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Tag: U.S

  • U.S. appeals court to review Trump revised travel ban

    U.S. appeals court to review Trump revised travel ban

    Federal appeals court is set to hear arguments on Monday over President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban on people entering the U.S. from six Muslim-majority countries.

    The court is the second of such courts to review Trump’s directive over the past week.

    A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel made up of entirely of judges appointed by former President Bill Clinton, will review a Hawaii judge’s ruling that blocked parts of the Republican president’s revised executive order on travel.

    The March order was Trump’s second effort to craft travel restrictions.

    The first, issued on Jan. 27 led to chaos and protests at airports before being blocked by courts.

    The second order was intended to overcome the legal problems posed by the original ban, but was also suspended by judges before it could go into effect on March 16.

    U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii blocked 90-day entry restrictions on people from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen as well as part of the order that suspended entry of refugee applicants for 120 days.

    Last week the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia reviewed a Maryland judge’s ruling that blocked the 90-day entry restrictions.

    That court is largely made up of Democrats, and the judges’ questioning appeared to break along partisan lines. A ruling has not yet been released.

    Arguing that the U.S. needed to tighten national security measures, Trump’s attempt to limit travel was one of his first major acts in office.

    The fate of the ban is one indication of whether the Republican can carry out his promises to be tough on immigration and national security.

    Opponents including the state of Hawaii and civil rights groups said that both the first ban and the revised ban discriminate against Muslims.

    The government argues the text of the order does not mention any specific religion and is needed to protect the country against attacks.

    The 9th Circuit hearing on Monday will take place in Seattle.

    The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to be the ultimate decider, but the high court is not expected to take up the issue for several months.

  • Seven senators in U.S. for study tour of oil industry

    Seven senators are now on tour of the United States (U.S.) to study operations of the oil industry.

    The joint committee members on Petroleum Resources (Upstream, Downstream and Gas) was led on the trip by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) Chief Tayo Alasoadura.

    Other senators are the Chief Whip, Prof. Shola Adeyeye, Minority Whip Phillip Taminu Adudu, Chairman, Petroleum Resources (Downstream) Kabir Marafa, Chairman (Gas) Albert Bassey Akpan, Ahmed Abubakar and Gershom Otu Bassey.

    A statement sent to The Nation in Akure by Alasoadura representing Ondo Central said the essence of the tour was to enrich the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) being put together by the joint committees of the Senate.

    It was organised in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.

    The statement expressed optimism that the knowledge acquired after the study tour would enrich the activities of the Senate on petroleum resources matter.

  • U.S. envoy advises journalists on fact-checking

    U.S. envoy advises journalists on fact-checking

    ‘I had read about the courage and sheer doggedness of the Nigerian press in the dark days of military dictatorship. In my time here, I have seen that the press is still the voice of the forgotten’

    That does the press need to play its role effectively in the society? It is “total freedom”, says the Consul General of the United States (U.S.) Consulate in Lagos, Mr John Bray. The envoy said this would strengthen the capability of the press to carry out its “watchdog roles” in the country and make the government accountable to the people.

    Bray spoke at an event organised by the U.S. Consulate in the auditorium of the Lagos Television (LTV) in Ikeja to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD). The theme of the event was: Critical minds for critical times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

    The envoy noted that a free press remained an essential element for democracy to thrive, saying: “More freedom comes with more responsibility.”

    Bray said advancement in technology and increased reliance on social media platforms as sources of information had increasingly made editorial accuracy and objectivity crucial. He urged journalists to always check and double check facts before putting out their stories, saying objectivity would improve personal credibility and reliability of news platforms.

    He said: “If given total freedom to practise, a journalist must be thorough in his action to disseminate information and strive to look for every side of a story before hitting the send button.”

    The U.S. envoy said the press’ role as a watchdog is fundamental to the system of checks and balances espoused by democratic practice. Quoting figures from Reporters Without Borders, Bray said more than a third of the world’s people live in countries where there is no press freedom.

