DitariDisciple2: Ijaw Republic our home. Ijaw produces over 90 percent of all Nigeria's crude oil but were unjustly balkanized into more than six Nigerian states when all Ijaw areas are together.
May God bless the Ijaw Peoples Liberation Front. (IPLF), of which is the Ijaw version of Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).Ijaw Republic our home.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office which disclosed this on the UK government website cited Monday’s terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train.
It also cited last Saturday’s invasion of the Kaduna airport by bandits during which one person was killed.
Kaduna government on Tuesday said eight persons had been confirmed dead and 26 injured in the attack, while an unspecified number of persons were kidnapped.
The FCDO identified the states to avoid in Northern Nigeria as Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara, saying they are prone to violence and abductions.
The statement reads, “The FCDO advises against all travel to Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, and Zamfara State. Violent attacks are frequent and there is a high threat of kidnap. On 26 March 2022, gunmen launched an attack against Kaduna airport, killing at least one airport official in the latest in a series of attacks by gunmen in the north of Nigeria.
“On the evening of 29 March 2022, an apparent Improvised Explosive Device attack took place against a train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna. Reports suggest that a number of people were killed and that others were abducted by gunmen. Train services are now suspended between Abuja and Kaduna.”
March 25 (Reuters) - China's state-run Sinopec Group has suspended talks for a major petrochemical investment and a gas marketing venture in Russia, sources told Reuters, heeding a government call for caution as sanctions mount over the invasion of Ukraine.
The move by Asia's biggest oil refiner to hit the brakes on a potentially half-billion-dollar investment in a gas chemical plant and a venture to market Russian gas in China highlights the risks, even to Russia's most important diplomatic partner, of unexpectedly heavy Western-led sanctions.
Beijing has repeatedly voiced opposition to the sanctions, insisting it will maintain normal economic and trade exchanges with Russia, and has refused to condemn Moscow's actions in Ukraine or call them an invasion. read more
But behind the scenes, the government is wary of Chinese companies running afoul of sanctions - it is pressing companies to tread carefully with investments in Russia, its second-largest oil supplier and third-largest gas provider.
Since Russia invaded a month ago, China's three state energy giants - Sinopec , China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) (0883.HK) - have been assessing the impact of the sanctions on their multi-billion dollar investments in Russia, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. read more
"Companies will rigidly follow Beijing's foreign policy in this crisis," said an executive at a state oil company. "There's no room whatsoever for companies to take any initiatives in terms of new investment."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs this month summoned officials from the three energy companies to review their business ties with Russian partners and local operations, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said. One said the ministry urged them not to make any rash moves buying Russian assets.
The companies have set up task forces on Russia-related matters and are working on contingency plans for business disruptions and in case of secondary sanctions, sources said.
The sources asked not to be named, given the sensitivity of the matter. Sinopec and the other companies declined to comment. The ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that China knows its economic future is tied to the West, after warning Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Beijing could regret siding with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. read more
Global oil majors Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L), and Norway's Equinor pledged to exit their Russian operations shortly after Russia's Feb. 24 invasion. Moscow says its "special operation" aims not to occupy territory but to destroy Ukraine's military capabilities and capture what it calls dangerous nationalists. read more
TALKS ON HOLD
Sinopec, formally China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, has suspended the discussions to invest up to $500 million in the new gas chemical plant in Russia, one of the sources said.
The plan has been to team up with Sibur, Russia's largest petrochemical producer, for a project similar to the $10 billion Amur Gas Chemical Complex in East Siberia, 40% owned by Sinopec and 60% by Sibur, set to come online in 2024.
"The companies wanted to replicate the Amur venture by building another one and were in the middle of site selection," said the source.
Sinopec hit pause after realising that Sibur minority shareholder and board member Gennady Timchenko had been sanctioned by the West, the source said. The European Union and Britain last month imposed sanctions on Timchenko, a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other billionaires with ties to Putin. read more
Timchenko's spokesman declined to comment on sanctions.
The Amur project itself faces funding snags, said two of the sources, as sanctions threaten to choke financing from key lenders, including Russia's state-controlled Sberbank (SBER.MM) and European credit agencies. read more
"It's an existing investment. Sinopec is trying to overcome the difficulties in financing," said a Beijing-based industry executive with direct knowledge of the matter.
