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Photo via Prensa Latina

 

Juba, Aug 7 (Prensa Latina) From two to 29 dead were reported today in South Sudan in clashes between rival factions of the political force of Vice President Riek Machar.
On the one hand, the information reports the death of two generals close to Machar, who denied Thursday that he had lost the leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM I/O).

Spokesmen for the vice president insisted that they were high ranking military officers dependent on first lieutenant general Simon Gatwech Dual, who this week was declared acting leader of the party.

The versions say the clashes took place over the control of the SPLM I/O.

The vice president's spokesperson added that in addition 27 rival troops were killed, an armored vehicle destroyed, a truck captured and more than 20 AK-47 assault rifles seized.

In both cases, the sources preferred not to disclose the names of the deceased, citing security reasons. - Prensa Latina

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The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell (PA)

The Archbishop of York has criticised “metropolitan elites” in London for treating people who are proud to be English as “backwardly xenophobic”.

Stephen Cottrell, the Church of England’s second most senior clergyman after the Archbishop of Canterbury, said national unity was “fractured” and that English people are “patronised” and left behind by London and the South East.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the archbishop called for England to “rediscover a national unity” and urged for a strengthened regional government within the country to better serve local communities.

He said: “Many English people feel left behind by metropolitan elites in London and the South East, and by devolved governments and strengthened regional identities in Scotland and Wales. 

“Their heartfelt cry to be heard is often disregarded, wilfully misunderstood or patronised as being backwardly xenophobic.”

On devolution to the English, Mr Cottrell wrote in his article for the newspaper: “What we need is an expansive vision of what it means to be English as part of the United Kingdom.

“It is this that will help us rediscover a national unity now more fractured than I have ever known it in my lifetime.

“A first foundation would be a more developed and strengthened regional government within England.”

Mr Cottrell, who recently stepped up to lead the church when Justin Welby took a three-month sabbatical, said this would enable Westminster to lead on issues for the UK but would “empower” the separate nations and regions.

He also suggested that sports teams in England should sing their own anthem prior to a match if playing against other UK nations, before coming together to sing the national anthem, God Save The Queen.

“Then when the different nations of the United Kingdom find themselves pitched against each other on the sports field we could belt out our English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish anthems,” he said.

“Then sing our national anthem together. And love our neighbour.” Yahoo News

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. PHOTO | FILE | NMG

When it comes to the big debates about climate change, Africa is the forgotten continent. It receives less than three percent of global climate finance and yet 30 out of the 40 most climate vulnerable countries in the world are in Africa. It contributes the least to global warming and yet extreme weather events are growing in both frequency and severity with a shocking knock-on impact on biodiversity loss. 

However, while we tend to see Africa merely as a victim of climate change, this ignores the fact that it could be a large part of the solution as well.

From the forests of Gabon to the Congo Basin in Central Africa, the continent is rich in natural capital and countries are tapping into this potential. Take Kenya, which has become a leader in green energy with 90 percent of its energy production already renewable.

The recent visit to London by the Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta saw further progress with the announcement of UK investments in off-grid solar energy and a new fund to develop green, affordable housing. But it is in the area of green finance that the partnership between Kenya and the UK could prove to be even more significant. Although progress has been too slow and fragmentary, African countries have been getting themselves ready to receive a much bigger share of global climate finance.

Once this is invested in green projects, this will benefit the whole planet. Kenya has already been leading the way. It has removed tax on interest on green bonds. It has drafted a green fiscal policy incentives framework covering the whole economy and is now considering a carbon tax as well. Kenya’s inaugural sovereign green bond has been trailed for years and it is expected to make further announcements in the next few months.

All this is significant in several ways not least that it is about a new type of relationship between sub-Saharan Africa’s third biggest economy and the UK — one based on investment rather than aid — whilst at the same time showing how smart, targeted British aid, which has been crucial to the development of the green bond and other aspects of Kenya’s push on green finance, can help unlock that investment. 

There can be no better symbol of that new relationship than the agreement, announced during the visit, between the City of London and Nairobi’s International Financial Centre (NIFC), backed by Prudential, one of the UK’s most established financial institutions. NIFC has been established to make it easier and more attractive for firms to offer financial services and related activities in Kenya and the region, reinforcing Nairobi’s position as a hub for investment in the region.

