The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Britain

  • UK regrets U.S. withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council

    The United Kingdom has expressed regret over the decision of the U.S. to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council.

    UK Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, in a statement by the United Kingdom Mission to the UN, said Britain wants to see a reformed council but would work for it from within.

    “The United States’ decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council is regrettable.

    “We’ve made no secret of the fact that the UK wants to see reform of the Human Rights Council, but we are committed to working to strengthen the Council from within,’’ Johnson said.

    The U.S., while announcing its withdrawal, said the “Council has become an exercise in shameless hypocrisy – with many of the world’s worst human rights abuses going ignored and some of the world’s most serious offenders sitting on the council itself’’.

    It also said the council’s membership includes authoritarian governments with unambiguous and abhorrent human rights records, such as China, Cuba, and Venezuela.

    Read Also: Boko Haram: UN tasks Nigeria on stigmatisation of girls

    “And the council’s continued and well-documented bias against Israel is unconscionable.

    “Since its creation, the council has adopted more resolutions condemning Israel than against the rest of the world combined,’’ the U.S. said.

    The UK said, however, that the council was the best tool for the international community to address global impunity.

    “Britain’s support for the Human Rights Council remains steadfast.

    “It is the best tool the international community has to address impunity in an imperfect world and to advance many of our international goals.

    “That’s why we will continue to support and champion it,’’ Johnson said.

  • Ekiti 2018: Britain warns politicians against violence

    Britain has urged politicians in Ekiti State to play the game according to the rules, as the July 14 governorship election approaches.

    Its Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Miss Laure Beaufils, spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti when she visited the first private radio station in the state, Voice 89.9 FM.

    Hosted by the General Manager, Mr. Donald Falayi, Beaufils said Britain was watching developments in Ekiti ahead of the July poll.

    She advised politicians and their supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, before, during and after the election.

    The envoy said her country expected the conduct of open and transparent primaries, which would lead to a credible election.

    She enjoined politicians to dwell on issues and manifestos, rather than attacking personalities.

    The diplomat said: “I believe the primaries should be open, although it will definitely be a tense period. People all over the country are looking forward to the election.

    “Politicians should dwell on issues, policies and manifestos, rather than on personalities. The coming Ekiti election is a signal to the February 2019 general election.”

    She described Nigeria as a wonderful country, whose citizens are creative and dynamic.

    Beaufils said the country is not as bad as being portrayed across the globe, but advised that efforts should be made to change the perception.

    She said there are positive stories to tell about Nigeria, rather than corruption and Boko Haram insurgency, which attract local and foreign media.

    Falayi said the station had maintained neutrality in the reportage of events in the state, in line with broadcasting code.

    He said the station would give massive coverage to the Ekiti elections in the 16 local governments, adding that Outside Broadcasting (OB) vans would be deployed in polling stations.

  • Ekiti 2018: Britain warns politicians against violence

    Britain has urged politicians in Ekiti State to play the game according to the rules as the July 14 governorship election draws nearer.

    The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Miss Laure Beaufils, made the call on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti while on a courtesy visit to the first private radio station in the state, Voice 89.9 FM.

    Speaking while being hosted by the station’s General Manager, Mr. Donald Falayi, Beaufils said Britain is watching developments in Ekiti ahead of the July poll.

    She urged politician and their supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, before, during and after the election.

    The envoy said her country expect the conduct of open and transparent primaries which would lead to credible election.

    Beaufils called on the political gladiators to dwell on issues and their manifestos rather than attacking personalities.

    The diplomat said: “I believe the primaries should be open even though it will definitely be a tense period, people all over the country are looking forward to it (election).

    “Politicians should dwell on issues, policies and manifestos rather than on personalities. The coming Ekiti election is a signal to the February 2019 general election.”

    The Deputy High Commissioner described Nigeria as a wonderful country whose citizens are creative and dynamic.

    She noted that Nigeria is not as bad as being portrayed across the globe but counseled that more efforts should be made to change the general perception

    Beaufils said there are positive stories to tell about Nigeria rather than corruption and Boko Haram which attract local and foreign media attention.

    Earlier in his remarks, Falayi said the station has maintained neutrality in the coverage and reportage of events in the state in line with broadcasting code.

    Falayi said the station would give massive coverage to the Ekiti elections in all the 16 local government areas with the full compliments of an Outside Broadcasting (OB) Van to be deployed to polling stations.

    Read Also: Ekiti doesn’t need a ‘CEO governor,’ says Fapohunda

  • Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over chemical attack on ex-spy

    Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a Russian former double agent in southern England, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday, adding it was the biggest single expulsion in over 30 years.

