Last Seen Blogs
Text
Canadian men face tough World Cup qualifying challenge in Honduras - The Globe and Mail
Please log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free Account
While World Cup qualifying has already taken the Canadian men to hostile ground in Haiti, Mexico and Jamaica in recent months, coach John Herdman expects his team will get a real taste of CONCACAF when it faces Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Thursday.
Herdman says the Canadians are “looking forward to being tested by the crowd, by the Honduran team that are really fighting for their World Cup survival – and just everything that comes at us.”
“We’ve spoken about these things a lot,” he added. “And we dealt with some of this in Haiti, some really interesting things that were going on behind the scenes that probably the public and media would never have been aware of But at the end of the day, this group are clear. They’ve got a clear purpose. No matter what is going to get thrown at us, I know that they’re as committed to getting a result as any team I’ve ever worked with.”
Thursday’s match at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano is the first of three in a week during the FIFA international window, with games against the U.S. and El Salvador to follow.
Canada (4-0-4, 16 points) and Honduras (0-5-3, three points) are at opposite ends of the table in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying.
The two teams tied 1-1 when they met in Toronto last September but the 40th-ranked Canadians have gone unbeaten since, collecting 15 points, while No. 76 Honduras has added just two.
Canada holds a 13-5 edge in scoring in its first eight games while the Hondurans have been outscored 15-5.
Still Honduras traditionally has been a different team at home and the Hondurans have their backs against the wall in qualifying.
“It’s going to be a hell of a fight It’s going to be a tough night,” said Herdman.
And San Pedro Sula is a tough place to visit.
A decade ago, Honduras’ second-largest city held the dubious honour of being designated the murder capital of the world. Even today the Canadian government recommends avoiding non-essential travel to parts of San Pedro Sula “due to instances of violent crime, increased gang activity and violent demonstrations” while advising visitors to Honduras to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to crime.
The Canadians are not spending much time there, choosing to fly in and out.
Herdman conducted his virtual pre-game media availability Wednesday from Florida where the team trained ahead of an afternoon departure.
A question-mark hangs over influential midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, who according to Portuguese reports has tested positive for COVID. Eustaquio has just completed a loan move in Portugal from FC Pacos de Ferreira to Porto,
“We’re still waiting for Stephen Eustaquio’s arrival – for medical reasons. He’ll be day by day,” Herdman said. “So we’re just waiting to see if he’s cleared to come in. We’re hopeful. We could see him at any time.”
Goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler, who plays in England for Oldham Athletic, was already in Honduras waiting for the team, he added.
The Canadians return home to face the 11th-ranked Americans on Sunday at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field before making the 3,400-kilometre trip to San Salvador to face No. 70 El Salvador next Wednesday.
Herdman calls its probably the trickiest part of Canada’s World Cup qualifying journey with a congested schedule, challenging travel, MLS players in pre-season and a half-dozen players on yellow cards. Not to mention the “COVID time bomb,” leaving coaches wondering what the morning medical update will bring.
“But I keep saying this to the group – ‘This is what we’re built for,”’ said Herdman, citing previous travel during the pandemic.
Three games in seven days will mean rotating a roster that is without Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who has been sidelined by myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after testing positive for COVID.
Herdman said Davies will be missed on and off the pitch “because he brings such an infectious spirit to the group. You know when Phonzie’s here.”
Come March, the top three teams will represent North and Central America and the Caribbean at Qatar 2022 while the fourth-place side faces an Oceania country in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.
Canada tops the qualifying standings, one point ahead of the 11th-ranked Americans (4-1-3, 15 points) and two ahead of No. 14 Mexico and No. 63 Panama (both 4-2-2, 14 points).
Canada has had little success on Honduran soil in the past however, with a 1-7-3 career record there. The Canadian men are 0-4-1 at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, where their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign ended in an 8-1 shellacking in October 2012 that prevented Canada from reaching the final round of qualifying in the region.
The Canadian men were ranked No. 61 at the time, five places higher than Honduras.
They lost 2-1 in their last visit there, in September 2016 in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match. Canada was ranked No. 100 back then while Honduras was No. 84.
Canada’s lone win in Honduras was in August 1985 in the capital of Tegucigalpa with substitute George Pakos scoring the only goal of the game.
Canada’s overall record against Honduras is 7-11-7.
https://ift.tt/3g2gJAm
0 notes
Text
Denmark ends most virus restrictions, as Sweden extends them - ABC News
Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren holds a digital press conference with the Swedish Public Health Agency's Director General Karin Tegmark Wisell on measures linked to COVID-19. Sweden announced Wednesday that several coronavirus restrictions will be extended for another two weeks. (Claudio Bresciani/TT via AP)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Denmark’s government said Wednesday it will scrap most pandemic restrictions next week, even as neighboring Sweden extended its own measures for another fortnight.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that as of Feb. 1 Danes will enjoy free access to restaurants, cafes, museums and nightclubs, while mask use will cease to be mandatory.
“We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before” the pandemic, Frederiksen said. “As of Feb. 1, Denmark will be open.”
Denmark currently requires face masks on public transportation, in shops, for standing clients in restaurant indoor areas, and for people entering hospitals, health care facilities and retirement homes. As of Feb. 1, the government will only recommend mask use in hospitals, health care facilities and homes for the elderly.
Frederiksen said that while the omicron variant is surging in Denmark, it is not placing a heavy burden on the health system and the country has a high vaccination rate.
“It may seem strange that we want to remove restrictions given the high infection rates,” she said. “But fewer people become seriously ill.”
Denmark has in recent weeks seen more than 46,000 daily cases on average, but only 40 people are currently in hospital intensive care units — down from 80 a few weeks ago — Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said.
Heunicke urged Danes to get tested regularly. ”We continue with a strong epidemic surveillance. Then we ... can react quickly if necessary.”
Frederiksen warned that Denmark could see a rise in infections in the coming weeks, adding that a fourth vaccination shot might prove necessary.
The restrictions being scrapped next week were originally introduced in July but were removed about ten weeks later after a successful vaccination drive. They were reintroduced when infections soared.
In 2020, Denmark became one of the first European countries to close schools because of the pandemic, and sent home all public employees without critical functions.
Earlier Thursday, Sweden extended several coronavirus restrictions for two weeks.
Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren said the country, which had previously stood out among European nations for its comparatively hands-off pandemic response, has “an extremely record high spread of infection.”
Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of Sweden’s Public Health Agency, said infections are expected to decline in a couple of weeks. She said Sweden had 270,000 new infections in the past week and that “our assessment is that, during this period, at least half a million can fall ill per week.”
Sweden has ordered cafes, bars and restaurants to close at 11 p.m., and urged people to work from home when possible.
In another Scandinavian country, Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin tweeted that “the government will assess the necessity of (the) restrictions.” She added that it “should consider opening low-risk cultural and sports events with a COVID pass and extending the opening hours of restaurants on a quicker schedule than was previously estimated.”
———
Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
https://ift.tt/3G5aGFN
0 notes
Text
Australians in Ukraine describe 'two different realities' as life continues amid threat of Russian invasion - ABC News
The world might be watching Ukraine with bated breath over fears it is about to go to war, but Pixie Shmigel is still receiving invites from Ukrainian friends to go skiing.
Ms Shmigel is a 27-year-old Australian of Ukrainian heritage who has lived in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine since September 2021.
"We live in a part of Ukraine near the Polish border. It's a long way from Russia and our lives have been continuing as normal, with invites to ski trips and boxing," she said, despite Western powers preparing for Moscow to send troops over the border.
Australians Blake Badman and Pixie Shmigel are heading to Montenegro.(Supplied)
"It doesn't feel like an imminent threat of invasion but you read the scary headlines and you wonder.
"You can sense there's danger but you don't feel it ... it's like we're living in two different realities."
Nevertheless, she and her partner Blake Badman have booked flights to Montenegro later this week as a precaution, after the federal government told Australians to leave Ukraine immediately.
"We were told to get out of the country for February with the hope that things would calm down after that," said Ms Shmigel, who volunteers in Ukraine as a fundraiser for the charity Lifeline.
Ukrainian soldiers walk at the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.(AP: Andriy Dubchak)
Olga Boichak, a Ukrainian national and expert on the country's politics at the University of Sydney, said the decision to evacuate diplomats and ask Australian citizens to leave was justified.
"It is something that is standard in situations that are very high risk," she said.
Ukraine and US intelligence services estimate there are now at least 127,000 Russian troops massed near the Ukrainian border.
Even so, Liana Slipetsky, a spokeswoman for the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria, said many Ukrainians felt that Western nations such as Australia were "overreacting".
Liana Slipetsky says Russia is treating Ukraine "like a punching bag".(Supplied)
Ms Slipetsky said she had spoken with relatives in both western Ukraine — which borders Poland and Hungary, among other countries — and in the east, where the nation borders��Russia and armed conflict has taken an estimated 14,000 lives since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.
She said her family in western Ukraine had not been subjected to a "barrage of misinformation" like her relatives in the east. However, she said Ukrainians in general were "just so used to [the] threat" posed by Russia.
The Ukrainian government has urged calm, with President Volodymyr Zelensky stressing the situation is "under control" and there is "no reason to panic".
