BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — United Nations annual climate talks stuttered to a start Monday with more than nine hours of backroom bickering over what should be on the agenda for the next two weeks. It then turned to the main issue: money. In Baku, Azerbaijan, where the world’s first oil well was drilled and the smell of the fuel was noticeable outdoors, the talks were more about the smell of money — in huge amounts. Countries are negotiating how rich nations can pay up so poor countries can reduce carbon pollution by transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, compensate for climate disasters and adapt to future extreme weather. In order to try to start the 12 days of talks, called COP29, with a win, Monday’s session seemed to find a resolution to a nagging financial issue about trading carbon pollution rights — one that has eluded negotiators for years....

Monday November 11, 2024 Maritime lawyer Stephen Askins has cast doubt on claims that Yemen’s Houthi rebels are raking in as much as $180 million monthly from shipping companies to ensure safe passage through the Red Sea, calling the figures in a recent UN report “unlikely” and logistically challenging. The Rubymar ship submerged in the Red Sea on March 7, five days after it began sinking. It was hit by a Houthi missile earlier in February. Photographer: Khaled Ziad/AFP via Getty Images Mogadishu (HOL) — Reports that Yemeni Houthis are allegedly pocketing $180 million monthly from shipping companies seeking safe passage through the Red Sea may be overblown, according to maritime lawyer Stephen Askins of Tatham & Co. The UN report suggests these payments flow through informal channels to Houthi leaders, but Askins is skeptical, questioning the feasibility and logistics of such large-scale bribes. “It’s a busy week for headlines,”...

Nairobi: Somalia and Japan signed a landmark agreement in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, today to exempt Somalia from over USD 100 million in debt. The agreement was signed by Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Ageh, and Deputy Head of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Kenya, Ogihara Hiroshi. The Somali Finance Minister emphasized that this agreement builds on the recent successful debt relief process and follows the Paris Club agreement reached last March, which facilitated Somalia’s debt forgiveness. This development follows a similar agreement signed two days ago between Somalia and the United States, which relieved Somalia of USD 1 billion in debt. Source: The Peninsula Source link

Monday November 11, 2024 Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s bicameral parliament approved key electoral laws on Monday, including rules governing elections, parties and political organizations and establishing the country’s electoral commission. The laws were presented by Minister of Interior Ali Yusuf Ali Hoosh and received unanimous support from the 170 lawmakers present. The second Deputy Speaker of the House of the People, Sadia Yassin Haji Samatar, announced that the laws were passed without any opposition or abstentions. The new legislation is aligned with the National Consultative Council (NCC) agreement, which calls for a unified, universal suffrage system across Somalia, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Two days prior, an interim parliamentary committee responsible for drafting these electoral laws elected former Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Guled as its chairman, with Senator Iftin Hassan Iman Baasto as deputy chairman. The committee’s leadership and new laws support the NCC’s election timetable, with local,...

AFPRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov read out Vladimir Putin’s speech to the gathering Will Ross Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered what he called “total support” for Africa, including in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. The speech was read out at a summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to his African counterparts. Several African governments have cut ties with traditional Western allies and are looking to Moscow for help in tackling frequent attacks by jihadists. During the summit, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré said Russia was a more suitable international partner than the former colonial power, France. It is a view shared by several of France’s former colonies – and was reiterated by Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, who contrasted the Kremlin’s “sincere” partnership to the “neo-colonial” relationship of Western powers. He said that as well as military co-operation,...

Monday November 11, 2024 Convicted sex offender Mohammed Abdiwali wants his refugee status revoked so he can be deported. Chino Barrett-Lovie Mohammed Abdiwali sexually violated women in 2014 and 2020. Now in and out of jail because of repeatedly breaching his release conditions, he has nowhere permanent to live so sleeps either on the streets or with meth-addicted friends, risking, he says, relapsing into his own addiction. “I’m meant to be a monster and I’m f…ing roaming around,” he tells journalist Paula Penfold, of his desperation to get control of his life in a system he says is failing him. At the end of October, on his first night out of custody, Mohammed Abdiwali slept at Wellington train station. Perhaps surprisingly, given I’d reported he was dangerous, he got in touch because he wanted to “highlight what is going on in my life”. “Here I am today, I literally have...

The UK Foreign Office and many other Western nations advise against all travel to Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital city, due to the threat of terrorist attacks and kidnappings By Harry Thompson Senior News Reporter & Kris Boratyn Travel is a no-go – seen here, the aftermath of a double car bombing in 2017 (Image: AFP/Getty Images) Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia and one of Africa’s largest coastal cities, is now considered too perilous for tourists to visit. Despite its population skyrocketing from 54,661 in 1950 to nearly three million today, the city’s reputation has drastically changed. Once dubbed the “White Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” Mogadishu was a popular tourist spot during Somalia’s “golden age” in the 1970s, known for its stunning coastline and white buildings. However, years of political unrest and violence have turned this once bustling tourist hub into one of the globe’s most dangerous cities for travellers. The UK government, along...

Sunday November 10, 2024 Amhara- Ethiopian Communities protesting in Frankfurt, Germany (Photo : screenshot from the video) The Amhara-Ethiopian communities organized a large rally on Saturday in Frankfurt, Germany, to raise awareness about the ongoing killings of ethnic Amharas, which ethnic Amhara activists have described as genocide. The turnout at the Frankfurt rally was substantial, with protestors chanting slogans in German and carrying placards in English. One slogan read, “Stop Amhara Genocide!” Earlier in the week, similar protests took place in the U.S. and Canada. Thousands took to the streets in Calgary to oppose the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Amhara region and the killing of civilians. In the U.S., a major demonstration was held in Washington, D.C. And today, there was another huge rally in Seattle. Despite the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Amhara region—a death toll reportedly surpassing that of recent conflicts in the Middle East and...

By Abdushakur Aboud In this photo taken from video, Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley, who was born in Kenya and immigrated with her family to the United States, speaks at the Minnesota State Capitol on Nov. 8, 2024, about her election as the first Kenya-born member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley made history November 5 by becoming the first Kenyan-born immigrant elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. She describes her victory as a testament to resilience, determination and the realization of the American dream. Standing in the State Capitol for the first time on the morning of her orientation, Hiltsley told VOA she was overwhelmed with emotions and eager to start her journey as an elected official. “I am super excited,” Hiltsley said. “Today is orientation day for new legislators, and to be standing in this Capitol as an African immigrant woman is a tremendous honor....

Sunday November 10, 2024 Kismayo (HOL) — Jubbaland Regional State administration suspended cooperation with the federal government, citing federal non-compliance with Somalia’s constitution and disrespecting Jubbaland’s autonomy. In a statement released Sunday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Jubbaland, the administration criticized the federal government for obstructing Jubbaland’s electoral process and hindering anti-al-Shabaab operations within the region. “The government of Jubbaland declares that it has suspended the cooperative relationship with the Federal Government of Somalia until it complies with the Constitution of the country, respecting the wishes of the people of Jubbaland,” the statement read. The move follows Jubbaland’s formation of a seven-member independent electoral committee, appointed by President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe to oversee the region’s election preparations. On Sunday, the Jubbaland State Parliament formally approved the committee’s establishment. The federal Ministry of Internal Affairs swiftly condemned Jubbaland’s electoral committee, labeling it illegal and threatening Somalia’s democratic integrity....