Kenya is facing the risks of suspension from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) after disregarding its rules on importation of Sugar.

The drama surrounding Kenyas sugar imports is dragging as regional players kick.

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 Comesa.

Under the rules of the 19-member trading bloc, any sugar imports from outside Comesa attract a common external tariff (CET) of 25 per cent.

Goods qualify for preferential tariff treatment only if they originate in the member states and are traded within the bloc.

Kenyas move has not been well received and could hurt its trade relations with other member states.

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 manufacturing.

The safeguard, which restricts duty-free sugar imports from the Comesa member countries to 350,000 metric tonnes per year, expires in February 2019.

The government is therefore keen on an extension after failing to meet key conditions including privatisation of its ailing state-owned millers.

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 sector.

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 steel.

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-free.

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 action.

The way this law was communicated was not effective, said Francis Mangeni, Director in charge of Trade and Customs at the Comesa Secretariat.

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 Secretariat.

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 market.

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, Zambia.

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Source: NAN

Nigerian banks have restricted cash withdrawals from overseas Automated Teller Machines (ATM) only to those whose cards are linked to their domiciliary accounts funded locally.

The banks have therefore suspended such withdrawals and encouraging travellers to open and fund dollar accounts.

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 stability.

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 $1,000 to $3,000 and around $2,000 to $5,000.

We would like to inform you that our monthly spending limit on your GTBank Naira MasterCard has been reviewed to $3,000 from $1,000 for your international online and PoS transactions. Kindly note that international ATM cash withdrawal is still restricted, GTBank said.

Clothing, shoes, electronics, bookswhatever your needs are FCMB Naira Debit Card gives you instant full access to $5,000 monthly to shop online, FCMB said in an email sent to its customers at the weekend.

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 cards.

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 online.

The dynamics changed in April last year when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the Investors

A Kenyan referee who had been due to officiate at the ongoing World Cup in Russia has been handed a life ban after being caught in a bribery sting.

Aden Marwa was filmed receiving a 600-dollar bribe during Confederation of African Football (CAF) assignment in Ghana.

He is one of 22 referees sanctioned by CAF in an unprecedented clean up, announced at the weekend.

Marwa, who was a reserve at the 2014 finals in Brazil, had earlier been removed from the list of match officials due to officiate in Russia.

The life ban was handed out by CAF’s disciplinary board, which also banned 10 other referees for between two years and 10 years for similar offences.

A further 11 persons have been suspended pending an appearance at the board in August.

African football has long been plagued by allegations of bribery but never before has CAF banned such a large number of officials.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday arrived in Maiduguri, Borno, to attend the celebration of Army Day in Monguno.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buhari arrived the Maiduguri International Airport at 10.30 a.m. in company of his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari.

Buhari was received by Gov. Kashim Shettima, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar as members of the National and State Assemblies.

Army Day Celebration holds in Borno – 02:48
— News Agency of Nigeria

The president proceeded to the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, Munguno, about 150 kilometres from Maiduguri to participate in the activities lined up to mark the 2018 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL).

The week-long event was designed to celebrate the soldiers fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and other security challenges in the country.

NAN reports that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had on Thursday, attended the military exhibition and trade fair in Monguno in line with the activities marking the week.

Buratai had earlier conducted environmental sanitation at Gudunbali, one of the communities currently resettled, and donated tractors to the returning farmers.

The army also conducted medical outreach to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Bama, Dikwa and Monguno.

Source: NAN

The President of the Senate Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has commended the Supreme Court for its verdict which upheld the Code of Conduct Tribunal’s ruling clearing him of all 18 count charges bothering on assets declaration.

In a statement personally signed by Saraki, he said that the nation’s apex court had rekindle his strong confidence in the judicial process and the ability of the Judiciary to do justice to all manner of men and in all circumstances.

