The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • ‘132 illegal immigrants rescued off Libyan coast’

    ‘132 illegal immigrants rescued off Libyan coast’

    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said yesterday it rescued 132 illegal immigrants off western Libyan coast.

    The UNHCR tweeted that “132 refugees and migrants were intercepted/rescued yesterday and returned to Tripoli Naval Base. The team provided all survivors with assistance, food and water’.’

    It said the rescued migrants embarked on their journey on Sunday in two different boats from the western cities of Zawiya and Al Khums.

    UNHCR has repeatedly stressed that Libya is not a safe port for disembarkation of rescued immigrants.

    Libya has become a preferred departure point for illegal immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores.

    Read Also: #EndSARS: House-to-house search illegal, unconstitutional

     

    This is due to the state of insecurity and chaos in the country following the 2011 fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

    According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), more than 10,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued and returned to Libya so far in 2020.

    Another 9,225 illegal immigrants were rescued and returned to Libya in 2019.

    Thousands of illegal immigrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan authorities, are detained in overcrowded reception centres in Libya.

    However, reports have it that international calls have been repeatedly made to close those centres.

  • US Elections 2020: Polls close in key battleground states

    US Elections 2020: Polls close in key battleground states

    Agency Reporter

     

    The polls are beginning to close in the eastern part of the country as Americans choose between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden in a momentous election unfolding amid the worst pandemic in 100 years.

    Results are flowing in from battlegrounds and it is too early to make a projection in key states like Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Florida, where a tight race is shaping up in one of the most-watched contests in the country. The state, and its 29 electoral votes, make up an essential building block in Trump’s path to reelection.

    The Biden campaign made a final push to get Democratic voters to the polls in Florida, particularly in the populous areas of Miami-Dade, Jacksonville and Tampa, because they expect the state to be tight, according to reporting by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny.

    Florida officials expect to report the state’s count relatively quickly, in part because state officials have been prepping ballots for several weeks.

    Read Also: Nigerian couple make waves in US elections

    Georgia, an emerging battleground state, also began prepping vote-by-mail ballots ahead of Election Day amid a huge early vote that at least initially seemed to favor Democrats. However, there was a four-hour delay in the start of processing mail-in ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta due to a burst pipe. The arena where the Atlanta Hawks play was a major voting and vote processing center in Georgia’s largest city.

    CNN projects Trump will win the state of Indiana and its 11 electoral votes, a widely expected result in a traditionally Republican state. Biden is projected to win Vermont. Trump has the early lead in the Electoral College 11-3; 270 electoral votes are needed to become president.

     

    CNN Report

  • Gunmen kidnap 11 teachers in Cameroon

    Gunmen kidnap 11 teachers in Cameroon

    Agency Reporter

    Gunmen kidnapped 11 teachers from a primary school in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region, the head of the Presbyterian Church said.

    Heavily armed assailants stormed the church-run school in the town of Kumbo in the country’s North-West Region on Tuesday, Reverend Samuel Fonki, the head of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, told dpa.

    “The administration is still confused and everybody is in fright and we don’t know what happens next,’’ Fonki said, adding that none of the pupils had been abducted.

    No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

    READ ALSO: Cameroon hold Japan in goalless encounter

    Cameroon has been troubled by unrest and attacks on civilians since its two main English-speaking areas, the North-West and South-West Regions, announced in late 2016 that they wished to secede and form a new country called Ambazonia.

    English-speakers have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens and receiving less government funding in Cameroon, which is mostly French-speaking.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Woman divorces husband over ‘bizarre sexual appetite’

    Woman divorces husband over ‘bizarre sexual appetite’

    Our Reporter

    A Zambian woman has been granted a divorce from her husband of seven years after complaining about his “bizarre sexual appetite”.

    The 42-year-old woman filed for divorce from her husband, 45, claiming they had irreconcilable differences “because of his unusual sexual demands”, Lusaka Times reported.

    The fed-up mother of two claimed that despite her being advised to cut down on sexual activities and heavy duties due to illness, her husband still demanded sex from her, which only exacerbated her illness.

    READ ALSO: Woman divorces husband for starving her sex for 2 years

    In his defence, the man claimed his wife had tarnished his image locally and with his family by airing their sexual problems.

    After hearing arguments from both parties, the magistrate presiding over the matter granted the woman the divorce, telling the father of 11 to get his “life in order” and “plan a proper future for these 11 children” rather than prioritise sex and drinking.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • Thais protest govt order to restrict porn sites

    Thais protest govt order to restrict porn sites

    Our Reporter

    Thai anti-government activists gathered on Tuesday to protest a government order that restricted access in the country to almost 200 pornographic websites.

    “Don’t hurt lonely people by restricting access. #SavePornHub,’’ a sign the demonstration said.

    Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Puttipong Punnakanta, said that authorities had restricted access in Thailand to 191 websites containing pornography after receiving complaints.

    Punnakanta said the complaints were made by parents and grown-ups, who were concerned for the youth.’’

