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FG promises protection of intellectual property, investment
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according to the vice president we understand how dynamic the environment is both technology and creative arts. but we think that the way to go will be to work with those who are actually in the industry those like yourselves who are putting in their money their resources time and energy into this and trying to do our regulations in such a way that we are competitive practically with anyone else in the world1 by laolu akande1 they came in impressive numbers for two full days to listen and assess investment opportunities in nigeria and also asked questions1 from the silicon valley for instance well over twenty core american investors in technology spent hours on monday afternoon interacting with the nigerian delegation led by the vice president alongside others including industry trade1 top among the us investors were tim kendall a us investor who worked with facebook monetization and has led pinterest headquartered in san francisco valued at about 12b1 pinterest is a web and mobile application company that operates a software system designed to discover information on the world wide web mainly using images and on a shorter scale gifs and videos. pinterest has reached 200 million monthly active users as of september 20171 others who attended the investment summit in silicon valley included representatives of streetedge capital a bay area california multi-billion dollar family partnership with global footprints including holdings in the us india and africa1 there were also others including chika nwobi and tom terbell partners from rise capital a private equity firm specializing in early venture and later stage investments. it seeks to invest in the internet enabled sector in emerging markets. the multi-million dollar investment firm is also based in san francisco california1 in the same vein prof. osinbajo also visited the headquarters of linkedin where he held a meeting with the co-founder of linkedin allen blue and other senior executives of the company at its headquarters in california1 the vice president later featured as the special guest at the firms fireside chat with a room packed full of nigerians in diaspora which was also streamed live to a global audience1 the next day the vice president and his delegation drawn mainly from the advisory group on technology innovation and creativity an arm of the national industrial competitiveness council moved over to los angeles right in hollywood and met with an impressive array of entertainment chieftains and investors in the us1 they included top hollywood executives like mark viane of paramount pictures steven odell of sony pictures kieran breen karen mbanefo and bryan song of 20th century fox betty lee of lions gate craig dehmel and shehu garba from imax entertainment monique esclavissat of warner bros mary ann hughes from walt disney john fithian from the national association of theater owners and ryan gibson of bet international among others. there were also representatives from fox network universal studios etc1 also at the forum from the nigerian delegation were renowned names in the film music1 it would be recalled that the vice president on monday was received by google ceo sundar pichai and other top google executives at the global technology companys corporate headquarters in silicon valley california1 discussions centred around how both the federal government and google could work together to beef up digital access in nigeria. after that meeting the vice president also interacted with scores of nigerians working with google1 speaking in hollywood before he left the us early yesterday prof. osinbajo noted that the federal government is determined to ensure needed regulations are in place to stimulate the growth of the countrys entertainment and creative industries including the protection of intellectual property and investment guarantees1 the vp stated this during the interactive investment forum on nigerias creativity sector with us-based entertainment outlets media1 for two days american investors and chieftains from the technology and entertainment sectors of the us and indeed global economies took turns to listen and actively interact with vice president yemi osinbajo san and the nigerian delegation drawn from the public and private sectors1 so what we have done so far is that weve been looking at what the specific issues are and there are quite a few1 there are those who want to know about what we are doing in terms of intellectual property protection investment guarantee and all of that. but i think that the most important thing really is that we have a government and a lot of those who work in our agencies who are determined to work through this day by day piece by piece to make sure that we get our environment right and we get the right type of investment environment1 prof. osinbajo further said the buhari administration will continue to make effort to improve the countrys infrastructure and technology to grow the countrys entertainmentcreative sector and the digital economy1 he said we are also of course very interested in many ways in deepening infrastructure especially broadband connectivity and all of that because we think that mobile telephony is going to be one of the big ways especially for the distribution of film and all of that. and we are convinced that with the size of our population we must find ways of getting film and content unto mobile