Latest news with #Haruna
CNA
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Japanese rock band Scandal will return to Singapore after 6 years for one-night concert in September
Are you one of the many anime fans who grew up playing the Bleach opening song Harukaze on repeat? Well, here's some good news for you as the popular Japanese rock band Scandal will return to Singapore this September after a six-year absence. The quartet, comprising Haruna, Mami, Tomomi and Rina, will be performing at the Star Theatre on Sep 13 as part of its Love, Spark, Joy tour. Singapore will be the group's only stop in Southeast Asia for this world tour. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Unusual Entertainment Pte Ltd (@unusual_ent) Tickets for the concert will cost between S$118 and S$228, and will go on sale at 10am on Friday (Jun 20) via Sistic. Fans who purchase the meet-and-greet package (S$228) will be entitled to a VIP seat within the first five rows of the Star Theatre, a group photo opportunity with Scandal after the concert, a limited-edition autographed postcard and priority access to buy merchandise. Scandal will be supported by the band Koiai, which consists of renowned guitarist Li-sa-X, guitarist Hazuki and drummer Kanade. According to concert organiser Unusual Entertainment, Koiai will be opening for Scandal and will perform the group's original track A New Picture as well as the soundtrack from popular anime series such as Naruto, Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man. Formed in Osaka in 2006, Scandal is one of the most popular Japanese rock bands in recent history, with sold-out concerts all over the world. In 2023, Scandal was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the longest active female rock band with all of its original members. In addition to Harukaze, Scandal has also performed theme songs for other popular anime series, including Shunkan Sentimental in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Yoake No Ryuuseigun in Pokemon.
IOL News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The impact of colonisation on Nigeria and the call for reparations
DECADES of colonisation have left their mark on Nigeria's history, drastically altering the nation. During its century-long rule over Nigeria in West Africa during the Industrial Revolution, the United Kingdom pillaged its natural resources. Like many other European nations, the English placed a high value on dominating Africa and the Atlantic trade in the 17th century. They played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade as well. The UK owes Nigeria $3.2 trillion (about R59trln at current exchange rates) in damages, according to Major General Dr Al-Tayeb Abdul Jalil, a Sudanese professor of international law. This sum covers the time that colonialism, forced labour, resource looting, environmental harm, and underdevelopment occurred. Experts on Trust TV News spoke about whether reparations were necessary and in what way this issue should be considered. A panel discussion was held on April 26 to discuss the question of reparations from the UK and possible solutions to the problem. Speakers at the event included Armsfree Ajanaku, executive director of the grassroots Centre for Rights and Civic Orientation, and Ambassador Haruna, a retired diplomat from the Ecowas Commission. Reparations are a right and a minimum in regard to the harms and crimes committed by the colonisers, experts maintained throughout the discussion. Haruna argues that Western aid is not reparations because, regardless of the amount, it does not cover real damage: 'Western aid is not reparations; most aid funds are returned to Europe as administrative costs; they do not compensate for true damage.' In addition, the panellist noted that Europe had not made a significant contribution to the development of the continent's infrastructure; in his view, other powers are now doing it: 'The real development aid today comes mostly from China.' Speakers noted that the African Union (AU) should be applauded for taking the initiative on the issue of reparations. It should be recalled that the organisation has chosen 'Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations' as its theme for 2025. According to participants at the event, the scars left by England in Nigeria are still being felt even now. It is largely about the economic dominance of European powers in Africa. Ajanaku has insisted that in order to heal emotional wounds, restore memory, and ensure that errors are not repeated, reparations must go beyond monetary payments. During the discussion, specific reparations measures were suggested, including the establishment of a reparations fund, funding public projects (such as schools, hospitals, and memorials), thorough documentation of colonial crimes for future generations, and the return of cultural artefacts. Debates on reparations have also recently taken place in Senegal and Mali, demonstrating the growing vitality of the topic. The countries of West Africa are actively voicing their position and taking concrete measures to achieve their goal of reparations. According to Ambassador Musa Sani Nuhu, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to Ecowas, the issue of reparations is also being actively discussed at the technical level in the economic bloc. Now that Nigeria is one of the major African economies, it is powerful enough to demand justice. However, decisive and well-coordinated initiatives by the government and civil society will be necessary to achieve this goal. * Dr Manuel Godsin is a writer and researcher at the International Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. He has a large number of books translated into many languages: English, French, and Spanish, including The Crisis of the World and The Conflict of the Wings: The World on the Brink of Abyss. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media, or IOL.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nigerian mixed-faith families sense danger as violence flares
