-
France set to welcome FIFA World Cup heroes
News & Trends •
there are two things that matter one is that these 23 players are now together for life whatever happens and also that from now on they will not be the same again because they are world champions he said1 victorious france were set to return to a heroes welcome on monday after winning the world cup for the second time with a rollercoaster 4-2 victory over croatia which set off chaotic celebrations at home1 mbappe just 19 scored frances sizzling fourth goal and was voted the best young player of a tournament in which he has shown he is a superstar in the making1 the triumph also put didier deschamps who captained the side to victory on home soil in 1998 alongside mario zagallo and franz beckenbauer as only the third man to win the world cup as a player and coach1 french president emmanuel macron who cheered every goal in moscows luzhniki stadium was drenched by torrential rain during the trophy presentation and attempted to dab with the players in the changing room1 on monday macron will welcome the team back to paris and the players will make a bus parade up the champs-elysees avenue where they are expected to be feted by hundreds of thousands of people1 fans in france celebrated into the night honking car horns and flying the tricolour flag while the eiffel tower was lit up in blue white and red. however youths also looted a champs-elysees store and police fired tear gas as celebrations got out of control1 there is nothing better1 deschamps who was soaked by champagne by his overjoyed players in a chaotic press conference said the win was just as big and just as beautiful as the 1998 triumph1 teenager kylian mbappe applied the coup de grace in moscow as france aided by an own goal and the video assistant referee overcame determined opponents in one of the most compelling finals of the modern era1 to be champions of the world as professional footballers there is nothing better1 the breathless victory under stormy skies meant his side a balance of youthful vitality and big-tournament experience have buried the pain of their defeat in the euro 2016 final in paris1 we did something incredible we made history and we are going to enjoy it said antoine griezmann who scored frances second goal from the spot1 were going to see our families and were going to party. tomorrow in france will be the same were going to party with the french people1 for croatia a country of just four million people the loss was bitter but their fans took solace in the best run in the nations history which featured a stunning win against argentina and a semi-final victory against england1 croatia playmaker luka modric was voted player of the tournament belgiums thibaut courtois was named the best goalkeeper and harry kane of england won the golden boot as top-scorer with six goals1 us president donald trump tweeted congratulations to france for their extraordinary soccer and also praised russias president vladimir putin for his hosting of the tournament which he described as one of the best ever1 putin said russia could be proud of its organisation of the event adding that foreign visitors holding world cup fan id cards could have visa-free entry for the rest of 20181 -
World Cup: Modric, Mbappe, Kane, Griezmann scoop FIFA-Adidas awards
News & Trends •
the french team were not the only winners of the 2018 fifa world cup in russia as the curtains were drawn on sunday in moscow. other winners included luka modric the magical midfielder for runners up croatia1 he won the fifa adidas golden ball award for guiding his team setting the tempo and exploiting gaps in opposition defences. he proved equally effective in the final dictating the pace as croatia made a fast start to the match1 the adidas golden glove award went tothibaut courtois the goal keeper of third placed belgium. fifa said belgium owed their historic third place as much to the imperious courtois as their incisive front line and tenacious defence. the imposing keeper made the most of his large frame and outstanding reflexes to come to his sides rescue time and again. beaten only once by eventual champions france in the semi-finals he turned in another commanding performance in the play-off for third place1 the 19 year-old french star kylian mbappe now being compared to the legendary pele won the fifa young player award.the teenage prodigy did not disappoint in his first world finals. the 19-year-old drew gasps of admiration from the watching world with his bursts of acceleration and searing pace. in putting two goals past argentina he became the youngest scorer of a brace in a world cup knockout match since pele in 1958 while his strike in the final sealed victory for1 belgiums eden hazard won theadidas silver ball awardbelgium boasted the most prolific attack of the tournament scoring 16 goals thanks in no small part to the peerless eden hazard who wreaked havoc in opposition defences with his bursts of speed and his silky running on the ball. with his two assists and three goals one of them coming in the match for third place against