Kidnappers release 42 abducted from school in Nigeria

Twenty-seven students, three staff and 12 members of their families had been abducted last week by an armed gang.

Gunmen in Nigeria have released 42 people, including 27 students, who were kidnapped from a boarding school last week in the north-central state of Niger, the state’s governor said.

Their release comes just a day after a separate raid on a school in Nigeria’s Zamfara state where gunmen seized more than 300 girls.

Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups, many of whom carry guns and ride motorcycles, are common across many northern Nigerian states.

Last week, 27 students, three staff and 12 members of their families were abducted by an armed gang who stormed the Government Science secondary school in the Kagara district of Niger state at around 2am local time, overwhelming the school’s security detail.

One boy was killed during the raid.

“The Abducted Students, Staff and Relatives of Government Science Collage Kagara have regained their freedom and have been received by the Niger State Government,” Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said in a tweet.

“They spent at least 9-10 days in captivity, and at some point a lot of people gave up that anything good will come out of these negotiations,” he said.

Idris said the government was not saying whether it had paid a ransom, after previously ruling out such a move.

“But we understand that the bandits demanded the release of at least six of their members held in police custody. Banditry and kidnapping has become the biggest criminal enterprise now growing fast across Nigeria,” Idris said.

The recent attacks have raised concern about rising violence by armed gangs and groups and in Nigeria. Armed group Boko Haram carries out abductions in Nigeria’s turbulent northeast, as does a branch of the ISIL (ISIS) group.

The unrest has become a political problem for President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired general and former military ruler who has faced mounting criticism in recent months over high profile attacks by the gangs known locally as “bandits”.

Buhari replaced his longstanding military chiefs this month amid worsening violence in Nigeria.

Violence and insecurity have compounded the economic challenges faced by citizens in Africa’s most populous country and top oil exporter, which is struggling to cope with a fall in revenues due to a slump in crude prices in addition to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

SOURCE : AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Vanessa Bryant Slams Evan Rachel Wood's "Vile" Tweet About Kobe Bryant Following His Death

 A year after Kobe Bryant's death, his wife Vanessa Bryant criticized Evan Rachel Wood for calling her late husband a "rapist" in a tweet the actress posted on the day he died.

Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant is slamming a tweet that Evan Rachel Wood posted last year just after his death, in which the Westworld actress called him a "rapist."

The NBA legend, one of the most celebrated athletes of all time, died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, along with his and Vanessa's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, one of their four children. After news of their deaths were made public, Evan tweeted, "What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe's family. He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously."

Scores of people had initially criticized the Westworld actress over the tweet that appeared to allude to a 2003 sexual assault case involving Kobe and an unidentified female accuser, which was later dismissed. On Saturday, Feb. 27, more than a year after the deadly helicopter crash, Vanessa said she learned about Evan's post, and shared it on her Instagram Story.

"This just came to my attention," Kobe's wife wrote in her post, in which she tagged the actress. "Your false, insensitive, defamatory and slanderous tweet on 1/26/20 is vile and disturbing to say the least."

Evan has not commented on Vanessa's post and her rep had no immediate comment when reached by E! News.

Last year, shortly following the initial backlash over her initial tweet about Kobe, the actress wrote on Twitter that her post was "not a condemnation or a celebration" but "a reminder that everyone will have different feelings and there is room for us all to grieve together instead of fighting. Everyone has lost. Everyone will be triggered, so please show kindness and respect to all." Following more online criticism, she later deleted both tweets. 

Evan, an activist and rape survivor, has no known personal connection to Kobe. Earlier this month, she made headlines when she alleged that her ex Marilyn Manson, "groomed" her when she was a teenager and abused her for years. He has denied her accusations as well as other abuse claims made by several other women.

In 2003, Kobe was charged with sexual assault of a woman at a Colorado hotel. He denied the allegations, saying they had had a "consensual" encounter. The accuser ultimately refused to testify and the rape charge was dropped.

"Behavior like this is part of the reason why innocent black men go to jail for crimes they didn't commit," Vanessa wrote in her post on Saturday. "An accusation doesn't make someone guilty. YOU DON'T KNOW THE FACTS OF THE CASE."

In 2004, after the case was dismissed, Kobe issued an apology statement. It read, "I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year."

"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did," the statement continued. "After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."

The accuser later sued the Los Angeles Lakers star and the two reached a settlement over that civil case in 2005.

