NTSA: The recapture of Port-de-Paix port is seen as a crucial step towards restoring normalcy in the country’s economy, as it is a key entry point for goods and supplies.
Damn, I had not really been interested in finding out more about Haiti's problem... But after watching this documentary, I just realized the scale of Haiti's problem. It's way bigger than I thought. This problem required a very big multidimensional solution.. Unless there is a plan to rebuild roads, water supply pipelines, garbage collection, training of civil servants, industries that employ thousands, end pilferage and bad governance, ... The root cause of the problem will not be solved.
NTSA: Protesters cheer KDF as they patrol Nairobi CBD. Comradeship that was noticed between Gen z and the KDF officers sent shock waves to the narcissistic top dog.KDF were suddenly ordered back to base .Ruto would have easily dethrone himself by letting the military off the barracks.
There was even a moment KDF were seen fist bumping protestors Protestors were even using KDF as human shield against police
Man, , you can never win with America and their technology.
Microsoft AI deal with UAE’s G42 at risk over national security fears July 2, 2024 at 10:29 am William Ruto and US President Joe Biden during a state visit at the White House in Washington. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg) Zambia and Chinese flags outside a Chinese center for investment in Lusaka, Zambia. (Zinyange Auntony / Bloomberg)
In May, Microsoft and G42, the United Arab Emirates artificial intelligence firm, announced plans to spend $1 billion on projects in Kenya, including a massive geothermal-powered data center. The deal was negotiated with input from the US and UAE governments and coincided with a summit meeting in Washington between President Joe Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto.
Proponents of the Kenya project see it as a potential blueprint for similar government-business partnerships that could help the US expand its political and economic clout in the Global South — emerging markets in Africa and Central Asia where China is already firmly entrenched. Microsoft and G42 have pledged to team up on multiple projects in coming years, leveraging the UAE’s regional ties.
But already there’s growing concern in Washington that relying on Microsoft, G42 and the Emirati government could imperil national security — and without US officials on board, the firms won’t be able to get the technology they need to make their partnership a success.
The linchpin of the two companies’ relationship is an agreement, blessed earlier this year by the Biden administration, for Microsoft to invest $1.5 billion in the UAE firm in exchange for G42’s agreement to cut ties with Chinese companies. Pentagon officials are skeptical G42 will entirely uncouple from China, according to people familiar with the situation.
Microsoft’s chronic cybersecurity failures, enumerated recently in a scathing government report, also have stoked fears that foreign powers could access sensitive US networks. Other officials wonder if it’s a good idea shipping advanced AI to Gulf states with questionable human-rights records.
The most immediate question is whether to approve shipments to the Middle East of Nvidia’s H100 chips, semiconductors used in AI data centers. Some officials have come to see the issue as tantamount to nuclear proliferation, with Nvidia chips as the most desired weapon in an AI arms race.
While the Biden administration hashes out a broader regional strategy, it has slowed license approvals for high-volume AI chip shipments to the entire Gulf. It’s unclear whether those approvals will be granted, but US officials are hoping to reach a consensus in the coming months, according to people familiar with the matter.
The resistance to the G42-Microsoft deal could hinder the administration’s efforts to help US companies grab a global lead in the development of artificial intelligence, which is already emerging as the next front in Washington’s Cold War with Beijing. US officials want to make sure that American firms — not their Chinese rivals — benefit from Gulf states’ ambitions to fund and build big AI projects. By dangling the promise of access to American technology, they hope to persuade Middle Eastern states to sever ties to Beijing.
“We’re working closely with the National Security Council and Department of Commerce, and US national security will continue to be a principal priority,” Microsoft spokesperson David Cuddy said in an emailed statement.
The Pentagon, Commerce and G42 declined to comment. The NSC didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The US government has long partnered with big business to extend America’s geopolitical reach. And the Biden administration is no exception — touting a series of so-called economic corridors that promise local jobs and investment.
So far, these efforts mostly pale in comparison to Chinese investments in developing countries. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, US officials have gone all but silent on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor — an effort to link the emerging industrial powers of South Asia with Europe. Biden also has trumpeted the Lobito Corridor, a rail project through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Angola, but the policy has been criticized for echoing Chinese efforts and focusing on resource extraction rather than sustainable business.