phones and also working out payment systems around that because we think that that is the way this is going to go1 we know that in the next couple of years that really is where a lot of development is going to go to and we are very anxious to get our regulations right to get all of our laws in place and to ensure that we are able to attract all of you who want to do business with us especially those of you who are coming from other countries1 as for nigerians we are of course actively engaged with the local industry and that is one of the reasons why we have the advisory council which takes into account many of our local investors local artistes and the local entertainment crowd generally1 the interactive forum in los angeles was the last leg of the vice presidents trip to the united states where he led a public-private sector collaborative investment road show including meetings with global industry leaders in the technology film music1 the investment road show led by the vice president showcased the efforts of the buhari administration in developing nigerias technology entertainment and creative sectors and sought to deepen collaboration between nigeria and the us in these areas1 also on the vice presidents delegation were representatives of tech firms nollywood and several relevant government agencies. a number of representatives of those agencies also held a meeting with facebook at its headquarters in the silicon valley on tuesday1 the vps earlier meetings with a series of key us technology investors and executives from us-based companies-invest in nigeria summit held at the four seasons hotel palo alto san francisco california while the meeting with hollywood and us entertainment industry operatives held all day at the waldorf astoria hotel in los angeles1 at the meetings which were well attended by us and nigerian investors industry chieftains prof. osinbajo reiterated governments commitment to the growth of the countrys digital economy by creating the right environment for the technology creative industries to thrive and unlocking the countrys potential1 the vice president said one of the critical things for us also is the fact that we are very open to ensuring that regulation is competitive especially in the tech space1 all over the world this is a very dynamic environment and we recognise that and we want to be able to work with players and investors to get the regulations and environment right1 prof. osinbajo also showcased opportunities for innovation and investment in nigeria while also highlighting the growth of nigerian technology start-ups and young nigerians taking the lead in innovation and creativity1 he noted that government was exploring more ways to leverage on technology to improve infrastructure and other areas of the economy while also highlighting the impact of the buhari administration social investment programme such as the n-power scheme and how it leverages on technology to train and empower young nigerian graduates. so far the n-power scheme has 200000 beneficiaries with 300000 more expected to be added soon1 akande is the senior special assistant to the president on media1 -
UN slams arms embargo on South Sudan
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last friday the government and opposition signed an agreement on security arrangements which follow on from a ceasefire deal last month1 a u.s. drafted resolution that would impose an arms embargo on south sudan is certain to get the nod of the united nations security council today1 a resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by russia china britain france or the united states. diplomats said they believed the united states had enough votes for the measure to pass and that it was unlikely to be vetoed1 some council members say the timing is not right given attempts to revitalize the peace process and are likely to abstain diplomats said1 a u.s. bid to impose an arms embargo in december 2016 failed to get enough votes1 the u.s. mission to the united nations was not immediately available to comment1 south sudan which split off from its northern neighbor sudan in 2011 has been gripped by a civil war since 2013 caused by political rivalry between president salva kiir and his former deputy riek machar1 the embargo comes five years after civil war broke out in the country1 however on thursday south sudans parliament voted to extend kiirs mandate until 2021 in a move likely to undermine the peace talks as opposition groups have said the change would be illegal. [l8n1u84ae]1 at the end of may the security council renewed its targeted sanctions regime on south sudan until july 15 and said it would consider an arms embargo and blacklisting six senior south sudan officials if u.n. chief antonio guterres reported by june 30 that there was still conflict or a lack of a viable political agreement1 that resolution was adopted with nine votes in favor and six abstentions1 there have been credible reports of fighting guterres told the security council in a june 29 letter. he also said u.n. peacekeepers had documented gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law1 while the outcome of regional and international efforts to deliver a political settlement of the conflict is yet unclear i must reiterate that any revitalized agreement must be inclusive fair and sustainable guterres wrote1 the u.n. human rights office said on tuesday that at least 232 civilians were killed and 120 women and girls raped in scorched earth attacks by south sudan government troops and aligned forces in opposition-held villages earlier this year1 -
