The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Egypt

  • Badminton: 11 countries for 3rd Lagos Badminton Classics – Chairman

    Badminton: 11 countries for 3rd Lagos Badminton Classics – Chairman

    The Lagos State Badminton Association (LSBA) has said that 11 countries would feature in the 3rd Lagos International Badminton classics from July 26 to July 29 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

    The association’s chairman, Francis Orbih, told a news conference on Thursday that the Gov. Akinwunmi ambode has also increased the tournament’s prize money to 20,000 dollars.

    With the increase, the competition becomes biggest ever to be staged in Lagos and in Africa.

    “A total of 20,000 dollars have been set aside as the total prize money for the entire competition.

    “The competition will also have Nigeria’s best players compete among quality international ranked players and get a chance to be ranked as well,’’ Orbih said.

    According to Orbih, the international athletes will Israel’s Misha Zilberman who is ranked 68 in the world.

    Others will come from Sri Lanka, Portugal, Republic of Benin, Egypt, Italy, Cameroon, Uganda, India and Ghana.

    He said that Nigeria’s Habib Temitope ranked number 512 in the world will lead the challenge by the national players.

    Meanwhile, Deji Tinubu, the Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, has extolled the brilliance and the dedication of the LBSA as one of the best associations working hard.

    Tinubu said the association would always get the backing of the sports commission to carry out their objectives because over the years, it had shown commitment in developing youths through badminton.

    “It is good to know that the classics are back and I want to agree that it is indeed back for good.

    “We at the sports commission are happy about how the LSBA has carried itself and the sport’s fans,’’ he said adding that the governor remained an ardent fan of the game.

    “This is why we have once again partnered this edition and also gone ahead to raise the prize money.

    “We hope at the end of the tournament that Nigerian youths can gain from the international players in the areas of mentoring and maintaining a good relationship,’’ Tinubu said.

    The winner of the Men and Women’s Singles will earn 2,000 dollars each, while the second place winners get 1,500 dollars and the second runners-up 650 dollars each.

    The doubles and mixed doubles winners will get 725 dollars each, while the runners-up and the second runners-up take 400 dollars and 175 dollars respectively.

    He noted that the prize monies would be given as directed by the International BVadminton Federation.

  • Qatar not worried about suspension from GCC – Foreign minister

    Qatar not worried about suspension from GCC – Foreign minister

    Qatar is not worried that its membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be suspended as its rival neighbours threaten to escalate their sanctions against Doha.

    “No, they cannot take such a decision because it should be by consensus,” Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman said during a meeting at the Chatham House think tank in London.

    He was referring to the six-member political and economic alliance in the Gulf, which includes Kuwait and Oman, who have taken a neutral stance since the crisis began a month ago.

    Three members of the GCC, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, along with Egypt cut diplomatic and transportation links with Qatar in June.

    Since then, Kuwait has been mediating the crisis.

    The media reports that Qatar faces further isolation and possible expulsion from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) if its response to a list of demands made nearly two weeks ago is not satisfactory.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab emirates, Egypt and Bahrain foreign ministers are due to meet in Cairo to discuss Qatar’s reply to 13 demands they sent to Qatar in return for the lifting of sanctions imposed in June.

    The dispute revolves around allegations that Qatar supports Islamist militants, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.

    Qatar denies it supports terrorism and says Arab countries want to control its foreign policy.

    Abdulrahman had said at a joint news conference with his German counterpart on Tuesday that its response was “given in goodwill and good initiative for a constructive solution.

    However, he insisted that Doha would not compromise on its sovereignty.

    Gulf officials have said the demands are not negotiable, signaling more sanctions are possible, including “parting ways” with Doha a suggestion it may be ejected from the GCC, a regional economic and security cooperation body founded in 1981.

    “Qatar is walking alone in its dreams and illusions, far away from its Gulf Arab brothers, after it sold every brother and friend and bought the treacherous and the one far away at the highest price.

    “A Gulf national may be obliged to prepare psychologically for his Gulf to be without Qatar,” the editor of the Abu Dhabi government linked al-Ittihad newspaper wrote in an editorial said.

    Some newspapers said that remarks by Abdulrahman in which he stressed his country would not compromise on its sovereignty suggests that Doha would not change its policies.

  • Kano declares Tuesday public holiday for Maitama Sule

    Kano declares Tuesday public holiday for Maitama Sule

    Kano State Government has declared Tuesday as public holiday in honour of late elder statesman, Alhaji Maitama Sule, who died, in the early hours of Monday in a hospital in Cairo, Egypt.

