Sofonie Dala - Young Talents from Africa : 07/21/21

Wednesday 21 July 2021

Spotlight on amateur fishermen. Campaign with Sofonie Dala, day 3

Overfishing in coastal Africa. Day 3

Fishing is like a hobby that almost everyone will enjoy and want to do. There are so many important and funny tricks that you cannot imagine, although it is seen as just waiting on the bait.

Our today's guest is Milton, he will share with us his daily routine in the Atlantic ocean.

Amateur fishing is a good therapy and stress relief method. Fishing is done in different waters and with different techniques.

Coastal fishing is perhaps the most difficult but the most enjoyable of fishing techniques. It is difficult to throw a fishing line from the shore. If you are inexperienced, you should say goodbye to your hook and your sinker. Sometimes, no matter how experienced you are, you cannot save the fishing line without breaking it.

Fishing with a reed is easier than throwing a fishing line with a pulley, but if you do not have a fishing rod, you should throw better as well as pull back the line carefully.

Moreover, There are no obstacles to the current laws for amateur fishing. Provided that you do not carry any commercial concern. Amateur fishermen can fish up to 5 kg per day.

LAPD Chief Admits Bomb Squad Caused Fireworks Explosion That Injured 17

Chief Michel Moore said five members of the bomb squad have been removed from field duties as the investigation continues.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles bomb technicians overloaded a containment chamber with homemade fireworks last month during a detonation, likely causing a catastrophic explosion that injured 17 people and rocked a neighborhood, the police chief said Monday.

Chief Michel Moore said five members of the department’s bomb squad have been removed from field duties as the investigation continues. They could face discipline.

The explosion — which damaged dozens of homes, businesses and vehicles just days before July Fourth — was highly unusual, officials say, because such containment chambers are designed to withhold blasts. The bomb technicians overloaded it above the safety rating, however, even as authorities are investigating if the detonation device had a defect.

The incident has prompted the Los Angeles Police Department and FBI to review police protocols regarding the detonation of explosives. The Police Department is now requiring a captain to sign off on detonations, in addition to the two bomb technicians and a supervisor who are already required.

Residents in the neighborhood have called for accountability and asked why some people were still in their homes, despite a door-to-door evacuation order. Fireworks are illegal to sell or possess in Los Angeles and in unincorporated areas of the county.

Moore announced the preliminary findings of the investigation during a media briefing Monday. The Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter and other organizations will have their own news conference on Tuesday to demand more answers and reparations for the residents who were hurt in the blast. Some victims have filed legal claims — the precursor to lawsuits — against the city.

The explosion came after police had spent the day disposing of thousands of pounds (kilograms) of commercial-grade fireworks that were found in a South Los Angeles home following an early-morning tip. Those fireworks were detonated at an off-site location.

Police arrested resident Arturo Ceja, 26, on suspicion of possessing a destructive device. Police believe the fireworks were bought in Nevada and taken to Los Angeles to sell in the neighborhood for use on the Fourth of July.

Ceja was released on $500,000 bail and is due back in court in October. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Officers also found homemade fireworks at the home that were leaking and the bomb squad decided to detonate them in the neighborhood — believing they were too unstable to transport elsewhere. They examined them by X-ray and robotics and loaded them into the detonation chamber, officially called a total containment vessel.

The bomb technicians — without using a scale, as is allowed by Los Angeles police procedures to avoid additional handling of the unstable devices — estimated the weight of the homemade explosives and a counter-charge to be about 16.5 pounds (7.5 kilograms) in a standard flash powder measurement. That measurement is not the same as an item’s physical weight and is instead calculated as a TNT equivalent because explosives have different concentrations and therefore have varying “explosive weights.”

They arrived at 16.5 pounds by estimating that the smaller explosives — there were 280 of them — each weighed about a half an ounce (14 grams) in that standard measurement. The bomb technicians estimated that the 44 larger explosives — which were about the size of a soda can with a fuse — had about 1.5 ounces (42.5 grams) worth of flash powder.

Federal authorities who weighed the remains after the blast calculated that the weight was actually more than 42 pounds (19 kilograms) in the standard measurement. The smaller explosives were actually 1.37 ounces (38.9 grams) and the larger ones were about 5 ounces (142 grams).