    READ ALSO: If those Thais were Nigerians

    He said the ministry asked internet service providers to block access to the websites in compliance with a court order.

    Pornography and gambling are illegal under Thailand’s computer crime laws.

    Wednesday’s rally at a government complex in Bangkok was part of a series of daily protests that have called for the prime minister’s resignation, a new constitution, and reforms to the monarchy.

    Some activists charged that access to Pornhub, one of the websites that had been blocked, was restricted because it contained footage of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • World leaders condemn Vienna attack

    World leaders condemn Vienna attack

    Agency Reporter

    World leaders have condemned a suspected Islamist attack that claimed the lives of four victims in central Vienna, including widespread condemnation from the Muslim world.

    The attacker, who according to Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer was a sympathiser of the extremist militia `Islamic State’, was shot dead by police after the attack in the city centre on Monday evening.

    “Terrorism is our common enemy. The fight against these murderers and their instigators is our common fight,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a message issued by her spokesperson.

    “The US stands with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including terrorists,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter.

    “We must let our enemies know what they are up against. We will not give in,” said French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday evening, after France also suffered lethal attacks in the past month.

    “Civilised peoples everywhere must unite to defeat the savagery of resurgent terrorism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote.

    Iran has condemned the terrorist attack in central Vienna and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

    “This attack has shown again that terrorism and extremism know no bounds and are to be condemned, for whatever reason,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in comments carried by news agency ISNA.

    An end to Islamophobia in the West could also bring an end to terror, Khatibzadeh added.

    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attacks in Afghanistan and Austria, both found to have links to the extremist militia group Islamic State.

    In Vienna, an alleged Islamic State sympathiser shot four dead on Monday evening. Also on Monday, an attack on a Kabul University, claimed by Islamic State, killed at least 19 people.

    Horrified by the terror attacks in Afghanistan and Austria,” Stoltenberg said on Twitter on Tuesday.

    “A reminder that terrorism affects all and the importance of continuing the fight against [Islamic State]. My condolences to all those affected.”

    Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz delivered a message of national unity as he addressed his country after an attack in Vienna.

    READ ALSO: TERROR ATTACKS: France declares state of emergency

    “We will never allow this hatred to gain ground,” Kurz said in a televised speech.

    “We must be aware that this is not a conflict between Christians and Muslims or between Austrians and migrants,” he added.

    “Our enemy – Islamist terrorism – does not only want to cause death and pain, but it wants to split our society,” Kurz said, vowing that Austria would defend its democracy, fundamental rights and its liberal way of life.

    The Belgian monarchy on Tuesday voiced its grief for victims of terrorist attacks in the Austrian capital of Vienna and expressed solidarity with the country, joining the international mourning of the tragedy.

    “Upset by the appalling attack in # Vienna. We share the suffering of the Austrian People. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” the Belgian Royal Palace tweeted.

    A series of shooting assaults took place on Monday evening in six different locations of Vienna, including a synagogue in the city centre.

    Several gunmen killed at least four people and injured up to 18. One of the attackers was eliminated by the security forces, at least one remains on the loose.

     

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Man jailed for burning historic black churches

    Man jailed for burning historic black churches

    Our Reporter

    A young white man has been jailed for 25 years for burning down three historic black churches in the US state of Louisiana last year.

    Heavy metal musician Holden Matthews, 23, was also ordered to pay $2.7m (£2.1m) in restitution.

    He said he had burnt the churches to boost his reputation within his favoured music scene.

    A judge found the attacks had not been racially motivated but said they evoked memories of a “dark time in history.”

    White supremacists attacked black churches during America’s civil rights era.

    The three churches Matthews burnt were St Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, between 26 March and 4 April.

    Matthews, the son of a local sheriff’s deputy, admitted to posting photographs and video on Facebook of the first two churches burning.

    All three buildings were razed to the ground by the fires, but no-one was injured because they were torched at night.

    A judge cleared him of hate crime charges, which Matthews admitted to earlier this year. But he was found guilty of three counts of arson on religious buildings, and one count of using fire to commit a federal felony.

    At the time of the attacks, Matthews was a member of a band called Vodka Vultures. In a plea hearing, he said he had sought to emulate church burnings carried out by “black metal” music fans in Norway in the 1990s.

    During that period, at least 50 Christian churches in Norway were attacked by arsonists in the name of “black metal”, a subgenre of heavy metal music.

    In a statement, Acting US Attorney Alexander Van Hook said Matthews’ sentence “should send a clear message that there is a high price to pay for this type of destruction and violence.”

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • Johnson defends decision to impose second COVID-19 lockdown

    Johnson defends decision to impose second COVID-19 lockdown

    BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his decision to impose a second national lockdown, brushing aside criticism that weeks of delay have meant thousands more infections and hundreds of needless deaths.

    The comments came as Johnson gave the House of Commons details of the proposed four-week lockdown in England that is set to begin Thursday. The plan was hurriedly announced Saturday after updated projections showed that rapidly rising infection rates risked swamping hospitals in a matter of weeks.

