Flags of West African countries pictured at the 64th Ordinary session of the ECOWAS Head of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria. /CGTN ECOWAS postpones ministerial mission to Niger Published on:Read < 1 minuteWest African regional bloc ECOWAS was forced to postpone a ministerial mission to Niger after an aircraft it chartered to fly to Niger encountered technical problems. “ECOWAS conveyed its regrets to the Niger authorities and stated its resolve to finding a new date to field the mission as soon as possible,” a statement released by ECOWAS on Friday said. ECOWAS has insisted on the reinstatement of Bazoum and restoration of constitutional order in the country within a short transition period. The bloc has also imposed tough sanctions on the country following the military takeover.

We focused on the three primary types of rice production environment in Africa: irrigated rice, rainfed lowland rice, and rainfed upland rice production27 (Supplementary Tables 2 and 3). Current (2018-2020) and future (2050) rice demand and self-sufficiencyWe considered the average annual domestic rice demand during the 2018–2020 period as the baseline for our study (Fig. In our study, all rice yield, production, per-capita rice demand, and total rice demand were reported as paddy rice at a standard moisture content of 140 g H 2 O kg−1 rice grain. The SSR was calculated for each country by dividing the annual rice production by the annual rice demand, while net import or exports was determined by subtracting the annual rice production from the annual rice demand. For the purpose of area expansion assessment, we considered three scenarios for rice area expansion by 2050: (i) expanding harvested rice area by 0.4 M ha annually, which is the historical rice area expansion rate in Africa over the past three decades, (ii) expanding harvested rice area at an annual rate of 0.2 M ha, representing a 50% reduction in the historical expansion rate, and (iii) expanding harvested rice area at an annual rate of 0.6 M ha, equivalent to a 50% increase in the historical expansion rate.

NCRI, a nonprofit, found cybercriminals used the social apps Instagram, Snapchat and Wizz to find and connect with their marks. NCRI’s study found that the Yahoo Boys promote their tactics and recruit new gang members, in part, by publishing training videos and guides for running a financial sextortion scam on platforms including TikTok, Scribd and YouTube. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Scribd should actively search for and take down the sextortion how-to guides, materials and scripts that they are hosting, he said. And social media platforms should include a distinct category to report sextortion — as Snapchat did in early 2023. The NCRI study also strongly criticized Wizz, concluding: “Sextortion on Wizz is pervasive and dangerous.

"It's very special, obviously having never beaten them before in any format or game is something we were looking to change and to do it in their own backyard is incredibly special," she said.

Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost airline in the Middle East and North Africa, will expand its European network by adding direct flights to Greece this summer. As of June 28, the company will inaugurate a direct flight between Athens and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), four times a week. This new itinerary aims at increasing accessibility for professionals and leisure travelers, and strengthening economic and cultural ties between Greece and the UAE. Air Arabia Group CEO Adel Abdullah Ali said Sharjah is a city known for its rich history, culture, and business opportunities. “The start of Air Arabia flights to Athens reflects our continuing commitment to provide our clients with unobstructed connectivity between the two cities, while offering economic and affordable travel options,” he added.

The European Commission is expected to unveil a new alliance on small modular reactors (SMRs) by next month, with the aim of deploying small nuclear projects across the continent by 2030. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors. Data into nuclear energy: World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2023Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov points out that the world’s first floating nuclear power plant that began commercial operation in May 2020, is producing energy from two 35 MW(e) SMRs. Nuclear generation set to grow over next few yearsThe developments being touted for SMRs come as the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that by 2025, global nuclear generation is forecast to exceed its previous record set in 2021. “After completion, it is expected to achieve an annual power generation capacity of 1 billion kWh, which would meet the needs of about 526,000 households.

Brad Potts rescued a point for Preston as they held on to draw 1-1 with Millwall at The Den. Zian Flemming gave Millwall an early lead, but Potts got Preston back on level terms with 12 minutes remaining of the first half. The result leaves Preston in 12th in the Sky Bet Championship, while the Lions leapfrog Blackburn into 17th. Despite being on a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, Millwall looked lively and took the lead after just five minutes. "The way we responded to the goal was poor, we completely lost our way from the goal until half-time."

