New Diplomatic Tension Between Algeria And Morocco

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July 19, 2021

Algiers has recalled its ambassador in Rabat for consultations, against the backdrop of a new diplomatic crisis between the two Maghreb countries caused by the Western Sahara dispute.

Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said the recall follows “the drift of the Moroccan diplomatic representation in New York which has distributed an official note to member countries of the non-aligned movement in which Morocco “publicly and explicitly supports an alleged right to self-determination of the Kabyle people.

During a meeting of the non-aligned movement on July 13 and 14 in New York, the Moroccan ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, passed a note in which he believes that “the valiant Kabyle people deserve, more than any other, to fully enjoy their right to self-determination.

This is the first time, it seems, that a Moroccan diplomat has expressed his support for Kabyle separatism, in reaction to Algiers’ support for Sahrawi independence fighters against Morocco.

The Movement for Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK) was classified on May 18 by the Algerian authorities as a “terrorist organization.

On Friday, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement urging “the Kingdom of Morocco to clarify its final position on the extremely serious situation created by the inadmissible remarks of its ambassador in New York.

Since the controversy, the Algerian political class, all trends, has stressed its commitment to the unity of the country and denounced a “call to sedition” from the Moroccan neighbor.

On social networks, many Internet users and sites have also defended the territorial unity of Algeria.

At Least 13 Dead In Kenya After Petrol Truck Explosion

By

Zoe Maven

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July 19, 2021

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Thirteen people have died and others seriously burned in northwest Kenya after a petrol truck that had overturned caught on fire.

Reports say as the fuel tanker collide with another vehicule on a highway connecting the town of Kisumu to neighbouring Uganda, onlookers rushed to the crash site with jerrycans to collect the leaking fuel.

But the truck ignited without warning, leaving many shocked and scarred. Those on the scene first managed to get away safely with some fuel, said witness Magdalene Adhiambo.

But others went back for a second round, and the crowd grew larger as more and more people arrived hoping to get lucky.

Charles Chacha, a local police chief in Siaya County where the accident occurred, said 24 people were in hospital with serious burns. Earlier, he said children were among those injured.

He said the death toll at the time was 13 adding that the death toll could rise, with investigators trying to account for those missing, and charred bones found among the twisted wreckage of the fuel tanker.

Fire crews arrived on the scene two hours later to douse the inferno. The cause of the explosion is not yet known.

Deadly accidents involving fuel trucks are not uncommon in Kenya and the wider East Africa region. In 2009, more than 100 people had died in similar circumstances northwest of Nairobi.

More recently, at least 100 people were killed when a tanker exploded in Tanzania in 2019 while in 2015 more than 200 perished in a similar accident in South Sudan.

Ex-President Zuma Appears In Virtual Corruption Trial From Jail

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Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma has appeared on a video link from prison to attend a corruption trial.

Zuma faces charges of fraud and racketeering dating back to the 1990s.

This is the first time he has been seen since he was sent to jail for contempt of court – a move that sparked a week of looting and arson in South Africa.

He sat quietly in a large office chair in a nondescript prison room. He wore a dark suit and red tie, and said little as his lawyer argued for another postponement of his corruption trial.

The hearing took place online – due to the pandemic and security concerns.

Zuma has now spent more than a week in prison after he was found guilty of contempt of court, for refusing to participate in a separate corruption inquiry.

The decision to sentence Zuma to 15 months in jail sparked protests which quickly turned violent – leading to more than 200 deaths, and widespread looting and arson.

Egyptian Journalist Detained For Calling On Pres. Sisi To Resign

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Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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EGYPT-RUSSIA-DIPLOMACY — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a press conference with his Russian counterpart (unseen) following their talks at the presidential palace in the capital Cairo on December 11, 2017. Speaking on state television during a visit to Egypt, Putin stressed the importance of "the immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks over all disputed issues, including the status of Jerusalem". / AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Prominent Egyptian journalist Abdenasser Salama has been detained on terrorism charges after calling for President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to resign.

Salama, a former editor-in-chief of the state-owned Al Ahram daily newspaper, wrote a long post on Facebook accusing the president of “his failure to deal with the Ethiopia dam crisis”.

Egypt opposes the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam saying it threatens its water security, but it has so far failed to halt or get a favourable agreement with Ethiopia.

Salama was arrested on Sunday and charged with “financing terrorism” and joining “an illegal organisation”.

Rights groups accuse the Egyptian government of relentless attacks on journalists who criticise Sisi.

Pilot Ejects From Plane, Uses Survival Instincts To Avoid Capture – Military

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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A plane hunting kidnappers in northern Nigeria has been shot down by criminal gangs, the military says.

A spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force said the Alpha Jet had completed a successful raid when it came under intense fire on Sunday.

He said the pilot, Flight Lt Abayomi Dairo, ejected and used “survival instincts” to avoid capture and find shelter with local residents.

The attack happened on the border of Zamfara and Kaduna states.

Armed gangs – referred to locally as “bandits” – have been blamed for a spate of recent kidnappings in this part of north-western Nigeria.

Students and schoolchildren have been especially targeted – more than 1,000 have been kidnapped since December. Most have since been freed, reportedly after ransoms were paid, but some have been killed.

In recent days, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the military to do all it takes to flush out criminal elements in the states of Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna.

The Nigerian Air Force said it had mounted intensive day and night air operations against the bandits and their hideouts, especially in these three states, in collaboration with ground forces. It was in one of the operations that the fighter jet was brought down on Sunday.

“Through these intensive air operations, hundreds of bandits have been neutralised and several of their hideouts destroyed,” the Nigerian Air Force said in a statement.

While there have been several military plane crashes this year, this is the first reported case of armed gangs downing one.

Stonehenge Mystery, Finally Solved

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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The origin of the giant sarsen stones at Stonehenge has finally been discovered with the help of a missing piece of the site which was returned after 60 years.

A test of the metre-long core was matched with a geochemical study of the standing megaliths.

Archaeologists pinpointed the source of the stones to an area 15 miles north of the site near Marlborough.

English Heritage’s Susan Greaney said the discovery was “a real thrill”.

The seven-metre tall sarsens, which weigh about 20 tonnes, form all fifteen stones of Stonehenge’s central horseshoe, the uprights and lintels of the outer circle, as well as outlying stones.

The monument’s smaller bluestones have been traced to the Preseli Hills in Wales, but the sarsens had been impossible to identify until now.

The return of the core, which was removed during archaeological excavations in 1958, enabled archaeologists to analyse its chemical composition.

No one knew where it was until eighty-nine year old Robert Phillips, who was involved in those works, decided to return part of it last year.

Researchers first carried out x-ray fluorescence testing of all the remaining sarsens at Stonehenge which revealed most shared a similar chemistry and came from the same area.

They then analysed sarsen outcrops from Norfolk to Devon and compared their chemical composition with the chemistry of a piece of the returned core.

English Heritage said the opportunity to do a destructive test on the core proved “decisive”, as it showed its composition matched the chemistry of sarsens at West Woods, just south of Marlborough.

The origin of the giant sarsen stones at Stonehenge has finally been discovered with the help of a missing piece of the site which was returned after 60 years.

A test of the metre-long core was matched with a geochemical study of the standing megaliths.

Archaeologists pinpointed the source of the stones to an area 15 miles north of the site near Marlborough.

English Heritage’s Susan Greaney said the discovery was “a real thrill”.

The seven-metre tall sarsens, which weigh about 20 tonnes, form all fifteen stones of Stonehenge’s central horseshoe, the uprights and lintels of the outer circle, as well as outlying stones.

The monument’s smaller bluestones have been traced to the Preseli Hills in Wales, but the sarsens had been impossible to identify until now.

The return of the core, which was removed during archaeological excavations in 1958, enabled archaeologists to analyse its chemical composition.

No-one knew where it was until eighty nine year old Robert Phillips, who was involved in those works, decided to return part of it last year.

Researchers first carried out x-ray fluorescence testing of all the remaining sarsens at Stonehenge which revealed most shared a similar chemistry and came from the same area.

They then analysed sarsen outcrops from Norfolk to Devon and compared their chemical composition with the chemistry of a piece of the returned core.

English Heritage said the opportunity to do a destructive test on the core proved “decisive”, as it showed its composition matched the chemistry of sarsens at West Woods, just south of Marlborough.

World’s Largest Astronomy Museum Opens In Shanghai

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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Those of you tuning in from Shanghai may be able to look up to the starry sky, at the world’s largest astronomy museum.

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum, covering an area of around 58,600 square meters, started embracing visitors on Sunday.

The design of the curvilinear shaped museum highlights the orbital motion of the sun and the earth.

The museum says it hosts exhibitions and serves as a planetarium and observatory that intends to provide guests with exposure to real astronomical phenomenon.

Hubble Space Telescope’s Function Restored

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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Engineers have restored the science instruments aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, after a glitch took them offline.

Astronomers can now begin collecting data for the first time since 13 June, when a computer stopped working.

Last week, engineers began switching over to backup hardware, in a bid to get one of the most important research tools in history up and running again.

It’s the worst malfunction in years to hit the venerated observatory.

“Hubble is an icon, giving us incredible insight into the cosmos over the past three decades,” said Nasa’s administrator Bill Nelson.