According to him, the judgment of the Supreme Court which upheld the earlier decision of the Code of Conduct Tribunal discharging and acquitting him of all 18 charges instituted against him, Saraki expressed gratitude to all Nigerians who have supported him since the case commenced three years ago.

Saraki wrote: “At the end of a tortuous journey of 1018 Days counting from September 22, 2015 when the case began at the Tribunal, I am happy that I have been vindicated. The Supreme Court has affirmed that there is no evidence of false declaration of assets.

“The court also observed that certain agents took over the responsibility of the Code of Conduct Bureau in this trial, and one can infer that this was done towards a pre-determined end.

“This outcome has gladdened my heart and further strengthened my belief in this country and as well as my faith in Almighty Allah, who is the righter of all wrongs. God has vindicated me today before the judgment of man, and I am most thankful and humbled at His grace and infinite mercies.

“Through it all, I refused to be shaken, knowing, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, that the arch of the moral universe may be long, but it bends towards justice. I knew the day would come when justice would prevail and I would be exonerated.

“I have always believed in the infallibility of our Judiciary, secure in the knowledge that our courts – the last refuge of the oppressed – would never condemn the innocent. This outcome is also a vindication of my belief in the rule of law.

“As I said in my first appearance at the CCT, this is a politically motivated case. The case was trumped up in the first instance because of my emergence as the President of the Senate against the wishes of certain forces.

“Ordinarily, I doubt anyone would be interested in the asset declaration form I filled over 15 years ago.

“What we have seen is the opposite. Instead of working together in the interest of the nation and to seek to do better for our people, we are fighting one another and using legal instruments to mount baseless accusations against one another.

“Instead of exhibiting the need for unity and working day and night for that purpose, we are stoking the fire of division and rancour. I maintain that, above all else, my CCT trial has been a flagrant vilification of my person, and shows that some people are after their personal interests rather than the national interest.

“As a result of the war of attrition, various arms of government have wasted resources needlessly. It has been three wasted years across board in this country. Three years that would have been devoted to tackling issues affecting Nigerians, including: economic recovery, insecurity, youth unemployment and strengthening national institutions – were wasted on malicious prosecution.

“People were ready to trade off three years that would have been devoted to fostering cooperation, unity and economic progress for their selfish ends. It is my hope that those who are behind my persecution will see the handwriting on the wall and leave me to do the work for which I was elected, so I can continue to give my all to this great country of ours.

“As many have rightly observed, it is plain to see that the anti-corruption fight is being prosecuted with vindictiveness, to target perceived political opponents. I believe in the need to fight corruption, but I will never be party to the selective application of the law or the rhetoric of an insincere anti-corruption fight.

“I believe in fighting corruption and I have made my own humble contributions to the fight against corruption in this country. As a presidential aide, I initiated the process that led to the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. I was the first governor to establish the Price Intelligence Unit which later metamorphosed into the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) at the federal level. In the history of this country, the highest fraud, the most brazen corruption has been the Fuel Subsidy scam.

“No one wanted to talk about it or confront entrenched powers. As a Senator on the platform of the ruling party at that time, I sponsored a motion on the floor of the Senate calling for investigation that led to the unprecedented exposure of the massive corruption in the fuel subsidy regime. That was my only point of departure with the former President. My antecedents speak for themselves.

“I thank Nigerians for standing by me through the difficult period of this trial. The support of ordinary Nigerians and their faith in me, as well as their sophistication and discernment in seeing this case for what it was, has been a source of strength to me.

“I am most grateful for the support of my Distinguished Colleagues and the Honourable Members of the 8th National Assembly for their unflinching support and regular attendance at the various proceedings.

“They were unfairly criticised for accompanying me on court appearances, but it is now clear that they did so because they believed that injustice to one, is injustice to all. They have been the true embodiment of esprit de corps. I thank them for banding together in the face of an unconscionable attack on the institution of the legislature.

“I thank my legal team for their determined and principled stance, and for their knowledge and diligence, which saw this case to its just conclusion. My gratitude to all my friends, political associates, supporters and the good people of Kwara State – all of whom have been solidly behind me.