No change except Western rhetoric
For the past eight and a half years, Australian Colin Palmer has lived in the small eastern city of Sumy, approximately 40 kilometres west of Ukraine's border, with his wife Marina and young son Max.
The 63-year-old said as far as they were concerned, a Russian invasion was not imminent.
Australian Colin Palmer and his wife Marina have no plans to move.(Supplied: Colin Palmer)
"Unless there is certain information that's being withheld, there is nothing. It's just a normal day," he said.
"There's nothing different here today, as there was a week ago, or a month ago, or six months ago, or a year ago. Just the Western rhetoric has changed.
"Talking to all the Australians around Ukraine and the local expats here in my city, nobody else knows what the problem is either. We're all confused."
Mr Palmer said he needed more information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) before he would pack up his life and leave.
"I've directly asked DFAT because they've emailed me and telephoned me constantly for a month to leave," he said.
"I want information if I'm going to make an informed decision to leave my life, basically."
The ABC asked DFAT how many Australians were in Ukraine and what was being done to assist them, but did not receive a response by deadline.
Many residents of Ukraine's eastern regions have already experienced violent conflict firsthand.(Reuters)
Experts say threat of invasion is real
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said at present there were "no grounds to believe" Russia was preparing to invade imminently, adding there was "no need to have your bags packed".
Activists have been holding rallies in the Ukranian capital, Kyiv, amid the build-up of Russian troops on the border.
Nevertheless, Dr Boichak said information on how to respond to bombings and how to pack a bag at short notice was spreading on Ukrainian social media.
She said it could be "really dangerous if there is a mass panic", so calls for calm from authorities were welcome.
Dr Olga Boichak says Russian President Vladimir Putin has been emboldened by the annexation of Crimea.(Supplied)
"However, we have to understand that [a Russian invasion] is very possible," she said.
Ms Slipetsky said many Ukrainians lacked the resources to flee in the event of war, even if they wanted to.
"I mean, where are they going to go? These people have jobs and livelihoods and children," she said.
"We're fortunate as Australian citizens in Ukraine — just book a plane ticket and go. But for them, they kind of have to wait it out and see what happens."
Ms Shmigel's partner, Mr Badman, said despite pressure from Moscow, "the Ukrainian people are trying to stay firm".
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's main agenda is causing panic and chaos among the Ukrainian people and shaking the trust in the local government," he said.
"Ukrainians don't want to show they're scared and they've been living through this for so long.
"They're living a daily life that's normal as much as they can."
Life goes on as normal
Former Sydneysider Hugh Simpson said he was on holiday when he received alerts from DFAT urging him to return to Australia.
Hugh Simpson was on holiday in Bukovel when he received a warning from DFAT.(Supplied: Hugh Simpson)
"I was actually skiing in the Carpathians when that happened. So that will give you an insight into what we're like over here at the moment."
The 39-year-old has lived in Kyiv for nearly three years and runs IT company Lqd Technology.
He said it was business as usual for him and his staff, but they were prepared in case the situation changed.
Why might Russia invade Ukraine?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long believed that Russia and Ukraine should be reunited as one country.
Read more
"The focus for us at my company is on the continued safety of the staff but also for continuity of the services. And at this stage, we're just making all the contingencies and the plans ready should something happen."
Mr Simpson said he and his partner had noticed a slight shift in the political situation, but they had no plans to move at this stage.
"I think the sense is this is a little bit different than April last year, when the 100,000 troops first moved to the borders," he said.
"The international political situation is a little bit different and the rhetoric coming from major powers is a little bit different.
"We are monitoring very closely the diplomatic community here … but at this stage we are planning to stay put."
No plans to invade, says Russia
Russia, meanwhile, has denied it is planning to invade Ukraine, and is blaming the West for rising tensions.
"There is no decision, no intention at all, to go to war with Ukraine," Russia's ambassador in Canberra, Alexey Pavlovsky, told the ABC.
Asked about the thousands of Russian troops gathered on the Ukraine border, Mr Pavlovsky said that if Moscow intended to invade, it would have done so "promptly".
"These troops are not a threat, they are a warning. A warning to Ukraine's rulers not to attempt any reckless military adventures," he said.
Many Ukrainians are carrying on with life as usual.(AP: Alexei Alexandrov)
But Natasha Lindstaedt, an international relations expert from the University of Essex, maintained that a Russian invasion was "always a very serious possibility".
"Particularly when dealing with Putin, because we've seen he has invaded in the past," she said.
Loading
"Putin sees Ukraine as a part of Russia and is becoming increasingly concerned that Ukraine is inching towards the West and that Ukraine is basically slipping from his sphere of influence."
In December last year, Mr Putin said it was "actually NATO that is making dangerous attempts to conquer Ukrainian territory and is building up its military potential at our borders".
However months earlier, in comments published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mr Putin wrote: "Russians and Ukrainians were one people … together we have always been and will be many times stronger and more successful."
"I am confident that true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia."
A convoy of Russian armoured vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea this month.(AP)
'Let Ukraine be in peace'
For Ms Shmigel, the threat of a Russian invasion is dampening an otherwise wonderful experience of living in her ancestral homeland.
"Ukraine as a country is fabulous. People are wild and wacky and fun," she said.
Ukrainians celebrated Orthodox Christmas earlier this month.(Reuters: Valentyn Ogirenko)
"The allure was the freedom and it's now being compromised and that's why we're upset.
"There is an amazing sense of unity. Ukrainians have one common enemy and they know it."
Ms Slipetsky said Ukrainians were sick of Russia using them "like a punching bag".
"It's just one thing after another … let Ukraine be in peace," she said.
"Let Ukraine live its life."
Loading
https://ift.tt/3H5L0tQ
0 notes
Text
Biometric banking requirement coming in Ghana, unmet by half of Nigerian accounts - Biometric Update
From July 1, all banking and financial transactions in Ghana will be completed only upon presentation of the biometric ID known as the Ghana Card. Any other ID document shall not be accepted as a requirement for this purpose, according to a recent statement signed by the Secretary of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Sandra Thompson, and published by My Joy Online.
The move to privilege the biometrics-backed ID credential, the BoG says, is intended to safeguard the security of the banking system, and is also in conformity with Regulation 7 of the National Identity Register, 2012 (L.I. 2111) which provides that as from July 1, 2022, the Ghana Card will be the only ID document accepted for financial operations at all institutions licensed and regulated by the BoG.
The institutions involved in this operation, according to the BoG, are banks, specialized deposit-taking institutions, non-deposit taking financial institutions, payment service providers and dedicated electronic money users, and forex bureaus and credit reference bureaus.
On measures aimed at making the process start off smoothly, the BoG has asked that all the concerned institutions take steps to update their customer records with their Ghana Card details.
“For KYC purposes, the National Identity Authority verification transaction platform will be integrated into the Bank of Ghana’s financial monitoring platform,” a portion of the statement reads. “This is to ensure that all financial transactions performed within the ecosystem are linked to one identity and information, and unique codes of the transactions shared with the Bank of Ghana to facilitate the identification of initiators/beneficiaries for track and trace purposes.”
The BoG also called on customers to update their records with their respective financial institutions using the Ghana Card.
“The public is to note that no other form of identification will be accepted for financial transactions in all Bank of Ghana regulated financial institutions after the effective date stated above,” the statement concludes.
More than 59M Nigerian bank accounts without bank ID
Meanwhile, in next door Nigeria, authorities of the country’s central bank say nearly 60 million accounts are yet to be linked to the bank ID, dubbed Bank Verification Number (BVN), like the Ghana Card includes biometric data.
Nairametrics reports, citing sources at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), that as of January 16, the total number of bank accounts with BVNs was 52.1 million, meaning at least 59 million other accounts remain unidentifiable using the bank ID. The report indicates that there were 111.5 million bank accounts in the country as of May last year.
Nairametrics adds that observers have raised concerns about the slow pace of the bank ID adoption, saying some banking institutions probably still allow the creation of bank accounts without recourse to the prescribed biometric onboarding process.
The BVN was introduced in 2014 by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a way of strengthening safety around bank accounts in the country. It is a unique number issued to an account holder during account creation to enable the verification of their account across the banking ecosystem.
Early last year, the CBN started an initiative to eventually replace the BVNs with digital ID numbers (NINs).
Related Posts
Article Topics
Africa " biometric data " biometrics " financial services " fraud prevention " Ghana " identity verification " national ID " Nigeria
Latest Biometrics News
https://ift.tt/3r12aTR
0 notes
Text
Wambui to pay Sh15 million for court release of passport - The Star, Kenya
Businesswoman Mary Wambui when she was arraigned before Milimani chief magistrate Wendy Kagendo on January 6, 2021.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
An anti-corruption court has ordered businesswoman Mary Wambui to pay a Sh15 million bond before her passport is released so she can travel to Turkey next month for business.
The DPP had opposed the release of Wambui's passport saying she was a flightrisk.
But Milimani senior principal magistrate Felix Kombo said he was not convinced she intended to flee to Turkey as her defence lawyer Nelson Havi was able to demonstrate that she had an ongoing grand project.
Kombo said the contract documents presented in court related to projects where massive investments had been made.