Sibur did not comment on the suspension of the talks for the new chemical plant but said it continues to cooperate with Sinopec. It said the two companies continue to work jointly on implementing the Amur plant.
"Sinopec is actively participating in the issues of the project's construction management, including equipment supplies, work with suppliers and contractors. We are also jointly working on the issues of project financing," Sibur told Reuters by email.
Sinopec also suspended talks over the gas marketing venture with Russian gas producer Novatek (NVTK.MM) over concerns that Sberbank, one of Novatek's shareholders, is on the latest U.S. sanctions list, said one source with direct knowledge of the matter. read more
Timchenko resigned from Novatek's board on Monday in the wake of the sanctions. Novatek declined to comment. read more
Novatek, Russia's largest independent gas producer, entered a preliminary deal in 2019 with Sinopec and Gazprombank to create a joint venture marketing liquefied natural gas to China as well as distributing natural gas in China.
Beyond Sinopec's planned Amur plant, CNPC and CNOOC were among the latest investors into Russia's natural gas sector, taking minority stakes in major export project Arctic LNG 2 in 2019 and Yamal LNG in 2014.
WriterNig: Click on the Twitter link. That page is an accurate source for any military news. Confirmed ✔️ Just search for Sergei Driga on Twitter and see for yourself.....
Vladimir Putin's defence minister has vanished with "heart problems" as the Kremlin's war effort in Ukraine stalls.
Sergei Shoigu has not been seen for 12 days and old footage or pictures have been shown of him on TV, say reports in opposition media.
On March 18, Shoigu, 66, was mentioned in a Kremlin website report saying he and Putin had discussed “the progress of the special operation in Ukraine” with permanent members of the security council.
But videos and pictures were not shown.
On the same day, state-controlled Channel One aired a story about Shoigu presenting awards
Yet an image used with the report was the same as shown on 11 March.
Earlier in the war, he had been more visible and frequently quoted.
His circle said he was unwell - with heart problems, investigative news outlet Agentstvo was told by a source close to the minister.
Shoigu is seen as one of Putin’s closest and most loyal allies.
Gentlerespect76: Russia has suffered more losses in the 26 days since the start of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine than the Soviet army did over the course of a decade (1979-1989) in Afghanistan, data shared by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has shown.
Because of the bolded I will take this as propaganda.
Let us assume it is propaganda which it is not - intelligent agencies across the world are providing a conservative estimate of between 7000 to 10,000 - which is still a large casualty rate over 4 weeks when compared to Afghanistan over a 10 year period during which the Soviet Union lost circa 15,000 soldiers.
This is JIHAD and ETHNIC CLEANSING. Nobody wants to speak the TRUTH. Every fool and idiot is calling these nefarious acts, banditry and kidnapping. No, it is not. It is JIHAD !!!
Our brothers and sisters in the North are facing a major terrorist threat from the Sahel, that seeks to disposses them off their land and take over their means of livelihood.
Buhari and his evil acolytes won't say the truth because its either they do not care or they are part of this plan.
I am tired of reading bad news every day about people being killed like chickens - todays its 100, tomorrow its 89, today it's 35 ?? Are these not human beings made in God's image. Have Nigerians gone mad ?? Haves Nigerian lost their damn minds ?
My advice to our brothers in the North is simple- BE MEN, BE BRAVE, ARM YOURSELVES, TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY, GIVE THEM NO REST DAY OR NIGHT. If the Ukrainians can do it so can you. Buhari will not help you, the army will not help you. ARM yourseves.
Russia has suffered more losses in the 26 days since the start of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine than the Soviet army did over the course of a decade (1979-1989) in Afghanistan, data shared by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has shown.
The infographic released by the Ministry of Defense shows that the official Soviet army losses in Afghanistan amounted to 15,051 personnel, whereas the losses currently suffered by the Russian army in Ukraine amount to around 15,300 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
New York (Knewz) — Former Donald Trump presidential campaign chair and once-convicted felon Paul Manafort was removed from a Miami flight bound for Dubai on March 20, officials confirmed.