When the news came through of yet another massacre in the countryside in Nigeria's volatile Plateau state, local Christian Jamaima Haruna was terrified for her Muslim husband. The slayings in the Bokkos district left 52 dead -- one of two major bouts of suspected intercommunal violence this month, in a state where Muslim herders and mostly Christian farmers regularly clash. Haruna, 39, was selling potatoes in the market in Jos, the state capital. But her husband was travelling in the area where the killings were reported, in search of fresh produce for their business. The fact that her husband was Muslim provided Haruna no comfort that he would be safe against killers on a rampage across the mostly Christian villages. "I was terrified. The situation was tense, and I became so worried thinking about him. I instantly called his phone number about three times -- the calls did not go," Haruna told AFP. Theirs is one of many mixed-faith marriages in Plateau, a grey area among the sometimes divisive rhetoric that often comes from Nigerian media and politicians whenever intercommunal violence flares. Haruna's husband was fine, but what exactly happened in Bokkos earlier this month remains unclear. Survivors told AFP that unidentified gunmen stormed the villages. A local official said the attackers spoke the "Fulani dialect". A local pastoralist association representing Muslim Fulani herders slammed the remarks as irresponsible. But amid the long-standing tensions in the area, things have sharply escalated: this week, another attack by unidentified gunmen left another 52 dead, this time in the villages of Zike and Kimakpa. Politicians including Plateau state governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang said the massacres were part of a "genocide" that was "sponsored by terrorists". Critics say that rhetoric masks the true causes of the conflict -- disputes over land and a failure by authorities and police to govern the countryside. "It all boils down to the failure of governance at the lower level of Nigeria," said Isa Sanusi, Nigeria country director at Amnesty International. "The space has been taken over by impunity." Rhetoric about a "genocide", he said, meanwhile "creates a situation where the fact that people accept to live together is now put to the test". - History of religious mixing - Mixed-faith families have long existed in Plateau, which lies midway between the country's mainly Christian south and mostly Muslim north. The state's complicated history includes both communities living side by side, as well as explosions of violence. The capital Jos saw deadly sectarian riots in 2001 and 2008 that together killed more than a thousand people, according to rights groups. Peace efforts in the city since then have brought calm, though the countryside remains restive. Land grabbing, political and economic tensions between local "indigenes" and those considered outsiders, as well as an influx of hardline Muslim and Christian preachers, have heightened divisions in recent decades. Land used by farmers and herders, meanwhile, is coming under stress from climate change and human expansion, sparking deadly competition for increasingly limited space. When violence flares, weak policing all but guarantees indiscriminate reprisal attacks. Growing up, Solomon Dalung, a 60-year-old Christian, would go to the mosque when he was staying with his cousins, who lived in a town that did not have a church. "Each time there is any crisis, religion and ethnicity is used as a fuel" to escalate it, said the former state sports minister. At the same time, like other politicians, he insisted in an interview with AFP that the killings were "genocidal", accusing the attackers of "extermination of another group". - 'In the spotlight' - Tensions in Plateau can be especially dangerous for mixed families, as it "puts them in the spotlight", said Sanusi. Usman Ahmad, a 71-year-old Muslim who has been married to a Christian for four decades, was also in the Jos market when he heard news of the Bokkos killings. While he felt a sense of relief that his immediate community "is more enlightened" about mixed families, he also felt the need "to rush home and see what we can do in terms of appealing for calm", he said. "Many times we sit to think (about) why this crisis refused to end. Is it because of religion, is it about tribalism or is it about wealth?" Jamaima Haruna told AFP from her market stand. "Can't we think of other ways to respect our differences?" str-nro/sn/rlp/rjm
