French journalists have reported the sound of gunfire in the capital, Libreville | A group of uniformed Gabonese soldiers have appeared on national television to announce the dissolution of all state institutions and the cancellation of the country’s disputed elections, after longtime leader Ali Bongo was declared the winner of last week’s presidential race. ● The soldiers delivered a live address early on Wednesday morning, stating they would “defend peace by putting an end to the current regime” while claiming to speak on behalf of the “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions,” AFP news agency reported. ● A spokesman for the group denounced the “irresponsible, unpredictable governance” of President Ali Bongo, claiming his 14 years in office had resulted in a “deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos.” Following the address, journalists with AFP also reported the sound of gunfire in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, though it is unclear whether clashes were underway.

■ Gabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich country (Reuters)
■ Gabon's military seizes power in country, overturns presidential election results (TASS)
■ Gabon's Soldiers Announce Cancellation of Elections, Dissolution of Institutions (Sputnik News)

With military Invasion said to be "imminent" the military Junta that seized power in the country if Niger, has declared the Ambassadors of several countries as "persona non grata" and ordered they leave the country within 48 hours. Expelled are the Ambassadors of France, Germany, the United States, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). | The general public of Niger has rallied in support of the military takeover, saying former President Bouzam was corrupt and harming the country. ● France, in particular, is very sensitive to losing its control over Niger, which it colonized. Niger is a rich source of Uranium, which France takes for nuclear power plants that supply seventy percent (70%) of the electricity in France. Meanwhile, most of Niger has no electric and its population has said publicly they are forced to live like slaves. ● In addition to Uranium, Niger is also rich in Diamonds, Gold, and oil, yet the general public lacks even running water in much of the country because while all those natural resources are going to the West, no investment is made in infra-structure that would improve the lives of citizens. ● The Military Junta is developing close ties with Russia, and a detachment of Private Military Company (PMC) troops from Wagner PMC is in Niger to protect its Capital city from foreign aggression.

The BW Lesmes tanker carrying liquefied natural gas has collided with the Burri oil products tanker in the Suez Canal, the Marine Traffic tracking service said on Tuesday, citing an eye-witness. 💬 "MarineTraffic has received eye-witness report from the #SuezCanal that 2 tankers have collided. The reported incident involves the Burri, a Cayman island tanker, and the BW Lesmes, a Singapore flagged LNG tanker," the service said on X, formerly known as Twitter. ● The tracking service has also posted a video showing towing operations monitoring data, which revealed that Burri has already been towed away from BW Lesmes after the collision. As of 5:43 Moscow time (02:43 GMT), the vessels were located next to each other in the southern part of the Suez Canal.

Paris claims, however, that it did not ask the authorities in Algiers for such permission | Algeria has turned down a request from France to fly over its airspace for a military operation in Niger, where President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a military coup in late July, several media reports suggested on Tuesday, citing the North-African nation’s state radio. ● Algerian national radio reported late on Monday that it had learned from sources that Paris was planning a strike against Niamey's new military rulers if they did not release Bazoum, who has been held in detention since July 26. ● “Faced with Algerian refusal, France turned to Morocco, asking for authorization to pass its military planes through its airspace,” state radio said, according to the Nova News Agency.

Anatoly Antonov stressed that Moscow is in favor of the speedy repatriation of all Russian citizens held in American prisons | Russia is demanding that the US stop "hunting down" Russian nationals in third countries and is prioritizing the repatriation of all compatriots imprisoned in the US, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said. 💬 "Russia has always opposed Washington’s 'hunt' for Russians in third countries. It demands that this practice stop. However, the [US] Administration continues to live in a world of its own, built on their own rules while ignoring the interests of other countries. We will never agree with such an approach," the diplomat said on the Russian embassy's Telegram channel. "It is an absolute priority for us. This is why we consider speculation on this issue unacceptable. […] We fight for these people to get [them] back to their homeland, [back to] their families as soon as possible," he noted.