Manafort was convicted in federal court of tax and bank fraud and ordered to serve a term in prison. He was released in May 2020 and pardoned by Trump before he left office in December 2020.
Officials with Miami-Dade police confirmed to Knewz.com that Manafort was denied travel by the Customs and Bureau Protection at Miami International Airport. Police said he could not take the flight and his U.S. Passport was revoked.
Miami-Dade police stressed they were not involved in the situation and there was no further incident from his removal.
Customs and Border Protection declined to comment on the situation.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is unable to discuss a specific individual’s arrival or departure into or from the United States,” officials said in a statement to Knewz.com.
The flight was scheduled to leave around 9:10 p.m. and left at 9:45 p.m. It arrived in Dubai around 7:50 p.m. local time on March 21, according to flight records.
A Republican-led Senate group found that Manafort was a “grave counterintelligence threat,” according to USA Today. He had longstanding ties to people affiliated with Russian intelligence and had a willingness to share information with them during the 2016 presidential race.
The panel found that Manafort’s presence on the campaign created opportunities for Russian intelligence to have influence over and inquire information about the Trump campaign.
LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - One of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's closest allies said on Wednesday that the United States aimed to humiliate, divide and ultimately destroy Russia, and vowed the country would never allow that to happen.
Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, said such a plan - if ever achieved - could have catastrophic results for the world.
"Russia will never allow such a development," he said in a message posted on Telegram.
AroleOduduwa2: In your dreams, but in reality Ukraine is running from post to pillar asking for help.
The Russian dock landing ship "Orsk", escorted by Black Sea Fleet naval forces, entered and unloaded military equipment in the port of Berdyansk. The Ukrainian forces in Berdyansk surrendered the port without a fight, leaving the entire port infrastructure intact. This is the lastest
Liar. They fought, but gave up because it was a very small town with a small poplulation and not strategic for the Ukrainian government. This is the only village that the Russian super power has been able to capture in almost a month
The US has handed Ukrainian troops an extra lifeline with the provision of its"kamikaze" drones, which are able to target enemy tanks and artillery positions from as far as 25 miles away. The US President has pledged to send 100 of the "Switchblade devices, which Mr Biden claims will give the Ukrainian forces "unprecedented assistance".
They were designed by a defence contractor called AeroVironment and can come in two forms.
One, the Switchblade 600 weighs 23kg and can stay in the air above a target for up to 40 minutes.
The weapons can travel at speeds of up to 115 miles per hour and get launched in a similar way to a mortar.
The drones swoop down to pierce its targets, usually an armoured tank, while getting steered by a remote control.
The other is a lighter version called the Switchblade 300 which can take out soldiers in the open and can obliterate vehicles.
These lighter versions only weigh around 2.5kg but cab whiz in the air at a speed of 100mph when it rockets into its targets, and can hover in the skies for up to 15 minutes.
These weapons make up part of the US' $800million (£608million) military spending package.
A US official told CNN last week that 17,000 anti-tank weapons and 2,000 anti-aircraft weapons have been sent by the US and NATO.
But these join a host of other dangerous NATO imports that have been tipped to cause serious damage to Russia's army.
The UK has also chipped in with its own arsenal, shipping off 4,000 anti-tank missiles.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has also confirmed that the UK is providing weapons called Starstreak.
Mr Wallace has also claimed that the UK is “leading the way” in supplying weapons that can shoot down jets.
Germany has supplied Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles.
WASHINGTON—The Biden administration has transferred a significant number of Patriot antimissile interceptors to Saudi Arabia within the past month, fulfilling Riyadh’s urgent request for a resupply amid sharp tensions in the relationship, senior U.S. officials said.
The transfers sought to ensure that Saudi Arabia is adequately supplied with the defensive munitions it needs to fend off drone and missile attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, one of the officials said.
The Saudi military had been appealing to the U.S. since late last year for more Patriot interceptors-—missiles used to shoot down airborne weapons—warning that their supply was running dangerously low.
U.S.-Saudi relations have deteriorated since Mr. Biden took office over issues such as a White House decision to remove the Houthis from a list of designated terrorist groups, as well as Mr. Biden’s dealings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader.
