Counter Terrorism Efforts: France To Cut Down West Africa Military Operations

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June 10, 2021

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has announced his country’s plans to scale down counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region of West Africa after eight years adding that the existing 5,100-strong task force will be incorporated into a broader international mission.

French forces have been operating in Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Niger, and Burkina Faso to fight militants.

Militants linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group have strengthened their grip on the region, which has become a front line in the war against Islamist extremism.

It is also a major transit route for illegal drugs, weapons and jihadists.

During a press conference on Thursday, Presidebt Macron said “We will keep a counter-terrorism pillar with special forces with several hundred forces… and there will be a second pillar that will be co-operation, and which we will reinforce.”

He said those left in the region would work with other European nations as part of the Takuba Task Force which is fighting militants in the Sahel alongside the armies of Mali and Nigeria.

The president said the drawdown of troops would take place in an organised way and details will be finalised by the end of June.

Last week, France paused operations in Mali following a military coup.

Months after the death of Chadian leader Idriss Déby Itno who was killed in battle with rebels, Mali experienced its second coup in nine months.

Following the second coup, President Macron told a French newspaper that he had told regional leaders that France would not support countries where there was no democratic legitimacy or transition, and that France had no intention of keeping its troops in Africa forever.

Peru Presidential Elections: Pedro Castillo Maintains Slim Lead Over Rival

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Angel Gimalo

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June 10, 2021

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Pedro Castillo maintained a slim lead over rival Keiko Fujimori in Peru’s presidential election on Thursday, with almost all votes counted, but with a chunk of contested votes yet to be scrutinized by electoral authorities.

Castillo, an elementary school teacher and political novice who won widespread grassroots backing for pledges to rewrite the constitution and redistribute wealth, had 50.2% of the vote, maintaining a 0.4 percentage point lead over right-wing Fujimori, or 71,254 votes.

Some 300,000 contested votes are being scrutinized by an electoral jury, a process that will take several days to complete and could delay the announcement of who will take over the presidency at the end of July.

Analysts said that was unlikely to be enough to change the outcome.

Fujimori has yet to concede, though, doubling down on unsubstantiated allegations of fraud.

On Wednesday night, Fujimori, the daughter of polarizing former president Alberto Fujimori, told journalists that she would seek the annulment of about 500,000 votes which she said were suspicious, without providing substantial evidence. She questioned the likeliness of voting tables grouping up to 300 ballots in which she got no votes at all.

Fujimori said those votes should be looked into, adding that she was not accusing the electoral authorities of being complicit in any wrongdoing.

The ethics tribunal of the National Jury of Elections (JNE), the body charged with overseeing the legality of the electoral process, said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday morning that throwing doubt on the results without evidence was “irresponsible

U.S. Drops Sanctions On Former Iranian Officials

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Angel Gimalo

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June 10, 2021

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The United States said on Thursday it had removed sanctions on three former Iranian officials and two companies that previously traded Iranian petrochemicals, a step one U.S. official called routine but that could show U.S. readiness to ease sanctions when justified.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the U.S. official said that the moves by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) were unrelated to efforts to revive Iranian and U.S. compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“Today, OFAC and the Department of State are also lifting sanctions on three former Government of Iran officials, and two companies formerly involved in the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of Iranian petrochemical products,” the Treasury said in a statement.

It said the delisting reflected “a verified change in behavior or status” of those sanctioned and “demonstrate the U.S. government’s commitment to lifting sanctions in the event of (such) a change.”

A Treasury spokesperson said the three individuals had established “that they are no longer in their positions within entities affiliated with the Government of Iran,” adding there was no reason to maintain sanctions on them.

The oil market briefly plunged after being spooked by media reports suggesting sanctions were lifted on Iranian oil officials, showing the potential impact of additional Iranian barrels if a deal is struck and sanctions lifted.

Osun State Government Shuts 600 Illegal Schools

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Precious Obazee

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June 10, 2021

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The Osun government says it has shut more than 600 nursery and primary schools operating without minimum standard requirements in the state.

The Commissioner for Education, Folorunsho Bamisayemi, said this during an inter-ministerial news conference organised by the Ministry of Information and Civic Orientation on Wednesday in Osogbo.

The Commissioner said the closure of the schools was part of the state government’s effort to sanitise the sector.

He added that it was now compulsory for anyone that wanted to establish a school to have a Teacher’s Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Certificate, among other requirements.

Also speaking, Olalekan Badmus, the Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, said the government was feeding more than 30,000 vulnerable persons on a monthly basis under its food support scheme.

Badmus said the state government was spending more than N100 million on the food support scheme every month.

Acropolis Becomes More Accessible With New Pathway To Parthenon

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Angel Gimalo

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June 10, 2021

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One of Greece’s most iconic attractions, the Parthenon, is waiting for visitors to return after renovation.

Using the quiet period during the pandemic, a new cement walkway near to the Parthenon temple has been built.

The ancient site has become more accessible as the new smooth artificial pathway replaced a badly eroded one.