Cameroon probes video showing extra-judicial killings
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however amnesty international said it had gathered credible evidence that it was cameroonian soldiers depicted in a video carrying out the horrific extrajudicial executions1 the cameroonian government has launched a probe into a video circulated online that appears to show men in military uniform shooting dead two women and two children for being suspected members of the islamist group boko haram1 you are bh you are going to die said one french-speaking man in aviator sunglasses and khaki attire hitting a woman across the face. bh is short for boko haram which for nine years has been fighting to carve out an islamic caliphate centered in northern nigeria1 the women are blindfolded and told to sit down alongside their children. moments later two men step back level their rifles and fire a series of rounds1 reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the video including when and where it was filmed1 government spokesman issa tchiroma bakary said the men in the footage appeared not to be cameroonian army soldiers. their weapons and uniforms were not standard issue for the cameroonian army in the north he said1 the video is nothing but an unfortunate attempt to distort actual facts and intoxicate the public. its sincerity can be easily questioned bakary told journalists late on wednesday describing the clip as fake news and an act of gross misinformation1 he said president paul biya had ordered an investigation into the footage1 army spokesman colonel didier badjeck also described the video as fake news according to local media. reuters could not immediately reach badjeck for further comment1 the shaky video shared more than 90000 times on twitter shows two women one with an infant strapped to her back being led by a group of uniformed men across a patch of dusty scrubland1 that evidence included analysis of the weapons especially a gilil an israeli automatic rifle that is rare in africa but used by a small section of the cameroonian army their speech and uniforms and some corroborating witness testimonies amnesty said1 it is imperative that a proper impartial investigation is undertaken and those responsible for these abhorrent acts are brought to justice samira daoud deputy director of the rights groups west africa office said in the statement1 the cameroonian army is fighting insurgencies on two fronts against anglophone separatists in the heavily forested west and boko haram in the arid north1 rights groups have accused the army of mistreating civilians and opposition fighters charges the army and the government deny. last year amnesty international said the army tortured suspected boko haram fighters1 in the english-speaking western regions soldiers have burned villages and killed civilians as they try to quell a growing secessionist movement according to local residents contacted by reuters earlier this year. the army rejected those accusations and said it respected human rights1 sponsored1 the conflicts have been destabilizing factors in the cocoa- and oil-producing country which has been run by biya for 36 years. presidential elections are set for october1 reporting by josiane kouagheu additional reporting by tim cocks in dakar writing by edward mcallister editing by nick tattersall our standardsthe thomson reuters trust principles.1 -
Senate receives Bill on State Police
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we have talked about the fact that whether these killings were initial acts of aggression or reprisal attacks it is clear that either way it is totally unacceptable and we must condemn it in all totality he said2 secondly these are acts of criminality and we should not encourage any other colouration to it be it religious or otherwise. this is criminality. and as such we have a role to ensure that we must address this criminality to see how we can fight it2 we have spoken on many platforms and made suggestions to the executive on the fact that there is a need for an urgent review of the security architecture of the nation2 having made suggestions and listened to security agencies over the killings saraki said it was important for the lawmakers to do their own part2 we as the senate must come up with our own actions. we do not need to flog the issue. we have told the executive what to do. we have told them privately and we have told them publicly. however on our own part we must decide on what we need to do2 the decision of the senate to allow for state policing came as a result of the unending crisis and killings across nigeria1 with the bill the senate seeks to remove policing from the exclusive list and put in in the concurrent list thereby allowing state governors to establish and manage a police force within their states1 according to the order paper of the upper legislative chambers for thursday the bill is listed as the first item for presentation1 the president of the senate while welcoming his colleagues from their last break stated clearly that it was time for the senate to take a decision on the security architecture in nigeria1 the senate is set to receive for first reading a bill to alter the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria and create state police1 in keeping to his promise to present the bill deputy president of the senate sen. ike ekwerenmadu is listed as the sponsor of the bill1 ekweremadu is supported in sponsoring the bill by 75 other senators bringing the total number of sponsors to 76 that is over 82 per cent of the 109 members of the chamber1 as at the time of the report the bill has not been sighted by our correspondent therefore a list of notable co-sponsors cannot be readily given1 the establishment and running of the police force is a preservation of the government at the centre and is on the exclusive list1 the senate therefore resolved to amend the constitution to allow for state policing while the deputy president of the senate promised to present a bill to that effect1 -