    The state government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Mallam Mohammed Garba, who confirmed that the former Minister of National Guidance in the Second Republic, died in Cairo after a protracted illness.

    According to the statement, the deceased lying in state will take place at the palace of Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi 11, to enable prominent Nigerians to mourn and pay their last respect to the elder statesman before his internment.

    The statement reads: ” The death has occurred today (Monday) of Alhaji (Dr.) Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.

    “Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule died at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, where he was receiving treatment for an illness.

    “Funeral prayer for the deceased will be conducted tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Emir’s Palace, Kofar Kudu, by 4:00 p.m.

    “Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has declared Tuesday a work – free day in the state to mourn the death of the elder statesman.”

    Confirming the ex-minister’s death, one of his surviving sons, Alhaji Mukhtar Maitama Sule, said he died 24 hours after arriving the Egyptian hospital.

    He said his father’s remains would be flown to Nigeria on Tuesday for a befitting burial.

  • Saudi King cancels participation in G20 summit due to Gulf crisis

    Saudi King cancels participation in G20 summit due to Gulf crisis

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Al-Saud will not attend the G20 summit due to the Gulf crisis, Saudi diplomatic sources said on Monday.

    Instead of the king, the Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan will attend the summit, scheduled to take place in the northern German port city of Hamburg on Friday and Saturday.

    The summit brings together leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    In June, Saudi Arabia led its neighbours Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, in cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha denies.

    NAN reports that on June 24, the four Arab states handed the country a list of 13 demands, including some likely to infuriate Doha and exacerbate the region’s worst crisis in decades.

    Some of the key demands include shut down the Al Jazeera media network and its affiliates, halt the development of a Turkish military base in the country and reduce diplomatic ties with Iran.

    Others are cut ties to extremist organisations, stop interfering in the four countries’ affairs, stop the practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries.

    The four Arab countries on Monday agreed to give Qatar 48 more hours, in a deadline extension proposed by Kuwait, for the Gulf emirate to comply with a list of demands.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt agreed to extend the deadline after Kuwait’s government urged them to do so late Sunday, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

    Earlier, as the original deadline expired, Saudi-owned television Al Arabiya reported that Qatar could be hit by further sanctions.

    Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt said they were “studying” a list of potential political and economic sanctions against Qatar after it rejected the list of demands.

  • Demand for Qatar to close down al-Jazeera ‘unacceptable’ – UN

    Demand for Qatar to close down al-Jazeera ‘unacceptable’ – UN

    The UN says the demand by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations for Qatar to close down its al-Jazeera TV channel is an “unacceptable attack” on the right to freedoms of expression and opinion.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing militants, then issued an ultimatum, including demands it shut down a Turkish military base in Doha, shutting Al Jazeera and curbing ties with Iran.

    UN High Commissioner is “extremely concerned by the demand that Qatar close down the Al Jazeera network, as well as other affiliated media outlets”, his spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing.

    Al Jazeera

    “Whether or not you watch it, like it, or agree with its editorial standpoints, Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English channels are legitimate, and have many millions of viewers.

    “The demand that they be summarily closed down is, in our view, an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion,” Colville said.

    NAN reports that on June 24, the four Arab states handed the country a list of 13 demands, including some likely to infuriate Doha and exacerbate the region’s worst crisis in decades.

    Some of the key demands include shut down the Al Jazeera media network and its affiliates, halt the development of a Turkish military base in the country and reduce diplomatic ties with Iran.

    Others are cut ties to extremist organisations, stop interfering in the four countries’ affairs, stop the practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries.

  • Qatar demands difficult to meet – U.S.

    Qatar demands difficult to meet – U.S.

    The U.S. says some of the demands by four Arab countries as conditions to lift the sanctions over Qatar would be difficult for Doha to meet.

    The U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, in a statement on Sunday recommended that the countries sit together and find an amicable compromise to the crisis.

    Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate had accused Qatar of backing terrorism, a charge it denied.

    Tillerson said: “Qatar has begun its careful review and consideration of a series of requests presented by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

    “While some of the elements will be very difficult for Qatar to meet, there are significant areas which provide a basis for on-going dialogue leading to resolution.”

    According to him, a productive next step would be for each of the countries to sit together and continue this conversation.

    “We believe our allies and partners are stronger when they are working together towards one goal which we all agree is stopping terrorism and countering extremism.

    “Each country involved has something to contribute to that effort. A lowering of rhetoric would also help ease the tension.

