President Donald Trump pulled the trigger Friday on a steep increase in tariffs on Chinese products and Beijing immediately vowed to hit back, turning up the heat before a second day of trade negotiations.

Trump got a briefing from his trade negotiators after the first day of talks with the Chinese side on Thursday, but made no move to hold off on the tariffs dashing hopes there might be a last-minute reprieve as the negotiations continued.

Minutes after the US increased punitive duties on $200 billion in imports from China from 10 to 25 percent, the Chinese commerce ministry said it deeply regrets the move and repeated its pledge to take necessary countermeasures, without elaborating.

Locked in a trade dispute for more than a year, officials from the worlds two biggest economies returned to the bargaining table late Thursday, led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Since last year, the two sides have exchanged tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, gutting US agricultural exports to China and weighing on both countries manufacturing sectors.

Trump began the trade war because of complaints about unfair Chinese trade practices.

The US team met with Trump late Thursday night to brief him and agreed to continue discussions tomorrow morning at USTR, the White House said in a statement.

Lighthizer and Mnuchin met with the Chinese delegation for about 90 minutes Thursday evening. The White House statement said they also had a working dinner with Liu, who is leading the Chinese side.

We hope the US and the Chinese side can meet each other halfway and work hard together to resolve existing problems through cooperation and consultation, the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement.

Despite optimism from officials in recent weeks that the talks were moving towards a deal, tensions reignited this week after Trump angrily accused China of trying to backpedal on its commitments.

They took many, many parts of that deal and they renegotiated. You cant do that, Trump said on Thursday.

But he held out hopes of salvaging a deal.

Its possible to do it, Trump said. I did get last night a very beautiful letter from President Xi (Jinping).

At the same time, he said he would be equally satisfied to simply keep tariffs in place. And he has threatened to extend the tough duties to all Chinese goods.

The International Monetary Fund has called for a rapid resolution, warning that the trade battle was a threat to global growth.

The renewed tensions roiled global stock markets this week and unnerved exporters.

Liu said on his arrival in Washington that the prospects for the talks were promising, but warned that raising tariffs would be harmful to both sides, and called instead for cooperation.

I hope to engage in rational and candid exchanges with the US side, he told Chinese state media.

Source: NAN

Uber is set for its Wall Street debut Friday with a massive share offering that is a milestone for the ride-hailing industry and the so-called sharing economy, but which comes with simmering concerns about its business model.

Shares will be priced at $45 for the initial public offering (IPO), valuing the startup at more than $82 billion, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

San Francisco-based Uber was set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the eponymous ticker UBER in one of the largest initial public offerings in the tech sector.

Despite the eye-popping valuation, Uber dialled back some of its earlier ambitions for a value exceeding $100 billion after a rocky start for US rideshare rival Lyft.

Analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities said Uber has the potential to be a game-changing company and is paving a similar road to what Amazon did to transform retail/ecommerce and Facebook did for social media.

Ives said Uber has the potential to grow as it morphs its ridesharing platform into a more diverse set of services with Uber Eats, Uber Freight, and self-driving vehicle initiatives.

We view Ubers conservative pricing as a smart and prudent strategy coming out of the box as it clearly learned from its little brother Lyft, and the experience it has gone through over the past month, Ives said in a note to investors.

A small group of independent drivers and supporters protest against Uber and other app-based ride-hailing companies near the New York Stock Exchange

But some of the risks surrounding Uber and its rivals were highlighted Wednesday as thousands of drivers turned off their apps in a US-wide strike over pay and working conditions.

The strikes targeting Uber and its US rival Lyft highlighted a dilemma for rideshare firms, which have faced challenges from regulators and traditional taxi operators for using a business model relying on independent contractors.

One group protested outside the New York Stock Exchange with some signs reading Invest in our lives Not their stocks.

Uber and Lyft did not immediately comment on the protests.

Uber said in a securities filing Thursday that it had reached agreement with a large majority of the roughly 60,000 drivers contesting their status as independent contractors and who had instituted arbitration proceedings against the firm.

The company anticipates the total cost of the individual settlements, combined with attorneys fees, will fall between $146 million and $170 million.

