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☆ Africa Climate Summit: Electric motorcycle startup Spiro expands into Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Spiro, a startup looking to eliminate fuel-guzzling motorbikes and scooters from the roads by trading them in for electric two-wheelers, is expanding to Kenya. Ahead of the first Africa Climate Summit, which kicked off in Kenya’s capital Nairobi today, the host government announced on Friday that the e-bike and battery-swapping startup would be entering the East African country with its biggest deployment yet: 1.2 million electric vehicles. In Kenya, they will be offered 50,000 Kenyan shillings (about $344) – around a third of the price of a new electric bike – to swap their existing bike for an electric one. Last week, US company Uber also launched an electric motorbike service in Kenya, promising to roll out 3,000 bikes within six months. “We’re surpassing the symbolic but significant milestone of one million electric bikes signed with a government,” says Samain.

Persons: CNN — Spiro, Jules Samain –, polluters, Samain, Spiro, CLEMENT, CLEMENT DI ROMA, ”, ” Spiro, William Ruto, Ampersand, Uber Organizations: CNN, Africa Climate, CLEMENT DI, AFP, Getty, FIA Foundation, Spiro, McKinsey Locations: Kenya, Africa, Kenya’s, Nairobi, West, Benin, Togo, Rwanda, Uganda, China, Mombasa, Saharan Africa, Swedish, Kenyan, East

☆ Gabon coup: How France's neo-colonial empire in its former territories is disintegrating
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

A torn campaign billboard shows ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Libreville on August 31, 2023. AFP/Getty ImagesPropping up ‘democratic dictators’Whilst the international community has condemned the coup in Gabon, it has not attracted the same vehement criticism that last month’s coup in Niger did. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said France was watching the coup d’etat in Gabon “with the utmost attention.”It presents a challenge to France. Large crowds supporting the coup gathered Sunday near the French military base in Niamey, with demonstrators displaying signs demanding French troops withdraw. “The systems of government that former French colonies have, which were imposed by Paris are no longer fit for purpose.

Persons: Leon, Charles de Gaulle, Gaulle, Bongo, jubilation, General Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, ’, Oluwole, Elisabeth Borne, Chris Ogunmodede, that’s, Paul Biya, Ogunmodede, ” Ogunmodede, …, ” Ojewale, “, Ndongo Samba Sylla, Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: CNN, Military, Gabonese, Agence France, Presse, Gabon, Getty, Institute of Security Studies, autocrats, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, “, Macron Locations: Gabon, France, Gabon’s, Libreville, AFP, Niger, Gabonese, West, Central Africa, Mali, Senegal, Dakar, ”, Niamey, Paris, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Switzerland, Africa, Russia, Commonwealth, Togo, Macron France, Nigeria, “ Africa

☆ What’s in a Name? For These Design Brands, Generations of Expectations.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Stephen Treffinger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Antoine, 43, joined in 2006 as an executive vice president overseeing Ligne Roset’s North American division. Ligne Roset has long collaborated with emerging designers, and the pair considers putting money into equipment to support new design an essential component for moving forward. “It is key for a manufacturer who wants to be at the forefront of design and development,” Antoine said. In collaboration with a California biotechnology company called MycoWorks, the cousins are developing a new type of vegan leather made from mushrooms. Other companies are experimenting with alternatives to hides, they noted, but Ligne Roset wants to be the first to have a sustainable vegan leather on permanent offer in their products.

Persons: Antoine, Olivier, Ligne Roset, ” Antoine, Michel Ducaroy Organizations: Ligne, North Locations: Briord, France, California, Togo

☆ India basmati rice exporters get requests for early shipments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, July 31 (Reuters) - Indian rice exporters have been receiving requests from buyers to advance shipments of basmati rice after New Delhi banned exports of non-basmati white rice to dampen local prices, industry officials told Reuters. "Buyers are requesting early shipments because they fear that the government might put restrictions on exports of basmati rice as well," said Atul Garg, managing director at GRM Overseas (GRMO.NS), a leading exporter of basmati rice. Non-basmati white rice, which India has banned for export, is mainly purchased by Senegal, Benin, Togo, Bangladesh, and Cote d'Ivoire. India never banned exports of basmati rice in the past but did impose export taxes in 2008. But basmati rice growing areas have increased in 2023 and production is likely to be higher than last year, said Vijay Setia, an exporter.