The United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, has prepared a sabotage unit of 100 Ukrainian fighters to be sent to Africa to counter Russia-Africa cooperation, a military-diplomatic source has said. 💬 "According to information confirmed by several sources, the British intelligence service MI6 has formed and prepared for deployment to the southern continent a sabotage and punitive detachment consisting of militants of Ukrainian nationalist and neo-Nazi formations to counter the development of cooperation between African countries and Russia," the source said. ● The source added that Kiev, at the request of London in July 2023, ordered that Ukraine's Security Service and the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR) "provide maximum and prompt assistance to representatives of the British intelligence MI6 and SAS special unit in the selection of 100 fighters from the Ukrainian national formations with significant combat experience on the 'eastern front.'" The unit is planned to be sent to Africa by "a chartered civilian ship from the [Ukrainian] port of Izmail to the [Sudanese] city of Omdurman during the second half of August," the source said. GUR officer Lt. Col. Vitaliy Prashchuk, who has experience of "successful liquidations" and participated in MI6 operations in Zimbabwe, will head the unit, the source said.

■ West's Desire to Control Russia-Friendly Africa Explains MI6 Plot to Send Ukrainian Mercs (Sputnik News)
■ MI6 plans to send Ukrainian mercenaries to Africa (RT.com) | UK foreign intelligence service MI6 has allegedly prepared a group of saboteurs to disrupt Russia’s growing economic cooperation with African states, an unnamed military-diplomatic source told RIA Novosti and TASS on Wednesday. The “hit squad” will target infrastructure and Moscow-friendly leaders, according to Russian news agencies

French special forces attacked a military outpost of the Niger National Guard and violated its airspace, according to an official statement by the country's military authorities. | According to Niger's military authorities, French special forces conducted an operation to free imprisoned members of the deposed government and leaders of terrorist organizations. ■ The Niger authorities said that 16 leaders of terrorist groups arrested in June were released by the French armed forces. They further added that it appeared that the French objective was to protect armed cells that were about to operate within the country. ■ Immediately after the announcement, the CNSP (Niger's military authorities) announced in a press release that the level of alert of the armed forces had been raised. "This decision follows a terrorist attack on a garrison. The CNSP is now accusing France of releasing terrorists in the region," Niger sources said. ■ Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Niger has issued an "Emergency Security Warning" advising any US Citizen still in the capital Niamey to take immediate shelter until further notice and not to attempt to enter the city center near the Presidential Palace. A curfew has also been implemented for U.S. Embassy Staff due to the ongoing situation. ■ According to the Niger National Guard: Early today, a French military A400M aircraft took off from N'Djamena (Chad) and entered stealth mode to violate Niger's airspace between 6:39 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. This mode of operation is similar to that used by French forces to provide support to their terrorist partners in Mali. ■ A few weeks ago, the French army released 16 terrorists and helped them plan attacks against the military forces of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali in the Three Borders region. The terrorists released by the French army were subsequently arrested during three operations in June and July 2023 (two in Niger, one in Mali) and confessed about the assistance they had received from the French army. →

🇳🇪 "We have uranium, we have diamonds, we have gold, we have oil, and we live like slaves?
We won't accept it. The French base in Niger must leave." pic.twitter.com/TMdXQWww0P

— Maria (@real1maria) August 2, 2023

On July 26, a military Coup d'Etat took place in the country of Niger. Democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum was taken under arrest by his own Presidential Guards and is now in confinement. Bazoum was pro-U.S./EU, especially France. His Guards do not approve of the tight control exercised by France over Niger, and they see Niger's future as aligned with Russia. | Within days of taking power, Niger's military DENOUNCED "Cooperation Agreements" with France, allowing French troops to be in the country. Specifically, Niger invoked a 30 days notice within the Cooperation Agreements telling the French their military must leave. The French REFUSE to leave. France Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said bluntly “The possible departure of French soldiers in Niger is not on the agenda. All the efforts of the international community are aimed at forcing the junta to abandon its dangerous adventure that is detrimental to Niger and the region.” ● Dangerous Adventure? So what is the "dangerous adventure" referred to by the French Foreign Minister? Well, when the military coup took place, thousands of regular citizens in Niger came out in SUPPORT of the troops and one man sized-up the situation almost perfectly. He said, "Niger has uranium, diamonds, gold, and oil, yet we live like slaves. This is unacceptable." ● "It's THAT simple. The people of Niger see the natural wealth their nation has, but they do not benefit AT ALL from their own natural wealth; France takes most of it! For instance, Niger has a lot of Uranium. It is mined and shipped to France . . . which then gets seventy percent (70%) of its electric power from nuclear power plants."

