North Korea has intensified launches since 2022 and ramped up belligerent rhetoric this year. Photos of the tank released by North Korea show it has a launch tube for missiles, a weapons systems the former Soviet Union already operated in the 1970s. The U.S. and South Korea have been expanding their training exercises in a tit-for-tat response to the North’s weapons testing spree. Observers say Kim likely wants to use his upgraded weapons arsenal to win U.S. concessions like extensive relief of international sanctions on North Korea. They say North Korea is expected to extend its testing activities and ramp up warlike rhetoric this year as South Korea holds parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. a presidential election in November.

A project developer from China has been selected to construct the first solar PV energy storage plant in Eritrea. The African Development Bank (AfDB) funded project will be made up of a 30MW solar photovoltaic power station and a 15MW/30MWh energy storage system. The project is expected to reduce the country’s power deficit and greenhouse gas emissions by 42,910 Gg CO2-eq per year. The Ministry of Energy and Mines in Eritrea recently confirmed that China Energy Engineering Group had been selected to carry out the energy project. Solar project part of renewable energy plan for EritreaThe project is also expected to reduce electricity costs, promote energy resource diversification and inject green energy into the power grid.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A dozen countries across Africa suffered a major internet outage on Thursday as multiple undersea telecommunication cables reported failures, network operators and internet watch groups said. The MTN Group, one of Africa’s largest network providers, said the ongoing disruptions were a result of failures in multiple major undersea cables. The West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), SAT-3 and MainOne were among the system cables that observers said were affected in Thursday’s outage. Vodacom, South Africa’s mobile operator, also reported “intermittent connectivity issues due to multiple undersea cable failures.” Namibia and Lesotho were also affected. The impact from such cable failures worsens as networks attempt to route around the damage, potentially reducing the capacity available to other countries, said Mater with NetBlocks.

SEOUL: North Korea leader Kim Jong Un drove a “new-type main battle tank” while overseeing military training exercises, state media said on Thursday, as Seoul and Washington wrap joint drills to improve deterrence. After he reviewed the tank crews, Kim “mounted a new-type main battle tank, seized the control lever and drove the tank himself”, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. The nuclear-armed North has long condemned joint US-South Korea military drills, calling them rehearsals for an invasion. It has carried out weapons tests in the past as a response to previous joint exercises of this nature. Kim “expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the new-type main battle tank successfully demonstrated its very excellent striking power”, the KCNA report said.

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Egyptian ad-tech startup dKilo has raised US$3.2 million in seed funding to create a new channel for brands to engage with consumers through its online platform, and expand into the Saudi market. Founded in 2020 by Mohamed Mousa and Sherif Abdelaty, dKilo aims to connect brands with audiences beyond the traditional digital space, which unlocks new means for e-commerce businesses to increase their awareness and conversions. The startup has secured US$3.2 million in a seed round of funding from Upturn Ventures, a recently-established venture builder specialising in e-commerce, in a mix of equity and debt financing. dKilo will use the new capital to revolutionise the out-of-home advertising landscape, introducing innovative approaches to the industry. The joint efforts of this partnership aspire to transform the way brands connect with audiences beyond the traditional digital space, which unlocks new means for e-commerce businesses to increase their awareness and conversions.

A major internet outage struck West and Central Africa on Thursday, as reported by the internet observatory Netblocks, which cited information from operators indicating multiple subsea cable failures. According to Netblocks data, Ivory Coast faced a severe outage, while Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso experienced significant impacts. Cloudflare, an internet firm, confirmed ongoing major disruptions in Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, and Niger through one of its monitoring accounts. Cloudflare Radar noted a discernible pattern in the timing of these disruptions, affecting regions from the north to the south of Africa. South African telecoms operator Vodacom also attributed connectivity issues to undersea cable failures impacting the country's network providers.