“I’m proud of the Hubble team, from current members to Hubble alumni who stepped in to lend their support and expertise. Thanks to their dedication and thoughtful work, Hubble will continue to build on its 31-year legacy, broadening our horizons with its view of the Universe.”

For about a month, Hubble’s team of experts has been investigating the cause of a problem with the payload computer, which helps control the onboard science instruments.

It came to a halt on 13 June, forcing the instruments to be placed in “safe mode”, where all non-essential systems are shut down.

Last week, Nasa announced that it had identified a probable cause of the glitch and would switch over to the backup hardware.

This changeover was completed on Friday and the science instruments were returned to operational status over the weekend.

Most observations missed while science operations were suspended will be rescheduled for a later date.

Launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1990, Hubble has gathered over 1.5 million observations about the Universe. These have been used to publish some 18,000 scientific papers.

It has contributed to major discoveries in astronomy, including the observation that the observed expansion of the Universe was accelerating. This in turn led to a conclusion that most of the cosmos was made up of mystery “stuff” called dark energy.

A successor to Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is scheduled to launch later this year. But many astronomers hope that the two will be able to operate alongside each other – at least for some period of time.

World’s Richest Man Ready For Space Trip Aboard New Shepard Rocket Ship

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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Billionaire Jeff Bezos will blast into space on Tuesday, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard.

He will be accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old paying customer.

They will travel in a capsule with the biggest windows flown into space, offering stunning views of the Earth.

New Shepard, built by Bezos’ company Blue Origin, is designed to serve the burgeoning market for space tourism.

“I’m excited. People keep asking me if I’m nervous. I’m not really nervous, I’m curious. I want to know what we’re going to learn,” Bezos said in an interview with CBS News.

“We’ve been training. This vehicle’s ready, this crew is ready, this team is amazing. We just feel really good about it.”

The capsule, containing the Bezos brothers, Funk and student Oliver Daemen, separates from its booster around 76km (250,000ft) up. The booster lands about 2 miles from the launch pad, while the capsule continues upwards to a maximum altitude of around 106km (350,000ft).

“We’re in zero-g for around four minutes, and we get to get out of our seats, unstrap, float around, look at the thin limb of the Earth’s atmosphere,” Bezos told CBS News.

“People who have been up – astronauts – say that when they do that, they can see that the Earth is so fragile.

The launch is the latest salvo in what has been dubbed the “billionaire space race”. It comes just nine days after Bezos’ space tourism rival, Sir Richard Branson, flew high above the Earth on his Virgin Galactic space plane on 11 July.

With a net worth of around $200bn, Bezos is the world’s richest man. The 57-year-old recently resigned as chief executive of Amazon, the e-commerce giant he founded, to focus on special company initiatives and his other ventures such as Blue Origin.

Anambra Elections: Awka High Court Restores Ex- Apex Bank Governor As APGA Candidate

By

Angel Gimalo

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July 19, 2021

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The All Progressives Grand alliance, APGA, has hailed the order of a Awka High Court, directing the Independent National Commission, INEC, to restore its candidate, Professor Chukwuma Soludo as the candidate of the party for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra state.

National chairman of APGA, Dr. Victor Oye, who spoke with journalists in an interview in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital shortly after the court judgment said the judiciary in the country, has done well, especially by nipping in bud the activities of these impostors.

According to Dr. Oye, “I believe in the independence of the Judiciary and I believe that Judiciary in Nigeria has done very well despite a few disenchantments.

“I don’t want to be dragged into unnecessary controversy. I think what happened today in Awka shows the independence of the Judiciary and that it is the last hope of the common man. Imagine what would have happened if there are no Judiciary. They would have been chaos and anarchy.

Oye equally said that no matter how imperfect the Judiciary may be, it is indispensable in a democracy.

“I feel happy that the court in Awka has done justice to this matter by ordering the reinstatement of Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo as the Governorship candidate of APGA for the November 6 Anambra Governorship election.

“INEC should immediately reinstate Prof. Soludo as the APGA’s candidate for Anambra Governorship election without delay.

“I have never had any doubt about the candidacy of Soludo because the Chukwuma Umeoji and his co-impostors have no place in law to claim anything in APGA. Did they conduct any genuine congress or primary?

“I feel it was a gross injustice for INEC to have declared him candidate of APGA. This is evil and an invitation to chaos,’ he said.

Oye said that reason there was protest and chaos in Anambra State over INEC’s decision was because the leadership of APGA had appealed for calm.

“I am repeating my call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that those impostors that attempted to impersonate the leadership of APGA are punished. That is the only way to restore confidence in the management of the electoral system”