■ Niger Military Raise Threat Level, Blame France for Attack on National Guard (Sputnik News)
■ Censure de médias français au Niger : suspension de RFI et France24 (France Soir)
■ Maidan ‘midwife’ warns Niger against courting Wagner (08/08/23)

The country’s new military government understands the risk of inviting the defense contractor, Victoria Nuland believes | Acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has traveled to Niger where she met with the new military government and warned against enlisting the help of Russian defense contractor Wagner Group. Nuland, who spoke to her hosts of the risks of foreign interference, herself played an instrumental role in the Western-backed coup in Ukraine in 2014. ● Last month, the presidential guard detained Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum and his family, sparking international condemnation. The coup also triggered pushback from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which threatened military action against Niger’s plotters unless they reinstate Bazoum. The new government has refused to back down. ● Nuland also said that she urged the coup leaders to “hear our offer to try to work with them to solve this diplomatically and return to constitutional order.”

■ Wagner boss expresses 'joy' over Victoria Nuland (RT.com)
■ Victoria Nuland Meets With Niger Junta Leaders (Antiwar.com)

France has pledged to uphold military deals made with Niger’s ‘legitimate authorities’ | France has insisted on fulfilling five military cooperation agreements with Niger because the accords were signed with the West African state’s ‘legitimate authorities,’ despite the former colony’s newly installed junta calling for the deals to be revoked. ● Abdourahamane Tchiani, formerly the chief of Niger’s presidential guard, declared himself head of the transitional government two days after his forces overthrew Bazoum’s administration. The cessation of the military accords would require France to remove the 1,000 to 1,500 troops it has stationed in the African country. A small number of United States soldiers are also deployed in Niger, a territory viewed as geopolitically significant due to its rich mineral resources and borders with seven countries, including Libya, Chad and Nigeria.

■ Niger junta turns to Wagner for help (RT.com)

Simplicius The Thinker | Momentous things are setting into motion geopolitically all over the globe, most notably in Africa. A coup took down the president of Niger, a country of critical importance to France and the NATO bloc. The Atlanticists are extremely worried now. ● France is the #1 country in the world for total percentage of nuclear use for energy generation, and #2 in total number of nuclear power plants. I’ve seen figures that Niger supplies upwards of 40% of France’s Uranium, though some have it in the 15-25% range, as well as 25% to the EU itself. ● Now, the coup leader Abdourahamane Tchiani has reportedly banned Uranium and gold exports to France, which could devastate their energy industries, though it could be just a tactic for renegotiations; Naturally, Ukraine blames Russia.

On the evening of July 26, the rebels announced on national television the resignation of President Mohamed Bazum, the closure of the republic's borders, the imposition of a curfew, the suspension of the constitution and the ban on political parties | On the evening of July 26, the rebels announced on national television the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, the closure of the republic's borders, a curfew, the suspension of the constitution, and a ban on the activity of political parties. ● On July 28, they declared that General Abdurahmane Tchiani had become the head of state. During the coup, he led the presidential guard, whose units detained Bazoum and continue to keep him in custody. ● On Monday, BBC reported that Niger’s new authorities had suspended uranium and gold exports to France. ● Niger is the seventh-largest uranium producer worldwide accounting for 5% of global production. According to French mass media, Niger accounts for 15% - 17% of the uranium used to generate electricity in France.

TASS has summarized the president's main statements. | The Ukrainian armed forces have been stopped and pushed back in all directions, they have withdrawn their assault units due to heavy losses, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters. On Saturday evening, the head of state answered questions from half a dozen journalists, many of whom asked more than one question. The conversation lasted an hour in total. In particular, Putin talked about Russia's relations with Africa, the country’s reluctance to directly confront the US in Syria and strengthening the defense of the Crimean Bridge.

