Atikus six-year policy plan worries South
News & Trends •
read more18 party leaders from the southeast and southwest are worried over the tenure framework in the document tagged peoples policy of the candidate of peoples democratic party pdp alhaji atiku abubakar1 the policy plan of the 72-year-old abubakar extended beyond four years an indication that he is planning for a second term in office1 this has caused anxiety in the party because the policy plan extended to six years instead of four1 instead of planning for a single term of four years atikus targets have a six-year timeline fueling speculations that he might be hoping for two terms in office the nation reports1 according to a pdp governor who spoke in confidence with the nation the policy is causing some disquiet because it does not give a ray of hope that power will shift from the north to the south in 2023 if atiku is elected as the nations president in 20191 the policy is for launch on monday less than 24 hours after president muhammadu buhari launched his next level1 the people of the south-east south-west and south-south want a commitment from atiku on whether or not he will spend one term in office in order to complete the slot of the north1 we are suspecting that those who drafted the policy have a hidden agenda of two terms in office for atiku1 i think our candidate is planning for the future for the country. it may not be a matter of second term ambition a member of the national working committee of the party said1 atiku has not really been categorical on whether or not he will spend one term in office. so those raising dust on 2025 policy plan are getting agitated to know where he stands1 some of us were expecting a timeline of 2019 to 2023 but the policy plan is mostly made up of a six-year plan1

Sexual abuse: Pope Francis orders probe of American bishop Bransfield
News & Trends •
read more18 as the catholic church battle to redeem its battered image amid a wave of scandals enveloping leaders within its circle pope francis ordered an investigation of an american bishop michael bransfield accused of sexually harassing adults1 news of the investigation came as a meeting was underway between francis and u.s. cardinals and bishops to discuss the allegations involving bransfield1 according to the associated press bransfield had been implicated in 2012 in a philadelphia priestly sex abuse case but he denied ever abusing anyone and claimed vindication years ago1 he continued with his ministry until he offered to retire as required when he turned 75 last week1 the vatican announced francis accepted his resignation at the exact moment the u.s. delegation was arriving at the apostolic palace for the meeting with the pope1 francis appointed baltimore bishop william lori to take over bransfields wheeling-charleston diocese temporarily1 lori said in a statement that francis had also instructed him to conduct an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of adults against bishop bransfield1 bransfield the west virginia bishop resigned thursday and pope francis didnt waste time to accept his resignation and directed another bishop to investigate the allegation against him1 i further pledge to conduct a thorough investigation in search of the truth into the troubling allegations against bishop bransfield and to work closely with the clergy religious and lay leaders of the diocese until the appointment of a new bishop lori said in a statement1 in past court cases involving bransfield church officials and witnesses accused him of molesting teenage boys a claim that bransfield has denied according to the washington post1 lori also set up a hotline for potential victims to call1 the bransfield revelation comes in the wake of the june 20 announcement that one of the most prestigious u.s. cardinals theodore mccarrick had been accused of groping a teenage altar boy in the 1970s1 francis removed mccarrick as a cardinal in july after a u.s. church investigation found the allegation credible. after news broke of the investigation several former seminarians and priests came forward to report that they too had been abused or harassed by mccarrick as adults1 the head of the u.s. conference of catholic bishops houston cardinal daniel dinardo had requested the papal audience last month following revelations that mccarrick had risen through church ranks even though the allegations of sexual misconduct were known in u.s. and vatican circles1 dinardo requested a full-fledged vatican investigation into the mccarrick affair and said he also wanted answers to allegations that a string of vatican officials including pope francis knew of mccarricks misdeeds but turned a blind eye1 my primary concern is for the care and support of the priests and people of the diocese of wheeling-charleston at this difficult time1

Typhoon Mangkhut hits north Philippines, China
News & Trends •
read more18 typhoon mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern philippines where a massive evacuation was underway1 more than 4 million people are at risk from the storm which the hawaii-based joint typhoon warning center categorizes as a super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category 5 atlantic hurricane1 it was initially expected to hit the northern tip of cagayan province early saturday but its now likely to make landfall farther south and closer to isabela province then cut across the northern breadbasket philippine state forecaster chris perez told the associated press1 the change wont make much difference because of the typhoons massive size he said1 a huge raincloud band 900 kilometers 560 miles wide combined with seasonal monsoon rains means the typhoon will bring heavy to intense rains that could set off landslides and flash floods1 warnings have been raised in 25 provinces across the main northern island of luzon restricting sea and air travel1 the typhoon is approaching at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in cagayan a major agricultural producer and farmers were scrambling to save what they could of their crops cagayan gov. manuel mamba said1 the threat to agriculture comes as the philippines tries to cope with rice shortages1 mangkhut was tracked on friday about 400 kilometers 250 miles away in the pacific with sustained winds of 205 kilometers 127 miles per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph 158 mph philippine forecasters said1