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nigerian mixed-faith families sense danger as violence flares
When the news came through of yet another massacre in the countryside in Nigeria's volatile Plateau state, local Christian Jamaima Haruna was terrified for her Muslim husband. The slayings in the Bokkos district left 52 dead -- one of two major bouts of suspected intercommunal violence this month, in a state where Muslim herders and mostly Christian farmers regularly clash. Haruna, 39, was selling potatoes in the market in Jos, the state capital. But her husband was travelling in the area where the killings were reported, in search of fresh produce for their business. The fact that her husband was Muslim provided Haruna no comfort that he would be safe against killers on a rampage across the mostly Christian villages. "I was terrified. The situation was tense, and I became so worried thinking about him. I instantly called his phone number about three times -- the calls did not go," Haruna told AFP. Theirs is one of many mixed-faith marriages in Plateau, a grey area among the sometimes divisive rhetoric that often comes from Nigerian media and politicians whenever intercommunal violence flares. Haruna's husband was fine, but what exactly happened in Bokkos earlier this month remains unclear. Survivors told AFP that unidentified gunmen stormed the villages. A local official said the attackers spoke the "Fulani dialect". A local pastoralist association representing Muslim Fulani herders slammed the remarks as irresponsible. But amid the long-standing tensions in the area, things have sharply escalated: this week, another attack by unidentified gunmen left another 52 dead, this time in the villages of Zike and Kimakpa. Politicians including Plateau state governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang said the massacres were part of a "genocide" that was "sponsored by terrorists". Critics say that rhetoric masks the true causes of the conflict -- disputes over land and a failure by authorities and police to govern the countryside. "It all boils down to the failure of governance at the lower level of Nigeria," said Isa Sanusi, Nigeria country director at Amnesty International. "The space has been taken over by impunity." Rhetoric about a "genocide", he said, meanwhile "creates a situation where the fact that people accept to live together is now put to the test". - History of religious mixing - Mixed-faith families have long existed in Plateau, which lies midway between the country's mainly Christian south and mostly Muslim north. The state's complicated history includes both communities living side by side, as well as explosions of violence. The capital Jos saw deadly sectarian riots in 2001 and 2008 that together killed more than a thousand people, according to rights groups. Peace efforts in the city since then have brought calm, though the countryside remains restive. Land grabbing, political and economic tensions between local "indigenes" and those considered outsiders, as well as an influx of hardline Muslim and Christian preachers, have heightened divisions in recent decades. Land used by farmers and herders, meanwhile, is coming under stress from climate change and human expansion, sparking deadly competition for increasingly limited space. When violence flares, weak policing all but guarantees indiscriminate reprisal attacks. Growing up, Solomon Dalung, a 60-year-old Christian, would go to the mosque when he was staying with his cousins, who lived in a town that did not have a church. "Each time there is any crisis, religion and ethnicity is used as a fuel" to escalate it, said the former state sports minister. At the same time, like other politicians, he insisted in an interview with AFP that the killings were "genocidal", accusing the attackers of "extermination of another group". - 'In the spotlight' - Tensions in Plateau can be especially dangerous for mixed families, as it "puts them in the spotlight", said Sanusi. Usman Ahmad, a 71-year-old Muslim who has been married to a Christian for four decades, was also in the Jos market when he heard news of the Bokkos killings. While he felt a sense of relief that his immediate community "is more enlightened" about mixed families, he also felt the need "to rush home and see what we can do in terms of appealing for calm", he said. "Many times we sit to think (about) why this crisis refused to end. Is it because of religion, is it about tribalism or is it about wealth?" Jamaima Haruna told AFP from her market stand. "Can't we think of other ways to respect our differences?" str-nro/sn/rlp/rjm
The Hill
28-03-2025
- General
- The Hill
Social media trends are driving Indonesia's patchouli oil industry. The cost? Deforestation