■ Putin's Address to Reporters Following the Second Russia-Africa Summit (Sputnik Globe)
■ Владимир Путин ответил на вопросы журналистов по итогам саммита Россия - Африка + (Bидео)

The summit also yielded a plan of action of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for 2023-2026 and a number of other documents | Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders on Friday adopted the final declaration of the Russia-Africa summit. ● The summit also yielded a plan of action of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for 2023-2026 and a number of other documents. Apart from that, a range of agreements, contracts and other documents on cooperation between Russia and African countries were inked on the sidelines of the summit. ● According to presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the final declaration commits to paper coordinated approaches to the development of Russian-African cooperation and efforts in the international arena. ● The second Russia-Africa summit is running at the Expoforum convention center in St. Petersburg on July 27-28. Concurrently, the summit’s economic and humanitarian forum has been organized. Similar to the first Russia-Africa summit held in 2019, the current event is being held under the motto: "For Peace, Security and Development."

■ Outcome of Russia-Africa Summit (TASS)
■ South African President Thanks Russia for Offering Free Grain Supplies (Sputnik News)
■ Uganda Wants to Discuss Defense Equipment Maintenance Hub With Russia (Sputnik Globe)

Evariste Ndayishimiye noted that African states should also "contribute to the development of all humanity" 💬 I would never call Africa poor, this is a common delusion. On the contrary, it is a very rich continent, he said. ● Ndayishimiye pointed out that since 2020, Burundi has entered the international and regional arena. The country's role in Africa has increased, and "the African Union has strengthened regional mechanisms to find development solutions." "Recently, the African Continental Free Trade Area was established. We also appreciate the role of sub-regional organizations in the region," he added. ● The president noted that African states should also "contribute to the development of all humanity." He also stressed that regional organizations will continue to develop "as long as African countries are present in them." "For example, the East African Community (EAC) is in the process of becoming a political federation," Ndayishimiye pointed out.

■ Putin: Africa Becoming Center of Power, This Reality Will Have to Be Considered (Sputnik News)

Maria Zakharova / Russian MFA | The upcoming summit will be devoted to developing the entire range of relations with the countries of the African continent and promoting a model of equal, mutually respectful cooperation with our partners in the context of the formation of a new, just world order. ● The core idea of the forthcoming event is Russia's readiness to fully contribute to strengthening the sovereignty of African countries and protecting the principle of their sovereign equality. ● "On the margins of the summit, the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will be held, the program of which includes more than 40 thematic sessions in key areas of our relations with the countries of the continent. 🤝 The spirit of mutual understanding and trust formed over the years of Soviet-African cooperation still serves as a good basis for maintaining Russia's high authority in Africa and an important platform for building up partnerships in the new conditions. ● It was at the insistence of the USSR that the UN General Assembly adopted the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples" on December 14, 1960. ● The fight against neo-colonialism in its modern manifestations is always the focus of our attention, being one of the priorities in building cooperation with the African continent. ● At the same time, the Russian Federation supports the efforts of African States to finally complete the decolonization process and advocates the importance of studying the phenomenon of the slave trade and its consequences, including within the framework of leading international organizations. ● We have no doubt that Africa can become one of the centers of a polycentric world. It has every opportunity to do so. African States are increasingly confident in their sovereign policies. They are demonstrating their ability to solve their problems independently, including through the use of pan-African mechanisms and regional integration associations.

■ FACTBOX: Russia's main trade partners in Africa (TASS)
■ Second Summit Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum (summitafrica.ru)
■ Outcomes of the first Russia–Africa Summit and Economic Forum (summitafrica.ru)

L’état-major des forces armées nigériennes a annoncé, jeudi 27 juillet au matin, qu’il se rangeait derrière les putschistes du Conseil national de sauvegarde de la patrie (CNSP) qui ont affirmé avoir destitué le président nigérien quelques heures plus tôt. | Cette fois, le coup d’État contre Mohamed Bazoum semble bel et bien consommé au Niger. Après plusieurs heures de tension et de confusion, durant lesquelles l’issue du bras de fer entre putschistes et forces loyalistes semblait incertaine, l’état-major de l’armée a annoncé jeudi 27 juillet en milieu de matinée qu’il se rangeait derrière le Conseil national de sauvegarde de la patrie (CNSP) qui a affirmé avoir destitué le président nigérien dans la nuit.