england he was the main architect of belgiums historic third place1 french hard working playmaker antoine griezmann won the adidas bronze ball and the adidas silver boot.the atletico madrid front man played a leading role in his sides tournament triumph scoring four goals and setting up another two the best performance by a france player since just fontaine scored 13 goals at sweden 1958. my role has changed. if i score thats great but its not the most important thing said the left-footed striker before the final where his dead-ball skills helpedwin the day1 england captain harry kane with a record six goals won theadidas golden boot awardharry kane provided proof if it were needed that he is one of the best finishers in the business helping to fire england to their best finish as semi-finalists since italy 1990. the tottenham striker made a fast start to the tournament with a double against tunisia and a hat-trick against panama before converting from the spot against colombia in the round of 161 romelu lukaku of belgium with four goals won the adidas bronze ballwith his brace in belgiums opener against panama and another goal against tunisia romelu lukaku enjoyed the perfect start to the competition though the goals dried up for him in the knockout phase1 spain who were despatched by hosts russia in the round of 16 won thefifa fair play trophywhile spain had a disappointing world cup exiting the tournament in the last 16 against hosts russia they can take some satisfaction from their exemplary behaviour on the pitch where they picked up just two yellow cards in their four matches and committed a mere 34 fouls1 -
Pacquiao calls out Mayweather for rematch
News & Trends •
pacquiao also highlighted british former light welterweight world champion amir khan as a potential opponent1 manny pacquiao has called on floyd mayweather to come out of retirement for a rematch saying lets do a second one after powering to his first ko win in nine years1 instead he opened a glorious new act in a 23-year story that has seen him become the only man to move up through eight weight divisions and win world titles in all of them1 despite racing towards his 40th birthday pacquiao looks like he is back to being the devastatingly quick and ruthless power-puncher who earned the sobriquet of worlds best pound-for-pound fighter between 2000 and 20101 in 2015 pacquiao with a win-loss-draw record of 60-7-2 lost a unanimous points decision to the unbeaten mayweather 50-0 in one of the richest fights in boxing history but then needed surgery on a damaged shoulder that he claimed had restricted his movement and punching power1 after rolling back the years to pummel matthysse into seventh-round submission the filipino legend is already considering the options for his next fight which could take place as early as november or december1 mayweather if he decides to go back to boxing then that is the time we are going to call the shots an effervescent pacquiao told reporters at the axiata arena in kuala lumpur after his stunning win1 i have the belt so its up to him. if he wants to come back in boxing lets do a second one he grinned1 the fighting philippines senator known as pac-man took on the dangerous argentine wba welterweight champion lucas matthysse in kuala lumpur on sunday knowing a defeat could have lowered the curtain on one of the greatest careers in boxing history1 my next fight i want to defend my belt pacquiao said1 he also said he would carry on fighting past his 40th birthday in december despite the demands of juggling life in the ring with a political career outside it1 if boxing is not my passion i would not fight again pacquiao said1 its like im addicted to boxing and i really love to fight and bring honour to my country1 three-weight world champion terence crawford is another possible money-spinning bout as is a rematch with jeff horn who wrested the wbo belt from pacquiao in an ugly contest in brisbane a year ago1 veteran promoter bob arum has also talked up a superfight with his top rank stables three-belt lightweight champion vasyl lomachenko but that would necessitate pacquaio dropping back down from 147 to 140 or 135 pounds weight divisions he has not fought at for 10 years1 but for now the man who one day may run for president in the philippines where he is worshipped will return to his day job in the senates legislative department where his inbox has been filling up while he was away in training camp1 theres going to be a lot of work in the office he said with a grin1 -
Ex-Delta governor Uduaghan congratulates Fayemi
News & Trends •
a former delta state governor and leader of the peoples democratic party dr. emmanuel uduaghan has congratulated dr. kayode fayemi the all progressives congress candidate and winner of the ekiti governorship election1 the gesture came as the pdp and its candidate professor kolapo olusola eleka are still sulking over the outcome of the election1 the independent national electoral commission on sunday morning declared fayemi as winner of the keenly contested political contest1 uduaghan on twitter said congrats to my friend former colleague and co-director at the nipp gov kayode fayemi1 the message on twitter by the former delta state governor who administered the state from 2007-2015 is likely to raise eyebrows within his party1 congrats my friend former colleague and co-director in nipp governor-elect dr. on your victory at the1 emmanuel e uduaghan @eeuofficial1 some political pundits interpreted uduaghans gesture as a confirmation of rumours that he is planning to switch allegiance to the apc1 -