The detonation chamber’s maximum capacity is 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) for multiple uses or 25 pounds (11 kilograms) for a single use, Moore said. The LAPD has not publicly identified the manufacturer of the detonation chamber, despite repeated requests.

The truck-mounted chamber used during the June 30 explosion had been in service for a decade and this was its 42nd time in use.

Nine police officers and a federal agent were among the injured. One officer was taken to the hospital and is now recovering at home.

The department is also looking at the practices of bomb squads nationwide to see if its standards are up-to-date. If the Los Angeles bomb squad is found to have been following the police department’s protocol but, in fact, the department’s procedures turn out to be inaccurate, Moore said the technicians will not be disciplined.

Bezos riding own rocket on company’s 1st flight with people

VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — Jeff Bezos is about to soar on his space travel company’s first flight with people on board.

The founder of Blue Origin as well as Amazon on Tuesday will become the second billionaire to ride his own rocket. He’ll launch from West Texas with his brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands and an 82-year-old female aviation pioneer from Texas — the youngest and oldest to ever hurtle off the planet.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is set to blast off with its eclectic group of passengers on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Bezos is aiming for an altitude of roughly 66 miles (106 kilometers), more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) higher than Richard Branson’s ride on July 11.

The capsule is fully automated, so there’s no need for trained staff on the quick up-and-down flight, expected to last just 10 minutes. Branson’s Virgin Galactic rocket plane needs two pilots to operate.

Bezos’ dream-come-true trip follows 15 successful test flights to space by New Shepard rockets since 2015, all of them unoccupied. If successful, Blue Origin plans two more passenger flights by year’s end.

The company has yet to open ticket sales to the public and is filling upcoming flights with those who took part in last month’s $28 million charity auction for the fourth capsule seat. The mystery winner bowed out of Tuesday’s launch because of a scheduling conflict. That opened up the slot for Oliver Daemen, a college-bound student from the Netherlands whose father was among the unsuccessful bidders.

Also flying: Bezos’ younger brother Mark and Wally Funk, one of 13 female pilots who went through the same testing back in the early 1960s as NASA’s Mercury astronauts, but failed to make the cut because they were women.

Not everyone in the remote, desert town of Van Horn was excited about the drama unfolding 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the north.

“It’s a luxury that’s going to be set aside for the wealthy,” said pizza shop owner Jesus Ramirez. He planned to watch the morning launch from his restaurant’s patio with a cup of coffee.

China rejects hacking charges, accuses US of cyberspying

BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday rejected an accusation by Washington and its Western allies that Beijing is to blame for a hack of the Microsoft Exchange email system and complained Chinese entities are victims of damaging U.S. cyberattacks.

A foreign ministry spokesman demanded Washington drop charges announced Monday against four Chinese nationals accused of working with the Ministry of State Security to try to steal U.S. trade secrets, technology and disease research.

The announcement that the Biden administration and European allies formally blame Chinese government-linked hackers for ransomware attacks increased pressure over long-running complaints against Beijing but included no sanctions.

“The United States ganged up with its allies to make unwarranted accusations against Chinese cybersecurity,” said the spokesman, Zhao Lijian. “This was made up out of thin air and confused right and wrong. It is purely a smear and suppression with political motives.”

“China will never accept this,” Zhao said, though he gave no indication of possible retaliation.

China is a leader in cyberwarfare research along with the United States and Russia, but Beijing denies accusations that Chinese hackers steal trade secrets and technology. Security experts say the military and security ministry also sponsor hackers outside the government.

On Monday, U.S. authorities said government-affiliated hackers targeted American and other victims with demands for millions of dollars. Officials alleged contract hackers associated with the MSS engaged in extortion schemes and theft for their own profit.

Microsoft Corp. blamed Chinese spies for the Microsoft Exchange attack that compromised tens of thousands of computers around the world. The British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, on Monday called that “a reckless but familiar pattern of behavior.”

Also Monday, the Justice Department announced charges against four Chinese nationals who prosecutors said worked with the MSS to target computers at companies, universities and government entities. The defendants are accused of targeting trade secrets, scientific technologies and infectious-disease research.

