The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • China, Nigeria poised to drive global modernization, says Yuqing

    China, Nigeria poised to drive global modernization, says Yuqing

    The Chinese Consul General in Lagos, Ms Yan Yuqing, has expressed confidence that China and Nigeria would make greater contributions to the world on the road to peaceful development of modernization.

    Yuqing stated that China and Nigeria would work together to deepen, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields, adding that the two countries would make new and greater contributions to the building of a high-level community with a shared future for Africa and for mankind.

    The Chinese Consul General made this known in a paper tittled “Future deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization building a high-level China-Africa and China-Nigeria community with a shared future” delivered recently. 

    She said: “In the communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, reform and opening up, development, people and Chinese modernization have once again become high-frequency hot words. Through these words, the international community can see that China is gathering its strength to forge ahead steadily, pioneering and innovative, open and confident. It is more optimistic about the huge potential of China’s economic and social development, and hopes that China’s high-quality development will bring more opportunities to the world.

    “This plenary session demonstrates China’s firm conviction to carry out reform and opening-up in the new era to the end. The reform theme of this plenary session is clear, It was stated in the Resolution that to further deepening reform comprehensively, we must implement 6 principles of upholding the Party’s overall leadership, taking a people-centered approach, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, taking institution building as our main task, exercising law-based governance on all fronts, and applying systems thinking. 

    “This plenary session has proposed extensive and comprehensive reform measures. It was stated in the Resolution that more than 300 important reform measures at the system , mechanism and institutional levels have been proposed, covering the improvement and upgrading of past reform measures, as well as exploring new reform measures based on practical needs and pilot projects. 

    “The reform theme of this plenary session has been prominently emphasized. It was stated in the Resolution that  we will focus on building a high-standard socialist market economy, advancing whole-process people’s democracy, developing a strong socialist culture in China, raising the people’s quality of life, building a Beautiful China, advancing the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level, and improving the Party’s capacity for leadership and long-term governance. The Seven Focuses on have made comprehensive arrangements for reforms in the economic and livelihood fields.”

    Yuqing added: “We must remain committed to the basic state policy of opening to the outside world and continue to promote reform through opening up. Leveraging the strength of China’s enormous market, we will enhance our capacity for opening up while expanding cooperation with other countries and develop new institutions for a higher-standard open economy. 

    “We will steadily expand institutional opening up, deepen the foreign trade structural reform, further reform the management systems for inward and outward investment, improve planning for regional opening up, and refine the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

    “Nigeria serves as a pilot nation for the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Africa, and is a steadfast partner in the Belt and Road collaboration. In October last year, Vice President Shettima went to China to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and met with President Xi Jinping, and the two sides had in-depth exchanges on building China-Nigeria relations in the new era and high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and reached a series of important results and consensus. 

    Read Also: China, Philippines announce deal to stop clashes in South China Sea

    “The major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, including the Lekki Deepsea Port and the Lagos-Ibadan Railway, have greatly benefited local economic and social development. China is ready to continue to work with the Nigerian side to promote more tangible results in China-Nigeria and China-Africa cooperation in building the Belt and Road, and to help Nigeria and Africa achieve industrialization and agricultural modernization.

    She noted: “Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development. In foreign relations, China remains firmly committed to pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. Holding dear humanity’s shared values, we will pursue the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, as well as the Global Civilization Initiative and call for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. 

    “We will deepen institutional reforms related to the work of foreign affairs and participate in efforts to lead the reform and development of the global governance system. We will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

  • Turkey joins South Africa’s genocide case at ICJ against Israel

    Turkey joins South Africa’s genocide case at ICJ against Israel

    Turkey has submitted its intervention in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced Wednesday.

    “Emboldened by the impunity for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day,” Fidan wrote on X.

    “The international community must do its part to stop the genocide and put the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters,” he said, adding “Turkey will make every effort in this regard.”

    The foreign minister announced Istanbul’s intention to join the case on Monday at a press conference in Cairo alongside his Egyptian counterpart.

    South Africa initiated its case against Israel over its invasion of Gaza at the ICJ, the United Nations’ top court, last December. South Africa alleges Israel is in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention and is seeking an end to the conflict.

    Israel launched its military campaign against Gaza after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in which 1,200 Israelis were killed. More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the military offensive began, according to local health authorities.

    Israel’s Foreign Ministry slammed South Africa as the “legal arm” of the Palestinian militant group, saying it “distorted the reality” in Gaza.