Group commends INEC over Ekiti
News & Trends •
it is obvious that the wishes of the people have prevailed especially at a critical period in ekiti he said2 the peoples democratic party pdp candidate and current deputy governor prof. kolapo olusola scored 178121 votes1 the determination displayed by the people on saturday was unprecedented and unbelievable1 i saw the number of people coming out from their villages and homes contrary to the rumour of riot and crisis being spread across the state a few days to the election1 the alliance for credible elections is elated with the turn-out for the saturdays ekiti governorship election and commended stakeholders for the transparency of the electoral process1 former minister of mines and solid minerals development and candidate of the all progressives congress dr kayode fayemi was declared winner of the election after securing 197459 votes1 dr omilusi mike an official of the alliance on sunday said i want to sincerely commend the turnout of the people from across the nooks and crannies of ekiti to vote for their chosen candidate1 other results declared by the chief returning officer for the election prof. idowu olayinka include accord 250 action alliance 41 acd 1149 ad 216 adb 1082 ada 107 agao 31 anrp 125 apa 1199 and apda 4641 also declared were apga 70 anpp 14 da 14 dpc 147 dpp181 fjp 42 gpn 20 i.d 31 kowa 23 lp 280 mmn 35 mpn 23 ndlp 44 npc 353 pandel 74 and pgc 12421 the rest are dpa 632 ppn 107 sdo 367 udp 29 upn 33 ydp 31 and ypp 491 the total valid votes in the election was 384594 while total votes cast was 403451 with 18857 votes invalidated1 nan reports that the election held in 2195 polling units spread across 177 wards in the 16 local government areas of ekiti while 35 candidates contested.nan1 -
8th National Assembly visits the United States
News & Trends •
while nigerians await the outcome of this important legislative process aimed at strengthening the security agencies and tackling the hydra-headed challenges it is expedient that the national leadership develops systems that will consistently guarantee safety and economic prosperity of its citizens. hence by this visit of nigerias parliament to the united states a stronger relationship with the u.s is expected to avail the national assembly with all the necessary support to continue to legislate1 president of the senate dr abubakar bukola saraki-led a joint delegation of nigerias national assembly on a 3-day working visit to the united states recently1 interestingly the crux of the visit transcends parliamentary duties and exchanges. it focused more on the dire need to foster increased collaboration and broaden the bilateral ties between nigeria and the united states. considering the mono-product export status of nigeria and the desperate need for diversification the senate president took advantage of every meeting to market the strong entrepreneurial grit of the average nigerian youth whose value addition to the nations economy cannot be igno1 he also stressed the need for america to adopt a symbiotic trade relationship with nigeria and indeed the rest of africa. saraki challenged his counterparts in the u.s congress on the necessity to work with african leaders to increase trade and investment opportunities in the continent. the senate president used the opportunity to make a strong case for increased trade despite the perceived imperfection with regards to the security threats and the seeming dithering of government in proffering la1 according to the senate president we want to see a bigger trade relationship we want to see stronger and deeper investment engagements security democracy-strengthening and beneficial trade relations with the united states1 the president of the senate noted in one of the meetings that nigeria a major player in ecowas and african union must be seen by the international community as taking proactive steps towards ensuring that there is development of sustainable and inclusive strategies to tackle the perennial economic woes. he alluded to the resilient spirit of nigerians in the diaspora whose contributions to the american and global economy have become a reference point amongst many potential investors1 in walking the talk over the last three years the 8th national assembly has passed over 200 bills with substantial number being economic priority bills. some of the bills such as the credit bureau reporting act helped in upgrading nigeria on the world banks annual ease of doing business ranking and most recently the passage of the companies and allied matters act cama which is the biggest and most