For UK investors who may have shied away from what they regarded as risky investments, green bonds offer an attractive route to investing in developing markets because of the greater transparency they need to have to be verifiable as genuinely green.

For Kenya and other developing countries, green finance is attractive because of the huge growth of funds chasing investment opportunities. This is particularly important at a time when these countries are having to deal with the financial impact of the Covid pandemic. By MARK NAPIER, East African

Mark Napier is the chief executive officer of FSD Africa

Photo CGIAR

 

Tanzania has officially released four new, improved hybrids of the important staple cooking banana, “matooke”. These are the first-ever matooke banana hybrids released in Tanzania. These hybrids are resistant to important pests and diseases ravaging the current varieties that millions of farmers across the country are growing and, as such, herald an exciting era for banana cultivation in the country.

The new matooke hybrids were first developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) of Uganda and named NARITAs. They were later tested in Tanzania by the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI) and its partners IITA, NARO, and Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, to identify those most suited to Tanzanian fields and Tanzanian farmers.

The four NARITA hybrids, now called TARIBAN 1–4, were officially released in March and announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Prof. Adolf Faustine Mkenda, during his budget speech in parliament in May 2021. The new varieties are resistant to black Sigatoka leaf disease and banana weevils, with potential yields ranging from 18 to 35 t/ha/year. Currently, farmers’ average productivity is around 7 t/ha/year.

The East Africa Highland cooking banana, locally referred to as “matooke”, are steamed or boiled, and then sometimes mashed before consumption. They are the main staple for millions of people across the region, where banana fields often blanket whole hillsides, stabilize the landscape, and provide a key source of income to communities in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. - CGIAR

More Boko Haram/ Islamic State West African Province terrorists are surrendering to the troops of Operations Hadin Kai in Borno State, the Nigerian Army has said. 

In a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army said the troops sustained air and artillery bombardments on the enclaves of the terrorists in Sambisa Forest and its environs was responsible for this. 

According to him, 56 terrorists and their families laid down their arms, adding that 18 male fighters of the terrorist groups along with their families including 18 adult females and 19 children on Wednesday surrendered to the troops. 

The statement was titled, ‘Operation Hadin Kai: Again more terrorists surrender as troops escalate operations across North East theatre’.

It read, “More Boko Haram / ISWAP terrorists are surrendering as troops of Operations HADIN KAI , conducting Counter terrorism and counter Insurgency operations in north east Nigeria escalate ground and air offensive operations against the terrorists.

“Sustained air and artillery bombardments on the enclaves of the terrorists in Sambisa forest and its environs have continued to yield positive results as 56 terrorists and their families laid down their arms abandoning the groups and their illicit course. Recently, the terrorist groups have suffered enormous setbacks and recorded several casualties as a result of ferocious offensives by gallant troops of OPHK.

“Eighteen male fighters of the terrorist groups on Wednesday 4 August 2021, came out to surrender to troops with their arms and ammunition, along with their families including 18 adult females and 19 children from Chingori and other surrounding villages around the Sambisa forest.

“The arms recovered from the surrendered terrorists include, 5 AK 47 rifles, 1 foreign AK 47 rifle with telescopic sight, 1 Fabrique Nationale rifle, 8 AK 47 rifle magazines, 1 FN rifle magazine, 1 Bandolier, 3 rounds of 7.62mm (special) ammunition and the sum of Seven Thousand, Seven Hundred naira (#7,700.00) only.

“Similarly, a Boko Haram fighter from Abuja Asamau Village in Sambisa Forest also surrendered to own troops of with his AK 47 rifle, 2 magazines, 1 Magazine holder, 1 round of 7.62mm special and the sum of N5,000:00

“It will be recalled that in less than 2 weeks, over 100 BHTs/ISWAP terrorists and their families have succumbed to ferocious offensive operations of Nigerian troops by laying down their arms and giving up the fight as their enclaves are being bombarded by the combined efforts of the Air component and ground troops of Operation HADIN KAI.

“The Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya has lauded the troops for their effort and charged them to remain dedicated and committed in the fight, until the terrorists are completely decimated.” Business Hallmark

 

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