    Read Also: Lagos taskforce raids Epe shanties, seizes contaminated Turkey

    Istanbul has taken an increasingly hard line to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, accusing it of violating Palestinians’ fundamental human rights. At the end of July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened to send NATO troops into Israel to intervene.

    Erdoğan also blamed Israel for the “treacherous assassination” of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

    “The path to peace in the Middle East is through the establishment of a real Palestinian state.” Turkey’s foreign minister said at Monday’s press conference. “Our brothers and sisters should have an independent, sovereign and geographically integrated state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is their most natural right.”

    The ICJ’s statute allows any third state to intervene. Spain and Ireland have also announced they will join the case.

    NEWSNOW

  • One dead, eight trapped after hotel partially collapses in Germany

    One dead, eight trapped after hotel partially collapses in Germany

    A hotel in Germany’s Kroev town partially collapsed near the banks of a river, killing one person and trapping eight others.

    Firefighters and paramedics were at the spot to search and rescue the survivors in the Moselle town of Kröv, about 100km west of Frankfurt.

    “Several people were able to leave the building on their own and are being looked after by emergency services and counsellors,’’ police said.

    Read Also: JUST IN: Many feared dead as building collapses in Lagos

    Pictures from the scene showed parts of the multi-story building have collapsed, with concrete debris on the ground.

    Public broadcaster SWR reported the fire brigade was initially unable to enter the building due to the risk of collapse.

    Neighbouring buildings have been evacuated due to fears the building could further collapse.

    It was initially unclear what caused the accident on Tuesday night.

    (dpa/NAN) 

  • UK slams Elon Musk for ‘civil war’ comments on far-right riots

    UK slams Elon Musk for ‘civil war’ comments on far-right riots

    The British government has called on Elon Musk to act responsibly after the tech billionaire used his social media platform X to unleash a barrage of posts that officials say risk inflaming the violent unrest gripping the country.

    Justice Minister Heidi Alexander made the comments Tuesday morning after Musk posted a comment saying that “Civil war is inevitable” in the U.K. Musk later doubled down, highlighting complaints that the British criminal justice system treats Muslims more leniently than far-right activists and comparing Britain’s crackdown on social media users to the Soviet Union.

    “Use of language such as a ‘civil war’ is in no way acceptable,’’ Alexander told Times Radio. “We are seeing police officers being seriously injured, buildings set alight, and so I really do think that everyone who has a platform should be exercising their power responsibly.’’

    Britain has been shaken by violence for more than a week, as police clashed with crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans in cities and towns from Northern Ireland to the south coast of England. The unrest began after right-wing activists used social media to spread misinformation about a knife attack that killed three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event on July 29.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has described the riots as “far-right thuggery,” said after an emergency meeting with law enforcement officials and government ministers Tuesday that perpetrators will swiftly be punished.

    More than 400 people have been arrested due to violence in more than two dozen towns and cities and about 100 have been charged, after Starmer announced plans to ramp up the criminal justice system.

    An 18-year-old man who trashed police cars in Bolton, in northern England, on Sunday was believed to be the first person sentenced in the unrest. James Nelson got a two-month prison term Tuesday after pleading guilty in Manchester Magistrates’ Court to criminal damage, police said.

    “That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week and that nobody, but nobody, should be involving themselves in this disorder,” Starmer said.

    Starmer deflected questions from reporters about Musk, saying his focus was on keeping communities safe.

    The government is calling on social media companies, such as Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, to do more to combat the spread of misleading and inflammatory information online.

    Read Also: UK PM Starmer clashes with Elon Musk over UK riot remarks

    Alexander said Tuesday that the government would look at strengthening the existing Online Safety Act, which was approved last year and won’t be fully implemented until 2025.

    “We’ve been working with the social media companies, and some of the action that they’ve taken already with the automatic removal of some false information is to be welcomed,” Alexander told the BBC. “But there is undoubtedly more that the social media companies could and should be doing.”

    That type of rhetoric may be part of what sparked Musk’s attack on the government. Musk has taken a more combative approach to his critics than was the norm in Silicon Valley technology firms, said Alex Krasodomski, who studies the intersection between technology and politics at Chatham House, a London-based think tank.

    “He has sparred with U.K. and EU policymakers in the past when they have questioned his approaches to content moderation on the platform,” Krasodomski said.

    X didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. It rarely responds to media requests.

    Musk just kept wading into the debate about the violence in Britain.

    After Starmer posted a comment on X saying that the government “will not tolerate attacks on mosques or on Muslim communities,” Musk responded with the question, “Shouldn’t you be concerned about attacks on (asterisk)all(asterisk) communities?”