comprehensive pro-business reform bill geared towards stimulating economic growth and making the ni1 the parliaments desire to improve the nations economy and restore foreign investor confidence in her business terrain resulted in the passage and subsequent signing into law of the secured transactions in movable assets act. with this law new and small companies will gain more access to credit with movable assets as security and create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive1 unfortunately this desired economic prosperity will remain a mirage if insecurity persists. the incessant killings and displacement of many nigerians will continue to send wrong signals to the international investing community. it is not rocket science to know that investors have affinity for countries where there is political stability and relative peace.thus for nigeria to reclaim the top spot destination of choice for foreign investors in africa the insecurity challenges must be holistically1 earlier in the year the parliament organised a national stakeholders security summit with top echelon of the countrys security agencies with the sole aim of finding lasting solutions to the security challenges overwhelming the country. under the leadership of the senate president the national assembly has remained consistent in providing support to the security agencies through regular oversight and constant advisory interventions on ways by which safety can be guaranteed to all nigerians irresp1 going by the worrying increase of recent killings in several parts of the country the responsive parliament has initiated a fresh amendment to the constitution aimed at halting the institutional barriers that have hindered the countrys law enforcement and security personnel from efficiently safeguarding the lives and properties of nigerians. a resolution by the senate at plenary directing the constitutional review committee to put in place the mechanism to amend the constitution so as to allow f1 during this unprecedented visit of members from both chambers of the national assembly diverse issues of national interest were raised with the u.s chamber of commerce council on foreign relations the united states institute of peace usip and select members of the u.s congress1 from all the meetings attended by the delegation it was evident that america wants to move beyond the era of the usual aid and grants to that which offers increased trade and investment prospects. thus the senate president was able to successfully convince his hosts of the immense and abundant returns on investment which nigeria guarantees going by the steady progress on the global economic index. for the benefits of hindsight the dividends of this symbolic parliamentary cum diplomatic visit wil1 bamikole omishore is the special assistant on foreign affairs and international relations to president of the senate federal republic of nigeriaafricas richest man aliko dangote has signed a 650 million loan facility with the african export-import bank afreximbank for his oil refinery project in nigeria1 the seven-year term loan would attract a moratorium of five years according to facility terms read out during the signing1 cairo-based africas trade bank also signed a 750 million facility with nigerias development bank the bank of industry1 reuters witnessed the signing of both loans on saturday1 dangote group executive director devakumar edwin told reuters last week that the oil refinery would cost around 10 billion and should be completed by december 20191 he said the company would borrow 3.3 billion for the project arranged by standard chartered bank. the remainder will be funded by equity and through export agencies1 dangote built his fortune on cement and now has interests in flour milling agriculture and real estate. he is building the worlds largest single oil refinery and also expanding into fertilizer aiming to address long-standing problems in nigerias energy markets1 the refinery and petrochemical complex is located on 25000 hectares of swampy land with a jetty to ferry products by sea within nigeria and abroad including an undersea pipeline to transport gas. it would account for half of dangotes sprawling assets when it is finished next year1 dangote intends to process different grades of crude to meet local demand for refined petroleum products and also target export markets abroad1 afreximbank celebrating its 25 years of operation this year aims to foster intra-african trade through the creation of a payment platform to ease settlement and currency risks1 -
Fayemi: My victory significant for Nigerias future
News & Trends •
