The Nation Newspaper

Tag: U.S

  • Yam exporters to ship another consignment to UK, U.S

    Yam exporters to ship another consignment to UK, U.S

    Chairman, Technical Committee on Yam Exportation, Prof Simon Irtwang, has said exporters are finalising the exporting another consignment of yams to the United States (U.S) and United Kingdom (UK) in the first quarter of this year.

    According to him, the committee has been touring major yam markets, especially in the Southwest, to inspect the quality of yams available.

    It would be recalled that when the Federal Government flagged off yam exportation to the UK and U.S. last July, it was greeted with much fanfair. It almost had a backlash as it led to a hike in the price of the staple food in many homes. However, before long, the quality of the export was called to question as consignments were rejected in Europe and America.

    But Irtwang assured that the second export would not attract publicity as the flag-off had already been celebrated last year, adding that the exporters and the technical committee were also mindful of the Export Prohibition Act.

    He said until the Act is repealed the committee and yam exporters will carry out the export quietly, adding that the committee was in touch with the companies that produced cartons for packaging the yams and those that received them abroad.

    According to Irtwang, having learnt from the challenges of the first consignment, the committee was hopeful that the second one would achieve 100 per cent success. “Not all species of yam are good for export. So, yam farmers and traders need to know the species that are good for export.

    “They also need to know how to select, store and preserve them to increase their freshness and ability to stay long without decaying.

    “We also have to let yam farmers know the seed yams they will plant that will be good for export,’’ he said.

  • U.S. Coast Guard gives NIMASA pass mark on port facility

    The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has expressed satisfaction with Nigeria’s compliance with the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Code.

    Speaking in Lagos, the group, led by Lt Commander Jacob Hopper of the International Port Security (IPS) Liaison for U.S. government in West and Central Africa and Europe, said there was an improvement in the nation’s port as a result of the security architecture put in place by the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

    The delegation is on a two-day visit to some of the ports in Lagos.

    Lt Hopper commended the feat achieved by NIMASA which is the Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the code in Nigeria.

    He said he was elated by the level of expertise and knowledge demonstrated by the NIMASA personnel during the visit.

    He described the NIMASA team as very resourceful, and charged the management of the agency not to rest on its oars in ensuring total compliance to the issues relating to safety and security at the nation’s ports.

    NIMASA Director-General Dr. Dakuku Peterside thanked the group for it continuous support and noted that the agency would  remain committed to the ideals of international best practices in carrying out its core responsibilities.

    Peterside, who was represented by the Executive Director, Operations  Rotimi Fashakin, said that the goal of NIMASA is to attain 100 per cent compliance with the ISPS Code and it remains open to all forms of collaboration with stakeholders both locally and internationally to make Nigeria a maritime hub in Africa.

    “Let me commend your support to us over the years and tell you that it has kept us on our toes, thereby assisting us achieve this feat you have noticed today. We also seek your continuous partnership; because for us in NIMASA, it is work in progress and we remain open to all forms of partnerships that can assist us reach our desired goals,” he said.

    He also informed the team that NIMASA has successfully updated the Global Integrated Ship Information System (GISIS) since 2017, and called for an update by the US Port Security Advisory (PSA) as it still display 2013 information about Nigeria.

     

    NIMASA was appointed the DA for ISPS Code implementation in Nigeria in May 2013 and has since then left no stone turned in ensuring that the nation’s ports are compliant in line with global best practices, which has earned the Agency several commendations.

  • UN Palestinian agency calls for donations after U.S. freezes funds

    UN Palestinian agency calls for donations after U.S. freezes funds

    UNRWA, the UN refugee agency responsible for Palestinian, will launch a global fundraiser to make up for tens of millions of dollars withheld by U.S. President Donald Trump.

    The UNRWA Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, said in a statement on Wednesday that the organisation was faced with “the most dramatic financial crisis in its history.”

    He called donors and host countries to create “new funding alliances”, saying a global fundraising campaign would be launched in the coming days.

    The U.S. government, on Tuesday, earmarked 60 million dollars for the agency for 2018, saying it would withhold 65 million dollars.