Uber maintained it was sticking to its plans on how it classifies drivers.

Our business would be adversely affected if drivers were classified as employees instead of independent contractors, the company said.

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry predicted that Uber will eventually have to raise ride prices, causing its customers to seek other options.

Uber will be raising up to $9 billion in the offering being underwritten by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch and other large banks.

Ubers inauguration as a public company will follow a rocky market debut for Lyft, which has lost more than 15 percent of its value since its March offering.

Lyfts losses in the past quarter widened to $1.1 billion, according to its first financial report as a public company.

Source: NAN

A Zimbabwe man made a heartbreaking discovery of his life, when he found out that his girlfriend, whose house rent he was paying, was living with another man.

According to , Jojo Tabengwa thought his girlfriend Samkeliso Dube was staying with her parents yet she had already moved in with another man.

For three months, he paid rent for the family but was not allowed to visit.

Tabengwa became suspicious because Dube would always switch off her phone when she got home.

When the lie was finally exposed she was indifferent with no apology whatsoever. Instead she sought a protection order from the courts, the newspaper reported.

I am the complainant in this matter and the respondent Jojo Tabengwa is my ex-boyfriend. We broke up but he keeps stalking and harassing me. He comes to my house at night and unannounced to harass me and my current boyfriend. I have made it clear to him that I no longer have any interest in him and that I have moved on with my life but he keeps on pestering me. My life is no longer at peace because of him. His pestering is hindering progress in my life, complained Dube at the Bulawayo Civil Court.

In response Jojo almost broke down as he narrated the nasty discovery that ripped his happiness apart.

I have been good to this woman. I deny all the allegations she has levelled against me. It is not true that I am stalking her. What happened is that when we started dating she lied to me that she stays with her parents.

For the past three months we have been dating she didnt allow me to visit her place despite the fact that I was the one who was paying her rentals amounting to $380 per month.

Every time I wanted to visit her, she would lie that her mother was around. At night she would also switch off her phone. One day out of suspicion I went to her place and that is when I discovered that she had been cheating on me as she was staying with another man.

When I confronted that man he openly told me that they started staying together three months ago of which I was the one who had been paying their rent, said a heartbroken Jojo.

To Jojos dismay, the presiding magistrate Rachael Mukanga, ordered him not to visit his ex-girlfriends place and not to abuse or harass her in any way.

Source: NAN

English clubs have marked their return to prominence on the European stage in a week punctuated by spellbinding drama with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur set to meet in just the second all-English Champions League final next month.

Chelsea and Arsenal then ensured the success of English teams wont just be limited to the continents top club competition, both reaching the Europa League showpiece to give the Premier League an unprecedented four European finalists, the first time there has been such a sweep.

The English sweep on the football field comes, ironically, as the United Kingdom wrestles with Brexit, the painful and protracted withdrawal from the European Union.

Only twice before in European football the 1972 UEFA Cup and 2008 Champions League had two English teams contested a final, but two improbable comebacks guaranteed another such clash on June 1 in Madrid.

Liverpool, last years runners-up to Real Madrid, ended Spains five-year grip on the continents top club prize as they shocked Lionel Messi and Barcelona their stunning 4-0 win at Anfield inspiring Tottenham to a fightback every bit as inconceivable 24 hours later.

We saw Liverpool last night. It just goes to show its not over until its over, Spurs defender Danny Rose said after his side rallied from a 3-0 aggregate deficit at half-time to break Ajax hearts thanks to a second-half hat-trick from Lucas Moura.

We enjoyed a lot watching the tie against Barcelona. They are heroes too and, of course, it is going to be an amazing final between two English teams that for sure we are going to enjoy, added Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Despite record broadcast deals bringing in billions from around the globe, English clubs have been out-thought and out-played at Champions League level over the past decade.

Yet while Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich have dominated at home in recent years, no club has retained the Premier League title since Manchester United in 2009, in Cristiano Ronaldos final season at Old Trafford.

The constant grind of Englands top six vying every season for just four Champions League places allows nobody to rest on their laurels, on the pitch or off it in the recruitment process.