Wambui is required to travel to Turkey for pre-inspection and approval of furniture models in satisfaction of the terms of a contract for manufacture and supply of hotel furniture between Glee Hotel Limited, a company in which she is the principal director and shareholder, and Sagist group, a hotel furniture factory in Istanbul, Turkey.
The pre-inspection and approval exercise in Turkey is at the heart of the contract between Glee Hotel Limited and Sagist Group and critical to the performance of the contractual obligations for the manufacture and supply of hotel furniture required by Glee Hotel for its hotel under construction in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Director of Public Prosecutions had opposed the release of the passport saying it is apprehensive that Wambui may not return to Kenya.
Francis Barasa, an officer attached to DCI, said Wambui has vast business interest abroad and is capable of living a comfortable life while abroad, adding that she may decide to shift her focus from Kenya and conduct her business from abroad.
This according to the state may cause a delay in the Sh2.2 billion tax evasion case levelled against her, her daughter Purity Mungai and their company Purma Holdings Limited.
Wambui’s passport and all her travel documents had been deposited in court as one of the conditions set by the court for her release on bail.
The businesswoman was also prohibited from traveling outside the territory of Kenya without prior permission of the court. In compliance with the terms, Wambui deposited her Kenyan passport in court to secure her release.
In releasing the passport, Kombo agreed with Havi the purpose of conditions attached to the grant of bail is to secure the attendance of the accused in court.
The magistrate also found that the claim that Wambui has vast interest abroad insufficient. In respect to Wambui being faced with multiple investigations, Kombo said he is not convinced the existence of multiplicity of investigations or cases gives her incentive to flee.
“She enjoys a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. I am inclined to grant the prayer sought. An additional condition will be attached to the release of passport in which Wambui will be required to provide a temporary Kenyan surety of Sh15 million which will be released upon her return,” Kombo said.
Purma Holdings Limited and its directors Wambui and Purity are accused of knowingly and unlawfully omitting from the company’s income tax returns Sh2.2 billion.
The said monies according to the charge sheet should have been included in the income tax returns submitted to the commissioner for the year 2014. They denied the charges and are out on bail.
-Edited by SKanyara
https://ift.tt/3o1cUjk
0 notes
Text
Raila, Ruto face headache in Nairobi governor's race - The Star, Kenya
ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.
Image: COURTESY
Raila Odinga’s Azimio La Umoja Movement and Deputy President William Ruto Hustler Nation camp face a delicate balancing act in picking candidates for the Nairobi governor seat.
While Azimio group has attracted several hopefuls supporting Raila’s presidential bid, the DP faction is equally grappling with increased aspirants eying the ticket.
There are at least four hopefuls who want to contest for the seat under Azimio.
They are Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, Nairobi Governor Anne Kananu, businesswoman Ann Kagure and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Richard Ngatia.
In Ruto’s camp, former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru wants to contest on a United Democratic Alliance ticket.
The new partnership between UDA and Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC brought Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja on board as he is also eying the seat.
Sakaja, though a Jubilee MP, has been aligning himself with the ANC leader.
Speaking during ANC’s National Delegates Congress meeting on January 23 at the Bomas of Kenya, Sakaja said he is seeking to be Nairobi’s fourth governor.
It is during the NDC that the partnership between ANC and UDA was announced.
“Senator Cleophas Malala (ANC) will be going for the Kakamega governor seat while I will be contesting for the same seat in Nairobi,” Sakaja said at the NDC.
Bishop Wanjiru was not present at the event.
Addressing a joint rally of UDA, ANC and Ford Kenya in Nakuru on Wednesday, Wanjiru expressed confidence she will be Nairobi’s next governor.
“I am waiting to be sworn in as Nairobi governor after the August 9 election,” she said.
“UDA, ANC and Ford Kenya will remain united as the country heads to the polls. It is only when we are united that we can be blessed.”
On the same day, Wanyonyi was scheduled to meet Makadara MP George Aladwa for talks but the two did not show up at the venue.
An invite from Wanyonyi’s communication team indicated that the two were to address a press conference after holding private talks.
Aladwa is the ODM chairman in Nairobi.
A lobby, Mulembe Caucus Group, however, showed up at the venue and addressed the media.
The leader of the group, Wilfred Shimoli, said they are ready for nominations.
“We are fully behind Wanyonyi and ready for nominations. The party should not deny us this opportunity. Raila should pick a deputy from Mt Kenya and let us battle it out in Nairobi,” he said.
Wanyonyi and Kagure have officially launched their bid for the gubernatorial seat.
The Westlands MP has said he will not step aside for any aspirant eying the seat under the Azimio La Umoja Movement.
On January 17, Wanyonyi said a clique of people “cannot sit in a room and decide that there are those who should shelve their ambitions.”
Kananu has declared she will defend her seat. She was sworn in as Nairobi's third and first female Governor on November 16, last year, after former Governor Mike Sonko was impeached.
Kagure has already hit the ground, engaging with Nairobi residents.
While launching her gubernatorial bid on January 7, at the Kasarani Stadium Gymnasium, Kagure said she was in the hotly contested race and was better placed to replace Kananu.
She has not declared her party of choice but said she will vie for the seat through Azimio la Umoja coalition. Kagure has been an ardent supporter of Raila's presidential bid.
Ngatia has been a close confidant of Raila after the handshake between the ODM leader and President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
https://ift.tt/32CDasI
0 notes
Text
No rain in February, March will be wet, says report - The Star, Kenya
NO MORE FLOODS: Pastoralists of Nakaalei in Kalapata, Turkana South, count heavy losses following heavy rains that killed their livestock.
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
Kenya is entering its driest month so far this year, a new report shows.
It predicts extremely little chance of any rainfall in February.
This means the entire country will be hot and dry, except for some pockets of southern Kenya near Tanzania which might receive some rains.
“Temperature forecast for February shows warmer than usual conditions expected over Kenya,” the Dagoretti-corner based Igad Climate Prediction and Applications Centre said.
The country is also unlikely to experience any more floods soon.
ICPAC makes predictions for the entire Igad region, but the Kenya Meteorological Department will issue a more localised forecast for February in Kenya.
However, the Igad forecast offered hope for early rains this year.
The longer forecast for February to April shows entire Kenya might have wetter than the usual conditions for these months, beginning March.
Such a multi-month forecast is always prone to weather changes. “Wetter than usual conditions are expected over much of the region,” Igad said of their February-April prediction.
An assessment by the National Drought Management Authority showed the little rain expected this season will not be enough to reverse the nutritional problems being experienced in Northern Kenya.
“Malnutrition status remains critical in Turkana, Samburu, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, North Horr, Laisamis and East Pokot,” NDMA said in its food and nutrition security rapid assessment report which was released last week.
"It is in serious phase in West Pokot and Tana River, and the counties are projected to remain in the same phase for the next three months."
It said the current situation is a cumulative effect of consecutive failed seasons.
“Tana River and West Pokot counties were classified in serious phase while Saku and Moyale subcounties in Marsabit county were in alert phase,"the NDMA report said.
"The nutrition situation was projected to worsen in Turkana, Samburu, Mandera, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo and North Horr and Laisamis due to worsening food security situation.”
According to the Famine Early Warning System Network, a Usaid-supported system that works closely with Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, the entire Horn of Africa region is facing food stress.
Fews Net anticipates more than 20 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia will need urgent humanitarian food assistance early this year to prevent a crisis or worse outcomes.
“The sharp increase in food assistance needs, which is over 70 per cent higher than food crises in 2016 and 2017, is primarily driven by the impacts of severe drought across the eastern portion of the region and by the impacts of conflict,” Fews Net said in a statement.
It added that most areas of the Horn are experiencing water shortages and record-low vegetation conditions, reflecting both degradation of pasture for livestock and wilting or absent crop growth.
“Household purchasing power is also declining due to a sharp increase in staple food prices, declining livestock prices, and low agricultural labour demand,” the statement said.
https://ift.tt/3IDItHE
0 notes
Text
Fight against hunger off track as 2.8 million starve — report - The Star, Kenya
STARVING NATION: Frontier Counties Development Council CEO Guleid Mohamed, pastoralist Tumal Olto, Siasa Place executive director Nerima Wako, Welthhungerhilfe country director Kelvin Shingles and Ministry of Health head of nutrition Veronica Kirogo launch Global Hunger Index Report at Sarova Panafric Hotel, Nairobi on Wednesday, January 26.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
The fight against hunger in the country is dangerously off the track, just eight years to the deadline when countries committed to end hunger.
At the heart of the 2030 Agenda was a promise to prioritise eradicating poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in all their forms.
However, too many people in the world today do not have access to sufficient, affordable, safe and healthy foods.
About three billion people in the world cannot afford a healthy diet.
Kenya, according to Global Hunger Index 2021 has a score of 23 and is ranked in position 87, putting the country among those whose hunger situation is serious.
The report was launched on Wednesday at Sarova Panafric Hotel, Nairobi.
It was peer-reviewed by Welt hunger Hilfe and Concern Worldwide.
ASALS Chief Administrative Secretary Abdul Bahari, head of nutrition at the MoH Veronica Kirogo, CEO Frontier Counties Development Council Guleid Mohamed, executive director Siasa Place Nerima Wako and a pastoralist from North-Horr Tumal Orto were present during the launch.