    Read Also: Islamic Council chides Fed Govt over Palestine  

    The U.S. State Department Spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said “the fund was are Frozen for future consideration.”

    The U.S. was the largest single donor to UNRWA, contributing more than 350 million dollars to the agency in 2017.

    Krahenbuhl added that the U.S. move would stoke “further radicalisation” throughout the Middle East.

    UNRWA supports some five million Palestinian in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.

    During the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced or forced to flee. UNRWA also supports their descendants.

    dpa/NAN

  • U.S. embassy will move to Jerusalem within a year

    U.S. embassy will move to Jerusalem within a year

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that the U.S. will move its embassy from Tel Aviv  to Jerusalem within a year.

    The prime minister’s timeline drastically differs from that offered earlier by White House officials, who said the move would take at least three to four years due to stringent security measures and other requirements.

    Netanyahu made this known to Israeli reporters on a flight from Dehli to Gujarat during a state visit to India, the Times of Israel reported.

    A spokesman for the prime minster confirmed the content.

    “My confident assessment is that it will move much faster than people think, within a year from today,” Netanyahu said, according to the Times of Israel.

    President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Dec. 6 and initiated a process to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

    Read Also: Israel set to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal

    Israel occupied the eastern half of Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed the territory in a move that was not internationally recognised.

    Israel has long claimed that Jerusalem as its “undivided capital,” while the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

    Trump’s controversial decision sparked protests in some countries and was rejected in a non-binding UN General Assembly resolution.

    The recognition was welcomed in Israel, and Guatemala has since announced it will follow the US in moving its embassy to the city.

    Arab foreign ministers are set to meet on Feb. 1 in Cairo to discuss steps against Trump’s recognition, the Arab League had earlier said.

    dpa/NAN

  • Trump questions taking of immigrants from ‘shithole countries’

    Trump questions taking of immigrants from ‘shithole countries’

    President Donald Trump has questioned why the U.S. would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as “shithole countries,” according to two sources familiar with the comments.

    Trump’s remarks, made in the White House, came as Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham briefed the president on a newly drafted immigration bill being touted by a bipartisan group of senators, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified.

    Sources said government officials were present during the conversation.

    The lawmakers were describing how certain immigration programs operate, including one to give safe haven in the United States to people from countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.

    One of the sources who was briefed on the conversation said that Trump said, “Why do we want all these people from Africa here?

    “They’re shithole countries … We should have more people from Norway.”

    The second source familiar with the conversation, said Trump, who has vowed to clamp down on illegal immigration, also questioned the need for Haitians in the United States.

    Many Democrats and some Republican lawmakers slammed the president for his remarks.

    Republican U.S. Representative Mia Love, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, said the comments were “unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation’s values”.

    Love called on Trump to apologise to the American people and to the countries he denigrated.

    Another Republican Representative, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba and whose south Florida district includes many Haitian immigrants, said: “Language like that shouldn’t be heard in locker rooms and it shouldn’t be heard in the White House.”

    Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a frequent Trump critic, said the president’s comment “smacks of blatant racism, the most odious and insidious racism masquerading poorly as immigration policy.”

    Read Also: “Obama sold the finest embassy for Peanuts,” Trump cancels UK visit

    In an apparent response to his critics, Trump took to Twitter late on Thursday night.

    Trump tweeted: “The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process.

    “It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!”

    The programme that was being discussed at the White House is called Temporary Protected Status.

    In November, the Trump administration decided to end the status for immigrants from Haiti and Nicaragua.

    It gave the approximately 59,000 Haitian immigrants who had been granted the status until July 2019 to return home or legalise their presence in the U.S.

    Nicaraguans were given until January 2019.

    On Monday, Trump moved to end the status for immigrants from El Salvador, which could result in 200,000 Salvadorans legally in the United States being deported, beginning in September of 2019.

    Reuters/NAN

  • Trump to announce awards for ‘most dishonest, corrupt media’

    Trump to announce awards for ‘most dishonest, corrupt media’

    U.S. President Donald Trump said he would announce awards for “most dishonest and corrupt” media outlets.