“Our idea was to make the monument, a symbol of Western civilization, accessible to everybody in our society. We believe that it is not possible that the Acropolis, with all this symbolism and all these concepts and values that it contains, cannot be accessible to people who are hindered by disability.”

A new lift has also been created for those using wheelchairs.
But some denounced the so-called ‘improvements’,… saying that they didn’t respect the site’s aesthetic and classical aspects.

Restriction on Select Seoul Establishments To Be Lifted From July

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 10, 2021

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From July, select establishments including restaurants, cafes, singing rooms and night life venues in Seoul will be allowed to operate until 12 midnight.

Restrictions on opening hours will be completely lifted for other types of small businesses.

This is because South Korea’s new four-tier social distancing scheme takes effect in that month.

More details will be announced before next week.

President Buhari Commissions Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line, Open For Use (Photos)

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 10, 2021

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Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned the Ebute-Meta Rail Line, now renamed Mobolaii Johnson Station.

Environment Correspondent Gimalo-Angel Olowogoke reports that the President arrived the venue in a chopper at about 11am Thursday morning.

There was tight security as Alagomeji was totally cordoned off.

Neighbours were excited as they had the President visit their neighbourhood.

The president pledged that his administration would continue to prioritise the railway system as a transportation backbone that can transform industrial and economic activity in the country.

On the benefits of the Lagos-Ibadan corridor as well as other ongoing railway projects across the country, President Buhari said:

‘This vital line establishes an end-to-end logistic supply chain in railway transport within its short corridor, Lagos – Ibadan, as goods to the hinterland would now be transported by rail directly from the Apapa port Quayside straight to the Inland Container Depot located in Ibadan from where it can be distributed to other parts of the country.

Some respondents that spoke with LN247 News Correspondent said they wanted the President to open amusement park for the children and also provide employment for the people through the opening of the Station.

The Station is presently open to the public.

EA Hacked, Source Code Stolen, As It Investigates Data Breach

By

Koko Lawrence

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June 10, 2021

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FILE PHOTO: The Electronic Arts Inc., logo is displayed on a screen during a PlayStation 4 Pro launch event in New York City, U.S., September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

Videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc said on Thursday that it was investigating a recent incident of intrusion into its network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen.

Vice’s Motherboard earlier reported that hackers had stolen a wealth of data, including source codes for popular title “FIFA 21” and source code and tools for Frostbite engine, a software development toolset for game creators.

“No player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy,” EA said in a statement.

Shares of the company fell nearly 2% to $143.50 after the report.

Singer R. Kelly Fires Two Defense Lawyers, Tells Judge, As Trial Looms

By

Koko Lawrence

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June 10, 2021

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R. Kelly told a federal judge on Wednesday that he fired two of his defense lawyers, exposing deep rifts in the singer’s legal defense team ahead of his August sex abuse trial in New York.

Kelly confirmed to U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn that he fired Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard, leaving him with two defense lawyers.

“Is that what your wish is?” Donnelly asked Kelly during a hearing conducted by telephone.

“Absolutely, yes ma’am, your honor,” he responded.

Kelly’s remaining lawyers, Thomas Farinella and Nicole Becker, said they will keep preparing for the scheduled Aug. 9 trial.

The hearing briefly included allegations by Greenberg that unidentified members of the defense team had “documented mental health issues” and “can’t deal with stress.”

Donnelly asked that Greenberg and Leonard explain in writing why they were pulling out. She also said she would not delay the trial, which was originally scheduled for May 2020.

Farinella and Becker could not immediately be reached for comment.

Known for such hits as “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind,” Kelly, 54, has faced sexual abuse allegations dating back more than two decades, including in the January 2019 Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”

The Grammy Award-winning singer has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges in cases filed in New York, Illinois and Minnesota, and has been held without bail for nearly two years.

Brooklyn prosecutors accused Kelly of running a criminal scheme in which women and underage girls were recruited to have sexual activity with him.

The Chicago case includes charges that Kelly engaged in sex acts with five minors, and used threats to keep victims quiet.

According to court records, a trial is scheduled for September, but the judge has asked both sides to propose a new date.

For Buhari, Apapa’s 12-year gridlock varnishes

By

Henry Williams

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June 10, 2021

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As at 9 o’clock Wednesday night, the normal queue of trucks in and out of Apapa had disappeared. The round the clock, seven days a week chaos that has become a major feature of Apapa, causing hours of unending traffic jams, was gone. Also, security, up till now, is tight in Lagos.

The reason for this unusual development in Apapa, Nigeria’s port city and economic hub, which has become a metaphor for stress and suffering, is because President Muhammadu Buhari is expected in Lagos on today.

This is the second time Apapa is experiencing a gridlock-free day following the visit of President Buhari. The first was in 2019 when Buhari, as presidential candidate, visited the Lagos to canvass for votes.

The implication of all these is that Apapa can work again if those who have the power also have the will.

It speaks volumes of what is possible not just with Apapa, but also the mess that defines Nigeria as nation. It is curious why somebody thinks Buhari shouldn’t see the chaos Apapa has become.