Thank you Chairman, Trump tells Kim
News & Trends •
read more18 u.s. president donald trump did the unthinkable early thursday when he addressed north korean leader kim jong un as chairman while appreciating the return of 55 boxes presumed to contain the remains of americans who served in the korean war1 thank you to chairman kim jong un for keeping your word and starting the process of sending home the remains of our great and beloved missing fallen heroes1 trump wrote in one tweet. i am not at all surprised that you took this kind action. also thank you for your nice letter l look forward to seeing you soon1 it would be recalled that north korea handed over the remains last week after a u.s. military plane made a rare trip into north korea to retrieve the 55 cases1 the message which came in a pair of tweets saw trump commending kim jong un for fulfilling his promise which was part of an agreement reached by trump and kim during a june summit in singapore1 on wednesday vice president mike pence and the top commander of u.s. forces in asia navy adm. phil davidson formally received the remains during the emotional and solemn ceremony in hawaii1 pence spoke during a ceremony at hawaiis hickam air force base to mark the arrival of the remains on u.s. soil and the beginning of the long process of identifying them1 they were husbands and fathers brothers and neighbours long gone but never lost to the memory of their loved ones pence said1 some of the invited guests wiped tears from their eyes during the procession1 hundreds of u.s. and south korean troops gathered for a repatriation ceremony at the osan base in south korea before the cases were put on military planes bound for hawaii1

U.S. lawmakers threaten to impeach Rosenstein
News & Trends •
read more18 u.s. deputy attorney general rod rosenstein is in trouble as members of house of representatives on wednesday introduced five articles of impeachment against him1 the impeachment articles accuse rosenstein of intentionally withholding documents and information from congress failure to comply with congressional subpoenas and abuse of the foreign intelligence surveillance act fisa1 it was not immediately clear whether the house of representatives would consider the resolution before lawmakers begin the august recess thursday afternoon1 the house will reconvene sept. 41 the resolution states it will be referred to the committee meaning the judiciary committee for further review1 that language suggests the full house will not immediately consider the articles of impeachment1 eleven house republicans are spearheading the impeachment proceedings1 i just filed a resolution with @jimjordan and several colleagues to impeach rod rosenstein. the doj has continued to hide information from congress and repeatedly obstructed oversighteven defying multiple congressional subpoenas1 in an exclusive interview on fox news the ingraham angle on wednesday night meadows said it would be possible to effect a so-called privileged resolution on impeaching rosenstein as early as thursday morning which would require a vote within two days although the impending house recess would likely delay that vote unless it were held quickly1 both meadows and jordan told host laura ingraham the effort was long overdue1 for nine months weve asked for documents and thats all we want1 not only have subpoenas been ignored but information has been hidden efforts have been stonewalled meadows said1 weve caught the department of justice hiding information redacting information that they should not have redacted jordan charged adding that rosenstein had attempted to intimidate house staffers with subpoenas1 the articles were introduced by reps. mark meadows of north carolina and jim jordan of ohio the chairman and a prominent member of the conservative house freedom caucus1