    May told parliament Britain would also freeze Russian state assets wherever there was evidence of a threat and downgrade its attendance at the soccer World Cup this summer.

    Former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on March 4 and remain in hospital in a critical condition.

    May has said the pair was attacked with Novichok, a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent.

    She had asked Moscow to explain whether it was responsible for the attack or had lost control of stocks of the highly dangerous substance.

    Russia has denied any involvement, and May told parliament Moscow had provided no credible explanation for the attack.

    Read Also:  Britain to shut doors against Nigerian looters, others

    “There is no alternative conclusion, other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter, and for threatening the lives of other British citizens in Salisbury,” she said.

    “This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the UK.”

    May said the expulsion of the 23 diplomats, identified as undeclared intelligence officers, was the biggest single expulsion for over 30 years and would degrade Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years to come.

    “We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents,” May said.

    She said no ministers or members of the royal family would attend the World Cup in Russia.

    Russia said Britain should expect retaliation for its actions.

    NAN

     

  • U.S. will condemn Russia if it was behind attack on ex-spy – Trump

    President Donald Trump suggested that he thinks Russia was involved in the attempted murder of an ex-spy, Sergei Skripal, in Britain and said that the U. S. will condemn Moscow if this is determined conclusively.

    “It sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all the evidence they have,” Trump told reporters.

    “It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact,” he continued.

    “As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be.”

    Russia has denied involvement in the poisoning of Skripal, and is ready cooperate with the UK on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

    On Monday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that it was “highly likely” that Russia was responsible for the suspected poisoning of Skripal.

    May said that the substance used in the poisoning was identified as a Novichok class, military-grade nerve agent developed in Russia.

    “We have already made a statement that this [Russia’s involvement] is rubbish … Russia is innocent, Russia is ready to cooperate in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, if the UK … implements its international legal obligations under this document,” Lavrov told reporters.

    In an ultimatum to Russia, May demanded an explanation for the poisoning by the end of Tuesday and threatened to apply harsh response measures.

    The prime minister added that she would discuss the measures against Russia with parliament on Wednesday.

    “If procedures envisioned by the convention are implemented, then I assure you Russia will respond to the relevant request in the time allotted to prepare a response,” he added.

    dpa/NAN

  • Mo Farah laments harassment at Munich Airport

    Mo Farah laments harassment at Munich Airport

     

    Four-time British Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah has raised alarm over racial harassment he received at the Muinich airport in the hands of Security personnel.  He uploaded his encounter with a security agent on in a video showing a security officer pushing him from behind

    The 47-second clip was streamed live on Farah’s Instagram account and then also uploaded onto his Twitter account with the caption: ‘Sad to see racial harassment in this day and age. 2018…!!! #airport #germany’

    Farah was passing through the German airport as he returned to his training camp in Ethiopia.

    Although not mentioned in the video, Farah’s representatives said the incident occurred at Munich Airport.

    The clip begins with Farah apparently describing an unpleasant experience as he passed through security.

    Farah says ‘you won’t believe what has just happened’ and that he complained to the manager to no avail.

    He adds: ‘The guys were touching me up like crazy. Pure harassment. Pure, pure harassment.’

    A security guard then walks up to Farah and begins to escort him away in the direction of the departure gates.

    Farah, who won the London Big Half on Sunday, was passing through Germany en route to his training camp in Ethiopia when the incident happened

    Farah says: ‘You don’t need to push me, I’ll go to the gates. ‘You can’t touch me. Stop pushing me.’

    To that, the official replies: ‘I can touch you. Go to the gate, go to the gate.’

    As he turns Farah around with a firm hand on his right arm, the athlete says: ‘Leave me alone’ and ‘You’re on Instagram live.’   The guard replies ‘I don’t care’ before walking away from Farah.

    Farah ends the clip by saying: ‘The way I was getting treated was ridiculous. You see all that guys? Unbelievable.’

    Farah’s legion of social media followers left supportive comments after the video was uploaded.

    One wrote: ‘I love the way you handled it like a true champion.’ Another said: ‘Sorry Mo. No one deserves that experience! You personally handled that so well. This is one more reason why you’re a role model to so many.’

    Some replies on Twitter questioned whether Farah had been the victim of ‘racial harassment.’

    One user wrote: ‘I see harassment Mo, but I don’t see any racial element’ while another said ‘Where was the racism?’

    But other users took issue with this. One wrote: ‘Comments here are rather sad. Black people constantly told ‘I didn’t see any racism’. It exists folk (even if you’ve not witnessed). Sad but true. Mo isn’t the kind of chap to fabricate or imagine.’