“China firmly opposes and combats any form of cyberattacks, and will not encourage, support or condone any cyberattacks,” Zhao said.

Citing what he said was Chinese cybersecurity research, Zhao accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency of carrying out hacking attacks on China’s aerospace research facilities, oil industry, internet companies and government agencies over an 11-year period.

Those attacks “severely compromised” national and economic security, Zhao said.

“China once again strongly demands that the United States and its allies stop cyber theft and attacks against China, stop throwing mud at China on cybersecurity issues and withdraw the so-called prosecution,” he said. “China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard China’s cybersecurity and interests.”

I didn’t think properly before entering into Sputnik V contract – Agyemang-Manu

Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has admitted he did not do due diligence before contracting with the private office of one Emirati Sheikh, H.H Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum for 3.4 million doses of Sputnik V at a unit cost of $19.

The deal was uncovered by a Norwegian journalist, Markus Tobiassen, who works with tabloid Vergens Gan, to have been inflated by some $9 citing the ex-factory price of the vaccine as $10.

What ensued in Ghana after the exposé was controversy, including demands by the minority for the deal to be investigated. A parliamentary committee was subsequently set up to probe the deal.

Appearing before the committee, Mr. Agyemang-Manu said the exigencies of the Covid-19 impaired his ability to do things as he ordinarily would.

“Those were not normal times and I was seriously in a situation that didn’t make me think properly, the way you think that now I will actually abreast myself with the situation”, he told the committee Monday, July 19.

The minister said, the whole deal was reached out of desperation and frustration on the part of his office, the reason he did not seek parliamentary approval for the international transaction as is required under Article 181 (5) of the Constitution of Ghana 1992.

“February, 78, March 56, there were the numbers and if you, any of us here were the Health Minister at the time I think you might have taken certain decisions that on hindsight or going forward you may not have done those things This was the environment that I found myself in. Out of desperation, frustration, so many things and people were dying we needed to protect our citizens”

Meanwhile, he had on last Friday justified why he had to ignore the advice of the Attorney-General on the matter.

Cyberattacks in Africa comparable to other parts of the globe, says Kaspersky

With digital transformation a top priority on the corporate agenda as companies identify new ways to grow their business, cyber attackers and opportunist cybercriminals remain very active. And although Africa is not necessarily considered a focus area for the more sophisticated types of cybercriminal activity such as targeted attacks or advanced persistent threats (APTs), the continent is certainly not immune to these or other types of cyber risks, warn Kaspersky (https://africa.Kaspersky.com) researchers.

When looking at the general cyberthreat landscape as it impacts consumers and businesses, Kaspersky research shows that in 2020, worldwide, approximately 10% of computers experienced at least one malware attack. Interestingly, in some African countries, including South Africa, the figure was only slightly under the global 10% average, making the African region comparable to that of North America or Europe in terms of cyberattacks. On some parts of the continent, in countries like Liberia Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco as examples, Kaspersky has seen a slightly higher rate, while other parts show a lower rate – a 5% or 6% average. For the first quarter of 2021, the figures are only slightly lower than 10%, both in relative and absolute terms.

Says David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky; “Generally speaking, and based on our research, Africa has the same hit rate as we would see for other parts of the globe when it comes to cyberattacks and activity. This only emphasises that the cyber threat landscape truly does incorporate the whole globe where no continent or country is free of this growing danger and where all consumers, businesses and industries alike need to pay attention to effective cybersecurity measures – and especially during the current pandemic and resultant turbulent times.”

No respite in an evolving cybercrime landscape

In South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, Kaspersky’s research has identified the top malware families as ransomware, financial/banking trojans, and crypto-miner malware. When comparing Q1 2021 with Q2 2021, Kaspersky saw a 24% increase in ransomware in Q2 2021 in South Africa, as well as an increase of 14% in crypto-miner malware. In Kenya and Nigeria, Kaspersky saw a large increase in financial/banking trojans in Q2 2021 when compared to the figures for Q1 2021 – a 59% increase in Kenya and a 32% increase in Nigeria.