The global hunger index categorises and ranks countries on a 100 point scale.
Values of less than 10 reflect low hunger, 10 to 19 reflect moderate hunger, 20 to 34 indicate serious hunger, 35 to 49.9 are alarming while 50 or more are extremely alarming.
Kenya according to the report is ranked as countries whose hunger index is serious.
In 2000, Kenya had a score of 36.7, while in 2006, it scored 31.2.
In 2012, the country scored 25.4.
HUNGER: 2021 Global Hunger Index Report released on Wednesday, January 26.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
The report shows that the absolute change in the country since 2000 is -13.7 while the percentage change is -37.3.
“Africa's South of the Sahara and South Asia are the world regions with the highest hunger levels, with Global Hunger Index (GHI) scores of 27.1 and 26.1 respectively,” the report says.
The report shows that 4.8 per cent of children are wasted and is increasing.
The report also says at least 2.8 million Kenyans at Arid and Semi-arid countries have nothing to eat.
Lack of rains in several parts of the country, especially the arid and semi-arid lands, has pushed many Kenyans to the jaws of hunger.
Counties like Marsabit, Wajir, Moyale, Garissa, Turkana, Baringo, Samburu, Tana River and Isiolo have been worst hit by the drought.
On Monday, Public Service CS Margaret Kobia said some of the interventions the government has made include the release of Sh8.5 billion this month, towards vulnerable families through the Inua Jamii programme.
Last year, the state declared drought a national disaster.
The head of nutrition at the Health ministry says 26 per cent of malnutrition has been recorded.
Kirogo says a child born in Kenya today can only achieve 55 per cent of their maximum potential in terms of productivity.
"That is exactly what hunger has done to this country not just seeing the face of malnutrition but also reduced productivity and economic development," she said adding that Sh374 billion was being lost per year.
Kirogo says treating severely malnourished children is expensive as it cost Sh20,000 per child.
She says interventions to reverse the trend are being put in place.
Mohamed on his part says poor investment and neglect by successive governments especially in Asal areas was to blame.
The report says of major concern is the rising undernourishment rate which increased from 19.6 per cent in 2014-2016 to 21.8 per cent in 2018-2020.
The report says while available data suggest child stunting is still declining slowly in the region from 34.8 per cent, in 2015 to 32.4 in 2020, nearly one third of children are still stunted, or too short for their age, indicating chronic under-nutrition.
Climate change is also set to push an additional 78 million people globally into hunger by 2030.
The report says food security is under assault on multiple fronts that include worsening conflicts, weather extremes associated with global climate change and economic and health challenges associated with Covid-19 pandemic.
The long term effect of Covid-19 pandemic, it says, is that 30 million more people will be undernourished.
The report shows that the proportion of undernourished in the population was 32.2 per cent between 2000 and 2002 while between 2005 and 2007, the proportion was 26.1 per cent.
The proportion of undernourished in the population between 2011 and 2013 was 24.9 per cent while in 2018 and 2020, the proportion was 24.8 per cent.
The global hunger index is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels over recent years and decades.
The scores are based on a formula that captures three dimensions of hunger-undernourishment, child under nutrition and child mortality using four indicators.
The indicators are undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality.
In 2021, data was assessed for 135 countries that met the criteria for inclusion in the global hunger index and the index was calculated for 116 of those countries based on data from 2016 to 2020.
The data used to calculate the global hunger index came from published UN sources such as FAO, WHO, UNICEF, Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, the World Bank and Demographic Health Surveys.
Of the 135 countries assessed, 19 did not have sufficient data to allow for calculation of global hunger index 2021.
The report calls for enhancing resilient food systems to address the impacts of conflict and climate change as well as strengthening inclusive, locally-led initiatives.
The report also calls for flexible, need-based, cross-sectoral and multiyear planning and financing as well as changing the food systems.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
https://ift.tt/3fYIY2y
0 notes
Text
Three Kenya Power managers charged with sabotage - The Star, Kenya
Kenya Power supply collapsed line.
Image: HANDOUT
Three Kenya Power officials accused of sabotaging electricity supply that affected most parts of the country were on Wednesday charged.
Acting general manager network management Raphael Ndolo Kimeu, chief engineer transmission and distribution David Kamau and assistant engineer Julius Karani were accused that wilfully with intent to sabotage, they failed to maintain and reinforce the Dandora-Embakasi high voltage lines of Kenya Power.
The prosecution said they failed to maintain the high voltage lines that are used for the supply of electricity to the Kenyan citizens thus leading to the collapse of towers at Imara Daima in Embakasi South within Nairobi.
The three allegedly committed the offence on dates between November 29, 2021 and January 11, 2022 within the country.
They face another charge of neglecting their duty being the employees of Kenya Power.
The prosecution alleges that they wilfully neglected to attend to Dandora –Embakasi high voltage transmission towers which had been vandalised, a duty they were dutifully bound to perform as per their job description.
They denied the charges before Kahawa law court chief magistrate Diana Mochache and pleaded for lenient bond terms.
The prosecution however stated that the offence committed was serious and the court should consider while granting bail.
The court released them on a cash bail of Sh1 million.
The case will be mentioned after two weeks.
Last week, the accused were detained with six other suspects who were acquitted for lack of evidence.
Police said they did not have enough evidence to charge them.
The six acquitted officers include, Chief engineer transmission network George Korir, manager security Geoffrey Kigen, technician Antony Gathii, senior security officer Nairobi region Martin Musyoki, driver Joshua Wasakha, and chief security officer Peter Musyoki.
Before their arrest, DCI George Kinoti had directed detectives from the Serious Crime Unit to grill the senior officials charged with the responsibility of securing high voltage lines and transmission from the national grid.
Police said six towers along the Olkaria-Kisumu power line were also vandalised in Naivasha.
Preliminary investigation also points to sabotage. The Naivasha incident came barely a week after a similar one at the Kiambere-Embakasi line at Imara Daima.
Investigations revealed that a joint task force by Kenya Power and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company had on December 8 furnished the board with a report that, among other things, recommended that the basement of angle towers of Kenya Power’s high voltage power lines in Embakasi had been vandalised and the cross beams unbolted.
The probe established that a few days after Eng Rosemary Oduor was appointed the managing director, she wrote to the board on August 10, 2021, indicating that some materials had to be bought for the maintenance of the power lines.
But the information was ignored, leading to the collapse that caused a major outage.
-Edited by SKanyara
Kenya Power supply collapsed line.
Image: HANDOUT
https://ift.tt/33X3EWl
0 notes
Text
Senegal accused after Mane head injury - The Border Mail
<meta itemprop="isAccessibleForFree" content="false"/><meta itemprop="isAccessibleForFree" content="false"/><meta itemprop="cssSelector" content=".subscriber-hider"/>
sport, soccer
Senegal have been accused by a brain injury association of "putting results ahead of safety" after Sadio Mane was forced off with a head injury in their Africa Cup of Nations last-16 win over Cape Verde. The Liverpool forward received treatment after a collision with goalkeeper Vozinha, who was taken off on a stretcher after being shown a red card, and played on despite appearing to be initially knocked out in Tuesday's match. But 10 minutes after scoring the opening goal, the 29-year-old lay down on the pitch holding his head and had to be helped off and eventually substituted. He tweeted on Wednesday afternoon he was feeling "very well". "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Thank you for your messages of support, I am very well," he said on the social media site. But Luke Griggs, deputy chief executive of the brain injury association Headway, said Mane's team and the tournament organisers' protocols - concussion substitutes are not permitted at the tournament - had put the player at risk. "On the face of it, this seems to be yet another example of football putting results ahead of player safety," he said. "This was a sickening collision that clearly left both players in enough distress for a concussion to have surely been considered a possibility at the very least. "At that point, the principle of 'if in doubt, sit it out' should have resulted in Mane being substituted without another ball being kicked. "The image of the player collapsing on the ground and having to be helped from the pitch after scoring his goal should tell you everything you need to know about the impact and the effect it had had on his brain. "Yet again, the desire to win is seen as being worth serious risks to players' health. It is simply shocking that this continues to happen. "This is now a real test of leadership for the Confederation of African Football and world governing body FIFA - particularly if Senegal declare Mane fit for Sunday's quarter-final. "If football wants to be taken seriously when it comes to concussion, it simply must take action to enforce and strengthen its protocols." A couple of hours after the match, Mane and Vozinha were pictured together smiling and giving the thumbs up from hospital, with the Liverpool forward writing: "Everything is fine, thank you all for the messages." Mane was later discharged and rejoined his team-mates at their hotel. On the injury and subsequent trip to hospital, Senegal manager Aliou Cisse told a press conference: "He felt faint, his head was spinning and he had to go there." Former Senegal and Liverpool midfielder Salif Diao has spoken to Mane and said the forward is expected to play in Sunday's quarter-final. "I spoke to him yesterday just after he left the hospital and he said everything was clear," he told Sky Sports News. "From what I understood he has been cleared by the doctors and should be OK for the next game." Australian Associated Press
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/1454b88d-300d-4058-8627-936a573b25d0.jpg/r0_74_800_526_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
<meta itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" content="https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/7596501/senegal-accused-after-mane-head-injury/"/><meta itemprop="name" content="The Border Mail"/><meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/7596501/senegal-accused-after-mane-head-injury/"/>
https://ift.tt/3IGxoWa
0 notes
Text
Editorial Roundup: Georgia " State News " titusvilleherald.com - Titusville Herald
<meta itemprop="isAccessibleForFree" content="true"/>
Valdosta Daily Times. January 23, 2022.