In June 2021, the insurance plan for North Carolina state employees was paying for 2,800 people to take weight-loss drugs. Last year, it paid for nearly 25,000. Medications like Wegovy cost the North Carolina State Health Plan $100 million last year, rising seemingly out of nowhere to represent 10 percent of its spending on prescription drugs. “This is something we never anticipated,” said Dale Folwell, the state treasurer, whose office runs the health plan.

The Earthshot Prize Innovation SummitBest of The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit 2023 is a global prize designed to incentivize change and help to repair our planet by awarding five winners each year for their contributions to environmentalism. This year’s Innovation Summit featured finalists selected by the Earthshot council in addition to panelist speakers from heads of state, grassroots organizations and tech leaders. This special Bloomberg program highlights the event's biggest interviews and news makers.

(click to enlarge)Electricity peak demand and energy growth forecasts for the next decade are projected to be higher than at any point in the past 10 years, based on industry forecasts, past consumption patterns and weather forecasts from 2023. This trend has raised concerns about the electricity sector’s ability to provide sufficient transmission and generation capacity to meet the growing demand. Additionally, many industry experts highlight that, despite increasing the share of renewable energy in electricity grids, the demand for fossil fuels will remain strong. A significant factor in these projections is the increased use of AI and other data systems, which will inevitably lead to higher energy demand. AI, especially during testing phases, is a major energy consumer, and its usage is expected to grow substantially in the next decade.

Italy is enhancing its overall energy security by significantly increasing investments in both energy transition and conventional hydrocarbon infrastructure. By 2027, the Italian grid operator SNAM will invest approximately $12.5 billion or 11.5 billion euros in its energy transition business, covering transport, liquefied natural gas infrastructure, and storage. Additionally, EUR 1.4 billion will be used to expand or upgrade storage sites, and EUR 1.5 billion will be spent on LNG infrastructure. Venier highlighted the need to take all measures to counter potential energy supply security issues in Italy. Italian energy supply also still is under pressure of ongoing instability inside of Libya, while the pressure is on for Egypt’s LNG potential.

North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks (11-10, 3-3 Summit League) at Saint Thomas Tommies (14-7, 4-2 Summit League)Saint Paul, Minnesota; Saturday, 8 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: St. Thomas takes on the North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks after Parker Bjorklund scored 32 points in St. Thomas’ 79-66 win over the North Dakota State Bison. St. Thomas is the leader in the Summit League in team defense, giving up 63.2 points while holding opponents to 43.1% shooting. North Dakota is seventh in the Summit League with 11.6 assists per game led by Eli King averaging 2.3. St. Thomas is shooting 46.2% from the field this season, 1.3 percentage points higher than the 44.9% North Dakota allows to opponents. North Dakota has shot at a 43.4% rate from the field this season, 0.3 percentage points higher than the 43.1% shooting opponents of St. Thomas have averaged.

Between 2004 and 2022, AfDB provided over $13 billion to finance regional road corridor projects. Nevertheless, addressing supply chain obstacles in African countries requires proactive policy measures. The most important factor influencing Africa’s potential to be a global supply chain leader is the abundance of critical minerals and metals, including aluminium, cobalt, copper, lithium and manganese, vital components in technology-intensive industries. Compared to other parts of the world, Africa as a continent has many disadvantages in its logistics infrastructure and supply chain system. However, the current geopolitical issues, macroeconomic challenges and the trend of supply chain diversification is the chance for Africa to change its fortune.

Dakar, the capital of Senegal, will host in February 2027 the International Congress on Marine Protected Areas (Impac6), for the first ever in the history of the continent. The city has been chosen by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to host the event also known as IMPAC 6. The event, held every four years, will be held in Africa for the first time. This choice is not insignificant insofar as the continent is the “junction point of all the world’s seas and oceans”, explains Mamadou Sidibé, Senegal’s Director of Community Marine Protected Areas (DAMCP). Senegal has stood out on the continent as it currently boasts 17 marine protected areas (MPAs) established in recent years.

Niger’s authorities have temporarily halted the issuance of new mining licenses and ordered an audit of the industry, the Ministry of Mining announced, according to press reports. However, it comes amid the increase in the price of the commodity on the international market. Last week, the price of a pound of uranium on the spot market reached $100, a level not seen since 2007, reports revealed. The incumbent authorities answering to a junta that seized power on July 26, 2023 after deposing President Mohamed Bazoum, want to control mining activities in the country. The country has one major uranium mining operation, run by France’s State-owned Orano company.