Author: Kalela Chandler

Russia has reportedly lost a staggering amount of troops over the past 24 hours along with dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles as bloody fighting takes its toll on Vladimir Putin’s men. Russia lost a staggering 1,740 troops in a single day, the highest tally of casualties for Moscow since the start of the invasion in 2022, according to Ukraine. In the previous 24 hours, Ukraine also claimed Russia had lost 30 tanks and 42 armoured vehicles. Death toll and military hardware statistics are difficult to assess with both sides giving different or little information. However, Ukraine’s armed forces have claimed Russia has so far lost an eye-watering…

The primary purpose of Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Hungary might be to ensure that Hungary can help China gain market share in the EU, as Beijing and Budapest prepare to sign a total of 16 bilateral agreements. The Chinese president has arrived in Budapest late Wednesday, in the third and last stop of his European visit. During his three-day stay, Xi Jinping and his delegation are expected to conclude a series of economic agreements with Budapest, as China sees Hungary as an important bridgehead in conquering European markets: among other things, Chinese companies are building electric car and battery factories.…

Russia may respond to any U.S. confiscation of its currency reserves frozen in the West by seizing the assets, including property and cash, of U.S. citizens and investors in Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official, said on Saturday. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill allowing the Biden administration to confiscate Russian assets held in American banks and transfer them to Ukraine, something the Kremlin has said would be illegal and trigger retaliation. In response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the United States and its allies prohibited transactions with Russia’s central bank and finance ministry and blocked about…

President Andry Rajoelina took the oath in a packed stadium on Saturday to start a new term as Madagascar’s leader, rebuffing an opposition boycott and international concerns over the island’s future.In front of six African presidents in the crowd of 50,000, the 49-year-old party organiser-turned-politician vowed to act with “integrity” to lift the country of 29 million out of its poverty. “Madagascar is today under construction. The transformation is underway, rising on the horizon,” he said before watching a military parade. But the absence of two former presidents, Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who attended Rajoelina’s last inauguration in 2018,…

Rabat – The last phase of construction has begun on the 55-story Mohammed VI Tower, scheduled to open in 2024. Workers are reportedly working nonstop to finish the large ceiling that hangs over the main entryway of the tower, as well as the floor and ceiling of the building in preparation for its inauguration next year. In addition, a tiny bay with a view of the Bouregreg River is being constructed on the first floor. Standing at 250 meters, the tower is set to become Africa’s highest construction and is intended to be visible from 50 kilometers away. With a total floor…

Rabat – Morocco’s Ambassador to Moscow Lotfi Bouchaara met on Thursday with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Leonidovich Bogdanov to discuss boosting ties between the two countries. The two diplomats discussed current regional issues, the positive development of relations between Russia and Morocco, as well as the agenda of upcoming meetings at various levels. The meeting further demonstrated the determination of Morocco and Russia to deepen their already established relations and explore opportunities for enhanced cooperation. The two representatives had met in July, and they both stressed the importance of maintaining a dynamic political discourse, particularly with regards to common…

Brussels (3/11 – 34) Dubai is calling for a united front to spur the development of generative artificial intelligence to maximise its potential and reap economic benefits, the chief executive of the Dubai Future Foundation has said. Countries need to come together to prepare society for the innovation and to help bridge the gap between policies and the advancement of the emerging technology, which has a reported business opportunity of as much as $4.4 trillion, Khalfan Belhoul said at the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI conference on Wednesday. The industries with highest AI potential include banking, software and platforms, energy, communications and media, and health, according to the DFF.…

Amid broad debate about French language’s place in France’s former African colonies, Algeria is denying that efforts to force Francophone private schools to adopt the country’s national curriculum constitute hostility toward French. Education Minister Abdelkrim Belabed said that no languages were being “targeted” in Algeria and noted that multilingualism was among the education system’s major achievements. “All languages are welcome,” he said Saturday. Algeria has more French speakers than all but two nations — France itself and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nearly 15 million people out of the country’s population of 44 million speak it, according to the…

Libyan military commander Khalifa Hifter made a surprise visit to Russia on Tuesday during a critical time in Libya-Russia relations. Hifter, who commands the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), was received by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov in Moscow. The two were scheduled to discuss unspecified developments in Libya and relations between Libya and Russia, according to a Facebook post by the LNA. Russia has supported Hifter’s forces throughout the Libyan civil war in its fight against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, now led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Yevkurov also visited Libya in August, meeting with Hifter…

Namibia has suspended imports of live poultry, birds, and poultry products from South Africa following the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the neighbouring country. The move, which takes immediate effect, was triggered by an “alarming” increase in cases of “highly pathogenic avian influenza”, Namibia’s agriculture ministry said. “Importation and in-transit movement” of live chickens, poultry meat, eggs and chicks from South Africa would be suspended “until further notice” it said. South Africa, one of the continent’s major poultry producers, reported the first bird flu cases in commercial farms in April, according to an industry group. Due to…