    “The United States will continue to stay in close contact with all parties and will continue to support the mediation efforts of the Emir of Kuwait,” Tillerson said.

    On Saturday, Qatar’s foreign minister rejected the list of 13 conditions imposed by the four countries.

    The conditions have put Qatar under unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions for more than two weeks.

    The four countries also want Qatar to reduce its ties with Iran and close a Turkish military base, setting a deadline on Friday of 10 days.

  • UAE accuses Qatar of leaking demands, foiling mediation

    UAE accuses Qatar of leaking demands, foiling mediation

    The United Arab Emirates on Friday accused Qatar of derailing mediation efforts by leaking the list of demands sent by his country and the three other Arab states that cut ties with Doha over its alleged support for terrorism.

    Qatar’s emir “must realise that the solution to his crisis is not with Tehran, Beirut or Ankara, or Western capitals and the media, but [a solution] is through the return of confidence in him by his neighbours,” UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, wrote on Twitter.

    “Qatar leaking demands and concerns of its neighbors & Egypt either attempt to undermine serious mediation or yet another sign of callous policy,” wrote Gargash in a string of tweets on his official account.

    He warned that “leakage will further exasperate and prolong the Qatar crisis.”

    Kuwait has handed Qatar a list of demands by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported earlier Friday.

    Kuwait said the list has not been sanctioned by either Qatar or Kuwait, which has been trying to mediate between the two sides.

    Gargash argued that the “crisis is real” and is being ignited by the “confused” administration of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

    “Sometimes, divorce is better,” Gargash wrote.

    The Qatari emir’s role in providing “funding, a media and political platform” to serve “the agenda of extremism cannot be accepted,” he said.

    Al Jazeera Media Network is owned and funded by the Qatari royal family.

    The network, especially the Arabic-language channel, has repeatedly angered Arab leaders since its establishment in 1996, shaking up a broadcasting world until then dominated by government mouthpieces.

    One of the biggest disputes was in 2002, when Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Doha to protest at Al Jazeera’s “negative” coverage of Saudi politics.

    In recent years, critics have argued that it is strongly supportive of Islamists, especially Egypt’s now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

    Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik attacked the demands presented to Qatar, which reportedly includes shutting down a Turkish military base in the small Gulf country.

    “I have not seen this request formally yet, but it might mean intervention in bilateral relations,” he said, according to private broadcaster NTV.

    “I say that the Turkish base in Qatar is for the training of Qatari soldiers, for the security of Qatar and the region. Nobody should be bothered by this.

    “There is no such consideration to bring this agreement back to the table,” Isik added.

    On June 5, the four countries severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

    Doha has repeatedly denied the accusations.

    The four countries have not made their demands public yet.

    Later in June, several African countries cut relations with Qatar and others downgraded ties.

    On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Arab countries involved in a diplomatic spat with Qatar to present their demands.

    “Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table, clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed and some resolution process can get underway to bring this to a conclusion,” he said.

    “Our desire is for unity within the Gulf,” he added.

  • Four Arab states send 13 demands to Qatar

    Four Arab states send 13 demands to Qatar

    Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism on Friday sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, on June 5, cut economic, diplomatic and travel ties to Doha.

    An official of the four Arab countries, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they gave Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes “void”.

    The official who did not elaborate further, suggested that the offer to end the dispute in return for the 13 steps would no longer be on the table.

    The official said that the list which was compiled by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, also demands the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar.

    The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands.

    Doha’s independent-minded approach, including a dovish line on Iran and support for Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, has incensed some of its neighbours who see political Islamism as a threat to their dynastic rule.

    The demands, the official said, was handed to Qatar by mediator Kuwait.

    The official added that the demands also require that Qatar stop interfering in the four countries’ domestic and foreign affairs and stop a practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries,

    He said that Qatar must pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies.

    Any resulting agreement to comply with the demands will be monitored, with monthly reports in the first year, then every three months the next year, then annually for 10 years, the official said without elaborating.

    Turkey’s Defence Minister Fikri Isik rejected the demand, saying any call for the base to be shut would represent interference in Ankara’s relations with Doha.

    He suggested instead that Turkey might bolster its presence.

    Isik said: “strengthening the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security.

    “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”

    The Arab official said that Qatar must also announce it is severing ties with terrorist, ideological and sectarian organisations including the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State and al Qaeda.

    Others, the officials said, are Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, , and surrender all designated terrorists on its territory.

    The four Arab countries accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional instability and cozying up to revolutionary theocracy Iran.