Sugar lands Kenya in trouble
News & Trends •
read more18 kenya is facing the risks of suspension from the common market for eastern and southern africa comesa after disregarding its rules on importation of sugar1 the controversial importation of an unknown quantity of sugar which has raised a storm in kenya with claims of the commodity being contaminated was done without the approval of comesa1 under the rules of the 19-member trading bloc any sugar imports from outside comesa attract a common external tariff cet of 25 per cent1 goods qualify for preferential tariff treatment only if they originate in the member states and are traded within the bloc1 kenyas move has not been well received and could hurt its trade relations with other member states1 ironically the country enjoys a comesa safeguard measure which limits the amount of sugar that can be imported duty-free from the blocs members. this special consideration was made in 2002 to give the country time to make its sugar production competitive as it was feared imports from the bloc would kill local manufacturing1 the safeguard which restricts duty-free sugar imports from the comesa member countries to 350000 metric tonnes per year expires in february 20191 the government is therefore keen on an extension after failing to meet key conditions including privatisation of its ailing state-owned millers1 the drama surrounding kenyas sugar imports is dragging as regional players kick1 suspension from the bloc would deal the country a heavy blow as the rest of the members consume about 12 per cent of kenyas total exports including tea coffee and horticulture articles of apparel and clothing accessories and iron and steel1 comesa rules allow member countries to import goods from non-member states on condition that the goods attract duty. however it is understood that kenya unilaterally passed a domestic law to allow the importation of sugar duty-free1 kenya should have told other comesa countries before passing a law to import sugar from the rest of the world because failure to do this caused challenges and we had to step in as the secretariat to explain their action1 the way this law was communicated was not effective said francis mangeni director in charge of trade and customs at the comesa secretariat1 while allowing importation of duty-free sugar opened the door for all countries to sell sugar to kenyas importers the kenya revenue authority is said to have blocked sugar from some comesa member countries such as mauritius prompting the intervention of the secretariat1 it is alleged that kenya has also denied mauritius a licence to export sugar to the country pending the conclusion of investigation into adulterated sugar in the local market1 kenya is understood to have requested a discussion of its sugar issues during the 20th comesa heads of state and governments summit scheduled to take place from july 9 to july 19 2018 in lusaka zambia1 with its outright disregard of comesa rules kenya now risks being denied more time to limit the amount of cheap and duty-free sugar brought into the country to protect its ailing sugar sector1

Banks restricts ATM cash withdrawal overseas
News & Trends •
read more18 nigerian banks have restricted cash withdrawals from overseas automated teller machines atm only to those whose cards are linked to their domiciliary accounts funded locally1 according to the lenders are also raising their card spending limits on point of sale pos and online card transactions abroad an indication of increased dollar liquidity and rising exchange rate stability1 guaranty trust bank gtbank and first city monument bank fcmb it said at the weekend raised their monthly card spending limit on overseas pos and online transactions from 1000 to 3000 and around 2000 to 50001 we would like to inform you that our monthly spending limit on your gtbank naira mastercard has been reviewed to 3000 from 1000 for your international online and pos transactions. kindly note that international atm cash withdrawal is still restricted gtbank said1 clothing shoes electronics bookswhatever your needs are fcmb naira debit card gives you instant full access to 5000 monthly to shop online fcmb said in an email sent to its customers at the weekend1 gt bank had nearly two years ago during the height of the dollar scarcity limited monthly transactions on pos and online transactions using cards to 100 british pounds sterling 90 euro 130 and canadian dollar 360. the prevailing dollar scarcity at that time made it difficult for travellers to pay their hotel bills and make reservations and other transactions using their debit cards1 many banks which announced the suspension of their overseas atm card services in october 2016 have all lifted the suspension and raised monthly transaction volumes for customers on foreign currency-denominated deals including those conducted on pos machines and online1 the dynamics changed in april last year when the central bank of nigeria cbn introduced the investors1 the banks have therefore suspended such withdrawals and encouraging travellers to open and fund dollar accounts1 for instance in the first half of 2018 transactions in the i1 according to an afrinvest report titled nigerian economy and financial market h12018 review released at the weekend the investment and research firm said nigerias economic recovery path had been reinforced by the sustained stability in oil prices with four consecutive quarters since second quarter of 2017 of positive slow but steady growth1 it however said economic activities slowed in the first half of this year given the delayed passage and implementation of the 2018 budget of consolidation a major limiting factor in the drive towards implementing the federal governments economic recovery and growth plan ergp the fiscal paper drafted to address some of the deep-rooted structural imbalances in the economy1 in addition food supply disruptions resulting from the current security crises which in turn fuelled inflationary pressures coupled with tighter monetary stance of the cbn towards stabilising the currency market contributed to the slow growth rate reported. nonetheless the domestic macroeconomic performance has been largely satisfactory on the back of persistent disinflation rising oil prices and external reserves increased foreign exchange liquidity with frequency of interventions improved to1 it said the rise in oil prices impacted positively on nigerias foreign reserves rising 22.7 per cent to 47.6 billion on june 13 2018 from 38.8 billion on december 29 20171 consequently the cbn maintained its exchange rate peg with the naira appreciating to n305.801 june 2018 from n3061 december 2017 in the official window while the stability and liquidity in the foreign exchange market improved as seen in the growing confidence by investors in the i1 the forex window has largely removed the pressures from the parallel market rate which now sometimes trades at a discount to the nigerian autonomous foreign exchange nafex rate1 financial analysts at afrinvest west africa said stability in the forex market followed the increased volume of forex interventions and the coming of i1

