The Seychelles People’s Defence Forces said that the Cutlass Express exercise was a great opportunity for numerous countries to learn best practices in maritime security. The training spearheaded by the United States Naval Forces Africa in partnership with Canada, the European Union and the East African region, took place for nearly three weeks in October and November. Around 50 military personnel took part in this year’s exercise. The exercise was conducted around Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles, as part of a commitment to regional stability and maritime security. Speaking at the closing ceremony at the Seychelles Defence Academy, Ile Perseverance on Saturday, the Chief of Staff, Colonel Michael Rosette, said this year’s exercise has taken a new twist, as it has been executed at different locations around Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Each location concentrated on specific elements relating to maritime safety and security, maritime domain awareness and information sharing. Rosette said Seychelles remains committed in its leadership role. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY “Cutlass Express is one of those exercises that we all look forward to participate in, as it provides a great opportunity for numerous countries to learn and train together, sharing best practices and to physically go out there and put into practice what they have learnt together,” said Rosette. He added that Seychelles remains committed in its leadership role and “in doing its fair share in ensuring that our region remains safe and secure.” On her side, Rear Admiral Nancy Lacor of the United States Naval Forces Africa told participants that «with exceptional professionalism, you have demonstrated that by working together we have the capacity to counter threats in a complex maritime environment.»   She added that «exercises like Cutlass Express build our military capacity and strengthen our proficiency to counter threats by increasing interoperability.» The Cutlass Exercise was designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement capacity and promote national and regional security in East Africa as well as information sharing, planning and operating. It included board, search and seizure procedures, best practices and interoperability with partner nations. It also had information sharing between Maritime Operation Centres, adherence to the rule of law and counter-proliferation interdiction capabilities in order to disrupt illicit trafficking and piracy. Focused scenarios for the cutlass exercise included the interdiction of illicit arms, drugs, money and people that pose a threat to regional stability or international partners. A group photo of participants, military personnel and other dignitaries at the closing ceremony on Saturday. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY  “From the briefing I have received from my staff, I am glad to note that the various scenarios and training sessions have been executed as planned and that participants have gained adequately from these two weeks, and furthermore, that the exercise is continually improving and getting more and more complex and realistic with time,” said the Chief of Staff. The Seychelles archipelago consists of 115 islands spread over an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million square kilometres, making it difficult for enforcement authorities to spot unlawful activities. This was the ninth Cutlass Express exercise and the last one for the year. Other participating countries were Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, the United States, Kenya, Canada, Georgia, Greece, Egypt, Madagascar, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, Senegal and Comoros.  

The $5.43 bln contract on the S-400 supplies was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India last year

[New Times] Didier Munyaneza was crowned as the first Rwandan to win Tour du Sénégal after bravely negotiating the seventh and ultimate stage - ten laps in Dakar - on Sunday.

Astana is expecting an official request, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi says

The US embassy and the EU Delegation to Georgia also expressed their support to a mass protest rally of opposition held at the parliament building in Tbilisi

The aim of the visit has not been announced

The Russians are scheduled to face off with Croatia on November 18, while their tie against the Spaniards will take place on November 19

The total weight is 46 tonnes

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) led the world in ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change. It also helped that the most powerful industrial nation, the United States (US), supported the pact when it committed to cutting greenhouse gas...

WESTERN BUREAU: Though hotelier Peter Morrow died recently in a plane crash in Miami, Florida, his presence was felt at Friday night’s RJRGLEANER 2019 Hospitality Jamaica Awards in Montego Bay, St James. Not only was there a moment of silence to...

Nutrition specialist Patricia Thompson has taken issue with phase five of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ ‘What’s in Our Food’ mass media campaign for the reason that it fails to educate the public on nutrition, which would help them to better...

WESTERN BUREAU: The soon-to-be-built Marriott-managed hotel in Trelawny will give Jamaican firms and staff preference in its construction and operations, Keith Russell, chairman of the Amaterra Group, has said. Speaking at the official signing of a...