    He said: “Most of countries are quasi democracies, with systemic deficiencies in the electoral process and democracy. Working under such conditions, journalists risk everything to hold regimes accountable. Before my arrival in Nigeria four years ago, I had read about the courage and sheer doggedness of the Nigerian press in the dark days of military dictatorship. In my time here, I have seen that the press is still the voice of the forgotten.

    “The local press has not lost its thirst for the truth and its willingness to go wherever a story leads, thereby contributing to transparency, accountability and good governance in your country’’.

    He said the U.S. strongly supported freedom of the press, adding: “We believe that an unfettered press is essential for democracy to thrive.”

    Speaking on Media law and ethics in the digital age, Mr Oluyomi Lords, a lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), argued that the failure of the media industry to hold government accountable stemmed from the fundamental flaws in the 1999 Constitution.

    He called for the amendment of Sections 39 and 22, which established the media and the role of the press. He said the sections must be amended, because they put limits to the performance of the press. He said the amendment would make the Nigerian stronger and help resolve litigation, defamation, remuneration and corruption.

    In his own contribution, publisher of Premium Times, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, noted journalists had done a lot to hold government accountable. He said media practitioners must strive to ensure that the three elements of accuracy, loyalty to citizens and verification are contained in their reports.

    He said the media had witnessed changes in terms of news gathering, editing and gate keeping because of the advent of the new media. He called for collaborations among media houses, adding that journalists must forge a common front to achieve unity of purpose.

    President of the Nigeria Guild of Editor (NGE), Mrs Funke Egbemode, urged the government to stop harassment of journalists by security agencies.

  • Macron favorite in opinion polls as France elects new president

    Macron favorite in opinion polls as France elects new president

    After a tumultuous election campaign filled with scandal and surprises, the French public began to vote on Sunday on whether a pro-European Union centrist or an anti-EU, anti-immigration far-rightist will lead them for the next five years.

    Opinion polls indicate they will pick Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old ex-economy minister who wants to bridge the left-right divide, resisting an anti-establishment tide that has seen Britons vote to leave the EU and Americans choose Donald Trump as U.S. president.

    But should an upset occur and National Front candidate Marine Le Pen win, the very future of the EU could be on the line.
    Macron, who wants to deregulate the economy and deepen EU integration, has a 23- to 26-percentage-point lead over Le Pen in the opinion polls.
    Forecasts proved accurate for the presidential election’s first round last month, and markets have risen in response to Macron’s widening lead over his rival after a bitter television debate on Wednesday.

    “We increased our equity exposure and added some French stocks after the first round.

    “The major political risk of a Le Pen victory appears to be disappearing,’’ Francois Savary, Chief Investment Officer at Geneva-based fund management firm Prime Partners, said.

    In a campaign that has seen favorites drop out of the race one after the other, Le Pen, who wants to close borders, ditch the euro currency and clamp down on migration, is nevertheless closer to elected power than the far right has ever been in Western Europe since World War Two.

    Even if opinion polls prove accurate and France elects its youngest president ever rather than its first female leader, Macron himself has said he expects no honeymoon period.

    Abstention could be high, and close to 60 per cent of those who plan to vote for Macron say they will do so to stop Le Pen from being elected to lead the euro zone’s second-largest economy rather than because they fully agree with the former banker-turned-politician.

    Sunday’s election will in any case not end the battle between mainstream and more radical policies in France, with parliamentary elections next month equally crucial.

    Once the presidential ballot is over, attention will switch to whether the winner will be able to get a majority in parliament, with one poll this week showing that such a majority was within reach for Macron.

    Much will also depend on both the candidates’ score on Sunday.

    Le Pen’s niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, on Thursday told L’Opinion daily that a 40 percent score would already be “a huge victory” for the National Front.

    Whoever wins will spell a new chapter in French politics.

    The major left-wing and right-wing parties — the Socialist Party and The Republicans — that have ruled France for decades both suffered humiliating defeats in the election’s first round.

    The campaign was hit by yet another surprise on Friday night just before the quiet period which forbids politicians from commenting started.

