U.S. designates China, Pakistan and North Korea as 'Countries of Particular Concern' for severe violations of religious freedom
January 08, 2024 08:58 pm | Updated 08:58 pm IST - New YorkThe U.S. has designated China, North Korea and Pakistan as "Countries of Particular Concern" for engaging in and tolerating "particularly severe violations of religious freedom." Announcing the Religious Freedom Designations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that advancing the freedom of religion or belief has been a core objective of U.S. foreign policy ever since Congress passed and enacted the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. As part of that "enduring commitment", Mr. Blinken said last week that he has designated Burma, China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as “Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” In addition, he designated Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as Special Watch List countries for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. He added that the challenges to religious freedom across the globe are structural, systemic, and deeply entrenched. "But with thoughtful, sustained commitment from those who are unwilling to accept hatred, intolerance, and persecution as the status quo we will one day see a world where all people live with dignity and equality,” Mr. Blinken said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 15:32 UTC
African start-up funding slips 36% in 2023, yet 'Big Four' nations shine bright
Finance(Ecofin Agency) - Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria collectively absorbed nearly 75% of the total funding raised by African startups in 2023, with fintech companies accounting for the lion’s share. African startups experienced a 36% decline in fundraising in 2023, according to data released on January 3 by the digital economy consulting firm TechCabal Insights. As in previous years, four countries (Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria) accounted for the lion's share of fundraising. Dubbed the "Big Four", they accounted for 74.9% of the total amount raised by all countries on the continent. By sector, fintech start-ups remain the best-funded nuggets in Africa, accounting for 45% of total financing raised last year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 15:14 UTC
MBC Group IPO sees shares soar 30% on Tadawul debut
RIYADH - MBC Group, a prominent broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, experienced a robust initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), with shares opening at SR32.5 ($1 = SAR 3.75), marking a 30% surge from the IPO price of SR25. This significant debut followed a highly successful subscription period where institutional investors oversubscribed MBC Group's shares approximately 66 times. The retail offering period for MBC shares spanned from December 14 to December 18, 2023. SNB Capital advised the media giant's IPO, underscoring the strong investor confidence in MBC Group's growth prospects. MBC Group has outlined strategic plans to capitalize on the successful IPO.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 15:10 UTC
Ramadan 2024: Insights and inspiration to elevate your campaigns
Europe, Middle East & AfricaRamadan offers brands the opportunity to connect more deeply with Muslim consumers. Discover insights and inspiring stories to polish off your Ramadan 2024 campaigns.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 14:42 UTC
An overlooked and undercounted group of Arab American and Muslim voters may have outsized impact on 2024 presidential election
In fact, numerous Middle Eastern and Muslim American leaders have called for their communities to “abandon Biden” in the upcoming presidential election. As a whole, the number of Middle Eastern or Muslim Americans is quite small. In the 2020 presidential election, for instance, Biden won the state of Michigan by a total of 154,000 votes. For example, Emgage, a nonprofit Muslim advocacy group, collected such data on eligible voters and turnout in a dozen states during the 2020 presidential election. But even if they were, the numbers show that a presidential election may swing on a lesser-known but potentially crucial voting bloc.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 14:28 UTC
WHO axes medical aid delivery to north Gaza in absence of security guarantees
January 08, 2024 04:58 pm | Updated 10:49 pm IST - GENEVAThe World Health Organization (WHO) said it had been compelled to cancel a mission to bring medical supplies to northern Gaza on January 8 after failing to receive security guarantees. It was the fourth time WHO had had to call off a planned mission to bring urgently needed medical supplies to Al-Awda Hospital and the central drug store in northern Gaza since Dec. 26, it said. "Heavy bombardment, movement restrictions, and interrupted communications are making it nearly impossible to deliver medical supplies regularly and safely across Gaza, particularly in the north." The delivery planned on Sunday, WHO said, had been designed to sustain the operations of five hospitals in the northern part of the enclave. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "shocked by the scale of health needs and devastation in northern Gaza".
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 14:27 UTC
Religious Freedom: U.S. State Department lists Algeria among world’s worst violators – The North Africa Post
Algeria has been named by the U.S. State Department among the world worst violators of religious freedom. “I have designated Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam as Special Watch List countries for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a press release issued lately. Advancing the freedom of religion or belief has been a core objective of U.S. foreign policy ever since Congress passed and enacted the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, said Mr.Blinken. In its latest report, the U.S. States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said religious freedom conditions in Algeria have deteriorated in recent years, affirming that the authorities frequently restrict religious expression and practice. The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government body set up by the Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious violations committed abroad.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 14:12 UTC
Palestinian Nonviolence Won’t Bring Peace Without Israeli Partners
And practically speaking, nonviolent campaigns have historically been much likelier to achieve their goals compared to violent rebellions. Yet all too often, calls for nonviolent action in Palestine come devoid of context, delivered as moralizing lectures rather than forthright and sober assessments of the possibilities for effective nonviolent action against Israeli occupation. To begin with, faulting Palestinians for their purported failure to embrace nonviolence elides a lengthy history of Palestinian nonviolent activism. As with many other nonviolent movements, Palestinian activists have not always been perfect models of Gandhian ahimsa. Nevertheless, they have frequently employed various nonviolent tactics, suffering courageously for nonviolent principles.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 14:04 UTC
Faced with weak demand, Tunisian Deglet Nour exporters pin their hopes on Ramadan
Despite a 14% increase in production over last year, the success of Tunisia's Deglet Nour date export campaign remains to be seen. He adds: "For all these reasons, Deglet Nour dates are the most widely exported dates for the month of Ramadan, to North Africa and Europe. Fortunately, growers were able to keep their heads above water thanks to strong demand from the local Tunisian market throughout the season, according to Sadok. Tunisian dates remain among the most competitive on the European market, especially if you take into account the cost of transport. We hope that the unusual lack of demand this season will come to an end with the month of Ramadan".