While on a technical level, not much has changed when it comes to cyberattacks, what is different is that the pandemic presents a persistent topic in which the world has a vested interest in. So, unlike the Olympics or Valentine’s Day which are limited in terms of a timeline, the pandemic offers a wealth of opportunities for cybercriminals to use malware to attack. Everything from the daily numbers and lockdown restrictions to vaccinations, hackers are leveraging on every aspect of the current situation to compromise systems.

“While the bulk of attacks are still speculative and randomly targeting individuals and businesses, there is a shift happening with the increase of APTs and more strategically targeted based attacks. These use continuous, clandestine, and sophisticated hacking techniques to gain access to a system and remain inside for a prolonged period, with potentially destructive consequences. Because of the time and effort required to perpetrate such an attack, these are often levelled at high value targets, such as nation states and large businesses,” adds Emm.

Furthermore, another concern is that as the cyberthreat landscape evolves, the nature of malware is changing.

Continues Emm; “Take ransomware as an example. In the beginning, it was very random targeting as many people as possible hoping for a relatively small amount of money paid in ransom. During the past five years, there has been a shift with a decline in the number of ransomware families being developed as well as an overall global decline in attacks. However, attackers are now focusing on specific companies and individuals where they can get the maximum benefit. The new approach of ransomware is to expose data, negatively impacting the reputation of a company. To this effect, financial crime has become more sophisticated and organised.”

Financial institutions a top targeted industry

The financial services sector remains a top targeted industry in Africa when it comes to cybercriminal activity and such cyberthreats – not surprising when one considers the digital first approach this sector continues to take, driven by the needs and expectations of its customers.

“It is relatively easy for a hacker to target an individual and capture passcodes, one-time passwords, and install malware on their computers to get financial information. Increasingly, this is expanding to financial institutions given the sheer number of new entrants in the market emerging. For hackers, online or cyber fraud offers direct monetisation of an attack and gives them access to money as quickly as possible,” adds Emm.

Financial based malware and cyberattacks are also becoming more targeted, complicated, and difficult to prevent, and with digital transformation progressing at a rapid rate within such a sector, there is no shortage of attack surfaces for cybercriminals to exploit.

“In a world where cybercrime remains rife and is only fuelled by aspects like the pandemic, there is never a moment one should not consider the implications of a cyberattack, especially as the cyberthreat landscape evolves and become even more targeted and sophisticated than it was a mere few years ago. Cybercrime is a business. This means that consumers and companies alike must remain vigilant against an increasing attack surface. Not only does this entail a more focused cyber training approach for staff within an organisation, but also using the latest technologies that feature artificial intelligence and machine learning for accurate and proactive protection and prevention in real-time,” concludes Emm.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.

Across Africa in five minutes or less

GHANA

A Sunyani-based human rights media advocacy and entrepreneurial training organization, Global Media Foundation (GLOMeF), has said that historical observations on temperature and precipitation as well as recent extreme weather events in Ghana indicate that climate change is happening faster than previously thought, and that the women, men and children of Ghana will continue to experience the impacts of dramatic climate change in the future.

GAMBIA

Gambia’s track queen Gina Bass, aka the “poor Olympian”, is one of four athletes all set for this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games as she aims to win a medal for the Gambia in the 200 metres.

It’s been a hard road to the Olympic games, but of late, Bass has had a series of successes despite other challenges.

CAPE VERDE

The President of Cabo Verde, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, expressed this Sunday, in Angola’s coastal Province of Benguela, his country’s willingness to optimize bilateral relations with Angola, through strategic partnerships.

“The Cabo Verdean company has licences to fly to the United States and through this partnership, Angola Airlines (TAAG) could take advantage of this route,” he said, making an assessment of his visit of a few hours to Benguela Province, where was received by Governor Luís Nunes da Fonseca.

SIERRA LEONE

The National Authorizing Office, Sierra Leone Roads Authority, the Contractor CSE Company and Politecnica have officially launched the 163 metre length steel beam which is the first phase of a total of 231 metre steel beam on the Mabang Bridge over the Ribbi River along the Songo-Moyamba road that leads to southern part of Sierra Leone. The launching took place in the esteem presence of the Director of the National Authorizing Office [NAO] Ambrose James.