50 African countries in China for security forum
News & Trends •
read more18 fifty african countries are currently in beijing china for a three-week security forum for army chiefs on the platform of china-africa defence and security1 the delegates the forum details indicate are discussing a major military roadmap aimed at protecting chinese interests in the continent as well as improving africans response to crisis situations1 opening the discussions the chief of the office for international military cooperation at the central military commission major general hu changming highlighted the need for understanding and cooperation on security matters between africa and china1 the continental military cooperation plan is expected to be approved at the coming china-africa summit scheduled for september in beijing1 the chinese military cooperation with africa at this particular time is being monitored keenly by both washington and brussels1 chinas ever increasing investment in africa need enhanced security protection. china has been relying on african partners for its business protection in moments of most crisis1 in 2011 during the libya civil war china was forced to send its commando and military vessel to rescue some 36000 chinese citizens working in the country1 the meeting started on june 26 runs till july 12 and is part of the preparations for the launch of a strategic security and military cooperation between beijing and africa1 china is involved in more than 3000 infrastructure projects in africa according to the brookings institute a us-based research organisation1 the chinese africa trade volume totalled 220 billion in 20171 the asian giant has in the recent past also used the participation in united nations peace keeping mission to boost its security role in africa. china has 2400 soldiers under the un in south sudan the democratic republic of congo and mali. its navy also deployed in the red sea state of djibouti1 china-built roads railways and port networks across africa connect the major global sea routes. some of the routes traverse highly militarised global waters such as the red sea and the suez canal which is a crucial route to connect chinese trade between asia and europe1 intelligence sharing joint military training and joint operation between china and african partners is expected to be formally announced soon1 the chinese forays have seen some african countries which are close allies of the western world engage in a delicate balancing act1 according to the china-africa research initiative in 2016 there were more than 224400 chinese workers in africa1

Air Namibia hits Nigerias sky
News & Trends •
read more18 the new air namibia is to launch the windhoek-lagos-accra with the return routing from accra-lagos-windhoek and will reduce flight hours in west africa by 60 per cent1 the airline said the new route fits in with growing the business and increasing our footprint on the african continent1 the air namibia route to ghana and nigeria will reduce travelling time to west africa by 60 per cent1 the acting managing director of the airline mr mandi samson said on that the airline anticipates closing a gap in the market by competitively connecting southern africa to west africa within less than six hours1 this much-needed service gives our passengers a better alternative travel option reducing travel times between namibia and west africa by more than 60 per cent1 we are happy to introduce our award-winning service in this market and we are already receiving positive feedback on the launch of this new route samson added1 the new flight would resume on june 29 2018 in lagos-accra route1 air namibia will service this new route with the airbus a319-100 offering a seat configuration of 16 business class and 96 economy class seats and offers two tonnes of cargo space. the service will operate four times a week on sunday monday wednesday and friday1 apart from providing direct connection from namibia to west africa the operation will further transport passengers and cargo on the lagos-accra-lagos route using the fifth freedom traffic rights granted by the ghanaian and nigerian governments as contained in the existing bilateral air service agreements1 the operating schedule and flight timings allow smooth and convenient connections inbound and outbound to our regional flights connecting west africa via windhoek to johannesburg cape town luanda harare lusaka vic falls gaborone walvis bay and durban samson went on1 air namibia has also appointed apg network as sales representatives in nigeria and ghana to provide full sales and marketing services as well as call centre and customer care services on its behalf1 air namibia is making a comeback to the west africa sky after abandoning the flight route to accra in 2013. the airline launched the route in 2009 but has to terminate it citing low traffic that was not enough to sustain the route1 the operation fits within our existing capacity in terms of aircraft and crew improving the utilization rates of these resources while increasing revenue generating opportunities. especially as it means we are entering africas largest regional air travel market1