    Qatar has denied the accusations.

    Qatari officials did not reply immediately to requests for comment.

    On Monday, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they lifted their measures against Doha.

    “The demands are so aggressive that it makes it close to impossible to currently see a resolution of that conflict,” said Olivier Jakob, a strategist at Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix.

    Several Qataris who spoke to Reuters described the demands as unreasonable. “Imagine another country demanding that CNN be closed,” said 40-year-old Haseeb Mansour, who works for telecom operator Ooredoo.

    Abdullah al-Muhanadi, a retired public sector shopping for groceries in Doha on Friday morning, said the boycott must be lifted before negotiations to resolve the dispute could start.

    “There’s a lot on the list that is simply not true or unreasonable, so how can we comply?” he said.

    “There are no Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps elements in Qatar and the agreement with Turkey is a long- standing diplomatic agreement so we cannot ask them to leave.”

    U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on Qatar, accusing it of being a “high level” sponsor of terrorism, but he has also offered help to the parties in the dispute to resolve their differences.

    Turkey has backed Qatar during the three-week-old crisis.

    It sent its first ship carrying food aid to Qatar and dispatched a small contingent of soldiers and armoured vehicles there on Thursday, while President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabia’s leaders on calming tension in the region.

  • Morocco to send food to Qatar after Gulf states cut ties

    Morocco to send food to Qatar after Gulf states cut ties

    Morocco said it would send plane-loads of food to Qatar to boost supplies there after Gulf Arab states cut diplomatic and economic ties with Doha.

    Qatar, which imported 80 per cent of its food from bigger Gulf Arab neighbours before the diplomatic shutdown, has also been talking to Iran and Turkey to secure food and water.

    “This decision was made in conformity with Islamic precepts that call for solidarity and mutual aid between Muslim people, notably during this holy month of Ramadan,” the Moroccan foreign ministry statement said.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain accused Qatar of supporting militants, an allegation dismissed by Doha.

    On Sunday, Morocco said it would remain neutral in the dispute, offering to mediate between the Gulf countries, which are all close allies to the North African kingdom.

    Qatar’s finance minister said on Monday the world’s richest country per capita has the resources to endure and played down the economic toll of the confrontation.

    NAN reports that Qatari Foreign Minister Abdulrahman al-Thani told a news conference in France that Qatar “still had no clue” why the nations cut ties.

    He denied that Qatar supported groups like the Muslim Brotherhood that its neighbours oppose, or had warm ties with their enemy Iran.

    So far, the measures do not seem to have caused a serious shortages of supplies in shops.

    Some people have even joked about being “blockaded” inside the world’s richest country: a Twitter page called “Doha under siege” pokes fun at the prospect of readying “escape yachts”, stocking up on caviar and trading Rolex watches for espresso.

  • Erdogan approves deployment of Turkish troops to Qatar

    Erdogan approves deployment of Turkish troops to Qatar

    President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday approved legislation on deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar, signaling support for the Gulf state as it faces isolation imposed by fellow Arab states over its alleged support for terrorism.

    Turkey’s parliament pushed through the bill on Wednesday and Erdogan’s rapid approval of it, announced by his office late on Thursday, was followed by its publication in the Official Gazette on Friday, completing the legislative process.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their arch-adversary Iran – charges Qatar calls baseless. Several countries followed suit.

    Qatar vowed on Thursday to ride out the isolation and said it would not compromise its sovereignty over foreign policy to resolve the region’s biggest diplomatic crisis in years.

    After an initial deployment of Turkish troops at a base in Doha, Turkish warplanes and ships will also be sent, the mass-circulation Hurriyet newspaper said on its website on Friday.

    “The number of Turkish warplanes and Turkish warships going to the base will become clear after the preparation of a report based on an initial assessment at the base,” Hurriyet said.

    A Turkish delegation would go to Qatar in the coming days to assess the situation at the base, where around 90 Turkish soldiers are currently based, it said.

    Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment on the report but Hurriyet said there were plans send some 200 to 250 soldiers within two months in the initial stage.

    Erdogan also approved another accord between Turkey and Qatar on military training cooperation late on Thursday.

    Both bills were drawn up before the dispute erupted.

    Turkey has also pledged to provide food and water supplies to Qatar.

    The president has said isolating Qatar would not resolve any problems.

    Erdogan, who has long tried to play the role of a regional power broker, said Ankara would do everything in its power to help end the regional crisis.

    Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbors.

    Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    The bill did not specify how many troops would go or when.