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Skip Ad Skip Ad Of the various efforts so far, the deal that Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo worked on with the Emiratis, Microsoft and G42 holds the most promise — if Washington can find a way to get comfortable with it. The UAE has the money and ties to the Global South. Microsoft has the technology and, in President Brad Smith, a kind of corporate secretary of state who has developed relationships around the globe. G42’s Khazna division, a subsidiary that has built data centers in the UAE, is now expanding across Africa and Asia.
Kenya is a logical place to establish a foothold. With its fast-growing, youthful and increasingly tech-savvy population, the East African nation has emerged as a rival tech hub to Nigeria and South Africa. Nicknamed Silicon Savannah, Kenya has a vibrant startup ecosystem and is home to M-Pesa, a thriving fintech company that provides mobile financial services.
Microsoft’s Smith says the nation reminds him of Southeast Asia in the early 1990s. “You see this enormous potential,” he said. “I think that’s important to the United States. China recognizes that as well.”
In 2022, Biden named veteran tech executive Meg Whitman US ambassador to Kenya. The former Hewlett-Packard chief quickly established herself as a bridge between Kenyan officials and US tech leaders, last year accompanying President Ruto on a tour of Silicon Valley, with stops at Google and Apple Inc. In May, Google announced plans to build an undersea fiber-optic cable connecting Australia to Kenya and six other African nations.
Still, operating in Kenya is challenging. Last month, protests forced Ruto to withdraw a law that would have raised taxes to help stabilize the country’s finances. Kenyans stormed the National Assembly, chanting “Ruto Must Go,” and as many as two dozen people were killed when the police opened fire. Ruto’s reversal means Kenya will now struggle to balance its budget and pay its creditors.
Corruption is endemic. Money laundering is an issue. And the US Treasury recently sanctioned a number of Kenyan entities for their links to terrorist funding. The country is also struggling to build out its physical infrastructure, including adequate roads and transport systems, water and power capacity. A State Department spokesperson said the US is working closely with the Kenyan government to “create a business-friendly environment,” and encourages companies to embrace opportunities there.
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Competing with China, let alone dislodging it, won’t be easy. As part of Beijing’s Digital Silk Road effort, Chinese companies like Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. have long targeted the Global South, dangling state-backed loans, discounted hardware, training and technical help. Huawei has played a key role in helping to build and fund a $14.5 billion “smart city” in Kenya called Konza Technopolis.
Many African nations have based their IT systems on Chinese standards for digital data, a regulatory environment Microsoft could struggle to navigate, according to Olena Borodyna, a senior geopolitical risks adviser for ODI, a global affairs think tank. The company also could be outmaneuvered by Chinese firms that have spent years doing business there. “It’s a bit like selling a Tesla in Kenya or Uzbekistan,” she said. “You see Chinese cars. You don’t see many Teslas. It’s the same story in digital infrastructure.”
The key advantage the US has over China — for the moment — is a distinct lead in cloud computing and the large language models undergirding AI. But much will depend on Washington’s willingness to deploy the technology.
Most Read Business Stories Steve Ballmer richer than Bill Gates, a first for Microsoft billionaires After steering major deal, Shanahan, CEO of Boeing supplier, could be next Boeing boss Costco’s rotisserie chicken is now sold in a bag. Cue the panic WA program to help first-time homebuyers with history of discrimination Universal Hydrogen, pioneer of hydrogen-powered flight, goes bust “In a place like the UAE, where you have G42 working very closely with Huawei, for example, we have an interest in changing that picture,” Tarun Chhabra, the National Security Council’s senior director for technology, said at a Council on Foreign Relations event in late June. “We see the effort to work with Microsoft as an alternative to Huawei as generally a positive development — and one that we want to encourage.” However, he also said it will take time to transition from “an untrusted vendor.”
The US curbed the sale of advanced chips and semiconductor equipment to China in 2022, and added much of the Gulf region to that framework last year. Commerce Department officials have been talking with their counterparts in the UAE and other affected countries about the export license process for high-end chips including Nvidia’s, as well as strategies to safeguard sensitive technology, people familiar with the situation have said. G42’s chairman, UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed the matter during a visit to Washington and Seattle in early June, other people said.