    Macron’s team said a massive hack had dumped emails, documents and campaign-financing information online.

    Pollsters will publish initial estimates at 8 pm (1800 GMT), once all polling stations are closed.

    More than 50,000 police officers will be on duty. Security will be a prime concern in the wake of a series of militant attacks in Paris, Nice and elsewhere in the past few years that have killed more than 230 people.

  • U.S; American service member killed in Somalia

    A U.S. service member has been killed in Somalia during a Somali-led mission against the al-Shabaab militant group, military officials said on Friday.

    U.S. Africa Command said the service member died on Thursday while U.S. forces were advising and assisting a Somali National Army operation about 40 miles (60 km) west of Mogadishu near Barii, Somalia.

    “U.S. forces were conducting an advise and assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army,” it said in a statement.

    “U.S. forces are assisting partner forces to counter al-Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the al Qaeda affiliate’s ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America.”

    A Mogadishu-based security source told Reuters that the two other U.S. servicemen were wounded during the operation, when U.S. troops were hunting an al Shabaab commander near the Shabelle river,

    There were no casualties among the Somali special forces, he said.

    Al-Shabaab wants to overthrow the weak Western-backed Somali government and impose its own strict brand of Islamic law.

    Somalia has been torn apart by civil war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other.

  • Nigerian embassy in Washington operational – Acting Ambassador

    The Nigerian Embassy in Washington  is open and fully operational,  acting ambassador, Hakeem Balogun, has said.

    Balogun told the correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the U.S. that the report  making the rounds that the embassy was shut down was false.

    “The embassy works as normal; as we’re talking now, I’m still at the office working. So it is not correct for anybody to say that the embassy is shut down; there was nothing like that.

    “But there was a sit-in by some local staff who said they would not work  over some arrears but it wasn’t as if the embassy was shut down.

    “Even some of those who were supposed to embark on sit-in were still working and did not join their colleagues.

    “They have been paid up till March 2017 but there were some arrears of October to December 2016 that were yet to be paid.

    “It was just an agitation to draw attention to the three months arrears owed them but not only them, some ministry staff were also affected.

    “But what they have done was to cry out about the arrears for everybody to hear and everybody has now heard,” Balogun said.

    The Nigerian envoy explained that the Federal Government was making  efforts to clear the arrears and ensure that   salaries and allowances were  up-to-date.

    According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the issue and other challenges facing the embassy and is gradually addressing them.

    “The ministry is making every effort to ensure the arrears are paid and you will recall that the virement was sent to the National Assembly for approval by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Now the virement has been approved. As soon as the money is released, all  arrears will be paid,” Balogun said.

  • U.S. to tighten sanctions on North Korea

    The United States is to tighten sanctions on North Korea and step up diplomatic moves aimed at pressuring the country to end its nuclear and missile programmes.

    The BBC reports that President Donald Trump’s strategy was announced after a special briefing for all 100 U.S. senators.

    Earlier, the top U.S. commander in the Pacific defended the deployment of an advanced missile defence system in South Korea.

    Tensions have risen amid fears the North is planning new weapons tests.

    “The United States seeks stability and the peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” said a joint statement issued by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

    “We remain open to negotiations towards that goal. However, we remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies.

    “The president’s approach aims to pressure North Korea into dismantling its nuclear, ballistic missile, and proliferation programs by tightening economic sanctions and pursuing diplomatic measures with our allies and regional partners.”

    The U.S. already has extensive sanctions in place on North Korea, including a blanket ban on trade and a blacklist of anyone dealing with North Korea.

    It is not clear what further sanctions Washington could impose.

  • IAAF World Relays: U.S., Jamaica, Australia top table, Nigeria 16th

    To consolidate on their position as the strongest relay nation in the world, the U.S. collected their third successive Golden Baton honour at the IAAF/BTC World Relays, “Bahamas 2017’’.

    The U.S. won five of the nine events over the two-day programme, took silver in a pair and third in another to tally 60 points, 21 ahead of Jamaica which had 39 in total.