■ Au Niger, l’armée affirme avoir renversé Mohamed Bazoum (JeuneAfrique)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to participate in the BRICS summit via video conference format, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be present at the event, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik on Wednesday. | "President Putin has decided to participate in the BRICS summit via video conference. He will fully participate in the work. Minister Lavrov will be present at the meeting," Peskov said. Earlier in the day, the South African president's office said that Putin would not attend the upcoming event in person, as the two nations had reached a joint decision on the matter. The summit will be attended by the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa. By mutual agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit but Russia will be represented by the country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov," the office said in a statement.

■ Nearly 50 African states to attend summit in Russia – FM (RT.com)

According to Igor Kirillov, documents that were found in Ukraine indicate that the Pentagon planned to test unregistered medical drugs on the local population and then submit them for approval by supervisory authorities "in the interests of the so-called big pharma" | The Pentagon planned to use its bio-laboratories in Africa to test unregistered medicines on the local population, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said on Tuesday. ● According to Kirillov, documents that were found in Ukraine indicate that the Pentagon planned to use the US army to test unregistered medical drugs on the local population and then submit them for approval by supervisory authorities "in the interests of the so-called big pharma." For these ends, it was planned to use its bio-laboratories and facilitating agencies, such as Metabiota. ● Apart from that, in his words, evidence was found showing that Metabiota had been involved in the study of the H7N9 bird flu virus and that it had played a leading role in the implementation of the Predict project for the study of new coronavirus types, under which their carriers - bats - had been caught. "We have repeatedly pointed to the company’s ties with the son of the US incumbent president, Hunter Biden, and government organizations. Notably, Metabiota’s representatives admit that as a matter of fact they are establishing ties to ensure the Pentagon and other American agencies’ work abroad," Kirillov added.

■ We Are at War in the US and Globally: A Summary of Everything (Sasha Latypova)(06/28/23)
■ On enforcement mechanisms wielded against non-compliant nation-states (Katherine Watt)(04/09/23)

Johannesburg was built on gold. It’s now such a mess that homeless people direct the traffic. | The continent’s richest city was built on gold, but it’s now defined by chaos, crime and corruption more than ever. It encapsulates the wider collapse of basic services across South Africa. From a broken railway network disrupting trade to archaic sanitation that triggered a recent cholera outbreak near the capital, Pretoria, parts of the country increasingly look like a failing state. ● At the heart of the dysfunction in Johannesburg is a governance crisis. Since the country’s governing national party, the African National Congress, lost control of the city in 2016, unstable coalitions have resulted in six mayors in four years. The current leader is a member of a party that holds 1% of the municipality’s 270 seats.

The growing role of digital currencies draws the attention of the world's governments seeking to find a way to stabilize their countries' financial systems by introducing new technologies. | The Bank of Tanzania is considering the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the institution stated, saying that it "has adopted a phased, cautious and risk based approach" to the issue. ● The central bank is taking into account the experience of other states, noting that six countries have canceled the adoption of CBDC due to challenges in the implementation phase. ● In October 2021, Nigeria became the first African country to introduce the use of a central bank digital currency, eNaira. According to the country's government, the currency "serves as both a medium of exchange and a store of value, offering better payment prospects in retail transactions when compared to cash payments." South Africa and Ghana have been reported to participate in pilot CBDC projects, with several other African countries being in the research stage.