Kenya flags off oil production, export
News & Trends •
read more18 many kenyans have taken to the streets to celebrate as the country become one of the global oil producers1 president uhuru kenyatta led a host of local leaders to celebrate the feat that enabled the country to join uganda as the only two oil-producing nations in east africa1 in a historic occasion held at ngamia 8 oil fields in lokichar turkana county in the north the president flagged off four trucks ferrying crude oil to the kenya petroleum refinery in mombasa1 the crude oil is being ferried in an experimental programme early oil pilot scheme eops1 the resource will be kept in mombasa as the country looks for viable markets1 each truck carried 156 barrels. tullow oil company targets producing at least 2000 barrels per day1 aware of the protracted disagreement on how the proceeds should be distributed president kenyatta warned of the curses that might come with the resource but also promised that all concerns raised by local residents will be attended to1 the economies of countries that have failed to manage their resources have also suffered the ripple effect of a hungry and poor citizen. it is my hope and prayer that together we shall work so that such is not visited upon us he said1 without mentioning names mr kenyatta said two countries have experienced the painful side of the mineral saying the country would do everything possible to avoid similar situations1 the country on sunday flagged off the transportation of the first oil barrels1 nigeria and angola are countries where fights have erupted because of disagreements over oil proceeds1 i pray that we will view the discovery of oil and gas as a blessing that we will manage effectively and efficiently for the benefit of not just the present generation but importantly future generation1 i call upon our leaders to ensure peace and stability in the region to ensure any disagreements that might arise are resolved in an amicable and sustainable manner. i stand ready to work with all leaders to ensure that we achieve this1 deputy president william ruto said they would not turn away from the grievances raised by the locals1 you have a friend in us because we listen to you mr ruto said1 he added that the government has scrapped the capping of the proceeds after listening to communitys concerns1 petroleum and mining cabinet secretary john munyes said it is a momentous time for kenya as it exports oil from east africa and that the economy will be emboldened by oil proceeds1 turkana governor josphat nanok emphasised the importance of putting in place a comprehensive law that would guide how money allocated to the county and the host community would be spent1 the negative competition for oil and other natural resources has seen hitherto two peaceful countries go to war. it has seen brothers take up arms again each other as mothers bury their children with no hope for the future he said1

Uganda plans museum on Idi Amins atrocities
News & Trends •
read more18 in its plan to attract tourists the uganda government is building a war museum to showcase the darkest moments from its history including the atrocities of former president late idi amin1 we want to put the record straight uganda tourism board chief executive stephen asiimwe said1 history gets richer its like red wine it gets more interesting as the years go by mr asiimwe said1 he said that the project was not intended to be insensitive or voyeuristic1 i lived through the idi amin era as a young boy my fellow students lost their parents to the regime he said1 however you cannot run away from history. these are facts1 mr asiimwe said every destination has its own traditional culture and attractions1 in uganda we have wildlife mountain gorillas. but we are trying to retrace the past1 showcasing ugandas history would make the east african country a richer place for tourists to visit he added1 more recently ugandans have had to deal with the lra which has claimed to be fighting to install a government based on the biblical ten commandments1 atrocities committed under amins brutal eight-year rule and by the lords resistance army lra are to be documented1 its leader joseph kony is wanted for war crimes and the group continues to operate in northern democratic republic of congo and eastern central african republic1 he was the subject of the kony2012 social media campaign six years ago which detailed his alleged crimes. an online video became a viral sensation with more than 100 million views1 the uganda war museum will also showcase pre-colonial and colonial history1 colonial records were systematically destroyed by britain in a purge known as operation legacy. but the war museum is expected to document some events from the period1 construction has not yet begun but the museum already has its detractors1 john sempebwa the deputy executive director of the tourism board told voa he disagrees with his colleagues who suggest ugandans are ready to revisit the more painful details of their past1 society is divided. there are people who are still around who dont have good memories of amin. now not only wont they come they might burn this place down he said1 profile idi amin1 joined the army the kings african rifles in his 20s. seized power in 1971 less than 10 years after ugandas independence. some 400000 people are believed to have been killed under his rule. expelled ugandas entire asian population in 1972 accusing them of milking the economy. a convert to islam he took five wives fathered dozens of children and insisted on being called big daddy. he declared himself king of scotland banned hippies and mini-skirts and awarded himself the victoria cross. ousted b1 formed in uganda more than two decades ago the group became notorious for chopping off peoples limbs and abducting children to use as soldiers and sex slaves1