The US government’s licensing decision hinges in part on how well Microsoft and G42 can secure the chips once they’re in the data centers. One possibility is that Microsoft will put the most sensitive technology in a restricted-access area, something the company has done before. Others have thrown out ideas like putting a kill switch on the Nvidia chips, according to several people familiar with the conversations, or having the entire operation remotely controlled from the US. Microsoft has also pledged to follow so-called know-your-customer rules to determine who is using its data centers, and won’t allow Chinese customers to train their models.
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All of this is predicated on G42 removing Chinese gear from its supply chains. In recent months, the company hired a third-party auditor to determine whether it’s abiding by those terms, several people said, prompting some US officials to worry that the large sum G42 is paying amounts to a conflict of interest. Asked how the US will enforce such agreements, the NSC’s Chhabra said it will “vary by context.” That could mean direct diplomatic talks, he said, or it might include a push from a “US vendor that itself is going to want those assurances — because they generally want to continue working with the US government.”
There’s a growing feeling on Capitol Hill that the Microsoft-G42 deal needs congressional oversight. Several bipartisan staff delegations have visited the UAE in recent weeks, according to a House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican staffer who was briefed on the trips, with more outreach to come. The goal, the staffer said, is to make the UAE cognizant of growing concerns in Washington — and make clear that they need to honor their commitments, whatever they may be.
GeneralFarouq: To upholdimg international law, which neither isreal, usa or British give a fvck about...Russia should let ukriane join nato, also allow Ukraine to field foreign, after all they are there to keep the peace... It easy to say someone has broken the law when u don't look at the consequences of not breaking the law. It is no news that, even before the conflict in Ukraine, the western news agencies have been positioned to portraying Russia has a threat. So Russia has no reason to sacrifice it own defence for the sake of upholding the already murdered rules International Law prohibiting inteference of any kind in the domestic affairs of members state It is in light of this that the constitution of Nigeria( as amended) gave eberyone right to life but went further to list circumstances where such right is non existent eg self defence... It went further around section 46 to say in the interest of "defence, public healthy, safety and order that all rights in section 37,38 39 ay be trampled upon y he government.. Why are there exceptions and why do the law permit the breaking of law.. is to prevent a greater arm... If the reverse was the case would the US wat hexico house Russian Military? It is madness to see fault in what Russia did... The threat is imminent whether you see or not... And African Leaders especially should not even be commenting on issues like this .. what do your leaders know about territorial integrity. The same thing is about to happen in Taiwan . And who is the cause? Let just blame china, it easier Okay let assume Russia has done abominable,the inherent right that would have permitted the so called western saint to condemn the acts of Russia has longer been lost... To be entitled to call Russia a deviant, thrn the us and Britain must lead by example by not vetoing ways to ending isreali occupation in Gaza and the killing of innocent kids.. International law is way complex than dos don't and sanctions
Did you see the part where he stated peace cannot be achieved without the full involvement of Russia on the table?
Did you see the part where he blamed the current dysfunctional global peace architecture and a general lack of leadership in powerful counties for what's happening in Russia/Ukraine?
Did you see the part where he stated all frozen Russian dollars and assets must be returned to Russia?
Did you see the part where he reminded the G7 of the multiple conflicts ongoing in Africa?
You picked one point and ran with it as if the world is black and white. Each country has its own interest at the end of the day.
Faithful007: What he stated is not different from AU's position on the conflict. Unless you don't know that AU voted to condemn Russian actions back in 2022.
Meanwhile stop watching clickbaits
Ruto's complete speech at the G7 Summit without the sound bites and the click-baits.
Lurker4Long: Also, I think Kenya must deliberately expand the game at schools level, beyond a few elite schools.
Its not as common but it does exists in some parts of the country, what is missing in those less known schools is professional coaching team who conform to global standards through the national union. Same way football coaches, referees and technical bench all follow FIFA training and rules through the federation.