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 13:13 UTC
Large-scale photovoltaic solar farms in the Sahara affect solar power generation potential globally
Modeled annual mean (ANN) (a) total cloud fraction and (e) RSDS in CTRL, and (b–d) total cloud fraction and (f–h) RSDS response in S05, S20 and S50. Full size imageRSDS changes largely follow the cloud fraction changes (Fig. Impacts on solar power generationWe next examine how the global PV power generation is affected by large-scale solar farms in the Sahara in our simulations. Predominantly, the PVpot changes (Fig. This leads to surface convergence, and subsequently a positive geopotential height and divergence at the upper troposphere over North Africa (Fig.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 13:08 UTC
Middle East & North Africa Data Center Market Outlook Report 2023-2028: Migration of On-Premises Infrastructure to Colocation & Managed Services Bolsters Growth - ResearchAndMarkets.com
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Middle East & North Africa Data Center Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The UAE dominates the Middle East and North Africa data center market regarding data center developments. In the Middle East and North Africa data center market, the presence of smart cities in the region also drives investments. Due to the burgeoning data center activities, the Middle East and North Africa data center market is poised to offer significant revenue opportunities for construction contractors. The Middle East and North Africa data center market is investing substantially in the power infrastructure, ensuring a minimum N+1 redundancy.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 12:11 UTC
Kenya-led security mission headed to Haiti to face multiple challenges, ICG report warns – The North Africa Post
The Kenyan-led multinational mission that was approved by the UN Security Council last October aims to help combat violent gangs, restore security and enable long overdue elections. The ICG report published on Friday (5 January) warns that major challenges lie in wait for the mission once it is on the ground. The report also highlights links between corrupt police and the gangs that could make it difficult to maintain operational secrecy. Therefore, the report recommends that the mission should not deploy in force until it has sufficient troops, training and equipment to overpower the gangs. In any case, for the sake of Haiti’s long-suffering people, every effort must go into helping the mission succeed,” the report concludes.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 12:02 UTC
Chad’s new Premier turns own monthly salary into scholarships – The North Africa Post
Chad’s Prime Minister Succes Masra announced Sunday he will not take his monthly salary that, he said, will be converted into scholarships for the promotion of excellence in 23 regions of the country. “I benefited from excellence scholarships and social grants from very modest backgrounds. Masra, leader of the opposition, became Prime Minister early this month in replacement of Saleh Kebzabo who led the administration for 14 months. He on January 2nd unveiled a 41-member cabinet dominated by Kebzabo’s team including Foreign Minister Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Minister of Public Security Mahamat Charfadine Margui, and the Minister of Armed Forces Dago Yacouba. Once the children are in school, the adults, we can work together to dialogue and move forward,” he emphasized.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 12:02 UTC
Monday Briefing
The threat of a broader conflict with IranHamas’s Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip have emboldened a newly aggressive Iran. The Iranian nuclear program has dramatically ramped up. International inspectors announced last month that Iran initiated a threefold increase in its enrichment of near-bomb-grade uranium. U.S. intelligence officials believe that the enrichment needed to turn that fuel into bomb-grade material would take weeks. U.S. and European intelligence officials say they do not believe the Iranians want a direct conflict with the U.S. or Israel, a scenario the officials suspect would not end well.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 09:37 UTC
Which teams are favourites to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations?
Some of football’s biggest stars will showcase their skills when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets under way in Ivory Coast on January 13. While the timing of the tournament has upset elite European clubs, the presence of five African teams at the Qatar World Cup 2022 has proved that football in Africa is coming of age. Morocco will hope their superb display at the last World Cup will translate into continental success, while Victor Osimhen will aim to replicate his club form for Nigeria. Here’s a look at Al Jazeera’s favourites to win the tournament:MoroccoMorocco are the red-hot favourites after their historic run at the Qatar World Cup 2022. Andre Onana’s return in goal, after he was sent home from the World Cup, will boost the Indomitable Lions immeasurably.
Source:The North Africa Journal
January 08, 2024 09:14 UTC