“I thank my family for enduring this trial with their usual grace and fortitude. My immense gratitude also goes to the international community for their interest in this case. The Nigerian press have kept watch and I appreciate their vigilance in ensuring that all the facts were held up to scrutiny.

“To my supporters, yes, there is a reason to rejoice, but our celebration must be tempered with the sobering lessons of the attempted injustice from Day One of this trial. We all have to canvas for fairness in the fight against corruption. We should see this verdict as an inspiration to champion the rule of law, promote democracy and its institutions as well as tolerance of divergent views.

“The overwhelming support of so many, and the insistence on ensuring that due process and truth prevailed, has made this verdict possible,” he stated.

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A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices linked to his familys purchase of upscale London flats, in a major blow to his party ahead of general elections on July 25.

The guilty verdict in absentia against Sharif, 68, threatens to end the career of one of Pakistans most high-profile politicians of the last four decades, a political survivor who was prime minister three times.

A political ally said Sharif would return to Pakistan from London to file an appeal, facing arrest on arrival just before the election, in which his party is in a close race with opposition figure Imran Khans party.

Todays verdict shows that these Avenfield apartments were purchased using corruption money, prosecution lawyer Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi told reporters, citing the name of the apartment building in London.

Sharifs daughter, Maryam, widely seen as his chosen political heir, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Maryams husband and PML-N lawmaker Muhammad Safdar was handed a year in jail, he said.

The people of Pakistan and PML-N reject this decision, said Sharifs brother Shehbaz, who took over as PML-N president after his brother was banned from holding office for life, and is expected to be its prime ministerial candidate.

This decision is based on injustice.

Sharif and his daughter were in London on Friday with Sharifs wife, Kulsoom, who is being treated for cancer and is in a coma after suffering a heart attack last month.

Both denied wrongdoing and will appeal the decision, said Sharif ally Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, adding that the former premier would return to Pakistan before the election.

The NAB court ordered Sharif to pay a fine of 8 million pounds ($10.6 million) and fined Maryam 2 million pounds, while ordering the confiscation of the London properties on behalf of the Pakistani government, Abbasi said.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court accused Sharif and his family of money laundering and being unable to legitimately show the money trail for the purchase of several luxurious properties in London, mostly in the mid-1990s.

A copy of the verdict said the Sharif family had failed to prove a legal source of income for the purchase of Avenfield apartments in 1993, 1995 and 1996.

Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court in July 2017 and barred from politics for being dishonest by failing to report a monthly income of 10,000 Emirati dirhams ($2,723) from a company owned by his son. He denies drawing the monthly salary.

But he has kept de facto control of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party that he founded.

The decision comes at a time of growing suspicion of military meddling in politics ahead of the polls, as well as media complaints of being muzzled.

Sharif had denounced the court proceedings against him as politically motivated and a judicial witch-hunt, often suggesting the military was to blame.

Justice has been massacred, Maryams husband Safdar said after the verdict.

Pakistans military, which has ruled the nuclear-armed country for almost half its history, denies involvement in civilian politics. But the military ended Sharifs second stint in power in 1999 in a bloodless coup.

Source: NAN

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says active mobile telephone lines in Nigeria has increased to 162 million.

This figure is close to the nations population figure which is now put at 195 million.

It said in its monthly Subscribers Operator Data posted on its website on Friday that the mobile lines figure was as at the end of May, adding that it rose from 160 million recorded in April.

With 162, 075,116 lines in May and 160, 081,051 in April, the increase in the number of lines was 1,994,065.

However, the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) for active mobile lines had 217,566 users in May, same as in April.

The report said that the number of fixed wired/wireless for active mobile lines in May was 137, 010 compared to April, which had 136, 496 lines, indicating an increase of 514 lines.

According to NCC, the number of Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) was 93,080 in May compared with 89,477 recorded in April, representing a rise of 3,603.

