5 billion; and a contract for the deployment of sniffer dogs to the Lagos and Abuja international airports at the cost of N658.8 million.

Minister of State for Education, Chief Emeka Nwajiuba, briefing newsmen, said the Council approved a memorandum for the ministry in favour of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, FUPRE, in Delta State, for the construction of facilities, including hostels, at the cost of N2.7 billion.

He said the council’s approval was “to proceed to award contracts at the Federal University, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, for N2.7 billion to provide hostels, administrative blocks and a new library.

“That approval went through and the contracts will proceed with the award.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, who anchored the media briefing said Council approved contracts worth N1,709,469,671 for four federal agencies.

He named the agencies to include Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC; Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

He explained that N187.5 million was approved for the procurement of operational vehicles for the FRSC, N537 million approved for NEITI’s permanent office building for its head office, and N985 million for the procurement and installation of dual body scanners for four international airports in the country.

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