Tag Archives: Europe

13 African migrants die of suffocation in Europe-bound shipping container.

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The bodies of 13 migrants, including two teenagers, who died of suffocation in a shipping container bound for Europe have been found in Libya and 56 survivors rescued, aid officials said Thursday.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), citing the Libyan Red Crescent, said on its website that the African migrants had been trapped for “four days” in the metal container.

Some of the 56 who survived were “suffering from various injuries and fractures and needed immediate medical attention”.

They were of different African nationalities. Among them were 13 bodies, including those of a girl, 13, and a 14-year-old boy.

A Khoms resident told AFP on condition of anonymity that the container had been on a truck headed for a beach in Khoms, from where the migrants were expected to board a boat for Europe, when it was stopped and searched at a checkpoint.

The Red Crescent branch at Khoms said on its Facebook page that the survivors and the 13 bodies were found “dumped” outside a detention centre for migrants in the town.

Fawzi Abdel Ali, a Red Crescent spokesman in Khoms, told the IFRC that “when volunteers arrived, they provided first aid, psychological first aid, food and blankets for the 56 survivors, among them a five-year-old girl called Aisha”.

On Wednesday, about 750 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast after seven rescue operations mounted by the Italian coast guard and an international aid group.

Most of them were also from sub-Saharan Africa.

On Thursday, 85 migrants were rescued off the coast about 47 kilometres west of Tripoli, Ayoub Qassem, spokesman for the Libyan Navy, told AFP, saying they included several African women and five infants.

People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since its 2011 revolution that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi to boost their lucrative trade.

Most departures take place from the west of Libya, usually heading for Italy 300 kilometres (190 miles) away across the Mediterranean.

 

Source: The Guardian

It’s in your interest to help Nigeria, UN tells Europe.

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Toby Lanzer, UN assistant secretary general and lead humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, has advised European countries to help tackle the humanitarian crisis in countries in the Lake Chad region.

Lanzer said this ahead of a major donor conference in Oslo that will be co-hosted by Nigeria, Germany and Norway on February 24.

According to The Guardian, Lanzer said European countries have done too little to tackle the crisis despite the opportunity to address humanitarian and migration issues.

“It’s not only that we want Nigeria to be stable for the prosperity of that country and its people, it’s also in our broader interests at home,” the top UN official said.

“This is a double win, if you want. You don’t want the most populous country on the African continent becoming increasingly unstable; at the same time, you want people there prospering and not having to flee from violence or seek opportunity elsewhere.

“There is a convergence of interests here. I think the UK is probably doing all it can, both on the humanitarian and development fronts, but I think making calls to other capitals across Europe is going to be something that is really vital over the next two weeks to generate more interest.

“There are about 515,000 children who are at risk of starvation right now, so step up, Netherlands; step up, Denmark. You have got to show some solidarity now and it is in your interests to do so.”

A recent report published by the international organisation for migration (IOM) revealed that in 2016, Nigeria was the third largest source of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

The UN had in December 2016 urged global donors to pool $1.5bn (£1.2bn) for the crisis in the Lake Chad region, including $1.05bn for Nigeria.

Only 53% of the requested amount had been received as at January, the report says.

No Parliamentary Approval, No Brexit- Supreme Court Rules

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It was a massive victory for Gina Miller as the Supreme Court has given a ruling giving the Parliament the right to approve the start of Brexit.

Addressing journalists outside court after the judgment, Gina Miller thanked her supporters for the steadfastness.

“In Britain, we are lucky – we are fortunate to have the ability to voice legitimate concerns and views as part of a shared society” she said.

“I have therefore been shocked at the levels of personal abuse that I have received from many quarters over the last seven months for simply bringing and asking a legitimate question.”

“I sincerely hope that going forward people who stand in positions of power and profile are much quicker in condemning those who cross the lines of common decency and mutual respect.”

The UK Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May must get parliament’s nod  before the commencement of Britain’s formal exit from the European Union based on Gina Miller’s stance. In doing so, she became a target for nationalists who claimed it was intended to stop Brexit.

“There is no doubt that Brexit is the most divisive issue of a generation, but this case was about the legal process, not politics” Miller said Tuesday.

She said the ruling went “to the very heart of our constitution”, confirming that “only parliament can grant rights to the British people and only parliament can take them away”.

The government is now expected to bring forward emergency legislation authorising it to trigger Article 50–the EU mechanism starting Brexit negotiations–by the end of March.

 

Source:

http://ikengachronicles.com/no-parliamentary-approval-no-brexit-supreme-court-rules/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

China’s big spending football revolution poses no threat to Europe – Ancelotti

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China’s big spending football revolution poses little threat to Europe because the world’s top players want to play in the best competitions, Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti insisted on Tuesday.

