East-west energy corridor vital for Balkan power supply
(Montel) A mooted power transmission network between the Balkan region, Greece and Turkey is vital for regional security of supply, market observers told Montel on Tuesday. Regional experts welcomed the announcement, noting the corridor would improve existing transmission infrastructure, while bolstering energy security in southeast Europe. More imports“[The corridor] will allow the transfer of more electricity to the [Balkan] region and help secure projects in North Africa and the Caspian region,” Bulgarian energy ministry Vladimir Malinov said in a statement. The planned East-west energy corridor would connect the electricity transmission networks of Turkey, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro and possibly extend to Italy. Bulgaria’s current interconnection capacity stands at 1,500 MW with Greece and 1,800 MW with Romania, with much less capacity available on its borders with Turkey and North Macedonia, at 500 MW and 400 MW, respectively.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 18:22 UTC
BRICS Expansion And The Shifting Global Order
· The ten BRICS+ nations account for half the world’s population and two-fifth of trade—and include major energy producers and importers. · Global companies will need to factor geopolitics into their investment strategies and strengthen their capacity to capture the opportunities and mitigate the risks of BRICS expansion. They also account for one-quarter of global GDP, two-fifths of global trade in goods, and nearly half of the world’s population. Trade in goods among BRICS economies has considerably outpaced trade between the BRICS and G7 nations, leading to greater intra-BRICS trade intensity. BRICS+ markets could become valuable gateways for companies seeking to expand to other emerging markets.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 17:48 UTC
NATO appoints special envoy for Middle East, North Africa, Sahel
NATO said on Tuesday it has appointed a special representative for the defence alliance’s “southern neighbourhood,” comprising the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel. The new envoy is Javier Colomina, who served previously as NATO’s special representative in the Caucasus and Central Asia. NATO member Spain also has some territory in North Africa, including Melilla and Ceuta. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement that “the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel regions are important to our alliance.”Javier Colomina has extensive experience in dealing with NATO partners. At a summit in Washington earlier this month, NATO leaders agreed on a plan to include the appointment of a special representative.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 17:36 UTC
Climate change imperils drought-stricken Morocco’s cereal farmers and its food supply
A six-year drought has imperiled the country's entire agriculture sector, including farmers who grow cereals and grains used to feed humans and livestock. Belhoussni's plight is familiar to grain farmers throughout the world confronting a hotter and drier future. Climate change is imperiling the food supply and, in regions like North Africa, shrinking the annual yields of cereals that dominate diets around the world — wheat, rice, maize and barley. The organization has advised farmers on seeding, irrigation and drought mitigation as less rain falls and less water flows through Morocco's rivers. The amount of land seeded has dramatically shrunk as well, from 14,170 square miles (36,700 square kilometers) to 9,540 square miles (24,700 square kilometers).
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 17:19 UTC
Congo suspends mining activity in east to restore order – The North Africa Post
Authorities in South Kivu province in eastern DRC ordered a suspension of all mining activities, arguing that the sector needed order, in a decision that will hit the local economy in the already conflict-stricken and impoverished area. “All companies, businesses, and cooperatives are required to leave the sites and operating locations within 72 hours,” the governor of South Kivu said. The decision will hit hard artisanal miners of metals such as gold and tin, as they are the region’s dominant producers. The implementation of the decision will be difficult as much of DRC’s east is plagued by conflict with armed groups controlling swathes of territory, including mining activities. Many Chinese companies mine gold and other minerals in South Kivu.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 16:18 UTC
Al Qaeda affiliate claims responsibility for northern Togo attack, SITE Intelligence Group says
The attack struck an army barracks close to the border with Burkina Faso. Togo has, until recently, been spared the jihadist violence that has ravaged its northern neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger for over a decade. SITE late on Monday quoted a statement by Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) saying that “fighters on July 20 took control of a Togolese army barracks in Dapaong in the northern part of the country, killing six elements and seizing many weapons”.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 14:16 UTC
Multimillion-dollar crystal meth lab found hidden in remote South Africa farm; Mexican suspects arrested
The Hawks and other specialized units raided the farm in the Limpopo province after a tip-off of suspicious activity there. Elite police units raided a crystal meth lab hidden in a remote farm north of Johannesburg, police said Tuesday. "The consumer base for meth in South Africa appears to be significantly greater than initially imagined, marking it potentially among the largest meth consumer markets in the world," the report says. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2023 report that South Africa is an appealing hub for illicit drugs destined for other countries. The crystal meth bust in South Africa comes about two months after police in Spain said they had seized 1.8 tons of crystal meth that Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel was trying to sell in Europe, the country's "biggest-ever seizure" of the narcotic.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 13:57 UTC
Insect wreaks havoc on Tunisia’s crucial prickly pear industry
The insect, known to some as the prickly pear cochineal, has devastated vast areas of plantations and caused concerns about its economic impact since it was first discovered in the country in 2021, farmers and agricultural experts say. The bug sucks the sap from cactus pads, causing yellowing and eventual death of the plants.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 13:34 UTC
Israel war on Gaza live: Israel blocks Palestinians from 80% of Strip: UN
blinking-dot Live updates Live updates,Israel war on Gaza live: Israel blocks Palestinians from 80% of Strip: UNMultiple UN agencies decry Israel’s latest orders to evacuate Khan Younis, with Palestinians asking ‘where to go?’