Max Air begins domestic flight, lands in Abuja Airport
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we are not new in this industry because we started slowly with worldwide charter and later entered into hajj operation and now domestic1 max air on thursday began its domestic flight operations in nigeria landing a boeing 737-300 aircraft with 29 passengers on board at the nnamdi azikiwe international airport abuja at 852 a.m1 max air had been carrying out hajj umrah and chartered operations in nigeria for over a decade before joining the domestic market1 the vice chairmanceo of the airline alhaji bashir mangal said its domestic operations had commenced in kano abuja and lagos adding that other routes would be opened in a couple of weeks1 mangal said the airline would strive to enthrone customer satisfaction through efficient service delivery adding that the airline would operate more routes like sokoto yola port harcourt and maiduguri1 he said the airline would also continue to carry out hajj umrah and charter operations1 according to him max air is starting its domestic operation with three aircraft which include b737-300 400 and 500 with plan to bring in more very soon1 right now we have a total of 11 aircraft on ground for all our operations of which we currently deploy seven for hajj and three for domestic1 the flight which departed from aminu kano international airport at 810 a.m had 27 adult and two children on board1 we plan to join other long haul flight like china uk and the u.s in the nearest future1 in the next two to three weeks we are going to deploy all our aircraft to go to all the destinations in the country1 we are going to operate lagos abuja port harcourt kano maiduguri yola and sokoto for a start and we will operate other routes as time goes on1 we are determined to satisfy our passengers through better service in order to make them happy to see the difference1 we want to do something different to satisfy their needs because we are aware of the challenges in the industry he said1 mr shehu wada company secretaryexecutive director business development max air said the airline was determined to revolutionalise domestic operation in nigeria1 wada noted that the entrance of the airline into hajj operation market brought about positive change to hajj operation in nigeria1 -
Unpaid N42.3bn gratuities: Court fixes Oct. 24 for hearing in Oyo
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in her response counsel to the respondents mrs bimpe segun-olakojo told the court that the motion on notice for summary judgment was just served on her in the court and she intended to respond to it1 the national industrial court in ibadan has fixed oct. 24 for hearing in a suit instituted by the nigeria union of pensioners nup oyo state chapter against gov. abiola ajimobi over unpaid n42.3 billion gratuities and pensions arrears1 other respondents in the suit are oyo state attorney-general and commissioner for justice commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters commissioner for finance accountant-general and the state head of service1 the claimants counsel mr lasun sanusi san told the court that an agreement was earlier reached between the state government and pensioners that the n42.3bn pension and gratuities arrears would be paid in instalment1 sanusi informed the court that the pensioners requested that the agreement be made as consent judgment and a motion on notice for summary judgment on the matter has been filed before the court1 he said that it was the judgment of the court that could be enforced because the court still remains the last hope of the common man1 the claimant instituted the case against ajimobi and 5 others over unpaid n42.3bn gratuities and pension arrears of retired primary school teachers and local government workers1 segun-olakojo said facts and documents needed to be compiled before response could be made. she therefore requested for an adjournment1 justice fautina kola-olalere adjourned the matter until oct. 24 for hearing1 the pensioners who were in the court in large number called on the government to urgently pay their gratuities1 some of the pensioners were seen crying immediately the court adjourned the matter because they thought that judgment would be delivered on the matter today thursday1 mr waheed olojede the chairman nigeria labour congress nlc oyo state chapter and his members who were in solidarity with the pensioners called on them to be patient and law abiding1 -
Saraki mourns Kawu Barajes Mother