    Musk attached a similar comment to a video that said it showed a “Muslim patrol” attacking a pub in Birmingham, highlighting the original post for his 193 million followers.

    Such comments are vintage Musk, who has a history of making provocative statements, said Stephanie Alice Baker, a sociologist at City University of London who has studied online discourse. Musk frequently comments on geopolitical issues and his fans come to his defense when he is criticized, Baker said.

    Earlier this year, he clashed with a Brazilian supreme court justice over free speech, far-right accounts and purported misinformation on X. He also accused Venezuela’s socialist president, Nicolás Maduro, of “major election fraud” after last week’s disputed election.

    Those comments are closely watched by a group of people attracted by his success in business, Baker said.

    “Musk’s following represents the cult of the entrepreneur …” she said. “By questioning convention, they are depicted as gifted visionaries, who can predict the future and bring it into being. For his fans and followers, Musk’s impulsive comments are perceived as part of his genius.”

    (AP)

  • UK braces for fresh anti-immigration protests, thousands of riot police deployed

    UK braces for fresh anti-immigration protests, thousands of riot police deployed

    Thousands of UK riot police on Wednesday stood ready to deal with more potential outbreaks of violence, which erupted more than a week ago after three children were murdered.

    Far-right groups have planned demonstrations in more than 30 locations, with immigration lawyers and buildings hosting asylum seekers set to be the primary targets, according to posts on messaging app Telegram leaked to the British media.

    The government has said 6,000 specialist police are being readied to deal with England’s worst disorder in over a decade, which has seen hundreds arrested and more than 100 charged.

    The violence broke out after three girls, aged nine, seven and six, were killed and five more children critically injured during a knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport, north west England.

    False rumours initially spread on social media saying the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. The suspect was later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales. UK media reported that his parents are from Rwanda.

    Despite the police statement, initial disturbances in Southport centred around a local mosque, and widespread violence has rocked England and Northern Ireland since.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer late Tuesday warned anyone involved would face “the full force of the law”, including those inciting violence online.

    Starmer, a former chief state prosecutor, said he expected “substantive sentencing before the end of this week” for the rioters, after chairing his second emergency meeting in as many days on Tuesday.

    “That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online,” he added in televised comments.

    The unrest, Britain’s worst since the 2011 London riots, has led a number of countries to warn its citizens about the dangers of travelling in the United Kingdom.

    Rioting in several cities has seen demonstrators throw bricks and flares at police officers, burn cars and attack mosques and at least two hotels that have been used as accommodation for asylum seekers.

    Scores of alleged perpetrators were hauled before judges on Tuesday, with some entering guilty pleas.

    A 19-year-old man became the first person to receive a prison sentence related to the unrest when he received a two-month term Tuesday, PA Media reported.

    Another man was convicted after he admitted assaulting a police officer outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, northern England, on Sunday.

    A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder in Liverpool on Saturday after he was identified from a TikTok video, while a man in Leeds admitted posting threatening words on Facebook to stir up racial hatred.

    The government, only one month old, has vowed to take a tough line on the unrest.

    “99.9% of people across the country want their streets to be safe and to feel safe in their communities, and we will take all necessary action to bring the disorder to an end,” Starmer said Tuesday.

    Read Also: UK PM Starmer to hold emergency meeting as riots intensify

    Justice minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4 that the government had freed up an extra 500 prison places.

    Police have blamed the disorder on people associated with the now-defunct English Defence League, a far-right Islamophobic organisation founded 15 years ago, whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

    The rallies have been advertised on far-right social media channels under the banner “Enough is enough”.

    Interior minister Yvette Cooper said “there will be a reckoning” for perpetrators, adding that social media put a “rocket booster” under the violence.

  • Bangladesh protesters propose Yunus to lead interim govt

    Bangladesh protesters propose Yunus to lead interim govt

    The Bangladesh protest organisers have proposed Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as the head of an interim government to be formed after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned.

    This is as a top United Nations officials called for a peaceful and democratic transition.

    Secretary-General António Guterres “continues to closely follow developments in the country,” UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement on Monday.

    “He urges calm and restraint by all sides and emphasises the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition.”

    Read Also: Bangladesh prime minister flees after  weeks of protests

    The UN chief also expressed “full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh” and called for the full respect of their human rights.

    Hasina resigned and fled to India following weeks of violent protests.

    Nahid Islam, one of the top coordinators of the protests, said in a video message posted on Facebook early yesterday.

    He said that the 84-year-old Nobel laureate had agreed to take on the role.