North, South Korea leaders meet over Trump
News & Trends •
read more18 leaders of north and south korea have met to ensure the historic meeting between north korea leader kim jong un and the u.s. president donald trump still holds1 south korean president moon jae-in met with his north korean counterpart kim jong un in the demilitarized zone for the second time in a month on saturday to discuss the peace commitments they reached in their first summit1 there has been uncertainty over the north korea-u.s. meeting following various demands by trump and his north korean counterpart1 the meeting between the korean leaders came hours after president donald trump suggested his june 12 meeting with kim may still go ahead1 moons office which released photos of the meeting said the leaders met on the north korean side of the demilitarized zone in the village of panmunjom between 3 and 5 p.m. local time1 the blue house said moon would personally announce the outcome of saturdays summit on sunday1 the two leaders reportedly spoke for two hours to frankly discuss how they could make the potential summit between kim and trump a success1 the meeting came hours after south korea expressed relief over revived talks for a summit between trump and kim following a whirlwind 24 hours that saw the u.s. president cancel the meeting1 in their first summit in april kim and moon announced vague aspirations for a nuclear-free korean peninsula and permanent peace which seoul has tried to sell as a meaningful breakthrough to set up the summit with trump1

Trump says Democrats frustrating talks with N/Koreas Kim
News & Trends •
read more18 u.s. president donald trump has blamed democrats of frustrating talks between him and north korea leader kim jong un earlier scheduled to hold in singapore on june 121 democrats are so obviously rooting against us in our negotiations with north korea1 just like they are coming to the defense of ms 13 thugs saying that they are individuals1 dems have lost touch trump tweeted friday1 trump nixed the summit following threats from north korea but hours after the u.s. pulled out of the meeting north korea issued a statement suggesting the regime was open to talks1 very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from north korea1 we will soon see where it will lead hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. only time and talent will tell trump tweeted on friday morning1 though trump said on friday that he was happy with north korea for leaving the door open for potential u.s.-north korea talks he maintained that democrats were against negotiations with the rogue regime1 they very much want to do it we want to do it well see what happens trump said. everybody plays games1 a top north korean official had issued a statement thursday evening expressing the regimes willingness to sit down for a summit with the u.s1 we express our willingness to sit down face-to-face with the u.s. and resolve issues anytime and in any format north korean vice foreign minister kim kye-gwan said according to yonhap newsoutlet which cited the korean central news agency kcna1 the official also said that trumps move to call off the summit highlighted the tensions between the two countries further emphasizing the need for a meeting. the official added that kim had been preparing for the summit1 despite all of this the u.s. unilateral decision to scrap the talks causes us to reconsider whether all of the efforts and the path we have taken is really the right one or not the official said according to yonhap1 our commitment to doing our best for the sake of peace and stability for the world and the korean peninsula remains unchanged and we are open-minded in giving time and opportunity to the u.s1 he also told reporters that were talking to them now adding it could even be the 121

Uganda imposes tax on Bibles, Koran
News & Trends •
read more18 uganda has imposed taxes on religious groups for sale of bibles koran prayer and hymn books1 the clerics are insisting that religious materials should be tax-exempt since they use them for spiritual nourishment of ugandans1 however the ura commissioner general ms doris akol disagreed saying the practice of not taxing the entities and materials was in the first place an anomaly1 we understand that value-added tax vat has in the past not been paid on the said bibles prayer books and hymn books. this was an anomaly she wrote in an april 19 letter1 ms akol was responding to a petition a month earlier by the church of uganda archbishop stanley ntagali1 the prelate had asked the tax man to release a consignment of 9120 prayer and hymn books imported from nairobi kenya without the church having to pay vat1 in his march 18 letter archbishop ntagali noted that items had been shipped in by centenary publishing house limited church of ugandas cou publishing arm which in his view should be tax-exempt1 it is from this point of view that we write to you appealing that the vat be waived since they books are used to educate the masses and christians by spreading the word of god as our nations motto affirms for god and my country he stated1 ms akol said she had no power to waive a tax not excluded under the law and as such ura released the consignment only after cou paid ush8.9 million 23951 the countrys revenue authority ura imposed the taxes prompting clerics across faith groups expressing consternation and disbelief1 if enforced it also means the government could raise substantial revenues from taxes on religious materials1 the religious institutions were unable to immediately provide the number of bibles korans and other worship materials sold in a year1 mr joshua kitakule the secretary general of the inter-religious council of uganda an umbrella body of different faiths on monday said whereas religions should not entirely be tax-exempt imposing 18 per cent vat on bibles korans and prayer books would be erroneous1 these items are not meant for profit so it is erroneous to tax them. prayer books are supposed to strengthen the spiritual nourishment of individuals he said1 the tax bodys break from tradition followed months of engagement with religious leaders who remained opposed to the proposal1 for instance mr ramathan mugalu the secretary general of the uganda muslim supreme council said president museveni had said all imported prayer materials that are not for sale should not be taxed1 this government has gone too far in its collection of taxes. how can you tax the word of god it should instead come in to assist in publishing these materials mr mugalu said1 canon joram kahenano a cou commissioner said ura should have referred its proposal for consideration by parliament before proceeding to implement it1 in a country where nine out of every 10 citizens are either christians or muslims the proposed tax that a church official said would result in increase of for instance a hymn books cost by ush3000 0.801