    Another added: ‘He explained the racial incident happened before he started recording hence why he started recording.’

    Farah edged out Kenyan Daniel Wanjiru in a sprint finish to win the inaugural ‘Big Half’ race in London.

    He is currently preparing to run the London Marathon next month and become the first British male winner since 1993.

    A spokesperson for Mo Farah said: ‘This afternoon, there was an incident at a German airport whilst Mo was travelling back to his training camp in Ethiopia.

    ‘Mo felt that the incident was racially motivated and that he was unfairly treated by the airport security staff.’

    Munich Airport has been contacted for comment.

    This is not the first time Sir Mo has been the victim of alleged racism.

    In Christmas, he was attacked by racist trolls online after he posted a message of Christmas goodwill for his followers on Instagram.

  • Iran to produce higher enriched uranium

    Iran to produce higher enriched uranium

    Iran said on Monday it could produce higher enriched uranium within two days if the United States quit a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six major powers, Tehran’s Arabic language al-Alam TV reported.

    “If America pulls out of the deal … Iran could resume its 20 per cent uranium enrichment in less than 48 hours,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, told al-Alam TV.

    Uranium refined to 20 per cent fissile purity is well beyond the 5 per cent normally required to fuel civilian nuclear power plants, though still well short of highly enriched, or 80 to 90 per cent, purity needed for a nuclear bomb.

    Read Also: Aspirant promises to restore Ekiti’s glory

    Kamalvandi said the deal, under which Iran curbed its uranium enrichment to help ensure it was for peaceful purposes only and secured an end to financial sanctions in return – is not re-negotiable, as demanded by the United States.

    The deal’s European signatories – Germany, Britain and France, as well as Russia and China – are committed to preserving the agreement.

    The Iranian nuclear deal, internationally known as JCPOA, was signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (Russia, China, the U.S., Britain, France and Germany).

    Trump has threatened to scuttle the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal unless amendments are made to it.

    NAN

  • Britain to shut doors against Nigerian looters, others

    Britain to shut doors against Nigerian looters, others

    • FG, UK exchange data on assets owned by Nigerians to get tax defaulters

    Britain is in the process of shutting its doors against public treasury looters from Nigerian and other parts of the world as a new law to clamp down on money laundering goes into effect.

    Officials estimate that around £90 billion ($127 billion, 102 billion euros) of illegal funds are laundered through Britain every year, including money stolen from the Nigerian treasury.

    Now officials will use new unexplained wealth orders (UWOs), which came into effect last week, to seize suspicious assets and hold them until they have been properly accounted for, the Times of London reported yesterday, quoting Ben Wallace, Security and Economic Crime Minister.

    Wallace said Russian oligarchs suspected of corruption will be forced to explain their wealth.

    Wallace said he wanted the “full force of the government” to come down on corrupt politicians and international criminals using Britain as a haven.

    “When we get to you we will come for you, for your assets and we will make the environment that you live in difficult,” he said.

    Wallace spoke 24 hours after Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said Nigeria and some foreign countries, including the UK, have started the automatic exchange of tax information (AETI), on overseas assets owned by Nigerians.

    Adeosun spoke during the presentation of the progress report on tax laws reform by Taiwo Oyedele, vice chairman of the national tax policy implementation committee.

    “The data received in Nigeria with regard to overseas assets held by Nigerians has been impressive and will underpin a long-term improvement in the nation’s tax to gross domestic product (GDP) ration, in turn, will improve life for the masses,” she said.

    The minister added: “The data on bank accounts, property and trusts, which has come automatically from a number of countries is being used to support the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) by allowing the tax authorities to check the accuracy of declarations received.

    “The federal government is also using the data to generate nudge letters which are being sent to those identified as being potential tax defaulters.”

    Adeosun said letters had been written to request specific information about offshore accounts held by Nigerians.

    She advised users of offshore structures to regularise their taxes using the VAIDS initiative before it expires.

    “The offshore tax shelter system is basically over. Those who have hidden money overseas are being exposed and whilst Nigerians can legally keep their money anywhere in the world, they must first pay any taxes due to the Nigerian government so that we can fund the needs of the masses and create jobs and wealth for our people,” she said.

     

  • Osinbajo calls for consensus on Legal practice in Nigeria

    Osinbajo calls for consensus on Legal practice in Nigeria

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for consensus among legal practitioners on the preservation of the legal practice in Nigeria to enhance the profession and national development.

    Osinbajo made the call while delivering the closing address at the maiden dinner of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, held in Lagos.

    He said that the elite in every community, whether ethnic, religious or professionals, owe it a duty to ensure the preservation of such community.