Persons: Atul Garg, Vijay Setia, Setia, Rajendra Jadhav, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, GRM Overseas, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Delhi, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, United States, Senegal, Benin, Togo, Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, New, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh

Meanwhile, the black market for smuggled subsidised Nigerian fuel in Togo and neighbouring Benin and Cameroon has collapsed, further reducing demand for shipments via Nigeria. Average monthly West African (WAF) gasoline imports fell by 56% in the second quarter compared with the first, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. "The key point is demand from West Africa is drying up," said Refinitiv Lead Oil Analyst Raj Rajendran. There may simply be a baseline decrease in demand," said Sparta Commodities gasoline market analyst Philip Jones-Lux. The challenge is coming from the new refineries in the Middle East that are expanding from their traditional East Africa market to now include West Africa and beyond even to the Americas," Rajendran said.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Jeremy Parker, Raj, naira, Philip Jones, Jones, Lux, Rajendran, Shadia, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Nigeria's, West, ARA, Reuters Graphics, Sparta Commodities, Thomson Locations: Africa, Nigeria, North America, West Africa, Europe, United States, Asia, Ukraine, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Sparta, Mideast, Russia, European, East Africa

Four dealers confirmed that export contracts of around 2 million metric tons of rice, worth $1 billion, are at the risk of being cancelled. Before the export ban, India used to sell around 500,000 tons of non-basmati white rice every month, Gupta said. Now, prices are likely to drop, and the traders are likely to suffer losses, said a New-Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house. Traders say while global prices will go up because of India's export ban, local rates are likely to drop. Top buyers of Indian non-basmati rice include Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Persons: Nitin Gupta, Gupta, B.V, Krishna Rao, Rao, Rice, Rajendra Jadhav, Mayank Bhardwaj, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Traders, Olam Agri India Ltd, Reuters, Rice, Association, El, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, India, Mumbai, Delhi, Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Bangladesh, Nepal, Asia

☆ India triggers inflation fears after imposing major rice export ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The government said it was imposing a ban on non-basmati white rice after retail rice prices climbed 3% in a month after late but heavy monsoon rains caused significant damage to crops. The category impacted, non-basmati white and broken rice, accounted for around 10 million tons of a total of 22 million tons of Indian rice exports last year. His administration has extended a ban on wheat exports after curbing rice shipments in September 2022. Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $515 to $525 per metric ton, its highest since 2011. Buyers may move to Thailand and Vietnam, but their 5% broken rice could cost $600 per metric ton, said one European trader.

Persons: Narendra Modi, B.V, Krishna Rao, Rice, ” Rao, Rao, El Organizations: Delhi Reuters, Rice, Association, Reuters, El Nino Locations: Delhi, India, Ukraine, Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, New Delhi, Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Bangladesh, Nepal, Punjab, Haryana, Rice, China, Philippines

☆ Read Your Way Through Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Itamar Vieira Junior | Translated Johnny Lorenz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Read Your Way Around the World is a series exploring the globe through books. I was born in Salvador, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, and lived in the general vicinity until I reached the age of 15. I already knew something of Amado, not from reading him but because he was an omnipresent figure in the cultural life of Salvador. Salvador was the first capital of Brazil, founded in 1549 as part of the Portuguese colonial project in the Americas. In the Salvador of yesteryear, one would find Europeans, mostly Portuguese and Dutch, as well as Indigenous peoples, especially the Tupinambá.

Persons: Jorge Amado, Amado, Salvador, Rufino, João José Reis, Flávio dos Santos Gomes, Marcus J.M, de Carvalho, Rufino ” Locations: Salvador, Brazilian, Bahia, Brazil, Portuguese, Americas, Salvador of yesteryear, Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Dahomey, Togo, Republic of Congo, Angola, Oyo

☆ How a Vast Demographic Shift Will Reshape the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

1990 Younger populations Workingage Older populations For decades, the world’s dominant powers have benefited from large working-age populations that help drive economic growth. Russia U.K. France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S. U.S. Japan U.S. Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C. Russia U.K. France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S. U.S. U.S. Japan Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C. Russia U.K. France Pakistan China U.S. U.S. U.S. Japan Japan China China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C. Russia U.K. France Pakistan China U.S. U.S. U.S. Japan Japan China China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C.