Researchers used CT software to “digitally unwrap” the mummy of one of ancient Egypt's greatest pharaohs | Egyptian and British scientists have unveiled a facial reconstruction of Ramses II, having used computer tomography (CT) software to “digitally unwrap” the mummy of the famous Ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The joint scientific project allowed historians for the first time to observe what the ruler looked like at different points in his life. ● The researchers say they used earlier CT scans of the pharaoh’s mummy and applied them to analysis software. They were then able to differentiate between the skull and other materials used during the embalming process and produce a 3D rendering of the skull. They then applied the average facial muscle layer measurements believed to be appropriate for ancient Egyptians to reconstruct the pharaoh’s face. 💬 "This is the only scientific facial reconstruction of Ramesses II based on the CT scan of his actual mummy,” explained professor Sahar Saleem of Cairo University, who led the project, adding that previous attempts were “mostly artistic, based on his mummy’s face.”

Pharaoh Ramses II belongs to the nineteenth dynasty in Ancient Egypt, where his rule extended between 1279 and 1212 BC. Nicknamed by his successors and subsequent rulers as the great-grandfather, Ramses II is considered the most famous and most powerful pharaoh throughout the Egyptian Empire. | Scientists were able to re-design the “handsome face” of the most famous pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, King Ramses II, by using a 3D model of his skull, in order to reconstruct his features scientifically. ● A team of researchers from Cairo University in Egypt and the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in England have collaborated to reconstruct the facial features of Ramses II at the time of his death, at the age of 90, and at the younger age of 45, using a “digitally unwrapped” scan of his mummy displayed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt. ● The two detailed images were created by means of computerized tomography (CT) scan technology, which is proved to allow accurate facial reconstruction, along with analysis software to parse out details in accordance with typical Egyptian measurements of facial muscle layers, explained Dr. Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology at Cairo University and co-leader of the project.

As Nigeria battled insurgents, she was brutalised by both sides | Abducted and enslaved by Boko Haram. Coerced into an abortion by soldiers. Two children dead. The ordeal of Aisha shows how women's lives have become a battlefield in the 13-year war between Islamist insurgents and the Nigerian military. 💬 Aisha was forced to marry a Boko Haram fighter who repeatedly beat and raped her. Whenever he went off to war, she said, “I would pray to God that he’d be killed.”

As smuggled arms coming from Ukraine begin to appear in more and more countries, leaders who want to stem the flow are beginning to realize they’ll have to take a collective approach. | Weapons shipped from Western countries to Ukraine are “beginning to filter” to the Lake Chad basin region, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari warned this week. 💬 "Regrettably, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as major sources of weapons and fighters that bolster the ranks of the terrorists in the region," Buhari told heads of states from neighboring states participating in the Lake Chad Basin Commission on Tuesday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. ● Buhari went on to urge his counterparts to step up security cooperation in the interest of combating the threat of weapons smuggling. Alongside the leaders of Benin, Chad, Niger, and Central African Republic, the Nigerian president agreed to step up military coordination in their countries’ fight against Boko Haram and ISIS* terrorists: who are now reportedly receiving guns from Ukraine. ● Russian political leaders and Interpol officials alike have warned for months that weapons sent to Ukrainian nationalists are likely to end up in the hands of hardened criminals in Europe and beyond.

Wormhole — The United States is concerned about weapons for Ukraine are going onto the black market

Bruce Bower | One hundred years ago, archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled across the tomb of ancient Egypt’s King Tutankhamun. Carter’s life was never the same. Neither was the young pharaoh’s afterlife. | Newspapers around the world immediately ran stories about Carter’s discovery of a long-lost pharaoh’s grave and the wonders it might contain, propelling the abrasive Englishman to worldwide acclaim. A boy king once consigned to ancient obscurity became the most famous of pharaohs (SN: 12/18/76). ● It all started on November 4, 1922, when excavators led by Carter discovered a step cut into the valley floor of a largely unexplored part of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. By November 23, the team had uncovered stairs leading down to a door. A hieroglyphic seal on the door identified what lay beyond: King Tutankhamun’s tomb. ● Tutankhamun assumed power around 1334 B.C., when he was about 10 years old. His reign lasted nearly a decade until his untimely demise. Although a minor figure among Egyptian pharaohs, Tutankhamun is one of the few whose richly appointed burial place was found largely intact. ● An unusually meticulous excavator for his time, Carter organized a 10-year project to document, conserve and remove more than 6,000 items from Tutankhamun’s four-chambered tomb. While some objects, like Tut’s gold burial mask, are now iconic, many have been in storage and out of sight for decades. But that’s about to change. About 5,400 of Tutankhamun’s well-preserved tomb furnishings are slated to soon go on display when the new Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Pyramids of Giza, opens. Even as more of Tut’s story is poised to come to light, here are four things to know on the 100th anniversary of his tomb’s discovery: MORE