Editorial: Prisons need more than money
Improve conditions, transparency
Georgia prisons may be underfunded but that is only one problem of the state’s embattled corrections system.
Just throwing more money at the state’s prison system is not going to fix the problems or right the wrongs.
Gov. Brian Kemp wants to spend $600 million on pay raises, upgrades and new facilities.
This push for infusing piles of money into the Georgia corrections system comes on the heels of an investigation by the Department of Justice prompted by numerous inmate deaths and even more complaints in recent years.
A prison sentence in Georgia should not be a death sentence.
Homicides, suicides and other suspicious unattended deaths are cause for more than concern. It is time for action and that means more than pay raises for underpaid corrections officers and new buildings.
Clearly, corrections officers in our state are underpaid when compared to nearby states. Corrections Commissioner Timothy Ward said his department has a 49% turnover rate among corrections officers who directly supervise inmates. Consequently prisons are understaffed.
Both Ward and Kemp are calling for significant salary increases. In the state’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget, a 10% salary increase was approved to enhance retention. Another $5,000 salary increase is recommended in the FY 2023 budget for all state employees. If the $5,000 increase is approved, that would boost the minimum salary for a correctional officer at a minimum security prison to $36,044, and after a year to $39,640. For a close security facility, the boost would make the starting salary $39,144, and after a year to more than $43,000.
According to the Alabama Department of Corrections, once a trainee is promoted to a correctional officer there — typically after seven months — the salary is near $36,500. Fourteen months from hire, the pay jumps to $40,285. They would also be eligible for up to $7,500 in bonuses.
Entry-level correctional officers in Tennessee make $44,520 per year, with an automatic promotion to correctional officer 2 and a salary increase to $46,752 per year after one year. New hires there are eligible for a $5,000 sign-on bonus. According to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the starting pay for a correctional officer there is below $27,000.
So, we are not saying pay raises are unwarranted. In fact, we agree increases in pay should help with hiring and retention. Of greater concern is that the DOJ investigation is focused on, among other things, violence among inmates and subsequent lack of inmate protection. Much of the prison violence has been linked to gang activity. Ward says more than 14,000 inmates are gang affiliated.
There are 45,551 inmates in Georgia — 73% of them for violent crimes. Ward says 21% of the prison’s population have a mental health diagnosis.. These are very real and very dangerous dynamics that must be addressed and not blamed on underpaid staff and aging buildings.
Death and injury, along with complaints about frightening and unsanitary conditions are far more serious than just prisoners complaining. The DOJ is taking it all very seriously and so should state leaders. The General Assembly must hold Ward and the corrections system accountable and additional funding should come with strings attached. Benchmarks for reducing inmate deaths, acts of violence, addressing mental health needs and improving transparency should be clear and unequivocal.
Respective prison administrations and the corrections system statewide are far less than forthcoming, stonewalling requests for information from the press and the general public, especially when inmates die behind bars.
The lack of transparency points to the egregious conditions and the credibility of complaints. Simply put, people with nothing to hide don’t hide.
Brunswick News. January 22, 2022.
Editorial: Teachers need more help from local, state and federal leaders
Emperor Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned, it is said. Hopefully, state Education Superintendent Richard Woods is doing more than just touting past and current accomplishments while education in Georgia continues on a collision course.
There is work to do. Gauges to check. Strategy or strategies to devise and implement.
The issue is teacher retention. According to Superintendent Woods, who spoke in Glynn County this week, the state is losing one of every two school teachers hired.
Couple this disquieting 50% retention rate with the fact that many of those in school systems across the state today are close to retirement, and oh man. Scary. It is especially so for systems already experiencing difficulty obtaining full staffs.
This is not a problem the state should be talking about. It is a problem it should be doing something about. A good start would be exit interviews. Ask teachers leaving the field why they are putting aside education degrees for jobs as clerks, cashiers or wait staff.
This is not an attack on Superintendent Woods. He is not at fault. Truth be told, it has more to do with politicians in Washington and Atlanta. Someone who has absolutely no background in education runs for election or reelection on an idea of how to improve public schools, and if he or she wins and is in the right political party, presto. Another useless policy is born.
Local boards of education share some of the blame when they fail to stand behind administrators and classroom teachers.
As is almost woefully natural these days, issues are often weighed on a political scale instead of a meaningful one.
There are always parents in any given community who contribute to teacher dissatisfaction. These adults often show just how out of touch they are with their own sons and daughters by trying to hold teachers responsible for the failings or poor decisions of their children.
The state and its school systems better find a way to stop what is shaping up to an inevitable collision if this train is allowed to run its course unchecked. These classroom soldiers are worth more than their weight in gold. As they go, the world goes.
It is time state leaders and boards of education recognized that and acted accordingly.
Dalton Daily Citizen-News. January 25, 2022.
Editorial: Free tax help programs a boon to the Dalton community
April 18 may seem like months away -- well, because it is -- but that day, the deadline to file your state and federal tax returns, will be here before you know it.
Tax professionals routinely recommend you begin amassing all of your tax-related documents, and then file as soon as possible. Having all the correct information is especially vital for those who received advance Child Tax Credit payments or Economic Impact Payments (American Rescue Plan stimulus payments) in 2021 as they will need those payments amounts when preparing their tax return. The Internal Revenue Service is mailing special letters to recipients. They can also check amounts received on IRS.gov.
The IRS began processing tax returns on Monday.
The U.S. tax code can be complex, and filling out your tax forms properly can be difficult. Fortunately for those in the Dalton community, there’s help. There are two local programs providing assistance to those who need help.
• Through March 5, Georgia United Foundation offers free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for the Dalton community thanks to a longstanding partnership with Dalton State College, the Internal Revenue Service and Georgia United Credit Union. The VITA program is open to all low to moderate income taxpayers, without depreciable assets, business losses or extensive stock transactions.
About 40 Dalton State students and alumni volunteer for the program each year. Dalton State students are IRS-certified tax preparers and earn academic credit for their participation in the VITA program. As part of the partnership, Georgia United Credit Union provides office space.
Due to COVID-19, additional health and safety protocols have been enacted and walk-up appointments are not offered. All appointments must be scheduled through the online scheduling system at gucufoundation.org/vita. Appointments are at Georgia United Credit Union, 605 Calhoun St. Sessions are available through March 5 on Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Beginning Feb. 1 and continuing through April 15, the AARP Foundation is providing tax assistance and preparation through its Tax-Aide program by appointment only -- and it’s completely free.
There are two Dalton locations. The Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library on Tuesdays and Fridays. For appointments, go to https://tinyurl.com/taxaide2022L or leave a message by phone or text at (423) 380-8048. The Mack Gaston Community Center on Mondays and Saturdays. For appointments, go to https://tiny.one/taxaide2022G or leave a message by phone or text at (423) 250-5116.
Volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year to ensure they understand the latest changes to the U.S. tax code. The Tax-Aide option for the North Georgia area is low contact. Taxpayers interact with IRS-certified Tax-aide volunteers in two, short in-person meetings to exchange documents.
We appreciate the businesses and groups sponsoring these free programs, and we salute the many volunteers who make it possible.
END
https://ift.tt/3HhfBVa
0 notes
Text
Ukraine crisis: What to know as tensions rise - New Zealand Herald
A Russian national flag flutters in the wind next to the sign of the Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow. Photo / AP
Russia has placed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border and ratcheted up war games in the region.
Moscow denies it is planning an assault, but the United States and its Nato allies fear that Russia is planning for war — and are making preparations of their own.
Here are things to know about the international tensions over Ukraine, a crisis reminiscent of the Cold War.
What is Russia's latest move?
Russia has increased its pressure on the West, warning that it would quickly take "retaliatory measures" if the US and its allies reject its security demands and continue their "aggressive" policies over Ukraine.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Russia has demanded guarantees that Nato never admit Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as members and that the alliance roll back troop deployments in other former Soviet bloc countries, a region Moscow still views as its sphere of interest.
Some of the demands, like the membership pledge, are nonstarters for Nato, creating a seemingly intractable stalemate that many fear can only end in a war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he and other top officials will advise President Vladimir Putin on the next steps after receiving written replies from the United States to the demands. Those answers were delivered Wednesday by US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan to Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko. The US and its allies have already made clear they will reject the top Russian demands.
A serviceman holds his machine-gun in a shelter on the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants at the frontline with Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine. Photo / AP
What do Ukrainian leaders say?
Ukrainian officials have sought to calm nerves as tensions escalate.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that while the concentration of Russian troops near Ukraine poses a threat, "their number is now insufficient for a large-scale offensive".
"They are still missing some key military elements and systems to mount a big, full-scale offensive," Kuleba said.