Persons: That’s, ”, Mikko Myrskylä, Max Planck, Carolina Cardona, Philip O’Keefe, –, O’Keefe, Myrskylä, “ We’ve, “, aren’t, Mr Organizations: Korea Germany Italy Russia United, France, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S ., U.S, China India Nigeria D.R.C, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S . U.S, France Pakistan, France Pakistan China U.S . U.S, for Demographic Research, Youth, Niger, Dem, Central African Rep, Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Rep, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Kosovo, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia, Hong Kong North Korea Japan Mongolia South Korea Taiwan Northern America, New Zealand, New, Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Rep, Chad Comoros, Congo Ivory Coast Dem, Johns Hopkins University, Aging, ARC Center of Excellence, Aging Research, World Bank, Spain Taiwan, Young, Korea, Spain, “ Locations: Japan, Western Europe, South Korea, Britain, Eastern Europe, China, Europe, India, East Asia, Florida, United States, South, Southeast Asia, Africa, Korea Germany Italy, Korea Germany Italy Russia United States France China Thailand United Kingdom, South Korea Brazil Colombia China Thailand Iran Myanmar Vietnam Bangladesh Indonesia, South Africa Myanmar Indonesia Bangladesh Philippines Pakistan Kenya Indonesia Egypt Ethiopia, Russia, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S . U.S, Japan U.S, Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C, Indonesia Indonesia Brazil Brazil Brazil, China Japan India Brazil, Pakistan France China U.S, Japan India Nigeria Brazil Indonesia, Pakistan U.S, China India Nigeria, Ethiopia Brazil Indonesia, France Pakistan Pakistan China China U.S . U.S . U.S, Japan Japan China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C, France Pakistan China, France Pakistan China U.S . U.S . U.S, Japan Japan China China India India India Nigeria Nigeria Ethiopia D.R.C, Congo Somalia, Angola Tanzania Nigeria, Afghanistan Ethiopia Tajikistan Kenya, Asia, Oceania, Kenya, Demographically, South Asia, Singapore, Albania, Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia, Herzegovina Bulgaria, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy, Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Netherlands, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia, Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Moldova Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine, Eastern Asia, Hong Kong North Korea Japan Mongolia South Korea Taiwan Northern, Canada, States Australia, New, Australia, New Zealand, Saharan Africa, Angola, Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon, Congo, Congo Djibouti, Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea, Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Togo Uganda Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe, Aging Asia, Pacific, America, “, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Spain Taiwan Greece, Singapore Slovenia Thailand Germany, Mainland China Finland Japan Netherlands Canada, Hong Kong South Korea, Singapore Slovenia Japan Thailand Germany, Mainland China Finland Netherlands, U.N, Korea Japan Spain, Korea Japan, France, West, East, Vietnam

☆ Spanish coastguard rescues two Nigerian migrants from ship's rudder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Polic?a... Read moreMADRID, July 11 (Reuters) - The Spanish coastguard rescued two Nigerian migrants who stowed away on the rudder of a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Togo, a coastguard spokesperson and the police said on Tuesday. After being rescued on Monday night in the port of Las Palmas, the migrants were taken to a hospital. The container ship's last stop before reaching the Spanish archipelago off the African coast was Lome, Togo's capital, said the coastguard spokesperson without elaborating. In a similar case in November last year, the Spanish coastguard rescued three African stowaways who had arrived in the Canary Islands after enduring 11 days on the rudder of a fuel tanker from Nigeria. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular but dangerous gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Persons: Read, Joan Faus, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Spanish coastguard, Las Palmas de, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, coastguard, Twitter, MSC, Guardia Civil, La Provincia, Thomson Locations: Canary, Togo, Las Palmas, Las Palmas de Gran, Spain, MADRID, Palmas, Spanish, Lome, Togo's, Lagos, Nigeria

☆ As Nigeria scraps fuel subsidy, a vibrant black market collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Desire Danga Essigue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since Nigeria scrapped a state fuel subsidy on May 31, black market fuel vendors and commercial drivers in Cameroon, Benin and Togo who were heavily reliant on petrol smuggled from Nigeria have seen their businesses collapse. With supplies dwindling, queues have been forming at official petrol stations, where fuel is now competitively priced. "Supply has become scarce and customers think we're ripping them off with this high price, yet it's from Nigeria that prices have soared," said Perevet Dieudonne, a black market seller. The trade in black market fuel is so central to the local economy that authorities either turn a blind eye or are complicit. At Hilacondji, a border crossing between Togo and Benin, some black market fuel stalls were shut, while at others vendors waited among rows of empty plastic jerricans for potential deliveries.