The longstanding Saudi request for more interceptors had been a point of contention between Washington and Riyadh, feeding Saudi officials’ displeasure over what they contend was a lack of U.S. support for their intervention in the Yemen civil war.
U.S. officials said the decision to send the interceptors had taken months because of the high demand for the weapons by other U.S. allies and the need to go through normal vetting—not because the White House was deliberately delaying the resupply.
The interceptors and other munitions sent to Saudi Arabia were taken from U.S. stockpiles elsewhere in the Middle East, one of the officials said.
The decision to go ahead with the arms transfer was part of an effort by the Biden administration to rebuild its relationship with Riyadh. Among other things, the U.S. hopes Saudi Arabia will pump more oil to mitigate soaring crude prices, officials said. But providing Patriot interceptors hasn’t resolved all the strains in the relationship.
Mr. Biden also publicly criticized Saudi Arabia over its protracted war in Yemen and cut off the flow of some weapons Riyadh could use to target Houthis. The president also reversed a move by his predecessor that put the Houthis on the U.S.’s official list of global terrorist groups, a move that Saudi leaders said had emboldened the Yemeni force and thwarted efforts to broker a cease-fire.
The latest attacks on Saudi Arabia came late Saturday and early Sunday when Houthi forces in Yemen fired missiles and drones at energy and water-desalination facilities run by Aramco, the Saudi state oil company.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, which a spokesman said were in response to “the continued aggression and unjust siege of our people.”
Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, condemned the Houthi attacks in a statement Sunday.
“The Houthis launch these terrorist attacks with enabling by Iran, which supplies them with missile and UAV components, training, and expertise,” he said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.
The missiles and drone attacks were fired at a water-desalination plant in Al-Shaqeeq; a distribution station in Jizan; a liquefied-natural-gas plant in Yanbu; a power station in Dhahran al Janub; and a gas facility in Khamis Mushait. Aramco said there were no casualties or impact on its supplies, while the Saudi-led military coalition backing the Yemeni government said the strikes damaged civilian vehicles and homes in the area.
In 2019, the Houthis claimed credit for coordinated strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province. The U.S. later blamed the attacks on Iran. But missile barrages and drone strikes from Yemen have continued steadily since.
Patriot antimissile batteries are only one of the weapons used by the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates to counter the Houthi attacks. Many of the slow-flying drones are shot down by fighter aircraft.
The rift between Mr. Biden and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince stretches back to the 2020 presidential election, when the Democratic candidate vowed to treat the kingdom as a “pariah” state after the U.S. implicated Saudi Arabia in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in Istanbul.
After taking office, Mr. Biden released a U.S. intelligence report that concluded that Prince Mohammed had approved the plan to capture or kill Mr. Khashoggi, who had been an outspoken critic of the young Saudi ruler.
Prince Mohammed has denied knowing anything about the plot. People close to the crown prince were convicted by a Saudi court of taking part in murdering the journalist.
In an effort to repair the breach, the White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden and Prince Mohammed in early February, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The White House has said the story about the unsuccessful telephone calls was inaccurate.
A Patriot antimissile battery at a Saudi air base in February. The country’s military has said its supply of Patriot interceptors was running low. Photo: Iman Al-Dabbagh for The Wall Street Journal
Hypersonic missiles will be installed on three US destroyer-class ships this month as Washington moves to increase its capabilities at sea and counter possible Chinese and Russian threats.
Three of the US Navy’s troubled Zumwalt-class destroyers will be fitted with the hypersonic missiles, replacing the ships’ two massive 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS).
Upon finishing these changes in 2025, the Zumwalt-class would be the first US naval platform to be armed with hypersonic weapons.
The conversion aims to make the futuristic stealth vessels into blue-water strike platforms, in contrast with their original purpose of operating in the littorals and supporting forces ashore with guided rounds from their dual 155mm guns.
The Zumwalt class was originally built around two 155mm AGS weapons. However, the high cost of the AGS’ guided rounds at US$1 million each – approaching that of a Tomahawk cruise missile – stopped the US Navy from mass procurement.