    Osinbajo said it was important for the legal community to define the ethics, vogues, acceptable conducts and those that would not be tolerated in the community

    The Vice President said that the Senior Advocates must provide guidance to the legal community so as to maintain the integrity and prestige of the profession and sustain the confidence of the public.

    Osinbajo said: “A professional elite such as ourselves, we owe a responsibility to ensure that we act professionally with honour and integrity; first, for the selfish reason that it confers on us natural respect and prestige.

    “Ultimately, the difference between the elite or professional, and those who destroy the patrimony, is the extent to which the elites are willing to make sacrifices and constrain that selfishness which is common with humans.

    “An elite is one who agrees to sacrifice individual greed, ambition and quest for power for the overall good of all.

    “It is the responsibility of the elites to act with honour, integrity and sometime with quietness.”

    He noted that in Britain, the elites have maintained the prestige and integrity of the British legal system, adding that Nigerian lawyers should emulate such good conduct.

    According to him, the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria must reach a consensus to that the Legal profession does not perish.

    The Vice President congratulated the 29 newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria, urging them to be honourable flag bearers of the legal profession.

    Speaking with newsmen after the dinner, Osinbajo reiterated the call for a consensus from lawyers to enhance the justice process and preserve judicial integrity.

    The dinner was attended by former Nigeria Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade and the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs Folake Solanke.

    The rest included Chief Wole Olanipekun, Dr Paul Usoro and Chief Felix Fagbohungbe among others.

    NAN

  • AFRIFF: U.S., Britain, South Africa, others hold special day

    AFRIFF: U.S., Britain, South Africa, others hold special day

    It was an international day for filmmakers on Tuesday, as different countries staged special programmes at the ongoing Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Lagos.

    Opening with a lighting design masterclass facilitated by the Embassy of the United States, the six-hour long session which was held at the Ultima Studios, Lekki, Lagos, had the veteran Christian Epps mentoring a huge crowd of participants.

    This was just as delegates gathered at Eko Hotels and Suites for a high powered business clinic on co-financing and co-production opportunities with South Africa. The session was facilitated by Nigerian filmmaker, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, while presentations were made by Zama Mkosi, Chief Executive Officer of South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation, and representatives from the KwaZulu Natal Film Commission, paving the way for collaborations between Nigeria and South Africa.

    In the same vein, the much anticipated Film Connection project, a British Council scheme that seeks to increase partnerships between Nigeria and the UK took place at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas. Nadia Denton, who curated the films selected for the showcase wowed the audience with useful tips for filmmakers, arming them with strategies for hitting the international festivals circuit.

    Victoria Thomas facilitated an interesting clinic on packaging and pitching African stories to the global film market, a topic close to the heart of many attendees, considering the recent strides of Nollywood in that direction. There was also a session by academics from the Universities of Portsmouth and Greenwich on recording sound and producing for television.

    The British Council Film Connections was headlined by the documentary, WHITNEY, the latest from acclaimed British director, Nick Broomfield, and a tour de force on the life of singer Whitney Houston who passed away under tragic circumstances in 2012. Other films in the Film Connections selection include BAFTA winner, ‘Under the Shadow’, ‘The Hard Stop’, ‘A Moving Image’, ‘Robot & Scarecrow’, ‘Tower XYZ’ and ‘Mrs Bolanle Benson’.

    At the Afrinolly studios in Oregun, the acting, screenwriting and Canon DSLR classes continued with mentors like Hilda Dokubo, Victor Sanchez Aghahowa and Leke Alabi-Isama.

    At Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, the ultraviolent Haitian short film, ‘Kafou’, a bloody, depiction of gang life and jungle justice in inner city streets got positive responses. So did the Moses Inwang directed Omotola Jalade Ekeinde star vehicle, ‘Alter Ego’. ‘The Whale Caller’ (South Africa), the big screen film adaptation of Zakes Mda’s fantastical novel also screened.

    The cautionary tale, ‘Las Gidi Vice’, a film about a lady sexually molested by an acquaintance and feel good drama, ‘Armstrong, hoisted Nigeria’s flag in the shorts category at the Silverbird Cinemas, Victoria Island. Mozambique’s Oscar hopeful, ‘The Train of Salt and Water’ was screened alongside the France/Mali collaboration, ‘Wulu’, both films sharing a survival-in-spite-of-dismal-circumstances theme running through them.

    Mildred Okwo, Funlola Aofiyebi Raimi, Lala Akindoju, Omoye Uzamere Abba T. Makama and C.J Obasi are some of the famous faces who participated.