It also revealed that Teledensity rose by 143 in May to 11,609 as against 11,466 in April.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area and it varies widely across the country.

NCC also said that the number of connected mobile lines in May increased to 240,259,751 from 238,032,318 in April, recording an increase of 2, 227,433.

The CDMA for connected lines for May was 3,586,095, the same figure with April, the subscribers data revealed.

The report said the number of fixed wired/wireless for connected lines in May was 345,210 compared to April that had 344, 892, an increase of 318 lines.

It also showed that the number of VOIP for connected lines in May was 611,376 as against 575,712 in April, rising by 35,644 lines.

Source: NAN

The Niger Delta Youth Council(NDYC) says the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, needs the support of everybody ethnic nationality in the region.

This appeal is conveyed in a position paper drafted after NDYC stakeholders meeting held in Abuja.

The paper was jointly signed by Comrade Jator Abido, NDYC Coordinator and Comrade Kede Michael, Secretary.

We appeal to all ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region to be calm and support our own, Dokubo.

To stop the castigation, falsehood and blackmail against Dokubo in all ramifications.

We should learn not to wash our dirty linen in public and desist from the act of pulling those that meant well for our region. Niger Delta must be united

We should learn to channel our grievances and all other matters through the appropriate leadership organs.

We should learn to support our own to achieve successes in their primary place of assignment, they said.

NDYC urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call on the various security agencies to do their job effectively in order to curb the high spate of insecurity in the nation.

Source: NAN

A teenage girl has sacrificed her life to save her younger sister from falling down a North Carolina waterfall in the United States (U.S.), during the July 4 holiday.

HMoney Siu, 16, of Charlotte, and her sister, 11, had fallen into a river 120 to 150 feet above Rainbow Falls in Transylvania County, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said.

She tried to help her younger sister get out of the river, but fell down the waterfall.

An older family member managed to grab the other girl, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said.

Multiple news outlets reported the fall occurred around noon.

More than 40 agencies, including forest services and multiple volunteer fire departments, aided in the search for the girls body.

About 100 people were evacuated from the river below the falls during the search.

Divers recovered the body around 5 p.m. from a pool about 25 feet deep.

Sius accident marks the sixth waterfall-related death in western North Carolina this year.

Safety officials have urged visitors and hikers to exercise caution around the dangerous falls.

Rainbow Falls are about 150 miles from Sius familys home in Charlotte. They are originally from Vietnam.

Source: NAN

The Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, has congratulated Enugu State Governor Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki on their victories at the Supreme Court on Friday.

Ugwuanyi was having a legal battle with Sen. Ayogu Eze over election primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 governorship poll in Enugu State.

Ekweremadu said that Ugwuanyi was an agent of peace and development in Enugu.

On the victory, he said, this is victory, not just for Gov. Ugwuanyi, but more importantly, a victory for peace, equitable development and unusual transformation in Enugu State.

I believe it is a motivation for the governor to do more and a veritable launch pad into the 2019 general elections for the PDP in the state.

It is instructive that the three senatorial districts of Enugu State have already endorsed him unanimously for a second term in office because he has justified our decision in electing him in 2015.

On Sarakis victory Ekweremadu said the apex courts unanimous decision, dismissing the assets declaration charges against him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) was avictory for the legislature and democracy.

Ekweremadu said: I salute the courage of the Supreme Court jurists.

This decision has no doubt strengthened faith in the Judiciary as a sanctuary of justice and defender of rule of law.

It has, once again, distinguished the judiciary as the bastion of democracy and last hope of the oppressed.

He added that it was victory, not only for the President of the Senate, but for the National Assembly, our democracy and every Nigerian, who stood up against all forms of political intimidation, high-handedness and impunity.

I salute the President of the Senate for his resilience, courage and undying commitment to the immutable democratic principles of the rule of law and separation of powers as well as the integrity and independence of the legislature.

Source: NAN