West Spotlights North Korea Rights Abuses; China Opposes
China blocked the U.S. from broadcasting the informal Security Council meeting globally on the internet, a decision criticized by U.S. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, North Korea has been isolated. Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in North Korea, also stressed “the interdependence of international peace and security and human rights,” saying peace and denuclearization can’t be addressed without considering the current human rights violations. She told the meeting that the limited information available shows the suffering of the North Korean people has increased and their already limited liberties have declined. “In the DPRK, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction always, always trumps human rights and humanitarian needs of its people,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 21:22 UTC
South Africa: Load Shedding to Be Suspended Where Possible
Due to some recovery in generation capacity, Eskom says it will suspend load shedding where possible over the weekend. Thereafter, load shedding will be increased to Stage 2 until 5 am on Sunday. "Load shedding will be suspended on Sunday between 5 am and 4 pm Thereafter, Stage 1 load shedding will be implemented from 4 pm on Sunday until 4 pm on Monday. Stage 2 load shedding will be in force from 4 pm on Monday until 5 am on Tuesday. "Load shedding will then again be suspended from 5 am on Tuesday until 4 pm, thereafter Stage 2 will be implemented until further notice," said the power utility.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 18:34 UTC
The EU-UK Windsor Framework Is the Right Step Forward
It looks as if the UK Parliament will endorse the Windsor Framework. The flexibilities it has introduced into the Northern Ireland Protocol will be beneficial to people in their daily lives. It is not certain that the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly will be restored. The two novelties in the Windsor Framework are the “Stormont Brake”, and the provision of a Green Lane for goods destined to stay in Northern Ireland. Thus, Ireland will need to invest heavily in detection..All in all, the Windsor Framework is a good day’s work.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 18:06 UTC
Blinken hails Niger as model of cooperation, promises to ‘deliver results’ in Sahel – The North Africa Post
The United States and its Western allies must demonstrate they “can deliver results” in Africa’s Sahel region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said during his visit to Niger, pledging humanitarian assistance for displaced people and support for the country’s efforts to combat violent extremism. Blinken’s trip to the West African country — the first ever by a US secretary of state — comes amid regional security crisis and growing influence of the Russian Wagner mercenary group. Blinken’s trip to Niger follows his visit, earlier this week, to Ethiopia, which is seen as part of a wider pledge by US President Joe Biden’s administration to better engage with Africa. In 2022, French troops and a French-led European Union Takuba task force withdrew from Mali. French troops also withdrew from Burkina Faso in February.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 17:44 UTC
Northern New Mexico has 28 players competing
CountryUnited States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Ara
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 17:38 UTC
20 years on, George W. Bush’s promise of democracy in Iraq and Middle East falls short
“The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution,” Bush said in November 2003. In 2003, there was indeed, as Bush noted, a “freedom deficit” in the Middle East, where repressive authoritarian regimes dominated the region. Yet, in spite of tremendous upheaval in the Middle East over the past two decades, many authoritarian regimes remain deeply entrenched. Indeed, in 2023, Freedom House continues to score Iraq as “Not Free” in its measure of democracy. It is hard to know if U.S. efforts at democracy promotion accelerated or delayed political change in the Middle East.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 16:54 UTC
Kim Jong-un dares Biden; 800,000 North Koreans ‘volunteer to wipe out enemies’
Kim Jong-un dares Biden; 800,000 North Koreans ‘volunteer to wipe out enemies’North Korea claims that over 800,000 of its youth have volunteered to join the nation's military to fight the United States. The North's claim came after North Korea on Thursday launched its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in response to ongoing U.S-South Korea military drills. Kim accuses the U.S. and South Korea of increasing tensions with the military drills.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 16:42 UTC
West spotlights North Korea rights abuses; China opposes
FILE - A North Korean flag flutters in North Korea's village Gijungdong as seen from an South Korea's observation post inside the demilitarized zone in Paju, South Korea during a media tour, March 3, 2023. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield as an attempt to hide North Korea’s “atrocities from the world.”Webcasting requires agreement by all 15 council members. ADVERTISEMENTSince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, North Korea has been isolated. Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in North Korea, also stressed “the interdependence of international peace and security and human rights,” saying peace and denuclearization can’t be addressed without considering the current human rights violations. “In the DPRK, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction always, always trumps human rights and humanitarian needs of its people,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 16:32 UTC
Russia Sanctions a Boon for Chinese Arms Sales to Africa?
“Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine may open additional opportunities for Chinese military influence in Nigeria. China, Russia exporting arms to AfricaThe Atlantic Council estimated that between 2010 and 2021, Russia accounted for 24% of all arms exports to sub-Saharan Africa, China for 22% and the U.S. for 5%. The other is that sales of Chinese arms — unlike U.S. arms exports which are governed by International Traffic in Arms regulations — don’t come with strings attached. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the Atlantic Council data showed a “big jump” in recent Chinese arms sales compared to previous data. Regardless of where they buy their weapons, analysts say both Western-supplied weapons and Chinese weapons can fall into the wrong hands or be used in human rights abuses.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 15:51 UTC
OIC FMs commend Moroccan King’s support for Palestinian Issue – The North Africa Post
The ministers also hailed the role played by Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency in preserving the Holy City’s religious character and in supporting the resistance of its inhabitants. The Council stressed the centrality of the role of the Al-Quds Committee, in the face of the serious measures taken by the Israeli authorities in the Holy City. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, who led the Moroccan delegation to the OIC council, stressed the centrality of the Palestinian cause for Morocco and renewed its firm and unwavering support for Palestine. “Morocco, in view of developments in the Palestinian territories, reaffirms the centrality of the just Palestinian cause and its firm and consistent position towards it,” he said. He renewed Morocco’s full willingness to adhere to all initiatives to develop joint Islamic action and meet the legitimate aspirations of peoples to security and stability.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 15:02 UTC
Malawi declares two weeks of mourning for victims of Cyclone Freddy – The North Africa Post
Two weeks of national mourning has been declared in Malawi for the hundreds of people killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced by Cyclone Freddy, likely the longest lasting in the southern hemisphere. Cyclone Freddy was a record-breaking storm that made its way into the southern African country and its eastern neighbor Mozambique last weekend. Weather experts in Malawi say Cyclone Freddy has now gone and that the rains are due to an incoming weather front from Congo. The cyclone caused widespread devastation in Malawi, including critical infrastructure, with roads having been cut off and electricity poles fallen down. Some private citizens, multinational companies as well as the United Nations and United States Agency for International Development have started providing some relief.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 12:45 UTC
China, Russia, North Korea bonhomie makes US jittery? ‘Beijing hiding Kim's...'
China, Russia, North Korea bonhomie makes US jittery? ‘Beijing hiding Kim's...'The United States has accused China of allegedly 'shielding' North Korea over its human rights violations. In a veiled jibe at China and Russia, U.S. ambassador to the UN said that some UNSC members are shielding the North Korean regime from accountability. Earlier, China blocked a webcast of an informal meeting of the United Nations Security Council members on accusations of human rights abuses by Pyongyang. Watch this video for details.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 12:26 UTC
Pyramid of success: Torbett teaching baseball in Egypt
Victoria, TX (77901)TodayMostly cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..TonightMostly cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 12:03 UTC
EUBAM leads Libyan Ministry of Defence Border Management department visit to Niger
The EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya) organised a study visit for the Libyan Ministry of Defence Border Management department to Niger last Wednesday. The visit was supported by European Union Capacity Building Mission in Niger (EUCAP Sahel in Niger) EUCAP is a civilian capacity-building mission in Niger, launched by the EU in 2012 under its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) programmes. The Second Nigerien Police Mobile Border Control Companies (CMCF2), supported by EUCAP, was also visited with a view to a similar project being implemented in Libya, EUBAM reported. ‘‘We had a very positive exchange of information on mobile units for border control with the National Guard of Niger”, EUBAM experts revealed. Finally, a meeting with the Deputy Head of National Police, the Director of Border Surveillance and with EUCAP Sahel Niger were held.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 10:45 UTC
South Africa would have to arrest Putin if he attends BRICS summit
Vladimir PutinRussian media maintain that South Africa is expecting Putin to attend the BRICS summit in Durban this August, in person. Read also: Russia uses North Africa to circumvent oil sanctions, WSJ reportsSouth Africa remains a party to the Rome Statute, despite attempts to withdraw from the agreement after the al-Bashir scandal. On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Putin, over Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine. We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 09:08 UTC