Crucially, the Premier League now also boasts not only money, but world-class coaching that has been given time to build.

Pep Guardiola is in his third season as City manager, Jurgen Klopp in his fourth at Liverpool and Pochettino near the end of season five at Spurs.

The level of the Premier League I think is clear, said Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, whose turbulent first season in England could finish on an unexpected high with a top-four place already secured.

If you consider we got to the final in the League Cup and we had to play against Liverpool, Tottenham and the final against Man City you have an idea about the level.

Sarri will now pit his wits against Unai Emery as Chelsea face Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku on May 29.

Chelsea needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League semi-final while a Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang hat-trick took the Gunners to a 4-2 win over Valencia for a 7-3 aggregate.

The final will be Arsenals first in Europe since they lost the 2006 Champions League to Barcelona.

I am very proud of the players and the supporters. The players did all they could and we can be proud of the whole club, said Emery who once coached Sevilla to three Europa League titles.

Valencia coach Marcelino hailed the strength of the Premier League.

Arsenal had a bigger punch, he said.

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga shrugged off having to travel 4,500 km (2,800 miles) to Azerbaijan to face Arsenal despite their two grounds sitting barely seven miles apart in London.

We will have a strong London derby with Arsenal in Baku, he said.

Source: NAN

Labour doesnt exist to stop Brexit, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn said as he defended the partys approach to the European elections.

The party is seeking to appeal to both sides of the Brexit debate, insisting that the real divide in the country is between normal workers and the wealthy rather than Leavers and Remainers.

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon acknowledged it was a difficult road that the party had chosen but its the right thing to do.

In comments which could cause further tensions within Labour between those calling for a second referendum and others who want to secure a soft Brexit deal, Mr Burgon insisted the party was not trying to prevent the UKs exit from the European Union.

The Labour Party doesnt exist to stop Brexit, he told BBC Twos Newsnight.

Other parties have been formed that think that is their only purpose politically.

The Liberal Democrats hope to poach pro-EU Labour voters with an uncompromising message of bollocks to Brexitfor its European manifesto, with an alternative of Stop Brexit for voters with more refined sensibilities.

In comments which could cause further tensions within Labour between those calling for a second referendum and others who want to secure a soft Brexit deal, Mr Burgon insisted the party was not trying to prevent the UKs exit from the European Union.

The Labour Party doesnt exist to stop Brexit, he told BBC Twos Newsnight.

Other parties have been formed that think that is their only purpose politically.

The Liberal Democrats hope to poach pro-EU Labour voters with an uncompromising message of bollocks to Brexitfor its European manifesto, with an alternative of Stop Brexit for voters with more refined sensibilities.

Sourcehttp://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/labours-purpose-is-not-to-stop-brexit-corbyn-ally-insists-11364361134251:

Source: NAN

By Emmanuel Afonne

The Concerned Democrats for Equitable Representation (CODE-R) has urged elected members of the House of Representatives to resist any attempt by group or individuals to foist leaders on them to avoid a rubber-stamp legislature.

Mr Stephen Eriba, Co-Convener CODE-R made the call on Friday in Abuja, while explaining the need for equitable representation in selecting leaders of the 9th House of Representatives.

He alleged that the groups other plan was to enthrone a speaker and deputy speaker from one religion which would run against equitable representation.

This plan was reaffirmed by a statement from the Wase Equity Project, which among other things stated that Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and Alhaji Ahmed Idris Ease, both Muslims, have been endorsed as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 9th House of Representatives.

While we cannot take the inalienable right of any Nigerian to aspire to any office desired, as concern citizens, familiar with Nigerias chequered history, we know that such a set up will widen our fault lines and cause further division amongst the two major religious group in Nigeria.

The House of Representatives is constituted in such a way that it reflects true representation of all Nigerians across board.

Even the framers of our constitution, in many instances, provided room for equitable representation for the purpose of fairness and justice.

The National Assembly is the critical component of a democracy, because its membership represent the diverse tongues, creeds, opinions, interest and aspirations of the Nigerian people.

In the spirit of fairness and equity, its leadership should not be one sided as currently being planned, Eriba said.