    The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said on its website on Monday that the Golden Baton was awarded to the team who accrues the most points.

    It said the points were based on the simple scoring system of eight points for first place down to one point for finishing eighth.

    Australia was third with 24, edging Poland by just one point.

    The U.S. won the men’s 4x800m and men’s and women’s 4x400m on the final day but for the vociferous crowd that gathered in Nassau’s Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

    It said that the highlight was the resounding victory by a Bahamian quartet in the mixed 4x400m relay that capped the thoroughly entertaining evening.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kenya placed sixth with 16 points, Botswana placed 11th with 10 points and Nigeria placed 16th on the table with six points.

    The competition held from April 22 to April 23 at Nassau, Bahamas and Nigeria featured only the women’s team in the 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m.

    Nigeria’s 4x200m women’s squad, the winner of the 2015 edition failed to retain its title by clinching a distant fifth position. (NAN)
    MJO/PDE

  • IMF urges countries to use fiscal policy wisely

    IMF urges countries to use fiscal policy wisely

    The IMF on Wednesday urged countries to press forward with nuanced tax and spending policies due to political and economic realities in the U.S, Europe and China.

    The IMF said in Washington that wise fiscal policy would help other countries overcome the political and economic realities in the U.S. and others.

    The IMF report came as policymakers began gathering in Washington for the semi-annual meetings of IMF and World Bank member countries.

    Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies, known as the G20, are also scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the April 21- April 23 conference.

    According to IMF, “the lack of specificity about the size and composition of the expected fiscal stimulus in the U.S, a number of elections in Europe and the upcoming party congress in China all contribute to policy uncertainty.”

    On global economy, IMF also said that overall public debt in advanced economies should stabilise in the medium term, while fiscal deterioration in emerging economies appeared at an end.

    The IMF warned too that emerging market and developing economies remained at risk from a more rapid rise in interest rates, a large appreciation in the U.S. dollar and lower commodity prices.

    All could “exacerbate debt vulnerabilities and trigger the materialisation of contingent liabilities, in particular those related to implicit government guarantees on corporate borrowing,” the IMF said.

    The IMF has long advocated for growth-friendly fiscal stimulus in countries that require a boost, but has also warned robust economies to be fiscally prudent during good times.

    The IMF urged the U.S. to begin fiscal consolidation next year “to put debt firmly on a downward path” given that the economy is close to full employment.

     

  • U.S. asks Pakistan to shun terrorist proxies in Afghanistan

    U.S. asks Pakistan to shun terrorist proxies in Afghanistan

    The U.S. has called on Pakistan to fight all terrorist groups equally and avoid using some of them as proxies in Afghanistan.

    Lt.-Gen. H. R. McMaster, U.S. National Security Advisor made the call during meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and military chief Qamar Bajwa on the final leg of his visit to the region before flying out late Monday.

    McMaster arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an unannounced visit, a day after he hinted the U.S. could take a tougher stance on Pakistan.

    It was the first visit by a top member of President Donald Trump’s administration to the militancy-hit South Asian country.

    The visit also came after a stop in neighbouring Afghanistan where he suggested Washington may take a stronger line on Islamabad, for years seen as an unreliable U.S. ally.

    According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, during the meetings, McMaster “stressed the need to confront terrorism in all its forms”.

    “The U.S. hopes Pakistani leaders will understand that it is in their interest to go after terrorist groups less selectively than they have in the past,” McMaster told Afghanistan’s Tolonews before the visit.

    “The best way to pursue their interest in the country and elsewhere is through diplomacy not through the use of proxies and engaging violence,” McMaster said.

    The visit was first high-level interaction between the U.S. and Pakistan since President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January.

    During the meeting, Sharif welcomed Trump’s willingness to help India and Pakistan resolve their differences particularly in relation to the disputed Kashmir region.

    The Trump administration is reportedly considering new policies regarding Afghanistan including a proposal to send additional troops to the country to end a stalemate with Taliban insurgents.