Related articles
He also noted that causing alarm could be an end in itself. Russia, he said, hopes to destabilise Ukraine by "spreading panic, raising pressure on Ukraine's financial system and launching cyberattacks".
What is the mood on Ukraine's front line?
Soldiers and civilians in eastern Ukraine are waiting with helpless anticipation to see if war comes.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
They understand that their fate is being decided by politicians in distant capitals. Even politicians in their own capital, Kyiv, have found themselves on the sidelines of several rounds of high-stakes diplomacy that so far have not yielded a breakthrough.
The battle-weary region has been fighting pro-Russia separatist fighters since 2014. It is an area close to where Russia has massed tens of thousands of soldiers in a troop buildup that US President Joe Biden says could mount the largest invasion since World War II.
What is happening on the diplomatic front?
Presidential advisers from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France held diplomatic negotiations in Paris amid the growing worries that Russia could invade Ukraine.
The talks took place in the "Normandy format", which helped to ease hostilities in 2015, a year after Putin ordered the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and the Russia-backed insurgency began in eastern Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow expected a "good frank" talk.
Several rounds of high-stakes diplomacy have failed to yield any breakthroughs, and tensions escalated further this week.
Ukrainian servicemen greet each other as they patrol a street in Verkhnotoretske village in Yasynuvata district, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. Photo / AP
What is Britain's stance?
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has urged European nations to do more to support Ukraine, saying "we would like to see our allies do more to help supply defensive support to Ukraine".
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The UK has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in response to Russia massing troops near its border. It has ruled out sending combat troops, but Truss said Britain has "ruled nothing out in terms of sanctions".
"In fact, we'll be legislating to toughen up our sanctions regime and make sure we are fully able to hit both individuals and companies and banks in Russia in the event of an incursion," she told the BBC.
"What's important is that all of our allies do the same, because it's by collective action, by showing Vladimir Putin we're united, that we will help deter a Russian incursion."
What is Germany doing?
Among the Nato allies, Germany in particular has faced calls to help Ukraine more and been faulted for a perception that it is prioritising its economic ties with Russia over Ukraine's security.
Amid that backdrop, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said Germany will deliver 5000 military helmets to Ukraine following a request from the country's embassy. She said that it was "a very clear signal that we stand by your side".
Ukraine's ambassador to Germany welcomed the planned delivery of the helmets but described it as a "purely symbolic gesture". Andriy Melnik told German news agency dpa that "this is only a drop in the ocean".
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
He added that "Ukraine expects a 180-degree turn from the German government, a real paradigm change".
Germany has said that it won't deliver lethal weapons to Ukraine.
Yet German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock insisted Wednesday that the European Union's common goal in the Ukraine crisis "is and remains the defence of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
What do Italian business want?
Like Germans, some Italians are suspected of putting business ties with Russia ahead of solidarity with Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Italian business leaders held a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin even though the Rome government asked that the conference be cancelled, or at least that companies with government stakes not participate.
During the call, Putin underlined Italy's role as its third-largest EU trading partner, with $5 billion invested by Italian companies in Russia and $3 billion by Russian companies in Italy.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The president of the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce, Vincenzo Trani, said the two countries have always been able to overcome "challenging outside factors in recent years ... through dialogue."
Participants included Marco Tronchetti Provera, CEO of Pirelli tires who is president of the Italian Russian entrepreneurs committee. La Repubblica said the CEO of the oil company ENI and the SNAM energy infrastructure company, which are partially state-owned, cancelled.
What about those comments in Croatia?
Croatia's prime minister sought to defuse an uproar after the country"s president said "Ukraine does not belong in Nato" and that Croatian troops should not be part of any Western response force in case of a war.
President Zoran Milanovic is known for populist-style and undiplomatic statements. His remarks Tuesday angered Ukraine, which summoned Croatia's ambassador in response.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic described Milanovic's comments as "unreal in many ways" and said Croatia, a member of Nato and the EU, will continue to have "friendly and partner" relations with Ukraine.
"I can speak for the Croatian government," Plenkovic said. "Croatia's core position is respect of Ukraine's territorial integrity."
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
What does Pope Francis want?
Pope Francis prayed that political leaders put aside personal interests and let dialogue prevail amid concerns of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Francis kicked off a daylong prayer for peace in Ukraine on Wednesday with a special appeal at the end of his weekly general audience. "Please, never again war" Francis said. "Let us insistently ask the Lord that in this land may fraternity overcome wounds, fears and divisions."
Noting that Thursday marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, Francis said Ukrainians had suffered tremendous cruelties during World War II.
"They deserve peace," he said.
https://ift.tt/3r3foiN
0 notes
Text
SH Minerva Extracts Expedition in Risk of Being Stranded in Antarctica - The Maritime Executive
Antarctic Quest 21 team during their expedition (courtesy of Antarctic Quest 21)
The new expedition cruise ship SH Minerva boarded eight unexpected guests recently in Antarctica transporting an expedition team back to Argentina. The crew of the Antarctic Quest 21 expedition had been battling against the logistics of getting back to Ushuaia dealing with fierce storms that hampered their movement while new Covid regulations introduced in Argentina had complicated their extraction plans.
The team was transported to Antarctica in mid-December aboard another expedition cruise ship, the Sea Venture, to begin a planned science and exploration program on the Antarctic Peninsula. The team planned to travel over and along the spine of the Antarctic Peninsula, putting in place scientific equipment that will transmit data used in climate research. The second phase of the expedition called for data gathering for scientific research of climate change, meteorology, geology, and glaciology. They were gathering snow samples to evaluate long-range atmospheric transport of microplastic contamination, as well as measuring UVB radiation levels to establish the effect of ozone depletion, measuring snow deposition rates, and taking meteorological observations. They also conducted a special ceremony to mark the hundredth anniversary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s final voyage to the continent.
The owners of the SH Minerva, Swan Hellenic, report that the expedition team had spent five weeks engaged on the Antarctic Peninsula when it became clear they would have to attempt an early return. The SH Minerva arranged to come to their assistance reports Swan Hellenic.
“The issues leading to our emergency extraction started some weeks ago on the 3rd January 2022,” wrote expedition leader Paul Hart in his final situation update referring to the increasing problems related to COVID-19 travel restrictions. “Our pick up from the ice was planned for the 27 January 2022 and all our planning assumptions were based on that date. As the time continued to slowly ebb away, we learned that other operators, such as Hurtigruten, were canceling their season of activity in the Antarctic. This was a clear indication of a potential domino effect and all operators canceling their seasons due to the level of Covid being presented in Ushuaia.” Ultimately, the firm that had provided transport to Antarctica informed the expedition that it would not be able to make the planned pickup.
“We are delighted and hugely grateful to Swan Hellenic, the operators of this amazing vessel the SH Minerva, for coming to our assistance and helping us find passage back to Ushuaia,” said Hart.
Team happy to be aboard SH Minerva on the return trip to Argentina (Swan Hellenic)
The cruise ship SH Minerva provided assistance to evacuate the Antarctic Quest expedition team from Portal Point, sailing into Charlotte Bay on January 16, during her second cruise exploring the Antarctic Peninsula.
“The crew and guests on SH Minerva were delighted we could be of assistance in these challenging conditions and help the explorers safely complete their mission. The team was very generous in sharing their experiences, bringing a richly stimulating additional perspective to the voyage,” commented Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito.
The expedition team reached Argentina at the end of last week where they are now starting the second phase of the work analyzing the data and drawing observations from Antarctica.
https://ift.tt/3IJbwJJ
0 notes
Text
Ruben Perina: Focus on the OAS foreign ministers and the internal resistance - Confidencial
Argentine political scientist Ruben Perina, who spent more than two decades working at the Organization of American States (OAS) for the promotion of democracy, has some insight into the organization’s current impasse regarding Nicaragua. Lacking the 24 votes needed to apply the Democratic Charter to the Ortega regime, he believes that the Nicaraguan opposition should directly lobby the member states.
“The Nicaraguan political opposition should also focus on the foreign ministers who provide the votes in the OAS,” the expert explained during an interview with Confidencial director Carlos Fernando Chamorro. The interview was broadcast via the weekly online news show Esta Semana. In the course of the conversation, Perina – who has also served on the faculties of Georgetown and George Washington Universities – added: “If there was more unity, greater resistance, including an internal uprising, the international community would be much more willing to support the opposition in different ways.”
On December 8, twenty-five countries in the OAS approved a resolution on the illegitimacy of the Nicaraguan elections, calling on the country to hold new elections. However, the report the OAS secretary general presented on January 19 merely confirmed that Ortega hasn’t responded to any of the organization’s diplomatic efforts. Why can’t the OAS implement their own resolutions?
The OAS isn’t a monolith, nor does it transcend national powers. It’s composed of 35 countries, and they’re the true proprietors of the organization. You have to look at the member countries: if there’s a majority in favor, then the OAS can act. In the case of Nicaragua, in order to call a special session to consider the expulsion of Nicaragua, 24 votes are needed.
The secretary general hasn’t offered any alternatives. What comes next in this impasse? Does this mean the OAS has capitulated in the face of the Nicaraguan crisis?