    “I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock [22:00 GMT].

    “Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote on his Twitter page on Wednesday.

    Trump has many times accused leading U.S. media of spreading fake news targeting him during the election campaign as well as after he became the 45th president.

    Read also: Trump:  Nigerians live in huts, Haitians ‘all have AIDS’

     

  • U.S. airstrike kills four al-Shabaab fighters

    U.S. airstrike kills four al-Shabaab fighters

    Four al-Shabaab fighters have been killed and a vehicle destroyed in a U.S. airstrike about 25 kilometres west of Somalia’s Capital, Mogadishu, U.S. Africa Command said on Thursday.

    According to a statement, no civilians were killed in the overnight strike that also destroyed a vehicle equipped with an explosive device, “preventing it from being used against the people in Mogadishu.’’

    The U.S. has been supporting operations against the Islamist militant group as part of its global fight against terrorism.

    The airstrike marks the second such attack this week.

    Read also: al-Shabaab executes four spies

    U.S. Africa Command said in a statement that it had killed 13 militia fighters in an airstrike in southern Somalia on Sunday.

    Al-Shabaab is seeking to establish an Islamist state in Somalia and is affiliated with the international al-Qaeda terrorist network.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • China waives visas for 53 countries

    China waives visas for 53 countries

    China, on Thursday waived visas for visitors from 53 countries  to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei for up to six days.

    People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, said that visitors must enter and exit from one of six ports.

    According to the Economic Times, the waiver goes into effect from Thursday and will impact Germany and other members of the European Union’s passport-free Schengen area, as well as the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

    Read also: China runs: Mayweather adopts a panda for £11,000

    Beijing, the capital of China, is a major tourist hub as the home of the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other important historical monuments.

    Beijing and Tianjin previously allowed visa-free travel for up to 72 hours for certain nationalities.

    The same arrangement continues in 16 other cities, including Shanghai.

    Shenzhen, on the border of Hong Kong, also issues a special five-day visa on arrival for some nationalities.

    NAN

  • ISIS threatens U.S. over Jerusalem decision

    ISIS threatens U.S. over Jerusalem decision

    Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS )has threatened attacks on U.S. soil in retaliation for the Trump administration’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

    One of the group’s social media accounts reported on Thursday without much details on one of its accounts on the Telegram instant messaging service titled: “Wait for us” and “ISIS in Manhattan”.

    The group said that it would carry out operations and showed images of New York’s Times Square and what appeared to be an explosive bomb belt and detonator.

    “We will do more ops in your land, until the final hour and we will burn you with the flames of war which you started in Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria and Afghan. Just you wait.

    “The recognition of your dog ‘Trump’ (sic) Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will make us recognise explosives as the capital of your country,” it said.

    Washington triggered widespread anger and protests across the Arab world with its decision on Jerusalem.

    The disputed city is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and is home to Islam’s third holiest site.

    It has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades.

    Read also: UAE urges Arabs, Muslims to unite over U.S decision on Jerusalem

    Islamic State was driven out of its Iraqi and Syrian capitals this year and squeezed into a shrinking pocket of desert straddling the border between the two countries.

    The forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare there.

    Militants including people claiming allegiance to Islamic State have carried out scores of deadly attacks in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the U.S. over the past two years.

    NAN

  • Libya appeals to U.S. to ease travel ban imposed on citizens

    Libya appeals to U.S. to ease travel ban imposed on citizens

    Libya’s internationally recognised government has appealed to the U.S. to ease a travel ban imposed on its citizens by President Donald Trump.

    The Libyan Foreign Ministry made the call in a statement.

    “The Libyan Foreign Ministry, through its embassy in Washington, has begun to take measures to lift Libya from the list of countries and to ease the restrictions on Libyan citizens,” the ministry said in a statement.

    Libya is one of six Muslim-majority countries subject to the travel ban.

    Other countries are Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Syria.

    On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the ban to take full effect while litigation over its ultimate validity continues.

    The ministry said the ban was also discussed at a meeting between Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala and U.S Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke on Monday. (Reuters/NAN)