Persons: Danga, turvy, Perevet Dieudonne, Ousmanou Mal Djoulde, Ayi Hilla, Alice Lawson, Pulcherie, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, CFA, Reuters, Dangote Petroleum, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Garoua, Cameroon, GAROUA, West, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Nigerian, West Africa, Dangote, Hilacondji, Africa, Cotonou, Pulcherie Adjoha

In the video, a Central African Republic rebel fighter says "the French want to drive Wagner out of Africa". Russia and Wagner have a track record of media manipulation and disinformation, which Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to. The European Union sanctioned Wagner in February for alleged rights abuses and spreading disinformation, including in Africa. The foreign ministry unit doesn’t promote or generate fake news, the two diplomats said. However, the foreign ministry unit, and the broader strategy, will face an uphill battle to convince people in Africa that France has changed, seven analysts and diplomats said.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Wagner, Catherine Colonna, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Maria Zakharova, Meta, Anne, Sophie Ave, Lakhta, Prigozhin, Viginum, Faustin, Archange Touadera, “, Michael Shurkin, I'm, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Michel Rose, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, Central, Facebook, Kremlin, Reuters, Quai D'Orsay, Vigilance, Protection, European Union, West, Central African, Twitter, Democratic, Internet Research Agency, Meta, Global, National Union, Gabonese, Thomson Locations: Burkina, French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Russia, PARIS, DAKAR, Central African Republic, France, Russian, Africa, Paris, France's, Ukraine, Moscow, Central, West Africa, Quai, Kinshasa, Mali, Sahel, Europe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, U.S, Togo, Libreville, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dakar

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

NEW DELHI/LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - Global fuel suppliers are turning to longer and costlier routes that produce more carbon emissions to move their diesel and other products as Western restrictions on Russian cargoes have reshuffled global energy shipping patterns. The ban comes on top of a halt late last year on Russian crude sales into the bloc as well as Western price caps. Also in March, Russian clean products shipped to Togo reached 973 million MT-NM, up from zero in November. Conversely, Russian exports to the Netherlands dropped to 238,200 tonnes in February from 1.15 million tonnes in September. Those longer distances are being done at higher costs for Russian products than for typical shipments from Europe.

☆ Russia using ship-to-ship diesel transfers for transatlantic exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A full EU embargo on Russian oil products on Feb. 5 has boosted Russian diesel exports to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with STS loadings in the Mediterranean helping to shorten eastern routes. Last month, Russia sent about 1.0 million tonnes of diesel to African countries, some of which could be re-exported, traders said. Russian supply of diesel to Lomé almost doubled in March to about 200,000 tonnes, Refinitiv data showed. About 30,000 tonnes of Russian diesel has also been transhipping on to the tanker Savanna near the Nigerian port of Lagos, according to Refinitiv. STS transfers near Lomé and Lagos are commonly used for delivering diesel and gasoline, transferring such cargoes from large Aframax and Panamax tankers to vessels able to enter smaller harbours.

☆ Kamala Harris Pledges $100 Million to West Africa Nations to Fight Extremist Threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Annie Linskey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vice President Kamala Harris with Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, in blue tie, in Accra, Ghana, the first stop on her three-country Africa trip. ACCRA, Ghana—Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday that the U.S. will provide $100 million over 10 years in new security aid to help West African countries fend off threats posed by terrorist and extremist groups, including al Qaeda, that have been expanding in the region. The bulk of the money—at least $86 million—will be provided over the next three years to Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Togo, according to the Biden administration. The funds “will address security governance and development issues in the region,” Ms. Harris said in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, her first stop on a three-country Africa trip.

☆ Kamala Harris starts Africa tour in Ghana, announces security aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Francis Kokoroko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Akufo-Addo reiterated that he was concerned about Wagner's presence in West Africa. Several countries across West Africa and the Sahel region have been struggling to quell Islamist insurgencies that have caused humanitarian disasters and fuelled discontent -- contributing factors to military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. "We appreciate your leadership in response to recent democratic back-sliding in West Africa," Harris told Akufo-Addo. [1/5] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo during her week-long trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, in Accra, Ghana March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko 1 2 3 4 5After Ghana, Harris will head to Tanzania and Zambia.

Relations between Russia and the U.S. have become more hostile since Moscow invaded Ukraine over a year ago, and Washington and its allies oppose Russian influence in West Africa. This has worried Western governments and the United Nations who say the move has led to a spike in violence. Mali, whose government took power in a 2021 military coup, has previously said Russian forces are not mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment from Russia. The UK, Germany and other nations are pulling troops from a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali as security worsens. Armed groups have a foothold in coastal countries including Benin and Togo and threaten economic leaders Ivory Coast and Ghana.