North Korea to send teams to next two Olympics
News & Trends •
read more18 north korea president kim jong un is committed to sending teams to the next two olympics the ioc chief thomas bach said saturday1 bach the president of the international olympic committee also said the ioc will make a proposal for a potential joint march and other shared activities between the north and south korean teams at the tokyo games1 last months winter olympics in south korea saw competitors from the two countries march together at the opening ceremony and field a joint womens ice hockey team1 the winter games triggered a fast-moving rapprochement that will see kim sit down with the souths president moon jae-in in late april with a us summit with president donald trump planned for may1 bach told reporters after landing in beijing that his talks with kim on friday had been very open and fruitful1 they announced to us that they will definitely participate in the olympic games tokyo 2020 as well at the olympic winter games beijing 2022 and all editions of the youth olympic games bach said1 and this commitment was fully supported by the supreme leader of dprk he said using the official abbreviation for the country1 north koreas official kcna news agency said kim thanked bach for helping to bring about a dramatic thawing of tensions on the korean peninsula1 bach arrived in the country on thursday and his visit which concluded saturday was the result of an invitation extended by pyongyang in january1 he unveiled the commitment of north korea after a rare meeting with the leader of the nuclear-armed regime in pyongyang1 kim told bach that the olympics had opened a new chapter of concord between the north and the south kcna said1 he said that the once frozen north-south relations greeted a dramatic thawing season with the olympics as a momentum and it was totally attributable to the efforts of the ioc which offered an opportunity and paved a path for it the agency reported1 bach told reporters the ioc will continue to support the athletes from dprk to prepare well for the next olympic games1 the ioc will make a proposal for a potential joint march for potential other joint activities for tokyo and maybe also for beijing at the appropriate time he said1 the two men also held discussions about the development of sport in the north and attended a womens football match1 north and south korea plan to hold a summit on april 271 trump is then due to meet kim before the end of may for talks on pyongyangs denuclearisation1 bach has hailed the reconciliatory mood saying previously that the olympic spirit brought two sides together and the two neighbours sent a powerful message of peace to the world1 the isolated regime rarely hosts foreign dignitaries but recent weeks have seen a flurry of diplomacy with kim making his first foreign trip as leader to meet chinese president xi jinping and inviting him to visit pyongyang1

