JENJE-BARA

  The Nigerian Army training exercise code named ‘Exercise Crocodile Smile’ has officially ended at Brass in Bayelsa State. The exercise was launched nearly two weeks ago, with the responsibility of traversing the South-South geo-political region. It was set up to also provide a practical training for Special Forces and other units of the Nigerian Army in Amphibious and Internal Security Operations in riverine environment Troops were also mandated to provide adequate security for residents as well as critical national economic assets in the region.   Largely Successful Exercise The exercise, which the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, described as largely successful also enabled the Nigerian military to offer educational materials to some primary schools in Brass Town. The soldiers have had to survive in this riverine environment which for many of them was their first time in such a place. They are in a celebrato...

  Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described the South American trio as turning “normal life into art”, as all three were on target to take their combined goals tally for the season to 106 in eliminating the English side from the Champions League on Wednesday. “I don’t think Barcelona depend on the three up front,” Messi said on Thursday. “There is a big squad and there is much more than three players. “We try to help offensively and defensively, but I don’t think the team depends on us.” Barca are on the brink of their sixth La Liga title in eight years as they lead Atletico Madrid by eight points with just nine games to play and will face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final in May. But despite unparallelled success over the past decade, Messi claimed the winning mentality within the Barca dressing room keeps them focused on winning everything again this season. “There is a good relationship not just between Suarez, Neymar and I, but in the whole dressin...

  Fighting appeared largely to stop across most areas of western and northern Syria on Saturday after a cessation of hostilities came into effect, which the United Nations called the best hope for peace since the civil war began five years ago. Under the U.S.-Russian accord accepted by President Bashar al-Assad’s government and many of his enemies, fighting should cease so aid can reach civilians and talks can open to end a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and made 11 million homeless. The truce is the culmination of new diplomatic efforts that reflect a battlefield dramatically changed since Russia joined the war in September with air strikes to prop up Assad. Moscow’s intervention effectively destroyed the hope his enemies have maintained for five years — encouraged by Arab and Western states — to topple him by force. The fragile agreement is the first of its kind to be attempted in four years and, if it holds, would be the most suc...

The latest Dry Bulk Freight Forecaster from Maritime Strategies International (MSI) reports a deterioration of the consultancy’s cautiously optimistic view for improvement in the dry bulk market in the next six months.   Misery piled on misery for dry bulk owners in January as spot and timecharter rates reached new lows. Demand plummeted for a majority of dry cargoes and in the iron ore markets, a temporary hiatus in activity at Tubarao briefly dented Brazilian exports, whilst Australian exports were curtailed by weather disruptions during the cyclone season.   The beginning of the year is typically marked by a spike in recorded vessel deliveries, and January 2016 was no exception. Deliveries surged to 7.2m dwt, more than double average monthly deliveries during 2015. This was partly offset by a jump in vessels scrapped to 4.6 m dwt, the largest total since 5.6 m dwt was demolished in April 2015.   Positive news is limited to the demand s...

L to R: Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, DMCC and Amer Ali, Executive Director, DMCA. The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating and supervising all aspects of Dubai’s maritime sector, has committed its full support for the Dubai Maritime Club, a not-for-profit initiative aimed at nurturing a dynamic network of maritime professionals. Launched in collaboration with DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre), the authority on trade, enterprise and commodities in Dubai, the Club will facilitate regular meetings for members irrespective of the location of their activity, with the main purpose of sharing knowledge and expertise and providing a platform for productive dialogue geared towards improving the industry. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, DMCC, said: "Dubai has a strong heritage in the maritime sector and sea tra...