☆ Female-owned farms and companies are growing Ghana's taste for coffee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As the women worked, Tamakloe walked among them with a device to test the coffee beans' moisture content. Today, Bean Masters coffee is mostly sold in bulk to high-end restaurants and hotels. But Tamakloe aims to expand her production of retail-sized bags this year to make Bean Masters available to all kinds of consumers. At Kozo, an Afro-Asian fusion restaurant in Accra, Tamakloe and the staff sipped espressos made with Bean Masters coffee. The owner visited Pagniw's farm with Tamakloe in 2021, and has exclusively stocked Bean Masters ever since.

ABIDJAN/OUAGADOUGOU, Feb 20 (Reuters) - France's defence minister pledged on Monday to boost military support to Ivory Coast, as Paris adjusts its strategy in West Africa after neighbouring Burkina Faso ordered French troops to leave and vowed to curb a worsening Islamist insurgency solo. The two jihadist groups have taken over swathes of land and displaced millions of people in Burkina, Mali and Niger. Burkina Faso has denied an allegation that Russian mercenaries are in the country, but its prime minister in December said it would welcome Russia's help in its fight against the insurgents. OTHER PARTNERSThe countries' rejection of French military help could allow other states in the region to put themselves forward as more reliable partners to Western powers. "Ivory Coast and Benin have the will to fight against terrorism," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

☆ Spanish police seize cocaine worth $114 million from cattle ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Borja Suarez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Spanish police seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of 105 million euros ($114 million) after raiding a cattle ship off the Canary Islands earlier this week, a statement said on Saturday. "International organisations are reinventing themselves to transport drugs from Latin America to Europe, using livestock to make the control and localisation more difficult," the Spanish police statement said. Police arrested 28 crew members on the Togo-flagged Orion V, which had been trailed from Colombia in an operation by Spanish authorities, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Togo police. Officers unloaded dozens of boxes containing the cocaine on the port side in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria. ($1 = 0.9202 euros)Additional reporting by Graham Keeley and Miguel Gutierrez Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

But satellite images and photos show the Chinese-owned ship had loaded the oil four months earlier in Venezuela, an OPEC nation in South America under U.S. oil sanctions. Two of those tankers, including the Young Yong, were designated this month by U.S. authorities for violating sanctions on Iran, one of Venezuela's closest allies. The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on the involvement of the Young Yong or the other vessels identified by Reuters in shipping Venezuela crude. Indonesian authorities said in early November that the Young Yong had run aground off the Riau Islands on Oct. 26. The United States imposed oil trading sanctions on Venezuela in 2019 after calling Maduro's re-election the previous year a sham.

☆ Cotton exporter Benin developing home-grown textile industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Pulcherie Adjoha | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Benin has in the last few years become Africa's leading cotton producer, with annual production of 728,000 tonnes in 2020/21, according to government figures. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We have decided that in this country, we are no longer going to sell this cotton raw. We are going to transform this cotton, in particular by installing integrated textile factories," said Letondji Beheton, managing director of the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ), about 45 km from Cotonou. 1/6 People work at a shirt-making factory in the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in Abomey-Calavi, Benin October 13, 2022. Although the systems are not yet in place to get cotton from field to factory, GDIZ has started training about 1,000 garment workers using imported materials for now.

☆ Analysis: Renewables shift lays bare Africa's energy dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Bate Felix | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Besides the 678-km West Africa gas pipeline completed in 2008, linking Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana, few regional oil and gas projects exist to take products where they are needed. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has cautioned against long-term oil and gas infrastructure investment in Africa, urging countries to turn to renewables instead. "Africa's track record for gas projects in this regard is not encouraging," the IEA said, citing delays in TotalEnergies' Mozambique project and in the Senegal-Mauritania gas project. "Funding requirements for the oil and gas industry in Africa far exceeds the capacity of any one individual country in Africa. Previous plans for major regional projects such as large-scale refineries have been thwarted by rivalries, ending in countries constructing small refineries that eventually failed, the expert added.

CNN —For many, the name Patrick Vieira brings to mind one of the most dominant midfielders in English Premier League history. To the younger generation, he is now one of the up-and-coming modern managers emerging in the Premier League. But Vieira wants to remind the world that he was born in Senegal and is proud to be African. “The diversity of our French and French national team was a success as well as winning the World Cup.”Patrick Vieira holds aloft the Premier League trophy after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City in 2004. The former Arsenal captain is currently the only manager from an ethnic minority in the Premier League and only the 10th Black manager since the competition’s inception in 1992.

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