The AFRIKA KOMMT! fellowship Programme 2021/2023 for Future Leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa (Fully Funded to Germany)

Application Deadline: April 2nd 2021 

AFRIKA KOMMT! brings together the most visionary young leaders from Africa and leading German companies. Companies benefit from the expertise, knowledge, local network and unique African perspective of the young professionals. The African fellows dive deep into the German corporate specifics, German business spirit and the German culture.

Benefits

The AFRIKA KOMMT! programme is entirely financed by the participating German companies.

As a fellow, all costs related to your participation in the fellowship programme will be covered (flights, accommodation, monthly stipend, trainings, language course).

Requirements

Be a Citizen of any African country

Have a University degree in a relevant subject

Postgraduate degree (e.g. MBA) is an advantage

Have two to five years work experience

Have excellent English language skills

Basic knowledge of the German language is an advantage

Not be older than 35 years at the time of application

Click Here to apply: https://bit.ly/2ZTGESC

US strike, first under Biden, kills Iran-backed militiaman

A U.S. airstrike in Syria targeted facilities belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, killing one fighter and wounding several others, an Iraqi militia official said Friday, signaling the first military action undertaken by U.S. President Joe Biden.

The African Regent Hotel

The Pentagon said the strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.

The Iraqi militia official told The Associated Press that the strikes against the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, hit an area along the border between the Syrian site of Boukamal facing Qaim on the Iraqi side. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak of the attack. Syria war monitoring groups said the strikes hit trucks moving weapons to a base for Iranian-backed militias in Boukamal.

“I’m confident in the target that we went after, we know what we hit,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters flying with him from California to Washington, shortly after the airstrikes which were carried out Thursday evening Eastern Standard Time.

The Biden administration in its first weeks has emphasized its intent to put more focus on the challenges posed by China, even as Mideast threats persist. Biden’s decision to attack in Syria did not appear to signal an intention to widen U.S. military involvement in the region but rather to demonstrate a will to defend U.S. troops in Iraq and send a message to Iran.

The U.S. has in the past targeted facilities in Syria belonging to Kataeb Hezbollah, which it has blamed for numerous attacks targeting U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq. The Iraqi Kataeb is separate from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors the war in Syria, said the strikes targeted a shipment of weapons that were being taken by trucks entering Syrian territories from Iraq. The group said 22 fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi umbrella group of mostly Shiite paramilitaries that includes Kataeb Hezbollah, were killed. The report could not be independently verified.

In a statement, the group confirmed one of its fighters was killed and said it reserved the right to retaliate, without elaborating. Kataeb Hezbollah, like other Iranian-backed factions, maintains fighters in Syria to both fight against the Islamic State group and assist Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in that country’s civil war.

Defense Secretary Austin said he was “confident” the U.S. had hit back at the “the same Shia militants that conducted the strikes,” referring to a Feb. 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition personnel.

Austin said he had recommended the action to President Biden.

“We said a number of times that we will respond on our timeline,” Austin said. “We wanted to be sure of the connectivity and we wanted to be sure that we had the right targets.”

Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. action was a “proportionate military response” taken together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.

 

 

BAGHDAD (AP)

25th Ghana International Trade Fair Exhibition to be Hosted Virtually

The Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited (GTFC) as part of its statutory mandate to host the international trade exhibition annually,  this year’s exhibition which Mark the  25th Ghana International Trade Fair exhibition is to be hosted virtually.

The month-long event is in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Association of Ghana Industries, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce is expected to commence from February 27 through to March 28, 2021.

The premier virtual edition of this year’s exhibition will be hosted on the domain name or website www.tradefairgh.com.

The fair which has been structured to advance efforts in improving the Value Addition Policy initiated by the current government is on the theme: Developing New Trade Opportunities Through Digital Channels”.

According to the chief executive officer, Ghana Trade Fair company limited, Dr. Agnes Adu, the need to organise the 25th edition on a virtual platform has been necessitated by:

The global covid-19 pandemic  and it’s attendant restrictions on physical gatherings.

The ongoing construction at the premises of the trade fair company as part of the redevelopment project of the entire 156- acres site into a modern, mixed-use commercial estate with convention and exhibition facilities as its centrepiece.

Adding that, the project has begun with the demolishing of structures including the pavilions in which international fairs were hosted and is expected to last a couple of years.

In a press statement released by ghana international trade fair authority in Accra, the CEO announced that over 500 both foreign and local exhibitors have been invited and are expected to participate in this year’s edition of the international trade Fair.

She indicated that adequate interventions have been put in place to ensure the benefit of exhibitors, adding that, no challenges have been recorded so far.

“The exhibition will have pavilions for  businesses from Ghana and several other countries in Africa and beyond with a potential market population of 250 million people and will offer exhibitors and visitors the opportunity to connect and interact in a virtual world”, she said.