The fact is, the votes aren’t there. I maintain contacts with some of the ambassadors, and they say that the last resolution on Nicaragua was fine, but “that’s as far as we’re going.” They don’t know what to do. If I ask them: “Why not call a special session?”, they tell me: “We don’t have the votes.”
In the end, that same question should be posed to Nicaragua’s internal opposition, and the internal democratic community. If there was greater unity, greater resistance, including even an internal uprising, the international community would be much more inclined to support the Nicaraguan opposition in different ways.
Today, Nicaragua is a police state: there are over 170 political prisoners; there’s no freedom of assembly, of mobilization; there’s no press freedom nor freedom of expression. Can diplomatic pressure be made conditional upon the reestablishment of democratic freedoms? Because Ortega is simply holding on to that police state.
It’s very hard to resist or oppose a repressive regime like that of Ortega, like that of a dictatorship. Just like it’s very difficult in Cuba. Look at what happened recently with those who protested there: they’re all in jail – there are also nearly a hundred political prisoners there.
I believe that the Nicaraguan political opposition should focus on the foreign ministers. Because in the long run, [decisions rest with] each country, the foreign ministers of each member nation. I don’t see any way out through the organization’s normal channels. I don’t believe there’s enough of a majority to call for a special session.
Could the countries promoting democratic change in Nicaragua work outside the OAS to create a working group – with Latin American countries, those from the continent, and from Europe? Could that be an alternative?
Certainly. In fact, in 2018, such a group was formed in the OAS. There was a Working Group presided over by the unfortunately now deceased Paraguayan ambassador Elisa Ruiz. She led that group, and in 2019, the General Assembly created what they call a high-level diplomatic group that attempted to negotiate a visit to Nicaragua in 2019, although Ortega refused to allow it. The group then had to meet with the opposition in El Salvador. Its report, though, was conclusive in terms of the [human rights] violations, the political prisoners, and the violations of press freedom.
One of the problems with the OAS and the Democratic Charter is that they can’t invite other branches of government or other involved participants when they’re deliberating about the crisis in a country. The only ones in representation are the nation’s ambassador.
This Working Group opened the possibility of calling on other members of Nicaraguan society: to establish a dialogue, use their prestige, initiate some form of negotiations. Unfortunately, when Ortega realized that an accord on free and inclusive elections was in the works, he decided to dismantle this effort and not participate. Those two options are still in play; at any rate, that Working Group which today Canada and Chile preside over, can continue functioning.
In the case of Venezuela, for example, the Lima Group was created with participation from Latin American and European countries. However, it had very limited results on opening a space for democratic dialogue in Venezuela.
Yes, and the two situations are very comparable in terms of the opposition’s role. The opposition in Venezuela is also divided, and hasn’t been able to exert a coordinated impact, in order to weaken the government. Now, a small window has opened in the elections that, surprisingly, accepted that defeat in Barinas [where the Venezuelan opposition won the governorship]. So, there are opportunities, but I’d also like to see what the internal democratic community can do.
There’s no short-term solution to this crisis. Is there a medium-term strategy for the international community and the Nicaraguan democratic community you mention: the opposition, civil society, the business community, the Catholic Church itself?
They also need to have a short- and medium-term strategy. The ultimate goal has to be to force the regime to hold elections – that’s the only way out. But other goals would have to be thought of as well.
I believe that the secretary general will continue, as well as the Working Group. The pressure will continue, the negotiations. The objective is to call a special session, but my point is that I don’t know how they’re going to achieve that. I don’t see any clear road, and I think that my democratic friends in the OAS don’t see one either. You also have Mexico and Argentina outside that democratic coalition, that democratic alliance, that was very strong up until two or three years ago.
Mexico and Argentina tend to show a certain indulgence with Ortega’s dictatorship. Do you think that will remain unchanged in the medium term? Could anything be done to make them change?
Well, not in Argentina. I believe that in Argentina that won’t change until there are new elections in 2024. The Argentine foreign policy is very erratic, very disconcerting, for those observing it and for the opposition itself.
Now there’s tension with the Nicaraguan government over what happened recently at [Ortega’s] inauguration, with the presence of the Iranian [Mohsen Rezai, accused of being behind a deadly 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires]. That caused a lot of consternation in Argentina, a great uproar.
Could it have an impact? It’s now known that three days before the January 10th inauguration ceremony, government spokesperson Rosario Murillo announced that the Iranian – who’s wanted for terrorism – would be one of the honored guests to Ortega’s self-investiture as president. The Argentine government, the ambassador, must in some way have known this was going to occur.
I don’t know if it happened out of carelessness, by omission or commission, but the fact is it sparked a lot of criticism within Argentina itself.
Gabriel Boric, Chile’s new president-elect, announced on Friday that Antonia Urrejola would be his new Foreign Minister. She’s the former president of the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights. Is that a clear message regarding future Chilean foreign policy on topics of human rights and democracy? Could it have some influence on the democratic left in Latin America?
Yes. She worked in the Commission for many years and later served as its president. I’m very enthusiastic about her new appointment. It’s hopeful, in the sense that Chile will also become a bastion of defense for democracy and won’t retreat in this area, as Argentina has.
The Summit of the Americas will be held in Los Angeles in July, with US President Joe Biden presiding. What impact could that have on the crisis in the OAS and in Nicaragua?
The summit could provide a very meaningful opportunity for the foreign ministers and the presidents to debate and discuss. Nicaragua is surely going to be one of the topics of discussion, as well as the erosion of democracy. These challenges will be among the summit’s principal themes. One serious suggestion [I’d make] to the friendly ambassadors from the democratic countries: not to invite Nicaragua, or Cuba; not to invite Venezuela.
The Nicaraguan democratic community should already be working to pressure the foreign ministers on that issue.
You participated in the process of generating the Inter-American Democratic Charter over two decades ago. What’s your view of it today? Is it a problem of how it was drawn up, or of the balance of governments who would have to execute its provisions?
I read an article in Confidencial where someone said that the Charter was out of date. I don’t believe that, and if you wanted to reform the Charter, you’d be opening a Pandora’s box. What’s happening is that, again, [its application] depends on the countries.
In Latin America there’s no democratic consensus utilizing the Charter to defend democracy. There’s fragmentation: democratic countries, semi-democratic countries, dictatorships… the dynamic among all these doesn’t propitiate a consensus to activate the Charter.
The Charter was used several times as a preventive measure. In 2005, Bolaños [then-president of Nicaragua] invoked it in the OAS due to an attack on his powers from the Nicaraguan Legislature. The same thing happened in Ecuador in 2005. It was useful as a preventive measure; it averted a larger crisis or the collapse of democracy. In 2008, in Bolivia as well.
When there’s a military coup, as in Honduras in 2009 for example, the countries act immediately. But when the coup unfolds in slow motion, and the government was originally elected, then the countries pretty much turn a blind eye and utilize the principle of non-intervention as a pretext to do nothing. It’s a truly worrisome silence.
A year ago, the Biden administration announced they’d pursue a multilateral policy of collaboration with the governments of Latin America on these topics. How do you view the results?
Many people were hoping for a lot more, but President Biden’s plate is very full right now, with the Republicans’ opposition to his policies; the topic of Russia; the Ukraine; Iran; Afghanistan, etc. In Latin America, there still doesn’t seem to be a crisis that would constitute a threat to the peace and security of the continent. When such crises occur – for example, if the Russians were really to establish military bases in Venezuela and Nicaragua – then, I think, there would be a much greater focus [on the region]. However, they’re now beginning to become concerned about Chinese penetration into Latin America, and that of the Russians as well. The Summit of the Americas will provide a good thermometer to measure how they see Latin America.
This article was orignally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times
https://ift.tt/3fYYonx
0 notes
Text
Two Recent Corporate Pleas Affirm DOJ's Pledge to Crack Down on Criminal Enforcement - JD Supra
Two recent criminal resolutions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) signal that DOJ is following through on Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco's recent pledge to crack down on corporate criminal enforcement.
NatWest Markets PLC (NatWest), a United Kingdom-based global banking and financial services firm, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud for its role in manipulating U.S. Treasury markets through so-called "spoofing" schemes.1 According to plea documents, through these schemes, NatWest traders profited by deceiving other market participants by placing "spoof" orders – orders that were intended to be canceled before execution but not before having the effect of (artificially) deflating or inflating the prevailing market price. In addition to pleading guilty, NatWest was sentenced to pay approximately $35 million in criminal fines, restitution and forfeiture, serve a term of three years on probation, and engage an independent corporate compliance monitor.
One day after the NatWest resolution, DOJ announced it had resolved another high-stakes criminal fraud investigation, this one into Balfour Beatty Communities LLC (Balfour), one of the largest providers of privatized military housing to U.S. Armed Forces. Alleged to have engaged in a scheme to defraud the military by falsely certifying that it had met certain performance objectives in an effort to induce the service branches to pay performance incentive fees, Balfour pleaded guilty to one count of major fraud against the United States and was sentenced to pay more than $65 million in criminal fines and restitution, serve three years of probation, and, like NatWest, engage an independent corporate compliance monitor.2
Both resolutions align with Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco's vow to toughen DOJ's approach to prosecuting corporate crime. In October 2021, she announced major changes to DOJ's "Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies," signaling a sharp shift from the prior administration.3 Specifically, Deputy AG Monaco's policy changes focused on three key issues:
Prior Corporate Misconduct – Under the latest guidance, prosecutors are instructed to examine all of a company's prior criminal, civil and regulatory misconduct, regardless of whether the prior misconduct relates (or is even similar) to the conduct at issue in a particular investigation, and irrespective of where it took place. Now, prosecutors are directed to start from the position that all prior conduct, including whether, for example, the company was prosecuted by another country, may be relevant.