Lurker4Long: I for one am very pleased you guys are back! Now can we have some consistency please? No more beating all the top dogs on one day, and then losing to minnows like Georgia, Romania etc, the next day!
Hahaha, the new team with a fully local technical bench has shown good consistency so far in the sense that the matches that we lost in the challenger series, we didn't loose because of rookie mistakes that the opposition was able to take advantage of unlike in the past. The boys were calm and composed which allowed us to come from behind to win multiple times--- the fans helped a lot too! Former top scorer player, Injera has advised the current bench to start working on the quality our second tier teams so that we always have good talent to pull from.
Basically, this time round, we are building our rugby from the ground up and the way this new young team was selected must be replicateble even with different technical bench in the future.
QuietMynd: Wow, so raspberry PI is produced in Kenya. Is this new or it has been produced for a while in kenya. This is the industry we need to develop in Africa. Not coupling electronic together alone
Faithful007: Generally, its an American thing to give security assistance in exchange for geopolitical objectives. US guaranteed Israel’s security thereby allowing them to focus on growing their economy from shambles in the 1950s to what it is today. Same thing with South Korea after the Korean war. This gave US key footprint in the ME and Asia. Singapore, a very small nation would easily have problems with her much bigger neighbors while trying to grow as a country, Singapore by geography is a country that can be easily invaded and her key port that powers her economy is can be easily bypassed with a canal if it becomes non-viable. In exchange for Naval logistics and access, Singapore partnered with the US to grow its military deterrence and reassure investors. Singapore only refused the offer to be an MNNA because of its significant economic relations with China. There are other indo-pacific nations that have similar partnerships as well.
US recent assistance and investment in Kenya is mostly in return for Kenya's agreement to assist Haiti, which in turn will stem the looming migration fallout in the South Border. Win win IMO.
Not just Haiti, but but also holding the fort in peace negotiations/ peace keeping in the region, from Somalia, DRC, Sudan, South Sudan peace negotiation btn exiled leaders and s.sudan govt happening in Nairobi as we speak...
Anyway, I'm still skeptical about US/Kenya friendship, America promised they would build $3 Billion 500km 4-6 lane expressway from the port city on Mombasa to the capital Nairobi since Trump days. the expressway would have run alongside the Chinese built railway and included Special economic zones in about 4 towns along the way with light manufacturing industries but the deal is yet to materialize till today... China has just announced they would fund part of the extension the railway they had stopped funding to Uganda, I trust the Chinese to make good on their promise sooner than the US. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/chinese-back-to-funding-sgr-connecting-kenya-and-uganda-4627208%3fview=htmlamp
The main reason why I'm not too eager to trust the Americans on their word is because the recent bromance between US/Kenya is largely due to President Ruto's foreign policy and not parliament, hence the next president can easily change this stance... I would have agreed with you if Kenya/US had signed the trade agreement that was due to be signed this week but negotiators had yet to agree by the time Ruto made the trip due to disagreements.
If America makes a significant investment in Kenyan security then I would believe them, but if they continue to give us 2nd hand hueys like the one that killed our general then it will just be business as usual.
Lurker4Long: Personally, I think the below is far more important, and consequentially beneficial, than the supplicatory beads and mirrors of "non-NATO ally":
Those were my sentiments too, this has the potential to benefit Kenya more on the long term than the other stuff.
I will repost a story I had posted before about a Kenyan Company called STL
From their website, main patners and clients in this company are DARPA, Northrop Grumman, raytheon technologies, BAE Systems, FLIR, Harvard University, Pennstate, SEAGATE, HITACHI, IBM, SAMSUNG, ORACLE, GEARBOX, Ministry of Energy Kenya among others Also Raspberry PI's CEO and executives recently visited the facility
And now with the seal of approval by US government and government-to-government agreement, it means more US and even EU companies won't have to worry about security concerns of tech from Kenya or long-term partnerships being disrupted because of politics.
Last pic is Gearbox inspecting the first pieces of Rasberry Pi production in Kenya.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Base Defence Platoon
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Base Defence Platoon, serving as frontline defenders, conducted a camp security Exercise PROTECTION WARRIORS I at the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Force Headquarters in Goma.