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president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki has condoled with alhaji abubakar kawu baraje and the entire barajes family on the death of their mother hajiya aisha omoagba baraje1 in a statement signed by his special adviser on media and publicity yusuph olaniyonu saraki spoke glowingly of the late hajiya baraje and stated that she has raised a family that has produced one of nigerias finest patriots and committed professionals1 my thoughts and prayers are with the family of alhaji abubakar kawu baraje and the entire barajes family at this time on the loss of their mother the late hajiya aisha omoagba baraje1 hajiya baraje lived a fulfilled life as a mother and wife which is evident from the fact that she helped to raise one of nigerias finest patriots and statesmen. she will be dearly missed1 we pray that the almighty allah who granted her a long and prosperous life may bless guide and continue to protect the family that she has left behind. we also pray that the almighty allah in his infinite mercies and grace grant her a place amongst the righteous ones in al jannah firdaus. amin saraki stated1 -
Abuja light rail on stream
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the abuja rail is divided into six 6 lots and with total length of 290km. the lots are1 president muhammdu buhari on thursday commissioned the first abuja light rail system in demonstration of the commitment to address dearth of critical infrastructure1 he said that transportation was the livewire of any city and expressed optimism that a modern rail service would boost the economy and greatly enhance social life1 i am aware that what we have on ground today are coaches meant to provide skeletal services as we await the main set of the rolling stock for full operations1 he said he had been briefed on the signing of the memoranda of understanding mous and agreements for the procurements of the main rolling stock1 he assured nigerians of federal governments continued support for all the negotiations towards the realization of the abuja light rail system1 today what we have in the federal capital territory is another evidence that we are a government that delivers on its promises1 i have observed keenly other milestones that this administration has achieved especially in the areas of education public utilities and infrastructure development1 presidenet buhari commended the efforts federal capital terrirtory fct as well as the support and patience of the residents to made the project a reality1 i am thankful to the government and people of china for their investment in the nigerian economy. i commend the ccecc limited the contracting firm for the quality of work and timely delivery of this project1 let me place on record the nigerian governments appreciation to the government of china and the exim bank of china for their support on this and many other projects currently being executed in the country1 this gesture further cements the already existing cordial relations and developmental partnership between nigeria and the peoples republic of china1 earlier the minister of fct malam musa bello revealed that the abuja rail mass transit system was an integral part of the fct transportation master plan1 he said the plan was designed primarily to transport large numbers of people and goods from satellite towns into the metropolitan public transport system and the different phases of the federal capital city1 he said the abuja rail system was packaged in six lots planned for phased development based on preferential demand and available financial resources1 he added that the abuja rail mass transit system was planned to integrate with the national rail network when eventually completed1 buhari said at the commissioning that the projects was the ideals of the change agenda of the government to ensure prudence in the management of public resources value for money considering the huge investments in this project1 lot 1 from nnamdi azikwe expressway through the transportation centre metro station via gwagwa to kubwa1 lot 2 from gwagwa via transportation centre metro station to nyanyakaru1 lot 3 from transportation centre via idu industrial zone to nanmadi azikwe international airport1 lot 4from kuje satellite town to karshi satellite town with the remaining legs of the transit way line 21 lot 5from kubwa via bwari to suleja and lot 6from airport via kuje and gwagwalada to dobi he explained1 the minister said the implementation of the project had been divided into phases with phase 1 inaugurated by the president1 he said fcta had concluded an infrastructure soft loan agreement with exim bank of china for the supply of the remaining coaches including their maintenance for three years at a cost of 194 million dollars1 he said the bank would fund the project up to 157 million dollars or 85 per cent of the total cost while fcta would bring in a counterpart fund of 37million dollars 15 per cent1 bello said fcta had since commenced work on phase ii of the abuja rail mass transit project1 he said the phase 11 would cover a distance of 32.54km from nnamdi azikwe expressway at garki area i via the transportation centre to gwagwa and from bazango station to kubwa1 he said the federal executive council fec in 2017 approved the project for construction by ccecc at a cost of 1.3 billion dollars1 we hope that the minister of finance would consider putting this key project in the next borrowing plans the minister of budget and national planning would agree to it the national assembly would approved it and that china exim bank would fund it as a mark of goodwill for the cordial relationship between our two countries he said1 the president was taken on a guided tour of the abuja rail mass transit and abuja new international terminal at nnamdi azikiwe international airport abuja1 the minister of state aviation mr hadi sirika and bello led the tour at idu rail station and abuja airport1 the abuja rail mass transit is the first mass transit project in nigeria as well as in west africa.nan1 -