  • UN to sack 9 staff for Oct. 7 attacks on Israel

    UN to sack 9 staff for Oct. 7 attacks on Israel

    The United Nations (UN) has said that nine staff working for its Palestine refugee agency UNRWA will be sacked for their involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks against Israel.

    The development follows the conclusion of an investigation by the UN Office of Oversight Services (OIOS), launched earlier this year.

    Israel alleged that several UNRWA personnel took part in the assault on its territory in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages.

    Read Also: Council to youths: embrace Sanwo-Olu’s engagement channel

    However, OIOS was not able to independently authenticate information used by Israel to support the allegations.

    OIOS is the highest investigative body in the UN system and its reports are confidential but can be made available to Member States on request.

  • Rising Coronavirus infections, falling immunisation rates worry WHO

    Rising Coronavirus infections, falling immunisation rates worry WHO

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling for vaccination campaigns for risk groups in view of increasing Coronavirus infections and falling immunisation rates.

    “We have seen an alarming decline in vaccine coverage,” WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove said in Geneva, referring to lower rates in the last two years. This is especially true for older people and healthcare workers.

    “This urgently needs to be turned around,” she said.

    Among all Coronavirus tests, the proportion of positive results has been rising for several weeks and is over 10 per cent, the WHO reported, based on data from 84 countries. In Europe, the rate is over 20 per cent.

    Wastewater analyses shows that the virus is much more widespread than the infection statistics suggest, said Van Kerkhove.

    Read Also: FULL LIST: Varsities who have received NELFUND’s N20,000 monthly stipends

    She also pointed out that more than 40 athletes had tested positive at the Olympic Games in Paris.

    However, the epidemiologist emphasised that the current situation is not comparable to the pandemic phase, as more people are now protected from severe courses of the disease by vaccinations and infections they had.

    Van Kerkhove also pointed out that the WHO only receives data on the number of Coronavirus treatments in hospitals and intensive care units from very few countries.

    She said the WHO is “blind” when it comes to understanding the extent of the disease.

  • Kamala Harris names Minnesota governor Tim Walz as running mate

    Kamala Harris names Minnesota governor Tim Walz as running mate

    Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for United States (U.S.) president, has named Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate ahead of the November election.

    The decision ends intense speculation over which candidate Harris would pick to go up against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president, and his choice for vice-president, the Ohio senator JD Vance.

    Walz first ran for office in 2006 in a Republican-leaning congressional district, upsetting the incumbent. He kept the seat until he won the Minnesota governorship in 2018, then again in 2022. Under his leadership, the state has seen significant progressive legislative wins in recent years, including universal school meals, legalised marijuana, abortion protections and gun control measures.

    Before he entered public office, he was a school teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, teaching geography to high school students. He also served in the army national guard for 24 years.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Kamala Harris names Tim Walz as running mate

    In an Instagram post announcing the pick, Harris said: “One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle-class families run deep. It’s personal.”

    She cited his upbringing in Nebraska, and how after his father’s death to cancer, his family relied on social security survivor benefits to make ends meet. He used the GI bill to attend college. He coached high school football and advised the high school’s gay-straight alliance. His background is “impressive in its own right”, but also informs his governing, she said.

    Minnesota Democrats’ legislative record played into her choice – she noted a law that constitutionally protects access to abortion and one requiring universal background checks for gun purchases.

  • Nigeria calls for specialised court to try maritime piracy cases in Gulf of Guinea

    Nigeria calls for specialised court to try maritime piracy cases in Gulf of Guinea

    Nigeria has called for the establishment of specialised court to try maritime piracy cases in the Gulf of Guinea.

    Similarly, Nigeria also charged the Gulf of Guinea Commission to safeguard the environment and protect the region from environmental degradation, guard against dumping of radioactive material and nuclear waste.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar stressed the need for concrete measurable timelines for the exploration of the rich natural resources of the region’s deep waters.

    Tugga spoke at the 6th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission in Accra, Ghana yesterday.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria calls for specialised court to try maritime piracy cases

    He also urged the Assembly to consider and approve strategies for the accomplishment of three teleological goals of the Commission, namely safety and security, sustainable development, and protection of the environment.

    The minister also assured the assembly that Nigeria’s commitments to the Commission is unwavering, adding that the country was in the process of offsetting its financial commitment.

    Stressing the importance and significance of Gulf of Guinea to Africa cannot be over emphasized.

    He said: “Your Excellencies, to counter the soft bigotry of low expectations, it is imperative that we consider setting up a specialized court in our region to try maritime piracy cases. Piracy is regarded as an international criminal offence, international jurisdictions are replete with examples of bringing offenders to book.