The exercise aimed to prepare troops for emergencies, identify vulnerabilities, enhance coordination, foster vigilance, demonstrate commitment to safety, and maintain United Nations credibility.
During the exercise, drills such as crowd control, rapid response time, coordination and communication, flexibility, swift occupation of observation posts, and patrolling in built-up areas were conducted. Troops displayed a high level of professionalism and skills, underscoring their dedication to safeguarding the UN Force Headquarters.
When special teams arrived, it fell on RRT/CRT team to go after the terrorists. These guys went in and came back out in the early morning when the job was done, I don't know what went on throughout the night or how they coordinated with obi-wan who says hewas also there till the next day from the video. But from a couple of pictures of at least two dead terrorists which I've deleted since, that were shared in a pro-police fakebook page, One of them had some of his fingers shredded while his hands still on the trigger, the other one was a clean headshot, and in those photos you could see reflection of the CRT team on some of the glass walls.
Even the videos thumbnail that purports to show a Kenyan police watching from a corner while obi-wan kicking doors is taken out of context. There were GSU with him on the inside, he wasn't alone
The DCI's RRT team is the one that ultimately killed the terrorist. Before the arrival of specialized teams, There were many first responders, from undercover cops, flying squad, GSU, AP and other police units etc.
E.g I would point to this one GSU police unit which was among the first to respond. They came, they went in and they rescued many, this was way before special units arrived. This unit alone disputes Obi-wan's story that no one was helping.
Exnavyboy62: I’ve been thinking. If the Nigerian army starts operating the MD-500 attack helicopters for air support, what would the Nigerian airforce need the AH-1Z and T-129 Atak for…?? The same scenario also exists in the Armed Forces of India. The Army and Airforce operates attack helicopters.
The AH-1z and T-129 are much heavier and may require special equipment to rearm and thus may need a military base to go back to after providing CAS, while the M500 can practically be run, repaired, and maintained in the frontline.
Back when Kenya army entered Somalia, the MD500s practically stayed within FOB's with no infrastructure and could respond in a moment's notice to attacks. When the helos ran out ammo they would land in the bush and get re-supplied by a jeep with the troops who it was providing CAS for.
Lurker4Long: Not my figures. But I've just checked, they're accurate. Important to note that the list only looks at domestic/income taxes, without customs, excise, royalties etc. The KRA shows revenue of KES1,4 trillion on domestic taxes. That's what, USD7,5 billion?
No, at current exchange rate, Kes 1.4 Trillion domestic tax is $10.5 Billion.
Are these figures factual, coz Kenya collected $19 Billion in Tax last year and I know our collection is not near Nigeria or in the same range as other bigger economies such as Egypt or Morocco...
Julian Assange speaking over a decade ago regarding seeing thousands and thousands of documents and videos from the various leaks. Wikileaks exposed an egregious amount of war crimes that were being committed by the US military and soldiers. #FreeAssange$NATI 👁️… pic.twitter.com/nhsIuGAG3Z
GreenandGold: Just a few months ago, Netanyahu had terrible ratings, basically they wanted him out.
My theory is; the Israeli Intelligence deliberately allowed Hamas to gather and launch this "surprise" attack to allow Netanyahu to launch a military retaliation and boost his ratings, nothing unites Israel than external threats...
See, we all know how the Israeli Intelligence is one of the best in the world, there is no way such a large operation could have remained unknown to them, such information would have leaked weeks before the whole show started.
Think of "OPERATION NORTHWOODS" but with Hamas being allowed to launch "surprise" attacks inside of Istrael.
What of the other theory on the other end that it was Iran who helped Hamas, knowing well that Israel would overreact and indiscriminately target Hamas in civilian populations and inturn cause Arab countries that Israel was trying to make peace with backtrack on that so that all Arab countries remain enemies with the Jewish state? Haven't they also achieved their goals in that sense... It seems only Hamas and the civilian population are the ones who have lost.
Foreign Affairs › Re: African Militaries/ Security Services Strictly Photos Only And Videos Thread by Fidha254(m): 1:11pm On Jul 21, 2024