Russia hits West, expels 23 diplomats
News & Trends •
read more18 aside the 60 american envoys axed in a retaliatory expulsion by russia diplomats from 23 countries have been asked to go in the biggest ever diplomatic row between russia and the west1 the russian foreign ministry had summoned the heads of missions from 23 countries to tell them that some of their diplomats had to leave1 france germany canada and poland each said that russia was expelling four of their diplomats1 other countries including ukraine the netherlands sweden the czech republic finland lithuania and norway were also told to pull their envoys1 the moves came in retaliation for the coordinated expulsion of russian diplomats by britain and its allies over a nerve agent attack against former double agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia in the english city of salisbury on march 41 this is certainly not a surprise dutch foreign minister stef blok said through a spokeswoman referring to moscows expulsion of two of the countrys diplomats1 britain has said it is highly likely that russia was responsible for the skripal attack using the novichok nerve agent developed in the soviet union but russia has angrily denied any involvement1 after the poisoning britain kicked off the global response by announcing it would expel 23 russian diplomats suspend high-level diplomatic contact with moscow and not send any members of its royal family to the 2018 football world cup hosted by russia1 russia has expelled the envoys from the 23 countries in retaliation against the west in an escalating spy row1 in further measures against the uk the russian foreign ministry gave britain a month to cut the number of diplomatic staff in russia to the same number russia has in britain a move london called regrettable1 this doesnt change the facts of the matter the attempted assassination of two people on british soil for which there is no alternative conclusion other than that the russian state was culpable a spokeswoman for britains foreign office said1 two australian diplomats were expelled with prime minister malcolm turnbull saying it was a disappointing although not unexpected reaction by the russian government to the decision of the australian government to expel two russian diplomats working as undeclared intelligence officers1 in the kremlin president vladimir putin presided over a meeting of the countrys security council which discussed the most recent retaliatory steps against britain and its allies1 russia did not unleash any diplomatic war putins spokesman dmitry peskov said. russia never initiated any exchange of sanctions1 moscow announced thursday that it would expel 60 us diplomats and close the us consulate in saint petersburg after the expulsion of its own diplomats and the closure of one of its us consulates1 in all more than 150 russian diplomats have been ordered out of the us eu members nato countries and other nations which are accusing russia of being involved in the skripal poisoning1 russia then responded by closing a british consulate in saint petersburg and the british council educational and cultural organisation1

Video confession of 23-year-old serial bomber found
News & Trends •
read more18 the 23-year-old mark conditt serial bomber whose deadly attacks terrorized austin texas for weeks left a 25-minute video confession on a cell phone1 conditt an unemployed man from the suburb of pflugerville detailed how he made all seven bombs that have been accounted for five that exploded1 one of the bombs was recovered before it went off and a seventh he detonated as officers rushed his vehicle early on wednesday1 but the video failed to reveal a coherent motive for the attacks spread over the past three weeks police said1 he does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mention anything about hate but instead it is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life austin police chief brian manley told reporters1 i would classify this as a confession manley said1 the phone was found after he blew himself up on wednesday as officers closed in to make an arrest police said1 based on their search of the suspects home and his video statement authorities said they felt confident that there were no other bombs and that the public was safe from further harm1 fbi special agent christopher combs said investigators believe the suspect would have continued his attacks had he not been apprehended1 police recovered a target list of addresses for future bombings the los angeles times reported citing u.s. representative michael mccaul of texas the republican chairman of the house homeland security committee. even so the video gave no explanation for the individuals and addresses singled out as recipients of the bombs that were planted or shipped manley said.1 police previously said they had considered the possibility that the attacks were racially motivated noting that the first several victims including the two who died were either african-american or hispanic1 conditt likely recorded the video between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on tuesday1 according to manley conditt said he believed police were getting very close to him and he was right. authorities filed a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant around that time1 conditt who had never before been in trouble with the law killed two people and wounded five with a campaign of violence that began on march 2 authorities said1

How explosion unsettled FedEx in Texas, U.S.
News & Trends •
read more18 there are indications that a device that exploded early tuesday at a fedex ground distribution facility in texas injuring one person is linked to a string of bombings that have rocked the states capital this month federal officials said1 schertz police lt. manny casastold fox news thata medium-sized box was on the conveyor belt when the explosion occurred1 casas said a woman was treated for a possible sound injury and was released. he said the blast happened shortly after midnight1 schertz police couldnt immediately confirm what was in the package but law enforcement officialssaidthe medium-sized package contained metal shrapnel and nails and was headed to austin when it exploded on a conveyor track1 the blast drew a large response from state local and federal law enforcement agencies. federal agents told the associated press the package is likely linked to attacks in austin1 the atfs houston office said it responded to the scene in schertz1 schertz is located 22 miles east of san antonio and 73 miles south of austin1 the blast comes a day after authorities in austin said a serial bomber is likely responsible for four explosions in austin this month the latest of which injured two people sunday night after they crossed a trip wire possibly made with fishing line1 austin police chief brian manley said at a news conference monday that although the sunday night bomb was linked to the three previous blasts the latest bomb showed more sophistication as opposed to the previous three incidents which involved package bombs left on peoples doorsteps1