Cooperation
Mercedes replaces Lewis Hamilton with George Russell for Sakhir Grand Prix
British race driver, George Russell, will take Lewis Hamilton’s place at Mercedes for this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix after the seven-time champion tested positive for coronavirus. Mercedes has backed Russell’s career since 2017 and he is effectively on a three-year loan at Williams, where he has posted some impressive races since making his F1 debut last season. Jack Aitken, a 25-year-old British-Korean, will race in Russell’s place at Williams for his F1 debut while Russell is away at Mercedes. Mercedes had approached Williams to see if a deal to release Russell was possible as soon as it became apparent that Hamilton’s absence from the first race of his career was confirmed after the positive COVID-19 test and retest. And the confirmation of an agreement arrived on Wednesday morning. T...
South Africa becomes new head of UN Security Council
South Africa on Tuesday assumed the rotating monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council. During the month, South Africa will focus on strengthening the cooperation between African Union (AU) and United Nations, and emphasising the importance of a proactive approach to the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in the form of drawing greater attention to “preventative diplomacy mechanisms,” Jerry Matjila, permanent representative of South Africa to the UN and president of the Security Council for the month of December, told journalists during a hybrid press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. This is South Africa’s second presidency during its two-year (2019-2020) elected term on the council. December will also be the country’s final month on t...
Boko Haram leader justifies rice farmers’ killing
Agence France-Presse A factional leader of the Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has confirmed that his group was responsible for the killing of rice farmers in Kwashebe, Zabarmari, in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State. He also threatened to deal with those giving information on his group to the military. Shekau, in a three-minute video released on Tuesday, said his group “killed 78 farmers” because they arrested and handed one of his brothers to the Nigerian Army. He warned that those arresting his members and giving out intelligence on the group’s activities to the military would “face the same fate if they did not desist from doing so.” “The third message is on those who notoriously nab our brethren and hand them to the military or give them a clue on us. You should know that, un...
President Buhari: There can’t be development in an insecure environment
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, underscored the need for adequate security in African countries. He said no growth or development could be achieved an insecure environment. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a special envoy of the Algerian President, who is also the country’s Foreign Minister, Mr Sabri Boukadoum, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The statement was titled, ‘We’ll deepen economic cooperation with Algeria, President Buhari assures’. Buhari wondered what African leaders will bequeath to the next generation if they could not secure their countries. He said peace, tranquillity and security were essential in African countries. He said, “Unless you secure your environment, you can’t man...
China accuses India of discrimination over latest app ban
Beijing lashed out at India on Wednesday after it banned another tranche of Chinese apps for national security reasons, the latest sore point between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Tensions remain high between Beijing and New Delhi after a deadly June clash in a disputed border area that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unspecified number of Chinese casualties. India banned 43 Chinese apps on Tuesday — including some from e-commerce giant Alibaba — for threatening “sovereignty and integrity”. China said it had “serious concerns” about the move and India’s “so-called pretext of upholding national security”. “The relevant methods clearly violate market principles and WTO guidelines, and severely harm Chinese companies’ legal rights and interests,” said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao L...
Saudi Arabia says it seeks a way to end dispute with Qatar
Commenting on the dispute on Saturday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Saudi Arabia is continuing to find a way to end the blockade on Qatar, but he added it remains conditional on addressing security concerns. The post Saudi Arabia says it seeks a way to end dispute with Qatar appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
INEC announces date for 15 pending bye-elections
Mr Festus Okoye, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, in a statement issued in Abuja said that the decision was taken at the commission’s meeting held on Friday. The post INEC announces date for 15 pending bye-elections appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Egypt says plans railway lines extending to Libya, Sudan
Egypt’s transport minister Sunday announced proposals to construct a railway line to reach the Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa, and to extend a line in the north to Libya’s Benghazi. The announcement came as part of Egyptian government efforts to overhaul the country’s transport system, including an ailing railway network with a poor safety record. The government decided on “a number rail transport projects that could be carried out in cooperation with investors,” Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir told a news conference in Cairo. They include “building an Aswan-Toshka railway line that will extend to the city of Wadi Halfa in Sudan,” he said, referring to locations in Egypt’s south and a city just across the border. He also said there were plans to extend the Marsa Matrouh-Salloum line, in Egy...
VP Osinbajo urges destination countries to insist on repatriation of illicit funds
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged leaders of destination countries to insist on repatriation of illicit funds and proceeds. Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the Vice President made the submission at the virtual inauguration of a publication by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the impact of illicit financial flows (IFFs) on African Development. Osinbajo called for an overhaul of the international tax system in order to tackle the scourge. “The enormity of efforts required to tackle illicit financial flows is evident in the many dimensions the scourge presents itself. “It manifests through harmful tax policies and practices, abusive transfer pricing, trade mis-pricing and mis-invoicing illegal exploitation of natural resou...
Nigerian Army’s Operation Sahel Sanity extended by three months
The Nigeria Army has extended Operation Sahel Sanity, which is fighting banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in the North West, to December. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, made the disclosure at a press conference at the Army Supper Camp 4, Faskari, Katsina, on Saturday. Buratai said after careful review of the exercise, the operation was considered necessary to be extended to sustain successes achieved within the period and enable troops root out all forms criminality from the zone. He said that the operation was also expanded to the North Central to ensure peace in all parts of the country. “We will continue to improve on information gathering. “Although the gallant troops suffered due to terrain which gave them poor access to some areas during encounter, Nigerian A...
JAMB conducts first, second choice admissions next month
File Photo Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Sunday, confirmed that 1st and 2nd choice admission exercise would be conducted for all institutions from 21st August, 2020, to a later date that would be determined by the Federal Ministry of Education and communicated to all the institutions. It promised to abide by the already established admission process/criteria, particularly as it concerns academic qualifications for admission, quota system as prescribed by the regulatory bodies; UTME brochure as published and on IBASS; guidelines on admissions as prescribed by the institutions’ Proprietors (Federal, State and Private); and policy decisions on 2020 admissions exercise. It also announced that the revised 2020 admission guidelines as approved by the Federal Ministry of Edu...
Akwa Ibom speaker hails President over executive order on financial autonomy
Speaker of Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Mr Aniekan Bassey, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for signing into law Executive Order No. 10, of 2020. The law is for the implementation of Financial Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary. Bassey made the commendation on Sunday in Uyo while fielding questions from newsmen on the legislative autonomy. He, however, warned his colleagues not to take the autonomy as an avenue for legislative “rascality”, but as a means of cooperation among the three arms of government. He described granting financial autonomy to the legislative and judicial arms of government across the country as a means of ensuring smooth conduct of government businesses within the three arms of government. “Financial autonomy granted to the two arms of governme...