the governor-elect of ekiti dr kayode fayemi said his victory in saturdays governorship election is very significant for the future of democracy in nigeria1 this was just not an ekiti election i want people to understand that this election has a lot of significance to the future of democracy in nigeria1 the fact that we have witnessed a free fair and transparent election process has huge importance for similar exercises like osun state next door to us and eventually the national elections in february 2019 he said1 fayemi spoke on sunday while addressing the newsmen in isan-ekiti shortly after he was declared the winner of the governorship election1 he said the victory of this election i believe is for reclaiming the land and restoring the values of our people1 our values in ekiti are respect for our leaders commitment to our people non-brigandage nor criminality and so on1 this victory is a victory for all it is not a victory for only gov. kayode fayemi it is a victory for all the ekiti people1 the governor-elect thanked all the apc leaders including president muhammadu buhari national leader of the apc sen. bola tinubu former governor of ogun chief segun osoba former interim chairman of the party chief bisi akande as well as party leaders in the state1 he also thanked his family members especially his wife bisi for their support during the election campaign1 fayemi first became governor of the state in 2010 after a three year legal battle to reclaim his 2007 victory. he lost re-election in 2014 following massive rigging for his successor ayodele fayose by the peoples democratic party1 -
Saraki congratulates Fayemi
News & Trends •
president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki has congratulated the governor-elect of ekiti state dr. kayode fayemi on his victory in the just-concluded ekiti gubernatorial election1 saraki in a statement signed by his special adviser on media and publicity yusuph olaniyonu stated that the governor-elect of ekiti state should use his second-coming to continue the people-centered policies and programmes of his first term1 he urged hi to also work to grow the states economy in order to leave behind a sustainable legacy1 he said the victory was a sign that the people of ekiti state still have confidence in the former ministers ability to provide good governance and render efficient service to the state and its people. he also advised the governor-elect to maintain his focus on how to bring more development to the state and improve the standard of living of the people1 the senate president also urged the independent national electoral commission inec the law enforcement and security agencies the government and entire electorate to learn some lessons from the ekiti state gubernatorial election which has served as a fore-runner to the 2019 general elections and ensure that all areas of complaints and inadequacies are corrected before a similar election in osun state and the 2019 general elections1 to ensure that the nigeria people have continued trust and faith in our electoral system we must continue to work to improve our electoral policies and practices. we must look into the issues that have been identified in this last election to ensure that they are not repeated in the upcoming osun gubernatorial election and during the 2019 elections. definitely the 2019 elections must be better in all ramifications than the 2015 polls he said1 saraki prayed that god will bless and guide the governor-elect as he prepares to assume office and called for a smooth transition between the outgoing government and the incoming one1 -
Ekiti poll referendum on Buharis administration
News & Trends •
minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed has described the just concluded governorship election in ekiti state as a referendum on the three year-old muhammadu buhari administration1 with the victory of the all progressives congress apc nigerian people have spoken and they have spoken loudly about their perception of the apc-led buhari administration mohammed said today1 the election was more than one states gubernatorial poll. it was a referendum on the performance of the buhari administration. and nigerians have given their verdict1 its not just a defeat for the pdp its a defeat for all the naysayers who have made themselves the spokespersons for nigerians1 furthermore it is a death knell for fake news anyone who monitored the social media before and during the election would think it would be a landslide for the pdp. but the reality is different1 we want to most sincerely thank the people of ekiti state for ensuring that the election was free fair and credible as attested to by local and international observers and for turning out en masse to exercise their franchise1 in 2014 the votes of the people of ekiti did not count as the then pdp-led federal government used federal might to hijack the election and concoct the result. they barred two serving governors from travelling to ekiti to support their fellow governor. they wilfully shut the akure airport and we leaders of then opposition apc were forced to return to lagos by road in the night1 with the roles reversed in 2018 we did not pay the pdp back in its own coin because of our strong belief in the rule of law. the rest is history1 -
Global warming: Nigeria among countries at risk as temperatures soar
News & Trends •