Dades Valley, Morocco – At the foot of the High Atlas mountain chain in southeastern Morocco, each village is named after the river that used to run through it. But today dry palm trees surround empty riverbeds and bridges now cross only stones left underneath. 💬 “When I was a child I used to swim in this river. There was an incredible fish diversity. Today half a century later, my wadi [valley] is completely dry,” says Yousef, a farmer from Kalaat MGouna, east of the gateway city of Ouarzazate. Yousef, a retired immigrant worker who lived in France, returned to his home village to grow olives, almonds, and pomegranate trees. Little did he know that irrigating his crops would become an impossible task. ● The Ouarzazate semi-desert region is drying out. As in the rest of North Africa, global warming is already showing its effects and badly affecting agriculture. In the context of drought, Moroccan farmers point the finger at the mismanagement of remaining water resources, which have been diverted from their natural course to be set aside for expanding industries. Three industries in southeastern Morocco consume the most water: mining companies, agricultural monocultures, and the world’s largest solar power plant, Noor, generating thermal energy through an evaporation process. Water from the valleys around Ouarzazate is collected in the al-Mansour Eddahbi dam which is below 12 percent of its current capacity. ● Environmental groups in the region have criticised its centralised and extractive resource management of the resource. 💬 “Local communities suffer from the effects of the climate crisis and do not even benefit from these large projects,” says Jamal Saddoq, a representative of Attac Morocco, one of the few associations working on the consequences of the extractive industry in the southeast. Along the roads through the desert, it is not uncommon to notice a white smoke cloud – a sign of mining activity. Excluding phosphates, about 40 percent of the mining licenses in Morocco are located in the Drâa-Tafilalet region. ● According to a recent interview with the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali, companies in Morocco produce three million tonnes of minerals per year. Managem group, a Moroccan company operating in the extraction of precious metals and cobalt, owns the main sites in the region. This is the case of the Imider mine, the largest in Africa, from where precious minerals such as silver leaves for Gulf and European countries. ● Demonstrators have been calling for an equitable distribution of resources, including water. “We got some achievements but not up to what we expected. About 50 young people have been hired and some development projects have been set up,” the activist said. 💬 “We have been protesting since the 1980s, but little has changed except that groundwater is running out. The company is still pumping water, digging wells deeper and deeper,” says one anti-mine activist, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions from the authorities. “That’s why in 2011 we decided to block the pipeline connecting the mine to its water tank.” As the company’s own website explains, the mining industry needs water to recover precious metals from ore.

The president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo, told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Russian leader was open to talking | Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo, the president of Guinea-Bissau, claimed on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin asked him to convey a “message” to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky about the importance of “direct dialogue” between Moscow and Kiev. Embalo made this revelation at a joint press conference with Zelensky in Kiev, one day after his meeting with Putin.

💬 “My dear brother, yesterday I was in Russia with President [Vladimir] Putin, who asked me to give you a message, to talk to you, considering that a direct dialogue is very important for our future joint actions,” Embalo said.

The president of Guinea-Bissau also revealed that he saw himself as the “bearer of certain impulses” by contributing to the restoration of relations between Russia and Ukraine. ● Before his meeting with Zelensky, Embalo told journalists that he found Putin “to be very open to negotiating with President Zelensky” and that he was looking forward “to conveying this goodwill” to the Ukrainian leader.

Kremlin clarifies reports on Putin's ‘message’ to Zelensky (RT.com)

Mali seeks UN help to stop France abetting terrorists