NATO approves Finland and Sweden’s membership

 Final admission process entails approval by the legislatures of the 30 current members

THIS JUST IN – NATO has voted to approve the membership applications of Finland and Sweden, a move that increases NATO border with Russia by another 800 miles.

The two new members point to Russia’s February 24 “unprovoked” invasion of Ukraine as the reason for the shift from their historic neutrality to applying to join NATO.

Ironically, one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s aims for invading Ukraine was to weaken the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Rather, his invasion has solidified the alliance and attracted two new members.

Article 5 of NATO’s charter views an attack on any member as an attack on the entire alliance, which triggers a collective response.

Finland and Sweden have both witnessed Russia continue to destroy Ukraine as the west stands by and only resorts to sending in military aid instead of actively defending Ukraine.

Announcing the approval, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO’s door remains open to democracies north of the Atlantic who applies for membership and commits to dedicating 2% of their GDP to defense spending.

The approval of the two new members must now be ratified by the legislative bodies of all 30 members, which can take six to 12 months and expected to face no objections.

Turkey was the last country standing in the way of admitting Finland and Sweden, but Ankara dropped its objection two weeks ago and thus paved the way for the historic additions to the alliance.

DNT News. Brussels.

 

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Man Who invented The Mobile Phone Says People Who Spend So Much Time On It Need To ‘Get A Life’

 

The inventor of the mobile phone has suggested that people who spend too much time on the device should get a life.

Martin Cooper, a 93-year-old American engineer widely credited as the “father of the cell phone”, was appearing on BBC Breakfast when he suggested people should stop scrolling and “get a life”.

Cooper led the team at Motorola responsbile for the development of the first ever mobile phone in the 1970s. In 1973, he became the first person in history to make a handheld cellular phone call in public.

Cooper admitted he doesn’t use the device all that much. He explained during the interview that he probably spends less than 5 per cent of his time on his phone.

When asked what he would say to those who spend hours on their phone, he was incredulous.

“You really spend five hours a day?” he asked. “I would say ‘get a life!'”

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UN Ocean Conference 2022 Documentary. By Sofonie Dala, part 1

 Accelerating plastic-free oceans

Hello World!

My name is Sofonie Dala, welcome to the ocean conferences that is being held in Portugal.

Last week we where in the Angolan sea to carry out a mini-campaign together with fishermen in order to trace a new path that would guarantee the protection and conservation of the ocean and its resources.

We created our #Plastic_Free_Oceans mini-campaign to share best practices and solutions for the successful implementation of SDG14, inspiring action to tackle the environmental crisis of climate, pollution, and nature that affects oceans, seas, and marine resources.

Fish are being killed, and prevented from reaching maturity, by the litter of plastic particles finding their way into the world's oceans, marine animals cannot distinguish a piece of plastic from food. If the current trend continues, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

As we celebrate the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, we must boost collective efforts and find science-based solutions to effectively address the challenges that the ocean is now facing. Our initiative left fishermen with the knowledge, and inspiration they need to advance the fight to protect the ocean. 

This conference is a unique opportunity for young people to contribute to the implementation of SDG 14, all in alignment with the 2022 UN Ocean Conference theme. 

Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions

The science is clear: the ocean — critical to combatting climate change, boosting economic growth and reducing biodiversity loss — is seriously degraded, and if present trends continue, there will be catastrophic consequences for the planet. 

This event is also bringing critical media attention to the importance of the ocean when it comes to combating climate change.

Force cannot solve Rwanda-Congo crisis – Kagame

 The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has called for a political solution to the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In an interview with the state broadcaster, he said the current hostilities couldn’t be solved by force alone.

Two weeks ago East African leaders ratified the formation of a regional military force in the troubled region, amid a resurgence of rebel activity and heightened tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda.

Kigali accuses the Congolese government of shelling its territory. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels.

On the migrant deal with the UK, President Kagame said the country had space for Rwandans as well as other nationalities.

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Central African Republic President: Crypto is key to financial inclusion

 Cryptocurrencies are the solution to tackling financial exclusion in the Central African Republic, its President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Sunday, citing the cost of opening bank accounts.

“The alternative to cash is a cryptocurrency,” Touadera said at a launch event for crypto initiative Sango hosted by the country after it became the first African state to make bitcoin legal tender in April. “For us, a formal economy is no longer an option.” read more

The move to adopt cryptocurrencies in a country where internet use is low and electricity unreliable has raised eyebrows among crypto experts, puzzled lawmakers and residents, and drawn words of caution from the International Monetary Fund.

