Month: September 2024

With less than two months remaining before Senegal’s early legislative elections on November 17, political parties are preparing for battle. They have just four days left to submit their candidate lists for validation by the Ministry of the Interior.

As new coalitions take shape, the country’s political landscape is undergoing significant changes.

One of the most notable developments is the formation of a new coalition called the “Bloc of Liberals and Democrats” (BLD) – Takku (“unite” in Wolof).

The alliance includes 40 political parties, notably the Alliance for the Republic (APR) of former President Macky Sall and Rewmi, led by former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck.

This coalition comes as rumors intensify about a possible dissolution of the National Assembly and early legislative elections.

While the APR and Rewmi are key players in the BLD-Takku, the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), led by Karim Wade, has chosen not to join the alliance.

Modou Diagne Fada, a former minister and one of the architects of the coalition, explained that the goal is to unite opposition forces against the government. Initially focused on ideological collaboration, the coalition aims to evolve into a formal electoral bloc as the country prepares for potential legislative elections in the near future.

The 12th edition of Africa’s largest aerospace and defense exhibition and air show which ended Sunday (Sep. 22) in South Africa drew aviation experts, companies and enthusiasts.

Hundreds of attendees braved the cold weather to catch a glimpse of impressive displays, get up close to aircrafts and see the latest aviation tech.

A regular attraction at tech shows is Spot the robotic dog. Cape Town-based company Deep Tech Solutions thought outside the box to suggest a different use of the robot.

“Speaking about technology and also man’s best friend, some of the work we’re doing with Spot the robot dog from Boston Dynamics, is to be able to help people to do advanced remote inspections. If you think about search and rescue efforts, which we see a lot in the mining sector, but also in kind of disaster management types, where the Army also gets involved heavily, we need to be able to identify what risks are available in the area, but also be able to sometimes actually give some comfort to some of the victims that there is help coming,” explains Rethabile Letlala, a Deep Tech Solutions representative.

Next generation weapons were on display too.

The 5-day Africa Aerospace and Defence Trade and Exhibition brought together a range of key local and international guests looking for opportunities in South Africa’s defence industry.

Martin Venter of ECM Technologies says the event is a global draw.

“I think what makes AAD (Africa Aerospace and Defence) unique is the fact that it’s a South African grown initiative and it brings international communities together. I mean, we’ve got India, we’ve got the US, we’ve got UK. Everybody comes together and showcases what they’ve got to offer. And it’s good to see,” he said.

Chinese hardware had a larger presence at this year’s air show, which usually has a wider contingent of American arms, but the US military withdrew from the event.

The next edition will be held in 2026.

Russia has declined to support a UN blueprint aimed at bringing the world’s increasingly divided nations together to tackle 21st-century challenges from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty.

Speaking on Monday in New York at the Summit of the Future meeting, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Vershinin said “we’d like to underscore that the summit’s outcome documents do not impose any obligations on the Russian Federation under provisions which did not achieve consensus.”

The U.N. General Assembly approved the blueprint Sunday.

The 42-page “Pact for the Future” challenges leaders of the 193 U.N. member nations to turn promises into real actions that make a difference to the lives of the world’s more than 8 billion people.

The pact was adopted at the opening of the two-day “Summit of the Future” called by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who thanked leaders and diplomats for taking the first steps and unlocking “the door” to a better future.//

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a “Pact for the Future” to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Now comes the hard part: uniting the world’s divided nations to move quickly to implement the agreement’s 56 actions.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “simply preserving the status quo is not an option,” as he signaled U.S. support for the pact.

“The United States is committed to adapting the U.N. system to reflect this world of today and tomorrow, not the one that existed in 1945,” he said. “We will not accept efforts to tear down, dilute or fundamentally alter the core principles of the U.N. Charter,” he added.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked the 193-member world body for approving the pact. He says it unlocks the door for nations to join forces to tackle challenges ranging from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty.

The pact was adopted at Sunday’s opening of a two-day “Summit of the Future.” Right up to Sunday’s vote, it was unclear whether the pact would be adopted. In fact, there was so much suspense that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres had three prepared speeches, one for approval, one for rejection, and one if things weren’t clear, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Iran’s armed forces have held a parade annually since 1980. But this year’s event takes on special importance and symbolism given the high tensions in the region prompted by Israel’s war on Gaza

During the parade, Tehran displayed its latest missiles and drones, including the Shahed 136B drone and the Fattah hypersonic missile.

An older version of the Shahed drone has been reportedly used by Russia during its war with Ukraine.

President Masoud Pezeshkian appealed for unity in his address to the crowds.

“If we are united, if we join hands, Israel the usurper will not be able to commit the crimes it’s committing now in the region,” said Pezeshkian.

“No evil (country) has the courage to even harbour the idea of invading our soil in their mind,” Pezeshkian added.

The U.N. General Assembly has approved a blueprint to bring the world’s increasingly divided nations together to tackle 21st-century challenges.

Those range from climate change and artificial intelligence to escalating conflicts and increasing inequality and poverty.

The 42-page “Pact for the Future” challenges leaders of the 193 U.N member nations to turn promises into real actions that make a difference to the lives of the world’s more than 8 billion people.

The pact was adopted at the opening of the two-day “Summit of the Future” called by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

He said the group was gathered to, as he put it, “bring multilateralism back from the brink.”

It includes 56 actions on issues including eradicating poverty, mitigating climate change, achieving gender equality, promoting peace and protecting civilians, and reinvigorating the multilateral system to “seize the opportunities of today and tomorrow.”

Secretary-General Guterres singled out a number of key provisions in the Pact of the Future and two accompanying annexes, a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations.

The pact commits world leaders to reform the 15-member Security Council, to make it more reflective of today’s world and “redress the historical injustice against Africa,” which has no permanent seat, and to address the under-representation of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.

It also “represents the first agreed multilateral support for nuclear disarmament in more than a decade,” Guterres said, and it commits “to steps to prevent an arms race in outer space and to govern the use of lethal autonomous weapons.”

The Global Digital Compact “includes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of artificial intelligence,” the U.N. chief said.

The compact commits leaders to establish an Independent International Scientific Panel in the United Nations to promote scientific understanding of AI, and its risks and opportunities. It also commits the U.N. to initiate a global dialogue on AI governance with all key players.

The pact’s actions also include measures “to mount an immediate and coordinated response to complex shocks” including pandemics, Guterres said. And it includes “a groundbreaking commitment by governments to listen to young people and include them in decision-making.”

As for human rights, Guterres said, “In the face of a surge in misogyny and a rollback of women’s reproductive rights, governments have explicitly committed to removing the legal, social and economic barriers that prevent women and girls from fulfilling their potential in every sphere.”

“We have opened the door. It is now up to all of us to step through it. Because this is not just about understanding each other – it’s also about taking action. Today, I challenge you to take action,” Guterres added.