The Electricity Meter Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (EMMAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to review its levies on imported electricity meters to promote full local content in the production of pre-paid meters. The appeal is coming on the heels of President Muhamadu Buhari’s approval of one year deferment of the 35 percent import adjustment tax (levy) imposed on fully built unit (FBU) electricity meters HS Code 9028.30.00.00 under the 2019 fiscal policy measures for the implementation of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) common external tariff (CET) 2017 – 2022. EMMAN believes the approval is an incentive for mass importation of pre-paid meters as against upscaling of local production. It noted that it takes an average of three months to set up Semi Knock Do...
Muslim Bollywood star Aamir Khan has long been a hate figure for India’s Hindu far-right, but now they have a new line of attack – his massive popularity in China. Khan, 55, is a brand ambassador for Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, and is also major draw on the mainland with films such as “Dangal” (2016). He even has 1.16 million followers on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo. But this week the hardline Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Hindu group put the actor on the cover of its magazine, calling him “The Dragon’s favourite Khan”, a reference to China. Also criticising Khan’s ties with Turkey — which has slammed India over Kashmir — the article said he was “forging friendships with those that are considered enemies of India”. “Aamir seems to be the favourite of the Chinese Communist Party sy...
Wuhan, China, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, has returned to a sense of normalcy. This past weekend, in fact, thousands of people turned out for an electronic music concert. The event took place at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park, an open-air venue with a capacity of around 15,000. Though organizers restricted capacity to 50%, the event still drew thousands, with a vast majority choosing not to wear a mask or practice social distancing. A number of attendees even watched the concert from inflatable rubber tubes floating in a giant pool. While such scenes are unthinkable in the era of coronavirus, Wuhan has reported no new cases of the virus since mid-May and has largely lifted the stringent lockdown restrictions in place since January. Wuhan, China — once the glo...
A West African delegation visiting Mali to push for a speedy return to civilian rule following a coup said it was “very hopeful” on Saturday after meeting with the country’s military junta and the president it ousted. The head of the delegation from the regional Ecowas bloc, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, said that detained Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was doing relatively well. “We saw him, he’s very fine,” said Jonathan, who had earlier met for half an hour with the soldiers who seized power on Tuesday, including new strongman Colonel Assimi Goita. Jonathan told AFP that negotiations were going well and he was “very hopeful”. Rebel soldiers seized Keita and other leaders after a mutiny on Tuesday, dealing another deep blow to a country already struggling with a b...
China rapidly tore down the famous Workers’ Stadium in Beijing this week as part of grand plans to revamp its football infrastructure ahead of an expected World Cup bid. The imposing arena in the heart of the Chinese capital will be almost completely rebuilt and is scheduled for completion in December 2022. Groups of people gathered to watch as the stadium, a landmark for decades, was levelled within just a few days, with the goalposts poignantly left standing even as the stands crashed down all around. The Workers’ Stadium was built in 1959 as one of 10 major construction projects to mark the 10th anniversary of communist China. Fondly known as “Gongti” — an abbreviation of its name in Chinese — the cavernous but crumbling arena was home to Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan and host...
Stoke City new signing John Mikel Obi hopes to help instil a long-lost winning mentality at the club and also help the Potters push for promotion to the Premier League next season. Mikel penned a one-year contract with Stoke City on Monday becoming the club’s fourth signing of the summer. The experienced midfielder spent 11 years at Chelsea helping the Blues land the Premier League title twice, as well as three FA Cups, the Champions League and Europa League. The former Super Eagles captain has also played in China and Turkey, with a brief stint at Championship club Stoke City. Mikel is determined to become a mentor to his new team-mates and help them at difficult times. “It is good when you come into a football club having won so much in the game,” he told the club’s official website. “Th...
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has declared that there is nothing wrong in borrowing. He said what matters is that funds are invested in infrastructure rather than services or consumption. The minister insisted that Nigeria is effectively utilizing the funds it borrowed from China and elsewhere for infrastructural development and job creation. Mohammed spoke at the construction site of the Ibadan Train Station on Saturday. He inspected the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Project with his Transportation counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi. “We didn’t borrow money for services or overhead expenditure. We borrowed money for capital projects: rail; roads; bridges; power – infrastructure generally,” he said. Mohammed expressed delight at the level of work on the train stations and the modern c...