The Sango project, including a “Sango Coin”, was backed by the Central African Republic’s National Assembly and spearheaded by Touadera, who said the token would provide access to the country’s “mountain” of natural resources, including gold and diamonds.

The country’s “Sango” website says that it will “facilitate the tokenization of Central African Republic’s resources for worldwide investors”.

“Sango Coin will be the currency of the new generation of the Central African Republic,” Touadera said, without providing specifics.

The Central African Republic’s enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies does not seem to have been dented by recent losses in their values, with the price of bitcoin falling over 58% in the past three months, according to Refinitiv data.

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Chicago father hides child in dumpster to protect against mass shooter

 THIS JUST IN – A Chicago father resorted to the protection of a dumpster to hide his child in order to venture back to the parade grounds to look for more family members, CNN reports.

This followed yet another mass shooting in the United States that took the lives of six and injured dozens.

The gunman, who has not yet been identified, was described by Highland Park police as a white man between 18 and 20 years old with a small build and longer black hair. He is wearing a white or blue T-shirt, according to Highland Park Police Cmmd. Chris O’Neill.

He is reported to have first positioned himself on the roof of a nearby building before opening fire on a parade celebrating the July Fourth independence of the United States.

Half a dozen people are reported killed by the gunman and dozens others are injured. The shooter was reported by the police to be armed with a “high powered rifle.

The mass shooting took place in the Highland Park of the city of Chicago.

DNT News.

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17 Terrorist Attacks Recorded In West Africa In June 2022 – Kan-Dapaah

 Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of National Security, says the West African subregion experienced 17 terrorist attacks as of June 28, 2022.

He said the attacks resulted in 574 deaths with “so many injuries.”

“In April, the subregion of West Africa witnessed attacks, incidents and 315 people died. We felt that was too much, but in May, there were only 42 incidents, five less than in April, but 465 people died. The trend has not changed,” he added.

The Minister said this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the First Senior Level Regional Course for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) for West Africa Region, in Accra.

The four-day event is jointly organised by the African Union’s (AU) specialised institution – African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) and partnered by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland.

It is being supported by the Human Security Research Centre (HSRC)-Ghana.

Mr Kan-Dapaah noted that major security threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism were more widespread than previously thought, transcending borders.

Therefore, he said the course would create the opportunity for them to reflect on measures, strategies deployed thus far towards addressing terrorism and violent extremism.

He said it would also help them develop innovative approaches towards enhancing regional security.

The Minister urged participants not to shirk the fight against terrorism to policymakers of their respective governments, adding that, a societal approach was needed.

Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), said innovative approaches were required to nib terrorism and violent extremism in the bud in the subregion.

He noted that military action per se was not a sufficient guarantor of national security.

Therefore, he suggested that the response to terrorism and violent extremism should be carried out with a blend of military approach and a whole-of-society preventive measures that took into consideration the vulnerabilities of people.

Dr Chambas said PVE policies must consider creating a conducive atmosphere for economic empowerment and a sense of belonging, particularly for young people, to be productive and contribute to the socio-economic development of their communities and countries.

Mr Idriss Mounir Lallali, Acting Director, African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT/CAERT), AU Commission, said Ghana’s active involvement and participation in activities of the AU demonstrated the country’s long-standing history of working tirelessly towards peace, unity and resilience of the African Continent.

He said Violent Extremism was a multi-faceted and extremely diverse phenomena, thus making it difficult to be predicted by one variable.

Mr Lallali said in Africa, vulnerabilities such as weak political institutions, porous borders, inadequately trained and ill-equipped security forces, historical grievances mainly related to marginalisation, and lack of economic opportunities- particularly for young people- had created conditions for extremist ideologies to grow and fester.

He said political instability within the continent provided safe havens for terrorist and extremist groups and in turn, created generalised insecurity that gave rise to popular uprisings – thus resulting in a vicious cycle of insecurity and coup d’états.

Mr Lallali said although military strategies may be justifiable in combative situations, more practical and lasting solutions must be targeted in preventative measures.

He said terrorism and violent extremism would only be overcome by collectively working together in the fight against all forms and manifestations of the threat.

“Our collective action and cooperation are needed now more than ever to silence the guns on our continent,” he added.

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