Cooperation Credit – Deputy AG Monaco also announced a return to prior – and more aggressive – guidance regarding cooperation credit. This policy change refers to a memorandum issued in 2015 by then-Deputy AG Sally Yates (colloquially known as the "Yates Memo"), which required corporations seeking cooperation credit to identify and provide, among other things, all individuals involved in or responsible for the corporate misconduct at issue. That standard was subsequently scaled back under the Trump administration; corporations were required to identify only those individuals believed to be "substantially involved" in the misconduct. With a return to the more aggressive standard, corporations that seek credit for cooperation now must provide all non-privileged information about all individuals involved in the misconduct, regardless of position, status or seniority.
Corporate Monitors – In another return to previous guidance, Deputy AG Monaco announced that there is no longer a "default presumption" against the imposition of corporate monitors, an undertone that developed under the Trump administration's loosening of several DOJ policies. Deputy AG Monaco reaffirmed that DOJ is free to impose monitors when appropriate to satisfy prosecutors that a company is living up to its compliance and disclosure obligations under deferred- and non-prosecution agreements.
The NatWest and Balfour resolutions are consistent with this guidance. In the NatWest deal, DOJ highlighted the company's breach of a 2017 non-prosecution agreement, the state of NatWest's compliance program, and the company's past criminal and civil misconduct. Although it identified Balfour as a first-time offender with no history of misconduct, DOJ nonetheless contended that the company failed to maintain adequate compliance measures, as well as cited what DOJ described as a lack of cooperation with the government.
Taken together, and along with a promised "surge" in resources for corporate enforcement, these latest moves send a clear message that DOJ will be prioritizing white collar enforcement in the years ahead. In response, executives and companies – particularly those in heavily regulated industries – would be well-advised to actively reexamine their compliance programs and, if necessary, increase their investments in measures that focus on accountability and compliance. Where weaknesses are identified, companies should act swiftly to remediate and prioritize compliance. Not only can robust compliance measures help avoid instances of misconduct, but they can also better position a company to negotiate a resolution if in the crosshairs of a criminal investigation and prosecution.
1 Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, NatWest Markets Pleads Guilty to Fraud in U.S. Treasury Markets (Dec. 21, 2021)
2 Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, Balfour Beatty Communities Pleads Guilty and Agrees to Pay Over $65 Million in Fines and Restitution for Fraud Scheme (Dec. 22, 2021)
3 See Memorandum, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Deputy Attorney General, Corporate Crime Advisory Group and Initial Revisions to Corporate Crime Enforcement Policies (Oct. 28, 2021) at 3.
https://ift.tt/3rSCZ5d
0 notes
Text
Beyond Anne Frank - Enfield Dispatch
Southgate resident Alex Sievers, a photojournalism student at the University of Westminster, on his experience of meeting Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day
Eva Schloss holds her Leica camera given to her by Otto Frank, her step-father and Anne Franks father (photo by Alex Sievers)
At 92, Eva Schloss sits down in her North London apartment, ready for yet another interview about her life as a Holocaust survivor and, before that, as friend and neighbour of Anne Frank, the teenager who perished in a concentration camp but whose diary moved millions of readers around the globe.
Eva looks slightly weary, almost resigned to the expected, standard opening questions about how she knew Anne Frank, what she remembers of her, and so on. But after asking her about her brother Heinz, in an instance her body language changes to be more energetic, engaged, animated – one senses that she is trying to step beyond the shadow of the famous diarist, for whom Eva has spent decades striving to keep her name alive.
Born Eva Geiringer in Austria in 1929, she grew up in Vienna, but when the Nazis annexed Austria, fled with her family to Belgium in 1936, and then to the Netherlands. There, Eva occasionally played with Anne Frank, in the Amsterdam square outside their apartment block. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Jews were sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Forced into hiding, Eva was separated from her brother and father, and sheltered with her mother, Elfriede. She never saw Anne Frank again.
After spending nearly two years concealed in a Dutch home, the Geiringers were betrayed, and in May 1944, Eva and the rest of her family were sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps.
Most of Eva’s family, and the Franks, perished in the camps, but after the war, returning to Amsterdam, Anne Frank’s father Otto re-established his friendship with Eva’s mother, two of the families’ survivors, and they married in 1953. In this extraordinary twist of fate, Eva became the posthumous stepsister of Anne Frank.
With a deep-seated desire to link the events that created the Holocaust of 80 years ago to racism today, and the global refugee crises, Eva has spent the last three decades giving hundreds of talks and contributing to films and videos. Many people have heard Eva’s story, her experiences, both in hiding and inside Birkenau, and in particular of her friendship with Anne Frank.
Eva Schloss looks at a print of a painting by her late brother Heinz (photo by Alex Sievers)
However, there is a more hidden side to Eva’s story; dark memories that have not received the same attention, but ones she now feels compelled to try to bring to light. This is the story of Eva’s older brother Heinz and her father Erich.
At 16, Heinz was a talented musician, playing the guitar, accordion, and piano. Unable to practise while in hiding, both he and his father Erich began to paint. One painting shows a young man slumped over a table, his head buried in his arms. Through a door in a room behind, a ghostly white hand lays in rest. The painting echoes despair, and the hand may represent his mother’s dying soul. A more hopeful, optimistic work depicts a large bell ringing from a tower, with a bird perched on a windowsill looking out on to green fields.
One of Heinz’s paintings, a self-portrait of himself in despair and in hiding
Without canvases and a wooden frame, Erich and Heinz painted on bed sheets, pillowcases and dishcloths, which they could conceal under the floorboards of their hiding place.
Eva and Heinz were reunited briefly, on the same train taking them to the concentration camp, and where Heinz told Eva about the paintings. After the war, Eva returned to Amsterdam to recover the hidden artworks. Both Heinz and Erich had perished in Mauthausen.
The paintings have been donated to the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam.
Heinz’s landscape painting of a bell
Share this:
https://ift.tt/3GgZfuN
0 notes
Text
Ecuador vs Brazil: Predictions, odds, and how to watch Conmebol 2022 World Cup Qualifiers in the US - Bolavip
World Cup Qualifiers
Ecuador and Brazil face off on Thursday, January 27, on Matchday 15 of the South American 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Here, take a look at the match preview, predictions, odds, and how to watch it in the US.
Venezuela vs Bolivia: Probable lineups for South American World Cup 2022 Qualifiers
Neymar admits he wanted to leave PSG to rejoin Lionel Messi at Barcelona
By Martín O’Donnell
January 26, 2022 03:36PM EDT
January 26, 2022 03:36PM EDT
© Miguel Schincariol/Getty ImagesLucas Paqueta of Brazil (left) against Sebastian Mendez of Ecuador.
By Martín O’Donnell
The year of the World Cup has begun and it's time for the South American Qualifiers again. Matchday 15 of the Conmebol competition will kick off with a big matchup between Ecuador and Brazil in Quito. Here, take a look at the preview, predictions, and odds. To watch the game in the US, tune in to fuboTV (7-day free trial).
Gustavo Alfaro's men are on pace to pull off a shock and claim a Qatar 2022 berth. La Tri got off to an impressive start to the tournament under the Argentine manager, who has quickly turned around the team's fortunes.
However, the upcoming game means a huge challenge for Ecuador. La Verdeamarela - who have already sealed a place in the World Cup - have yet to lose a game in the road to Qatar. Will Tite's men extend their unbeaten run?
Ecuador vs Brazil: Match Information
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2021
Time: 4 PM (ET)
Location: Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
Live Stream in the US: fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Ecuador vs Brazil: Time by State in the US
ET: 4 PM
CT: 3 PM
MT: 2 PM
PT: 1 PM
Ecuador vs Brazil: Storylines and Head-to-Head
After 14 rounds of play, Ecuador are in a promising position. They sit third with 23 points, seven points clear of the sixth spot - which doesn't grant a World Cup berth. Last time out, they took care of business by defeating Chile on the road.
On the other hand, Brazil are in control of the table with 35 points (W11 D2). Although they have one pending game - the infamous match against Argentina - La Canarinha have been completely dominant so far.
How to watch or live stream Ecuador vs Brazil in the US
The game to be played between Ecuador and Brazil in Quito on Matchday 15 of the Conmebol 2022 World Cup Qualifiers will be broadcast in the US on fuboTV (7-day free trial streaming).
Ecuador vs Brazil: Predictions and Odds
Bookmakers in the US have made their predictions and, unsurprisingly, they see the visitors as favorites. FanDuel has given Brazil odds of +125, while both Ecuador and a draw have +220.
FanDuel Ecuador +220 Tie +220 Brazil +125
* Odds via FanDuel.
Check our latest news in Google News
follow us
https://ift.tt/345a71f
0 notes