Abuja airport terminal ready October
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faan boss expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done adding that the train station would be linked to the existing terminal for seamless movement of passengers1 the new terminal building under construction at the nnamdi azikiwe international airport abuja will become operational in october1 he said the government and other stakeholders were prevailing on the contractors china civil engineering and construction company ccecc to ensure the completion of the project by august1 dunoma said all the challenges that hitherto hindered the completion of the project had been addressed1 he explained that the issue of water and power supply had been handled by the government adding that the ministry of federal capital territory had promised to connect the airport to its water supply system1 according to him federal executive council fec has approved an independent power supply for the airport1 so all these works are coming on and by october they will all be functional and that is when we will start using the terminal building1 we are pressing the contractor to finish in august so that we can start operations in october and all the stakeholders are working together to ensure this1 the relocation of control tower and fire station has nothing to do with the terminal building1 he explained that the issues were going to be handle in the next stage of the items of work that needed to be carries out but would not stop the use of the terminal building1 the managing director federal airports authority of nigeria faan mr saleh dunoma gave the assurance when president muhammadu buhari inspected the project after the inauguration of abuja metro line on thursday1 he explained that there were still more works going on within the airport which includes two car park buildings to be constructed on both wings of the terminal1 according to him there are so many things to be done but between now and october when we plan to start operations in the new terminal the road network would have been completed1 abuja and port harcourt airports terminal buildings are on the same level but because of the volume of traffic in abuja we prefer to start operations here first1 you can see there are congestion here and there and if we must ease up operation we must complete this project1 we are also working hard to put old facilities in order so that by the time we start operations here everything will be renewed1 dunoma said that there was a programme in place to ensure the execution of the second runway project1 the minister of state for aviation sen. hadi sirika said the rail would make movement in and out of the airport to be seamless1 sirika said the light rail would also make transportation more efficient adding that it would allow people to connect to their businesses and work places in much faster time than before1 it will reduce the pressure on our roads ease traffic congestion on all the arteries that lead to airports around the world1 -
Ekiti Poll: INEC distributes sensitive materials
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the independent national electoral commission1 inec1 on thursday afternoon began the distribution of sensitive materials in readiness for saturday’s governorship election. the news agency of nigeria1 nan reports that the materials which were being moved from the ado ekiti branch of the central bank1 cbn to the headquarters of each of the 16 local governments1 were accompanied by fully armed security men1 -
Police in Ekiti to keep the peace: DIG Joshua
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the police dig said his men only blocked the road from fajuyi area of the state secretariat on the ado-ekiti-ilesa road to stop miscreants1 the deputy inspector general of policedig operations who is also in charge of saturdays gubernatorial election in ekiti state mr. habila joshuasaid he never ordered his men to attack members of the peoples democratic party1 he told journalists in ado ekiti that all that his men were doing was to keep the peace as well as maintain law and order ahead of saturdays governorship poll1 we are not here to usurp the authority of the governor but we are not going to allow any authorized rally that can trigger violence in the state. you can see that the state is tensed up1 as law enforcement agents we must be proactive and take actions that can prevent crisis rather than trying to quell it after it might have broken out he said1 according to him the government house has not been blocked contrary to the claims by gov ayo fayose1 he also said he was not aware of any attack on the state governor ayo fayose1 he promised to probe the alleged attack on fayose and brief the media afterwards1 nan reports that armed policemen on wednesday stopped a rally scheduled to take place at the new pavilion located at fajuyi which is within the vicinity of the government house1 the policemen shot into the air as they dispersed the pdp members who were called by fayose for a rally in support of prof kolapo olusola-eleka1 fayose who got wind of the development came out of government house to find out the cause of the pandemonium1 the policemen rebuffed the governor for challenging their mode of operations leading to verbal altercations1 when the ambience became rowdy the police used the teargas with the governor claiming later that he lost consciousness that his neck was sprained and was rushed to hospital1 -
Trump stuns NATO allies with demand to double defence spending