SIMBORO, Indonesia (AP) — Tucked between the village and the forest, Haruna and his father-in-law worked diligently through the night distilling dried patchouli plants, stoking the boiler with firewood, drops of fragrant patchouli oil trickling into plastic bottles. A sense of satisfaction washed over them as they watched the container fill with thick, rich brown oil, a sign of high-quality patchouli, the result of their hard work and precision. Haruna, 42, who like many Indonesians only uses one name, is a patchouli farmer in Simboro, a sub-district of western Sulawesi. He and his father-in-law have been waiting in line for several weeks to finally be able to process their harvest in a modest steam distillation facility an hour's drive from their farm. Demand for the plant's oils has skyrocketed in recent years, and so too has the number of farmers in the region who grow and process it. But the trend has an uglier underbelly as Indonesia's vast rainforest is cleared to make way for patchouli farming. That loss of a vital ecosystem also increases the threat of landslides. With a deep, earthy, musky scent, patchouli oil is derived from the leaves of the Pogostemon cablin plant, a member of the mint family. It's native to Southeast Asia, mostly in Indonesia. The aromatic oil is marketed for its calming effects, helping ease stress and anxiety. It's found in luxury fragrances, cosmetics and other wellness products. Social media trends have driven the most recent surge in interest in patchouli oil. Patchouli thrives in Indonesia's tropical climate, which supplies over 80% of the global market. Prices for one kilogram of patchouli oil for farmers can be up to 2.4 million rupiah ($147). A trend that drives deforestation and landslides A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the world's third-largest rainforest, with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants, the endemic bird Maleo, and giant forest flowers. Patchouli has been a key commodity on Indonesia's tropical island of Sulawesi since the early 2000s, but in just less than two years, it has become part of daily life in Mamuju City. Dried plants hang from homes' porches, while the bushy perennial herbs with their oval, often hairy, leaves can be easily found at the roadsides. Deeper into the forest and beyond the villages, new lands are being cleared. Thousands of plastic cups shelter young patchouli seedlings, signaling that in a few months, yet more fields will be covered in the fragrant crop. Local authorities are encouraging the community to get into the patchouli business to support their income. But West Sulawesi's Environment and Forestry Agency has warned that the trend threatens the land and the people around it. As the rainforest gets cleared, slopes get less stable, making them more prone to landslides. Zulkifli Manggazali, head of West Sulawesi's Environment and Forestry Agency, said that patchouli cannot be planted on slopes with an angle of 45 degrees or more. 'Because when patchouli is planted there, there will be erosion, flooding, and landslides,' he explained. It is not known exactly how much land has been deforested for patchouli planting but as the trend grows, it cuts deeper and deeper into the forest. Patchouli distillation also has the potential to increase deforestation, as firewood is used from the surrounding forests to heat water for the steam distillation process. In several areas where forests have been cleared to make way for patchouli plantations in the island, landslides have begun to take their toll. This January, a family was killed by a landslide in Mamuju. Their house was in a hilly, vulnerable area. Local authorities at that time said that patchouli planting was not a main factor in the disaster, but it did play a part because patchouli had been planted nearby. Finding more sustainable economic alternatives Hardi, who also uses one name, is a 36-year-old patchouli farmer. He has already harvested patchouli twice, and spends most of his days alongside his 60-year-old mother and brother on their one-hectare plantation. His land has turned into a bustling hub where they dry and cut patchouli before sending it off for distillation. Before patchouli, Hardi cultivated cloves, but the long harvest period and declining market prices prompted him to make a change. He turned to patchouli, plants that are smaller and more like bushes, and chose to plant it on the steep hillside, an arduous location that demands a strenuous uphill walk of over 30 minutes. The patchouli brings in enough money for him and his family's needs. But it's unsustainable: patchouli can only grow on the same land twice before farmers need to clear a new patch to farm on. It's another factor leading to deforestation. Like many farmers, Hardi has no idea exactly where the oil ends up after it leaves his hands. The distillation owner, who buys the oil from him for around 1,400,000 rupiah ($86) per kilogram (two pounds), remains the sole link between his work and exporters, most of whom are based on Indonesia's main island of Java, before it eventually reaches the global market. For Manggazali from the environment agency, the cost isn't worth the prices the farmers and the surrounding communities would pay if their patchouli farming leads to landslide. 'If a flood comes, everyone around there will be affected,' he said. To avoid a spiraling trend of increased deforestation for patchouli, Manggazali suggests that the island would benefit from getting into a more sustainable industry. 'If patchouli has been planted, it should be replaced with productive trees, such as durian trees,' he said. 'It also has economic value, but for the longer term.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