we have to provide cooling in a super-efficient way kyte said. companies could find big markets for instance by developing low-cost high-efficiency air conditioners to sell to growing middle classes in tropical countries1 nigeria has been listed among countries most at risk as global warming brings more high temperatures necessitating the need to keep people cool and preserve food and medicine1 about 1.1 billion people in asia africa and latin america 470 million in rural areas and 630 million slum dwellers in cities were at risk among the worlds 7.6 billion people the report said1 in a survey of 52 countries those most at risk included nigeria india china mozambique sudan brazil pakistan indonesia and bangladesh it said1 cooling becomes more and more important with climate change rachel kyte head of the group and special representative for the u.n. secretary-general for sustainable energy for all said1 more electricity demand for fridges fans and other appliances will add to man-made climate change unless power generators shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energies according to the report by the non-profit sustainable energy for all group1 in a study released today by the non-profit sustainable energy for all group more than a billion people are estimated to be at risk from a lack of air conditioning and refrigeration to keep people and things cool1 and simpler solutions such as painting roofs white to reflect sunlight or redesigning buildings to allow heat to escape would also help1 the u.n.s health agency says that heat stress linked to climate change is likely to cause 38000 extra deaths a year worldwide between 2030 and 2050. in a heat-wave in may more than 60 people died in karachi pakistan when heat rose above 40 degrees celsius 104f1 in remote areas in tropical countries many people lack electricity and clinics are often unable to store vaccines or medicines that need to be chilled the study said. and in city slums electricity supplies are often intermittent1 many farmers or fishermen meanwhile lack access to a cold chain to preserve and transport products to markets. fresh fish goes off within hours if stored at 30 degrees celsius 86f but stays fresh for days when chilled1 last week a study by the university of birmingham in britain projected that the number of cooling appliances could quadruple by 2050 to 14 billion worldwide driving a surge in energy consumption1 -
G7 wants Russia to explain role in MH17 downing four years ago
News & Trends •
foreign ministers from the group of seven g7 leading industrialized nations on sunday called on russia to account for its role in the downing of malaysia airlines flight mh17 which killed all 298 people on board1 tuesday marks four years since the the boeing 777 en route from amsterdam to kuala lumpur was blown out of the sky by a missile believed to have been fired by russian-aligned rebels in eastern ukraine1 international investigators said in may that the buk anti-aircraft system used to bring down the jet belonged to the russian military1 the netherlands and australia whose citizens made up the most passengers on the airliner both hold russia legally accountable and are demanding moscow admit its role and cooperate with investigators1 russia has denied any involvement in the disaster1 in a rules-based international order those responsible for unacceptable actions such as the firing or launching of the buk missile of russian origin which intercepted and downed a civilian aircraft must be held accountable the ministers said in a joint statement1 to this end we call on russia to immediately engage with australia and the netherlands in good faith to explain and to address all relevant questions regarding any potential breaches of international law1 the g7 is composed of canada france germany italy japan britain and the united states1 the anniversary of the disaster on tuesday falls a day after us president donald trump is due to meet with russian president vladimir putin in helsinki. it it not known if trump will raise the issue during the talks.dpanan1 -
Osinbajo sets internet buzzing with new poem to his wife Dolapo
News & Trends •
trust cheeky nigerians osinbajos obsession with his wife is a ground for them to ask him not to run with president muhammadu buhari in next years election1 nigerias vice president yemi osinbajo is a senior advocate of nigeria. but he is also cutting the reputation as a poet capable of weaving love ballads1 osinbajo took to both instagram and twitter to render another romantic poem to his wife of 29 years1 on the 50th anniversary of his wife last year osinbajo wrote1 last year at the 28th anniversary of their wedding osinbajo composed another poem that went viral1 on twitter osinbajos latest poem has already commanded over 5000 retweets and 20000 likes with the comments already exceeding over 20001 he did this again on sunday celebrating the 51st birthday of his wife oludolapo1 one of the respondents to the post big daddy writes1 thats y we wouldnt be voting u and ur crew in next year so u can have more time to be wif her cos we care1 big daddy @izzystyles1011 but he seems to be the only one with the view as modibbo byb countered1 that will be more reason to vote him. we need a responsive loving passionate nationalist1 byb @modibbobyb1 -