According to Eriba, the leadership of House of Representatives has always been skewed to accommodate different religions and tribes for equal representation.

He maintained that any leadership arrangement that does not respect Nigerias peculiar diversity would be viewed as pursuit of vested interest, rather than national interest, and will be a recipe for deep ethno-religious suspicions, division and crisis.

A cursory look at the leadership of the House of Representatives since the return to Democracy in 1999 gives credence to this fact.

The religious exclusivism being surreptitiously promoted in every sphere of government currently in our nation, under different guise is an ill wind that will blow no good, he added.

He urged those making such plans, and most importantly the elected members of 9th House of Representatives to tread with caution in the constitution of its principal officers, especially now that ethno-religious suspicions and division in the country are at octave levels.

Therefore, we call on all well meaning Nigerians to condemn another attempt to further divide us along religious lines.

We also call on all elected representatives to put Nigeria first by ensuring that the leadership of the 9th National Assembly is one that will engender and promote the spirit of oneness, inclusiveness, fairness, justice and respect for our diversity.

Source: NAN

By Ige Adekunle

Okunronmu gave the recommendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Ota in Ogun on Friday.

He described Emefieles re-appointment as a decision in the right direction, saying that the re-appointment would stabiliseNigerias macro-economic decisions.

The former CBN director said that Emefiele had done well, noting that the countrys inflation rate is drastically coming down.

He has achieved what it expected of him as the nations currency is now stable, said Okunronmu.

Monetary stability is a major issue in any economy. Emefiele has achieved this.

Okunronmu said that it would be difficult to achieve monetary stability in a situation where the nation was running on deficit, noting that to have stabilised the monetary policies was a big achievement.

A letter for Emefieles tenure renewal was signed by Buhari on May 8 and has since been sent to the senate for confirmation.

The CBN Act stipulates that the senate must confirm the nomination of any of its governors before the appointment can take effect.

This is the first time since 1999 that a CBN governor would be nominated to serve a second term.

Emefiele was first appointed in 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan and was retained by Buhari when the president assumed office in 2015. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Liverpool have lost one of their fans after he collapsed following the teams 4 nil defeat of Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals second-leg match at Anfield on Tuesday.

Hebert Danso Atiko, a Ghanaian, was found lying on the floor unconscious following a jubilation session for the fourth goal at a pub in Eastern Ghana.

An eyewitness said Atiko was rushed to the Akwatia St. Dominics Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead after other soccer fans at the pub tried but failed to revive him.

Hebert was a final year Engineering student at Akwatia Technical School and was writing his final exams.

He was staying in a rented apartment outside the school campus.

The Principal of Akwatia Technical School, Maxwel Owusu-Afriyie told Accra based radio station Starr FM the incident is being investigated.

Afriyie said: We will get the details and see if there was something the students did that suggest that his behavior was in excess.

On that we can really talk to the students. We have a system in place where we talk to the students and their behavior these days.

Hebert is believed to be a teenager. Liverpools win over Barcelona on Tuesday has been ranked among one of the greatest comebacks in world football.

They beat the Spanish champions despite losing the first leg 3-0.

The victory has shocked many soccer fans, as Liverpool will now be playing in the Champions League final in Madrid for the second year in a row.

Source: NAN

It would be an All English UEFA Champions League final in Madrid on June 1 as Tottenham Hotspurs will meet Liverpool.

Tottenham put in a superlative display in the second half, with striker Lucas Mouras hat trick to knock out cup favourites Ajax.

Ajax had won the first tie 1-0 in London last week and had firmed their position by scoring additional two goals on Wednesday at the Johan Cruijff Arena.

But Tottenham turned the tables in the second half, with Moura scoring two goals in four minutes. He scored the winner in the last minute of additional time, to book Tottenham for their first UEFA Champions League final.

Coach Pochettino fell down and burst into tears of joy. Thanks to Moura who put up an astonishing display in Amsterdam.

Hat trick hero Moura said: Football gives us moments like this that we cannot imagine, says the hat-trick scorer. We need to enjoy it. Look at me its the best moment in my life, my career.