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 13:16 UTC
Angola: US-backed solar project to up access to electricity, water
Several provinces in the south of Angola have been earmarked to benefit from a solar project aimed at increasing access to electricity and potable drinking water. It will be made possible through a recently approved $1.6 billion direct loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank). “The project will increase access to electricity and potable drinking water in several provinces in Angola that previously had little access and will promote improved health, education, and social wellbeing,” said the EXIM Bank. EXIM Bank is the official export credit agency of the United States with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating US exports. Solar energy systems to be rolled out across rural AngolaSouth African Cabinet Minister Parks Tau addresses the pressing issues of power and water securityFAQs about electricity in AngolaWhat is the electricity access rate in Angola?
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 13:01 UTC
EY to open new MENA regional headquarters in Riyadh
Profile EYGlobal accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) has announced it will locate its soon-to-be established new MENA regional headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will be located at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Riyadh’s premium business district and home to numerous other multinational companies. The formal inauguration will take place later this year at a ceremony with EY leaders and top Saudi officials. In line with Saudization requirements in the consulting industry, EY is investing heavily in local talent. EY’s new MENA regional headquarters in Riyadh.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 12:36 UTC
Bunkering spill sees German-controlled cargo ship held in North Africa
A German-controlled cargo ship must pay a financial guarantee over a fuel oil spill off the port of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. Spanish media said the port captain has detained the 15,300-dwt Tony Stark (built 1993) pending the payment of a €120,000 ($130,500) guarantee. Named after Marvel’s Iron Man comics and film character, the Antigua & Barbuba-flagged vessel has to hand over €100,000 for the alleged pollution.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 12:22 UTC
Water Scarcity Is About to Upend Politics Across North Africa
In June, the residents of Tiaret, a small town in western Algeria’s interior high plateau region, decided to make their discontent known. After sustaining weeks of cuts to the town’s water supply, hundreds of people demonstrated in front of a local administrative building. The cuts were due to a lack of water in the nearby Bakhedda dam. Faced with a lack of water, some residents in Tiaret were forced to postpone the traditional slaughtering of a sheep that marks the religious holiday’s celebration. In response, angry residents temporarily blocked the road to the airport with burning tires to protest weeks of rationing in the city.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 12:21 UTC
King Mohammed VI spearheads Morocco’s social protection effort – The North Africa Post
King Mohammed VI has spurred a national program that puts the promotion and generalization of social safety nets at the heart of the country’s development model and as a lever of social cohesion. Under orders from the King, the government has gradually rolled out a social protection program that includes mandatory health coverage for all Moroccans and financial assistance to vulnerable households. The allocated budget to this social effort is significant representing 8% of Morocco’s GDP at 9 billion dollars. King Mohammed VI is also the chairman of the board of directors of Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity which has been at the forefront of support for most vulnerable segments of the Moroccan society since 1999. The current social protection momentum is thus a continuation of the achievements under the king-spurred National Human Development Initiative (NHDI), which has been instrumental in improving the country’s human capital and addressing critical gaps in its development trajectory.
Source:The North Africa Journal
July 23, 2024 12:16 UTC