Trump blames foolish U.S. for poor Russia relations
News & Trends •
neither side expects major breakthroughs from the talks and the outcome is uncertain given sharp differences between washington and moscow over everything from syria to ukraine1 hours before he was due to sit down for his first ever summit with vladimir putin u.s. president donald trump has derided his nation blaming what he called u.s. foolishness for bad relations between washington and moscow while the kremlin said it expected a tough meeting1 our relationship with russia has never been worse thanks to many years of u.s. foolishness and stupidity and now the rigged witch hunt wrote trump on twitter referring to the investigation into possible collusion1 during a breakfast meeting with finlands president before the meeting with putin in the finnish capital trump appeared upbeat. asked what he would say to the russian president trump said well be just fine thank you1 trump also repeated his belief that predecessor barack obama had failed to act on russian meddling1 while trump has been abroad since last week the special prosecutor investigating allegations that russia interfered to help trump win the 2016 presidential election indicted 12 russians on friday for stealing democratic party documents1 critics and his own advisers have urged trump to use the summit to press putin hard about election meddling and other malign activities. but hours before he was due to meet the russian president trump focused his ire on his own country and the investigation into possible links between his 2016 campaign and russia. the president has denied any collusion took place1 for putin the fact that the summit is even happening despite russias semi-pariah status among some americans and u.s. allies is a geopolitical win because in russian eyes it shows that washington recognises moscow as a great power that cannot be isolated or ignored1 the kremlin made clear beforehand it did not expect an easy meeting taking trump to task over his criticism of a planned russian gas pipeline to germany and suggesting it would be hard to find common ground on syria because of differences over iran1 trump wants russia to help moscow to use its influence in syria where it is backing president bashar al-assad militarily to push iranian and iranian-allied forces out. kremlin spokesman dmitry peskov told russias rt tv station ahead of the summit that was unlikely1 of course syria will be discussed by the two presidents said peskov. we all know what washington thinks of iran. but at the same time iran is a good partner to us in terms of trade economic cooperation and political dialogue. so this will not be an easy exchange of views1 russia hoped however that the summit would be the first step in overcoming a crisis in relations he said1 presidents trump and putin respect each other and they get along well. there is no clear agenda. it will be determined by the heads of state themselves as they go along1 -
High-level officials in Mexico to get salary slash
News & Trends •
mexican president-elect andres obrador has announced plans to slash the salaries of high-level officials including himself as part of an austerity push by the government1 obrador told newsmen outside his campaign headquarters that he would raise the national minimum wage in order to make the budget reach everybody1 he met with members of his future cabinet there earlier1 his monthly base salary would be 108000 pesos about 5700 u.s. dollars 40 per cent of what president enriquenieto currently earns said obrador who will take over the mexican presidency on dec. 11 the president-elect recently announced that he was canceling the generous pensions paid to former presidents all of whom are wealthy and a slew of bonuses and fringe benefits provided to lawmakers and other officials.1 the austerity plan aims to redirect some 500 billion pesos about 26.4 billion dollars a year towards welfare and development programmes.1 in addition to public-sector belt tightening lopez obrador seeks to pass laws to combat graft1 mexico ranks 135 out of 180 countries in transparency internationals 2017 corruption perceptions index1 obradors left-of-center national regeneration movement morena won a majority in congress so proposed bills are virtually ensured congressional approval. xinhuanan1 -
4 dead, 6 injured in Georgia mine explosion
News & Trends •
at least four miners were killed and six others injured in a coal mine explosion in west-central georgia the countrys interior ministry said on monday2 the explosion occurred on early morning in the countrys tkibuli city2 methane explosion supposedly caused the collapse of the ceiling in the tunnel georgia today reported quoting the ministry2 according to the newspaper the injured persons were taken to the hospital and one of them was in critical condition2 an investigation has been launched2 in april another explosion in the same mine killed six miners and injured three others2 sourcehttpswww.aa.com.trentodays-headlinesgeorgia-at-least-4-miners-killed-in-mine-explosion12053642