Its impossible to explain what I am feeling. I am very, very happy and proud of my teammates. We always believed in this moment, that it was possible. We gave everything and deserved this moment. We are a family. Its impossible to explain impossible.

It was really a night of history Spurs had never won a two-legged European tie after losing the first leg at home. Ajax had won 26 of 28 previous ties where theyd won the first leg away. The odds were so firmly stacked against Spurs, but they came up trumps.

Source: NAN

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki that he is not above the law.

Acting spokesman of the commission, Mr Tony Orilade said this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

The spokesman was reacting to a statement, EFCC Stop Witch-Hunting Saraki credited to Sarakis media aide, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu.

According to Orilade, the EFCC has taken note of the reactions of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki to the Commissions inquiries regarding his earnings as Kwara State governor.

Recently, the commission began investigation into the Senate Presidents activities while he held sway as the governor of Kwara.

While it is his prerogative to ventilate his views on the matter as he deems fit, the commission takes great exception at the desperate attempt to cast a slur on its investigative activities by portraying Saraki as a victim of persecution.

Furthermore, the agency finds the attempt by the Senate President to tie our inquest to his International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) appointment and his approaching life out of power as misleading.

This is knowing too well that the background to our current inquiries reaches several years back.

For the avoidance of doubt, the EFCC is obligated by law to enthrone probity and accountability in the governance space and has supremely pursued this duty without ill-will or malice against anyone.

It is in the interest of the public and for Sarakis personal good, that he is not only above board, but be seen at all times to be so, he said.

Olaniyonu in a statement described the latest probe of Saraki by the EFCC as a witch hunt: At this point, we need to remind members of the public that Dr. Sarakis tenure as Kwara State Governor has been investigated several times since his last months in Office in 2010 till date. In fact, at a point, as incumbent Governor, he voluntarily waived his immunity and submitted to investigation and yet nothing was found against him. Also, members of the public should be reminded that during the proceedings of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) between 2015 and 2018, it became clear that the evidence relied upon was from investigations conducted by the EFCC on his tenure as Governor and that is why the lead witness for the prosecution was an EFCC agent, Michael Wetkas. Yet, the CCT in its judgement dismissed the 16 charges filed against Dr. Saraki and that verdict was upheld by the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court.

This new investigation into his activities as Governor of Kwara State is a repeat performance. The EFCC is fishing for evidence that they did not get in the past investigations which has spanned almost nine years. However, we need to remind the Commission that Dr. Saraki is not an outgoing Governor. Since 2011, tens of governors have been in and out of our various State Houses. Like wise, hundreds of Senators and Representatives have been in and out of the National Assembly. To single out one individual for persistent investigation can only be logically and plausibly interpreted to be a witch-hunt. This is definitely no fight against corruption. It is a battle waged against a political enemy. It is a label to damage plot.

Not satisfied with the reports submitted by its various teams which worked on the Saraki case in Ilorin and Lagos, the EFCC constituted a fresh team to investigate the Office of the Senate President and despatched another letter late last week to the Clerk of the Senate signed by Mohammed Umar Abba, Director of Operations, in which it requested for the following: the Certified True Copies of the following: i) All Cash Books, Payment Vouchers, Contract Award Letters, Evidence of Contract Bidding, Agreement and Certificate of Contract Completion from 2015 to date. ii) Certified True Copies of all Financial Retirement made within the same period. iii) Any other information that may assist the Commission in its investigation.

We observed that this type of letter was only written to the Office of the Senate President and not to both chambers of the National Assembly. Also, it is the first time such a letter is written to the office of the Senate President at the twilight of the tenure of the National Assembly indicating hostile investigation along these lines. None of his predecessors got such exclusive treatment in which their office was investigated by state officials seeking to nail them at all cost. What EFCC does not know is that all the issues they are seeking to probe in the office of the Senate President are handled by the National Assembly Management, that is the bureaucracy of the federal legislature. The Senate President has nothing to do with such issues. However, in the eagerness and desperation to nail Dr. Saraki, they ignored even the basic facts upon which the entire investigation rests.

Source: NAN