Also, the proliferation of littoral defenses such as anti-ship missile batteries, naval mines and coastal submarines may have made the Zumwalt destroyers too vulnerable for shore bombardment roles.
Replacing the twin AGS weapons, the Zumwalt class would be fitted with at least two sets of hypersonic missile tubes inserted on the port and starboard sides of the ship. Replacing the Zumwalt’s AGS mounts with hypersonic missile tubes gives the class strategic-level capabilities, while preserving its 80 existing vertical launchers, which are vital for air defense and anti-ship missiles.
These missile tubes would be based on the Multiple All-up-round Canisters (MAC) system installed on four Ohio class nuclear guided-cruise missile submarines. Aboard the Zumwalt class, these MACs could be loaded with three Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) missiles per tube.
However, the US Navy has not given the exact numbers of how many tubes or hypersonic missiles the Zumwalt class will carry.
Advanced technologies
The US Navy may have planned to repurpose the Zumwalt class from being a failed shore bombardment platform into a hypersonic weapons launcher to continue utilizing the advanced technologies featured in the class. These technologies include its stealth characteristics, radars, electric propulsion systems and processing capabilities.
However, this may also be a move to save what was already an unfeasible design in the first place.
The Zumwalt’s tumblehome stealth hull could potentially become unstable in high seas and can be detected with low-frequency radar. Also, no close-in weapons systems (CIWS) were installed on the class to maximize its stealth features, making it vulnerable to air and anti-ship missile attacks.
In addition, the high cost of $4.24 billion per unit for only three ships means there might not be enough Zumwalt ships to fulfill US Navy mission requirements.
Such an approach to weapons design may reflect the US tendency to spend exorbitant amounts on over-engineered and overly-complex designs which promise to do so much yet cannot be mass-produced, due to high costs.
These designs may also be aimed at accomplishing too much that they end up not being specialized for any role.
That said, it may be more practical for the US Navy to install hypersonic weapons on cheaper, more numerous assets.
These could include the upcoming Constellation-class frigates, which are designed to take up the role of inexpensive general-purpose warships that can be bought in large numbers, in order to complement the capabilities of larger and more capable ships such as the Arleigh Burke and Zumwalt class.
While hypersonic weapons are still in their infancy and therefore have high costs at present, it can be reasonably expected that costs will sink once the technology matures and production rates pick up, allowing more warships to be armed with them.
Also, it could be more feasible to start with a new ship class designed from the outset to be armed with hypersonic missiles. While the Zumwalt class is planned to be equipped with hypersonic weapons, their high unit cost, unproven technology and small number may restrict their roles into being technology demonstrators for more feasible and sustainable ship designs.
That said, the US Navy’s planned Next-Generation DDG (X) destroyers are expected to be equipped with hypersonic and directed energy weapons, and feature key technologies featured on the Zumwalt class, such as the electric propulsion and electricity generation systems.
Construction of the new class is planned to start in 2028 and may be substantially cheaper per unit than the Zumwalt class, with a cost estimate of $1 billion per hull.
Eriokanmi: I wonder oo. See as they're flexing muscle over ordinary Ukraine. They should have fought the weakest country in Western Europe and see the entire Russia fall into rumbles in a matter of hours
Ask your Nigerian army to fight the US if they are so weak, ,lol.
Sltp: China is the only sanction proof economy in the world. Even American economy will crumble if it's sanctioned. Even dumping the universal of the dollars will crumble the American economy because that's its only strength
BEIJING, March 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. destroyer Ralph Johnson's sail-through of the Taiwan Strait on March 17 was a "provocative" act by the United States and sent the wrong signals to pro-Taiwan independence forces, the Chinese military said on Saturday.
Such an act was "very dangerous", a Chinese military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that troops were organised to monitor the Ralph Johnson's passage. read more
China says Taiwan is the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States. Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, but is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier.
Kingpin1000: Most weapons used in Ukraine are supposed to have been decommissioned. And after the war,they will remain in Donbas region. Russia is protecting their modern artillery.
Foreign Affairs › Russian Soldiers Run For Cover As The Ukrainian Military Destroy Their Base by SeeThisLoser(op): 7:08pm On Mar 31, 2022