MALI

Attacks against so-called slaves in Mali are on the rise and authorities must do more to prevent them, two independent UN human rights experts said on Monday.

Although Mali outlawed slavery in 1905, a system of “descent-based slavery” persists, where some people are considered slaves because their ancestors were allegedly enslaved by the families of so-called masters.

MOROCCO

Nearly 800 people have been detained at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay since it opened in 2002. Today that number is down to 39 – this after the Biden administration transferred one detainee to Morocco. This is the first time a Guantanamo prisoner has been released since President Biden took office, and it signals a renewed effort to shrink Guantanamo’s population, maybe to close the prison entirely.

EGYPT

Egyptian veteran diplomat and director of Bibliotheca Alexandria pointed the finger at Israel on Tuesday over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.

Feki said, “Egypt will not return to negotiations in their current form,” stressing “the importance of the African Union’s demand from Ethiopia to stop unilateral measures and negotiate within a period of time ranging from six months to a year.”

MALAWI

Malawi has lost close to US$3.1 trillion through illicit financial flows over the past six decades, with the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) featuring among the institutions involved in diverting taxpayers’ money into personal accounts, Nyasa Times has gathered.

COMOROS

President Joe Biden nominated a University of California, Santa Cruz graduate to serve as ambassador to Madagascar and the Comoros, pending Senate confirmation.

ERITREA

The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution Tuesday calling for the swift pullout of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia’s embattled northern Tigray region.

The council said Eritrean troops were “exacerbating the conflict” that continued Tuesday with the TPLF’s capture of Alamata, the main town in southern Tigray, according to AFP.

MADAGASCAR

It’s hard for many of us to imagine that horror. But it is happening tragically in Southern Madagascar.

Climate change has led to severe and repeated drought in the island nation off the coast of Africa. The World Food Program’s (WFP) Shelley Thakral reports how where there was once rushing water, there is now dry and cracked earth. If you look below a bridge built to pass over water, you see nothing but dry ground.

MOZAMBIQUE

The European Union announced a new military mission to Mozambique on July 12. The menace of radical Islamic terrorism has afflicted the country for several years, but worsened in 2021, prompting Mozambique’s government to call for an EU presence in the country. Mozambique joins the list of African countries that have welcomed European troops.

SOUTH AFRICA

The Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday heard just under four hours of argument on whether a postponement was necessary so that former president Jacob Zuma could be physically present in court to give evidence during his special plea application in the arms deal corruption case, in which he is being tried alongside French arms manufacturer Thales.

NAMIBIA

Despite the economic fallout caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development said it has achieved its goal of delivering 200 residential units.

“I want to reiterate that the need for improved coordination and a collaborative approach has become even more important in the face of obvious increased challenges of low economic growth and reduced fiscal space, which have been worsened by the huge negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, I am pleased to inform this gathering that we have achieved our goal of delivering 200 houses in phase one,” he said.

ZIMBABWE

In order to curtail new Covid-19 infections and deaths, Government has, with immediate effect, ordered all civil servants to be vaccinated, while unvaccinated workers have been banned from boarding buses provided by the employer.

“All heads of ministries are, therefore, directed to ensure that all civil servants under their jurisdiction are vaccinated.

Malian leader escapes knife attack at mosque

Leader of Mali’s transition government Col Assimi Goita escaped from a single attacker with a knife at the Great Mosque of Bamako Tuesday morning.

“Youth in Mali is 100% behind military leader Goita” – a DNT Special Report

Goita had just finished prayers after the sermon of the Imam to mark the Muslim rite of Eid al adha when the attempted attack occurred.

The yet unidentified attacker waited until Goita had passed him tried to stab him in the back, but was immediately overpowered and arrested by Goita’s security detail. Unconfirmed reports indicate that one of the security detail was injured in the brief scuffle.

Col Goïta declared himself interim president two days after seizing power in Mali’s second coup in nine months.. He also led the first coup last August, which saw the elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta forced out of office.

Since then, Goita has had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with France with the latter suspending military support to fight Jihadists that have plagued Mali for years.

Goita has been expressly anti-France and has elected to work more closely with Russia to the chagrin of Macron.

DNT News Bamako with Correspondence from Julius Ouya

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