    “Faced with these latest figures, there is no alternative but to take further action at a national level,? Johnson told lawmakers, adding it was right to try imposing local measures first. “I believe it was right to try every possible option to get this virus under control at a local level with strong local action and strong local leadership.”

    The new policy comes three weeks after Johnson announced plans for a three-tiered regional approach to combatting the virus, with tighter restrictions imposed on areas with higher infection rates. The government chose that strategy in an effort to reduce the economic and social impact of new restrictions, even though a committee of scientific advisers on Sept. 21 recommended a short lockdown as a “circuit breaker” to slow the spread of COVID-19.

    Read Also: Ex-SARS operatives undergo medical evaluation

     

    But that approach became untenable after new analysis showed COVID-19 was spreading so rapidly that the number of deaths this winter could more than double those recorded earlier this year. The government needs to act now to prevent the National Health Service from being overwhelmed, Johnson said in the face of criticism from members of his own party who are concerned about the impact the restrictions will have on jobs and civil liberties.

    Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said the cost of that delay was recorded in statistics of the pandemic. On Sept. 21 the U.K. recorded 11 deaths from COVID-19 and about 4,000 new infections. Forty days later, there were 326 deaths and more than 22,000 cases.

    “At every stage, he’s over-promised and under-delivered,” Starmer said of Johnson’s COVID-19 strategy. “Rejecting the advice of his own scientists over 40 days was a catastrophic failure of leadership and of judgment.”

    Despite his criticism, Starmer pledged to back the legislation that is expected to come up for a vote on Wednesday.

    The U.K. has Europe’s deadliest outbreak of COVID-19, with 46,807 deaths recorded through Sunday.

    Under the proposed lockdown, most shops will be closed until Dec. 2, with bars and restaurants restricted to takeout and delivery services. People will be ordered to stay home, except for work, exercise and essential shopping. Schools will remain open.

  • Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip move to Windsor

    Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip move to Windsor

    QUEEN Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have returned to Windsor Castle for Britain’s second national lockdown, Buckingham Palace said yesterday.

    The royal couple travelled to Berkshire from the Sandringham estate three days before the month-long restrictions come into force.

    Philip’s decision to accompany the monarch to Windsor and return to HMS Bubble – the nickname for their smaller household of staff amid the coronavirus pandemic – came after the British government announced the new lockdown on Saturday.

    Read Also: Queen Sekinat Elegushi dazzles

     

    A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the duke’s move to Windsor had been planned for a while.

    The 94-year-old monarch had spent the weekend visiting the 99-year-old duke in Norfolk.

    The Queen and Philip are just over a fortnight away from marking their 73rd wedding anniversary on Nov 20.

    A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the duke’s move to Windsor had been planned for a while.

  • Opposition vows to form transition govt in Ivory Coast

    Opposition vows to form transition govt in Ivory Coast

    MAJOR opposition parties in Ivory Coast yesterday vowed to create their own transitional government, insisting that President Alassane Ouattara’s mandate to lead the country is now over even as partial results from the election showed him headed toward a controversial third term.

    The move was expected to further escalate tensions between the opposition leaders who boycotted Saturday’s presidential election and those loyal to the West African nation’s incumbent leader of nearly a decade.

    By evening, the country’s electoral commission had released provisional results from fewer than half of the country’s 108 departments. It wasn’t immediately clear when a final tally would be announced, but the opposition continued to attack the legitimacy of the vote itself.

    Pascal Affi N’Guessan, one of the top opposition candidates, who later boycotted the vote, said late yesterday that Henri Konan Bedie, the country’s 86-year-old former president, would head up a council of transition.

    A new transitional government then will be formed and tasked with preparing “the framework for the organization of a fair, transparent and inclusive presidential election,” he said

    “Opposition parties and political groups affirm that the call for civil disobedience is maintained and call on the Ivorian people to remain mobilized until the final victory,” he said, reading from a statement.

    It wasn’t immediately clear how the opposition could proceed with their plan given that the country’s electoral commissions are heavily weighted with Ouattara supporters as is the constitutional council that is to certify official results from Saturday’s election.

    Tensions surrounding the vote have raised fears of post-election violence in the West African country, where more than 3,000 people died in 2010-2011 when then-President Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to Ouattara. The opposition says more than 30 people have died in violence related to Saturday’s vote.

    The opposition coalition has asserted that only 10% of Ivorians cast ballots, without citing its source. Election officials have yet to release a nationwide voter turnout rate, but international observers said Yesterday that “a significant portion of the population did not vote.”

    “These problems threaten public acceptance of the results and the country’s cohesion,” said a statement released by the observer mission carried out by The Carter Center and Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.

    Ouattara initially promised not to seek a third term after nearly a decade in power, but changed his mind after his party’s candidate to succeed him died from a heart problem in July. The 78-year-old president, who is popular with international donors, has said he was motivated to run again because of his love for his country.