Aerial view of the Gullfaks C oil platform, North Sea, August 23, 2023. [Photo/Agencies]The five major North Sea oil and gas producing countries are failing to align their drilling policies with agreed targets, posing a significant threat to global efforts to combat the climate crisis, according to a report. Urgent action is required from the countries to phase out oil and gas production by the early 2030s and transition to renewable energy economies, said Silje Ask Lundberg, North Sea campaign manager at Oil Change International. The countries bear significant responsibility for contributing to global warming and have ample resources to invest in clean energy solutions, Oil Change International added. Tessa Khan, executive director at the climate campaign group Uplift, said the UK government was set on "squeezing every last drop" of fossil fuel from the North Sea.

Forty tons of foodstuffs and basic products were sent Tuesday to Palestinians upon the instructions of King Mohammed VI, chairman of Al Quds Committee. They also highlighted the timing of this strategic humanitarian operation that brought urgent needed relief to Gazans with the start of the Holy month of Ramadan. Regional director of the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute, Bakkary Sambe, commended the land humanitarian operation launched to save lives in Gaza and Al Quds, describing the move as an “unprecedented”. The move confirms Morocco’s King attachment to the protection of Palestinians and the sacred status of the Holy City, underlined the Senegalese researcher. Former US ambassador to Rabat David T. Fischer on his part took to his X account to commend Morocco’s humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and Al Quds via land routes.

RABAT: Real Madrid winger Brahim Diaz was on Wednesday named in Morocco’s squad after deciding to represent the North African team rather than Spain. Diaz was included in Walid Regragui’s 24-man roster for the matches against Angola and Mauritania this month, the Moroccan Football Federation said in a statement. The 24-year-old represented Spain in one game and scored against Lithuania in 2021. Former AC Milan winger Diaz has produced fine displays with Real Madrid far this season, scoring eight goals in 32 games in all competitions. Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2024

Stock image. China’s North Copper may reduce copper output in future due to tight supplies of copper concentrates and lower processing fees, it told the state-backed China Securities Journal on Thursday. The news comes as major Chinese smelters scramble to secure raw material supplies after their profit margins were hit by shortages of copper ore due to mine disruptions and a vast expansion in global smelting capacity.

How can we massively scale up nature-based solutions to address the global community’s major challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation? “This conference is intended to be a working event in every sense—an event that draws on your insights to tackle barriers to nature-based solutions,” said Armitage. Keeping nature-based solutions people-centricDr Michael Usi, Malawi’s Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, underscored the need for meaningful solutions that resonate with local communities. He urged conference participants to ensure that the nature-based solutions are people-centred. Over the coming days, participants will engage in discussions, share insights, and work towards concrete commitments to accelerate nature-based solutions at the community level through effective partnerships.

The first minister said: "When it comes to the Middle East, firstly, I will always recognise the constructive role that US administrations played in terms of the peace process. "But I think that same critical approach, practical approach, that they applied to the Irish peace process, they now need to apply to the Middle East." Emma Little-Pengelly said: "I do think that positive, joint leadership here this week is really important. Emma Little-Pengelly said: "There's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of good will for us and for Northern Ireland and we want to maximise that for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland. "We can't grow our economy alone, we need foreign direct investment and we want to make Northern Ireland the thriving, better place we want it to be."

Trade between Morocco and China grew by 50% from 2021 to 2022 as China becomes Morocco’s first trading partner in Asia. Mehdi Laraki, head of Morocco-China business council, told le360 that Chinese investments in Morocco totaled 56 million dollars in 2022 in vital fields such as industry, transport, real estate, and energy. There has been a growing flow of Chinese business delegations to Morocco which they see as a gateway to the African and European markets, he said. “Morocco has signed 56 free trade agreements. Exporting from Morocco to these regions would enable cutting customs duties and transport costs,” he said.

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA has awarded 10 editions of its Under-17 World Cups to be hosted by Qatar and Morocco, starting in 2025 when they become annual tournaments. Qatar will hold each 48-team edition of the men’s Under-17 World Cup from 2025 through 2029. In the same period, Morocco will hold five editions of the women’s Under-17 World Cup for 24 teams. The decisions of FIFA ruling council on Thursday reflect the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's growing influence in soccer. Qatar hosted the men’s 2022 World Cup and Morocco will be one of six co-hosts of the 2030 edition.