She further called on Ghanaians and other related stakeholders to help support and participate in the course of putting Ghanaian businesses on the global stage. 

For more info contact the following numbers: 0500015587, 0244469451, 0558728272 or via mail ghtradefair@gmail.com

Russian diplomats use hand-pulled trolley to cross N Korea border

It took a group of eight, including a three-year-old, 32 hours by train and two hours by bus to reach the border on a ‘long and difficult’

A group of Russian diplomats and family members used a hand-pushed rail trolley to leave North Korea this week, amid Pyongyang’s strict anti-coronavirus measures, which include blocking most forms of passenger transport across the border.

North Korea has not reported any confirmed cases of the coronavirus but has imposed crippling border closures, banned most international travel, and severely restricted movement inside the country.

“Since the borders have been closed for more than a year and passenger traffic has been stopped, it took a long and difficult journey to get home,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on social media.

The group of eight, including a three-year-old, travelled 32 hours by train and two hours by bus from Pyongyang just to reach the Russian border on Thursday, the post said.

Translation: On February 25, eight Russian employees of the Russian Embassy in the DPRK and their family members returned to their homeland.  

Since the borders have been closed for more than a year and passenger traffic has been stopped, it took a long and difficult journey to get home…

The group then had to cross the border on foot, loading luggage and passengers onto a trolley on the train tracks.

Photos and video released by the ministry show the trolley, laden with brightly coloured bags and suitcases, being pushed across a wintry landscape.

Embassy third secretary Vladislav Sorokin was the trolley’s “engine”, the ministry said, by pushing it for more than one kilometre (0.6 miles), including across a rail bridge over the Tumen River, which divides the two countries.

Ministry officials greeted the group at a border station on the Russian side, where they then travelled by bus to Vladivostok airport, the post said.

During the past year, the number of foreign diplomats in Pyongyang has dwindled, with many Western embassies closing, citing the bans on rotating staff.

Those who left often had to negotiate for weeks to arrange for special measures to allow them to depart.

The North has not confirmed even a single case of COVID-19 – although experts have long said it is unlikely to have escaped the pandemic – and in September the commander of US forces in the South said Pyongyang had issued shoot-to-kill orders in its border areas.

It imposed a strict border closure last January to try to protect itself from the virus that first emerged in China, its main ally.

While denying any single COVID-19 case, Pyongyang has attempted to steal information on coronavirus vaccines and treatments by hacking Pfizer, the US pharmaceutical firm whose highly effective COVID-19 vaccine is being given to millions of people around the world, South Korea’s intelligence agency said.

SOURCE : AL JAZEERA, REUTERS

Ivory Coast becomes second country to receive vaccines via COVAX

Vaccination drive to begin on Monday after 504,000 doses of the AstraZeneca jabs arrive through the global vaccine-sharing. 

Ivory Coast has become the second country to receive a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines via COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing programme.

The vaccines, 504,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, arrived on Friday in the commercial capital, Abidjan, paving the way for the West African nation to launch a vaccination campaign next week.

Ghana received the first COVAX shipment on Wednesday, marking the start of what the WHO and UNICEF call the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history.

By the end of 2021, COVAX plans to deliver nearly two billion doses to more than 90 low and middle-income countries, hoping to level a playing field that has seen wealthier nations vaccinate millions while comparatively few have received shots in poorer parts of the world.

The initiative – led by the WHO, a vaccine group Gavi, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations – has been hampered by the severely limited global supply of doses as well as logistical problems that have set vaccinations behind globally.

Ivory Coast will begin its vaccination campaign on Monday.

Health Minister Eugene Aka Aouele said the first phase will target health personnel, defence and security forces and teaching staff in Abidjan, where 95 percent of the country’s cases have been recorded.

The minister said this first batch will target more than 250,000 people.

Ivory Coast has a population of more than 25 million.

“This is an important step in our shared fight against the common enemy that is COVID-19,” the minister said. “The pandemic has taken a heavy toll around the world and our country is no exception.”

It has recorded 32,295 cases and 188 deaths since its first case was recorded on March 11 last year, according to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention figures.

“Today is an important first step towards achieving our shared vision of vaccine equity, but it is only the beginning,” said the WHO representative in Ivory Coast, Dr Jean-Marie Vianney Yameogo.

“Global and equitable access to a vaccine, which will protect health workers and those at greatest risk of contracting the disease in particular, is the only way to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on public health and the economy.”

SOURCE : NEWS AGENCIES