Libya and Somalia are the most dangerous places on earth for 2020, according to a new map designed for travellers that alerts them to risks abroad.

The Middle East’s flagship aerospace expo, famous for record-smashing deals, opened with an underwhelming first day Sunday — a possible indicator of the growing challenges facing the global aviation industry.

HARGEISA (HOL) - Security forces have taken over the headquarters of the Somaliland opposition party Waddani and closed all roads leading to the premises following planned protests set for today.

[Deutsche Welle] At a meeting in Berlin, African leaders will discuss the state of the 'Compact with Africa' project with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. So far, it has fallen short of expectations.

[Deutsche Welle] Gold mines in isolated areas of Africa's Sahel region have become a welcome source of income for terrorists. Recent attacks in Burkina Faso show that security forces in the region are unable to gain the upper hand.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who spearheaded the brutal crushing of Tamil Tigers a decade ago, stormed to power Sunday but promised to be a president for all Sri Lanka's races and religions after a divisive election. Seven months after Islamist extremist attacks that killed 269 people, Rajapaksa was elected on Saturday on the back of a nationalist campaign promising security and to crush religious extremism in the Buddhist-majority country. However, Rajapaksa's triumph will alarm Sri Lanka's Tamil and Muslim minorities as well as activists, journalists and possibly some in the international community following the 2005-15 presidency of his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa. On Sunday Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 70, thanked all voters in an election that heightened ethnic and religious tensions in a country that only a decade ago emerged from a brutal civil war that cost 100,000 lives. «I am conscious that I am also the president of those who used the vote against me,» he said as he was formally declared the hands-down winner with 52.25 percent of the vote. «It is my duty to serve all Sri Lankans without race or religious discrimination,» he said. «I promise to discharge my duties in a fair manner.» Election results showed minority Tamil and Muslim communities voting overwhelmingly for the ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa who came a distant second with 41.99 percent. Mahinda Rajapaksa, with Gotabaya -- nicknamed «Terminator» by his own family -- effectively running the security forces, ended a 37-year civil war with Tamil separatists. His decade in power was also marked by alleged rights abuses, murky extra-judicial killings and closer ties with China. «I didn't sleep all night,» said student Devni, 22, one of around 30 people who gathered outside Rajapaksa's Colombo residence. «I am so excited, he is the president we need.» Premadasa, 52, of the ruling party, conceded the race and congratulated Rajapaksa and urged him to implement his manifesto promising tax cuts, free food rations and subsidies to farmers. Rajapaksa is due to be sworn in on Monday at the ancient north-central Buddhist pilgrim city of Anuradhapura. Turnout in Saturday's vote was 83.7 percent. - Intelligence failure - Saturday's poll was the first popularity test of the United National Party (UNP) government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is under pressure from his cabinet colleagues to step down. Wickremesinghe's administration failed to prevent the April attacks despite prior and detailed intelligence warnings from India, according to a parliamentary investigation. On Sunday three cabinet members resigned -- including Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera. Premadasa is the son of assassinated ex-president Ranasinghe Premadasa who fell victim to a Tamil rebel suicide bomber in May 1993. But Gotabaya is adored by the Sinhalese majority and the powerful Buddhist clergy for how he and Mahinda ended the war in 2009, when 40,000 Tamil civilians allegedly perished at the hands of the army. Under his brother, Gotabaya was defence secretary and effectively ran the security forces, allegedly overseeing «death squads» that bumped off rivals, journalists and others. He denies the allegations. This makes the brothers detested and feared among many Tamils, who make up 15 percent of the population. Some in the Muslim community -- who make up 10 percent -- are also fearful of Gotabaya, having faced days of mob violence in the wake of the April attacks. Under Mahinda, Sri Lanka also borrowed heavily from China for infrastructure projects and even allowed two Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo in 2014, alarming Western countries as well as India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Sunday that India looked forward to «deepening the close and fraternal ties... and for peace, prosperity as well as security in our region». The projects ballooned Sri Lanka's debts and many turned into white elephants -- such as an airport in the south devoid of airlines -- mired in corruption allegations. Unlike in 2015 when there were bomb attacks and shootings, this election was relatively peaceful by the standards of Sri Lanka's fiery politics. The only major incident was on Saturday when gunmen fired at two vehicles in a convoy of at least 100 buses taking Muslim voters to cast ballots. Two people were injured. According to the Election Commission the contest was, however, the worst ever for hate speech and misinformation. © Agence France-Presse

[Deutsche Welle] Their previous relationship was dominated by civil war and violence. But the fall of Sudan's long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir is changing the country's relationship with South Sudan - to the benefit of both nations.