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trump arrived on the back of a barrage of criticism of europe on issues ranging from trade to energy and above all his claims that the continent freeloads on the back of america for its defence1 us president donald trump shocked allies at a fraught nato summit on wednesday by suddenly demanding that members double their defence spending commitments1 the summit in brussels is shaping up as the alliances most difficult in years against a backdrop of deepening transatlantic tensions in fields ranging from trade to energy and defence1 nato allies agreed at their wales summit in 2014 to try to spend two percent of gdp on defence within 10 years but the white house said trump suggested that was not enough1 during the presidents remarks today at the nato summit he suggested that countries not only meet their commitment of two percent of their gdp on defence spending but that they increase it to four percent white house spokeswoman sarah sanders said1 the president raised this same issue when he was at nato last year. president trump wants to see our allies share more of the burden and at a very minimum meet their already stated obligations1 bulgarian president rumen radev confirmed that trump had made the demand and asked what it meant for the future of the alliance that has been the bedrock of european security for 70 years1 nato is not a stock exchange where you can buy security. nato is an alliance of sovereign countries united by strategic targets and common values he told reporters1 all 29 nato leaders including trump backed a joint statement committing themselves to greater burden sharing and to the the alliances founding commitment that an attack on one member is an attack on them all with no mention of the four percent1 trumps surprise demand came after he clashed with chancellor angela merkel calling germany a captive of russia because of its gas links and singling out berlin for failing to pay its way1 he then set the tone for the day with a blistering attack on key ally germany at a breakfast meeting with nato chief jens stoltenberg1 germany is a captive of russia because it is getting so much of its energy from russia trump said taking particular aim at the proposed nord stream ii gas pipeline which he has previously criticised1 everybodys talking about it all over the world theyre saying were paying you billions of dollars to protect you but youre paying billions of dollars to russia1 merkel who grew up in communist east germany shot back that she knew what it meant to be under kremlin domination and germany had the right to make its own policy choices1 i myself have also experienced a part of germany being controlled by the soviet union she said1 i am very glad that we are united today in freedom as the federal republic of germany and that we can therefore also make our own independent policies and make our own independent decisions1 the pair later met for a one-on-one meeting and while trump insisted they had a very very good relationship their frosty body language suggested otherwise1 merkel said she welcomed the chance to have an exchange of views with trump1 -
Fela Durotoyes ANN dumps CUPP
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the ann is the second major group to sever links with cupp1 the national chairman alliance for new nigeria ann dr jay osi samuel has dissociated the group from the loose alliance of 30 partiesformed by the peoples democratic party on monday1 i was invited for a meeting which i wasnt properly briefed about the agenda of the meeting and when i got to the meeting and i saw the attendance and what was being discussed i wasnt comfortable because what was being discussed did not represent what alliance for new nigeria ann as a party believes in he said1 so i decided to take my leave. i didnt even have any idea of what they were there for but i knew i was informed but when i got there i was sweating and i finally took the decision of not participating in the meeting1 dr. samuel made this known during the partys nec meeting and the declaration of intention by its presidential aspirants on wednesday in abuja1 ann is clearly focusing on what we believe in and why we came up as a party. from the very beginning we were coming to wrestle with any of the current major political parties whether it is apc or pdp1 we wanted to create our plans. our agenda is to create a new voting bloc not the currently existing crop of leaders and do away with current leaders1 what i saw in that room was the same people that we are committed to retiring. we have our hashtag we have been running almost to a year now to replace. so i wasnt comfortable coming to a room where i saw all the grandfathers and the grand patrons of all and everything that has been wrong with nigeria politically in a room he declared1 he said the party walked out of the coalition of united political parties cupp because the two parties have different ideologies1 on tuesday alhaji balarabe musa the national chairman of the peoples redemption party also denounced cupp for being an opportunistic alliance1 he said his party was not part of the group1 i dont think a coalition like this which is opportunistic will be able to defeat the governing party that is the all progressives congress apc musa told nan1 remember the reason for coming together is simply because they have lost the opportunities for sharing power1 it is not because of anything which they can do which apc didnt do. no it is not because they have a different ideological position1 there is no fundamental difference between them and the apc they are just an electoral gang to defeat the apc. i dont think the coalition is enough he said1 according to him what is needed is an alliance which is ideologically more focused than the apc and not just an aberration of what apc stands for1 in any case also they have to contend with other alliances. i dont think it will make any difference at all musa said1 -