[East African] The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) Summit ended in Nairobi on Thursday on a high note with private sector organisations, multinationals and donor agencies promising to raise $8 billion in the next 10 years in support of programmes promoting the sexual and reproductive health rights of women in poor countries.

[Citizen] The perennial Uganda presidential contender was arrested on October 28 after yet another violent confrontation with the police on his way to a meeting of Forum for Democratic Change party. He spoke with Julius Barigaba on various issues, including allegations that he has been meeting Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

[SA Idols] In a tightly-contested competition, Yiba was named the winner of the 15th season of Idols in a star-studded finale held at the Big Top Arena, Carnival City in Ekurhuleni, with KwaZulu-Natal's Sneziey Msomi the runner-up.

American soldiers are well trained to never commit war crimes, the Pentagon insists. When they sometimes do, the military always holds them accountable… and then the US president is free to pardon them to boost the morale. Read Full Article at RT.com

In the wake of explosive revelation that ABC News allegedly knew the extent of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes years ago but chose not to report them, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has demanded answers from the network’s execs. Read Full Article at RT.com

À J-3 de l'ouverture de la saison d'abondance, les mangues, elles, ont déjà fait leur apparition depuis quelques semaines. 

Fast bowler James Pattinson has left the Australia camp in Brisbane and will return to his home state Victoria in the wake of his one-test ban for personal abuse of an opponent.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives said on Sunday they would end preferential treatment for European Union migrants from January 2021 if they win an election next month.

The Singapore Police Force have come out to defend crime prevention posters being criticised for the way molestation is being portrayed. The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) had called out two posters on the MRT, both depicting a man about to molest a woman and a tag on his wrist with the words «2 years' imprisonment. It is not worth it». On social media last Thursday, the gender equality advocacy group criticised the posters for putting a price on sexual violence and neglecting to mention the harm suffered by victims. 'DETERRENT MESSAGE' But in a statement issued on Saturday night, the police said Aware misunderstood the purpose of the posters, which are part of a series featuring other crimes such as theft and rioting. The posters, displayed on the public transport network, specifically highlight the punishments for committing the crimes to send a strong deterrent message, said a police spokesman, who added that it was unfortunate Aware made public judgments without first contacting them to understand their perspective.

Residents have been given instructions on how to vacate their units for a controlled on-site disposal of a 50kg World War II aerial bomb war relic today. The bomb, which was found at a construction site in Jiak Kim Street last Tuesday, will be disposed of between 8am and 6pm, by the Singapore Armed Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. A 200m cordon will be set up around the area during the operation. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that all residents living in the affected area - which will include around 600 units - will be required to leave their homes before 8am and return only after 6pm. Roads in the vicinity will be closed and residents, as well as guests and staff of a hotel, will be asked to evacuate. The police will set up a temporary holding area for affected residents at River Valley Primary School at 2 River Valley Green.

Football fans at Tekka Market and Food Centre were in for an unexpected treat on Saturday afternoon (Nov 16). Sports superstar David Beckham was spotted enjoying a plate of mee goreng. Several Stompers shared with Stomp a video circulating online of Beckham sitting with food blogger Aun Koh, better known as as his online moniker Chubby Hubby. Netizens were amused that the biggest name in football was using chopsticks to eat the local dish. In photos and videos posted on Twitter, Beckham was also seen checking out stalls at the market as throngs of people crowded around him. My mom just saw David Beckham at Tekka. WTF pic.twitter.com/CgZNs2EFo5