London Breed, San Franciscos first black mayor sworn in
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she promised to be a mayor of everyone a main theme of her campaign in the past six months and help immigrant families small businesses public housing projects and efforts to create a better social security order1 london breed wednesday was sworn in as the first african-american female mayor of san francisco a major tourist city on the u.s. west coast amid challenges ranging from homeless crisis skyrocketing housing prices and a widening income gap between the rich and poor1 breed took oath outdoors on the steps of city hall in a public ceremony in downtown san francisco that was watched by around 1000 audience1 the first black female mayor who grew up in a poor family in the western addition neighbourhood in the city promised to address pressing problems afflicting the city including housing shortage1 we will build more housing and change the politics of no to the politics of yes she said1 the 43-year-old san francisco native succeeded former mayor ed lee who died unexpectedly last december as the 45th mayor after she won 50.55 percent of vote in a tight race for the mayoral office last month1 we have so much to do re-envision our transportation system to make biking safer and improve muni invest in our parks rebuild the seawall reform our criminal justice system support small business and protect all our communities from what comes from washington d.c. she tweeted after her inauguration ceremony1 she said she would try her best to help homeless population off the street and into care and shelter1 there were 7500 people sleeping on the streets every night said jeff kositsky director of the citys department of homelessness and supportive housing last year1 breed served as the president of the san francisco board of supervisors and briefly acted as interim mayor of the city after lees death in december last year1 lee was the first chinese american mayor who had served the city for many years1 -
Another cache of ammunition intercepted at Tin-Can Port
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by aisha cole3 the tin can island customs command of the nigeria customs service ncs has intercepted a cache of ammunition at two terminals on monday and tuesday an official has said1 the customs area controller of the commandmusa abdullahi said in lagos that about 150 rounds of live ammunition were intercepted at terminal c ports1 i directed the transfer of the suspicious container no. tghu 60143419 to the enforcement unit where it was examined and found to contain 150 rounds of live ammunition and 28 pieces of various sizes of jack knives1 these items contravene schedule 4 absolute import prohibition list item 17 of the common external tariffs and section 46 of the customs and excise management act cap c45 lfn 20041 meanwhile the container a suspect and the exhibit are currently being held at the enforcement station pending further investigation he said1 abdullahi also said the command on tuesday at five star logistic terminal while vehicles were being discharged from a vessel mv glovis courage voyage no. 036 discovered a black bag with one unpacked ford edge with chassis no. 2fmdk48c98ba059471 the bag he said contained 149 rounds of 38 mm calibre live ammunition 92 rounds of 9 mm calibre live ammunition two rounds 7.62 mm calibre and 11 cartridges of live ammunition1 the comptroller said that other items found in the bag were 12 expended empty shells of various calibres and an empty magazine1 abdullahi said that both the vehicle and the exhibits were currently at the enforcement unit of the command pending further investigation1 -
Tabiowo, Nigerian emerges West African Parliamentary Press Corps Scribe
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member countries of the west african parliamentary press corps wappc have unanimously elected a nigerian mr. ezrel tabiowo as the secretary general of the regional body1 the election came ahead of the a symposium and media summit which heldin accra ghana1 the west african countries which presently constitute the membership of wappc are parliamentary reporters from ghana nigeria togo sierra leone gambia benin republic and liberia1 tabiowo who is presently the chairman of nigerias senate press corps while addressing wappc members after his election as secretary-general thanked his colleagues for the confidence reposed in him1 he gave the assurance that he would not relent in his effort towards reaching out to other countries in the west african sub region1 he said i want to sincerely thank my colleagues present today for voting unanimously to have me elected as secretary general of the west african parliamentary press corps1 let me assure you that going forward i shall devote my time and energy towards driving the growth of the association and as well ensuring that other countries in the sub region are brought on board he added1 tabiowo also urged parliamentary reporters in the sub region to remain committed to the ethics of the journalism profession as well as ensure the defense of democracy in parliamentary reportage1