The Italian, who has played for and managed some of Europe’s biggest clubs, said modern-day players still chased glory as much as cash.

“I think that the European clubs are safe because the best competition and the most competitive is Europe,” said Ancelotti.

His comments were made in Doha on the final day of Bayern Munich’s winter training camp before heading back to Germany.

Sharing the same facilities in Qatar this week are Shanghai SIPG, the Chinese club which has just bought Brazilian star Oscar from Chelsea for a reported $60 million euros ($63 million).

That jaw-dropping transfer — and the huge wages the Chinese are able to pay — has led to predictions that the hugely wealthy Chinese Super League can outbid Europe’s best in attracting players.

Among the other stars tempted to China in recent weeks have been much-travelled Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez, current Belgian international Axel Witsel, and another former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel.

Tevez, 32, will reportedly become the highest-paid player in the world with a two-year contract of 38 million euros per season at Shanghai Shenhua.

The world-beating deals are part of a Chinese rush into football with heavy political overtones.

China’s national team is ranked 82nd in the world — just below the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis — and are set to fail in their bid to get to the 2018 World Cup.

But President Xi Jinping has declared his hopes of the country one day hosting and winning a World Cup, prompting a flood of money into its top teams.

However, earlier this month, the Chinese authorities ordered a clampdown on the mega sums being shelled out on foreign football stars and warned against “irrational investment”.

Earlier this month, Bayern’s president Uli Hoeness told German media that the extravagant spending by Chinese clubs was “sick”.

He also compared it to the boom in American football in the 1970s when world-famous footballers such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best were tempted to play in the US by big-money contracts.

Buhari frowns at high illegal migration of Nigerians to Europe

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President Muhammadu Buhari has frowned at the high rate of illegal migration of Nigerian youths to European countries through the Mediterranean Sea.

Mr. Buhari made this known at the 32rd Annual Meeting of the Sahel and West Africa also to mark its week, organised by the Food Crisis Protection Network in Abuja on Monday.

The president, who was represented by Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, called for an immediate stop to the action by Nigerians, saying it was unfair to European countries.

He said that agriculture revitalisation was a solution to the migration issue, while expressing the readiness of his administration to support farmers in order to boost local production in the country.

“We are pained when we see our youth across West and North Eastern Africa in a desperate attempt to cross the desert; get to Libya and cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

“We consider it as something that must stop as fast as possible because it is unfair to Europe.”

Data from the European Union indicate that an average of 83 Nigerians crossed illegally from Nigeria to Europe, daily, via the Mediterranean in the first nine months of 2016.

The daily figure was extrapolated from the 22,500 illegal Nigerian migrants that the EU said crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe between January and September this year.

Nigeria, however, said it hopes to use agriculture to stem the tide of illegal migration.

“We think that if we reorganise our agriculture better, many of these youths will earn a decent living at home rather than become an embarrassment to their host countries and to us here in Africa,” the president said.

“We are not unmindful of our youths population here, hence the need to ensure that the agriculture sector is revitalised as soon as possible.

“We have decided that we will no longer rely on rainfall, we will create dams, water reservoirs and insist on harvesting food at least three times in a year,” he added.

On food crisis in the West African region, he described the threat as real, saying that urgent steps were necessary to address the challenge.

According to him, there are 800 million hectares of agricultural land across the world yet to be cultivated and Africa owns half of them.

The president, appealed to Sahel and West African agricultural stakeholder to devise ideas that would guarantee better management in cattle breeding through artificial insemination.

Mr. Buhari, however, said his administration was aggressively tackling humanitarian crisis of the Internally Displaced Persons by attending to issues of food and nutrition, especially for women and children in the North East.

Marcel De Souza, the President of ECOWAS Commission, said that no fewer than 4 million Nigerians were internally displaced as a result of the insecurity in the North eastern region.

He listed some of the developmental challenges of the Sahel and West African regions to include economic and political governance.

Mr. De Souza called on governments of the regions to invest toward addressing unemployment and food crisis, which he described as bane to development.

Kassoum Denon, the Malian Minister of Agriculture, appealed to various countries in the Sahel and West Africa to share ideas and success stories with a view to addressing food crisis in the regions.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Food Crisis Protection Network is an international network created in 1984 as part of regional system for the prevention of food crisis.

It brings together Sahelian and West African expertise of the humanitarian and development spheres by mobilising available resources for social protection, livelihoods, nutrition, agricultural development, natural resources management to benefit the most vulnerable populations.

It aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by 2030 in the regions.

Why Nigeria Banned Toxic Fuel From Europe

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When reports filtered in last September, that Swiss trading firms – Trafigura and Vitol – were exploiting weak regulations in Africa to import “dirty fuels” into Africa, including Nigeria, many dismissed it as impossible considering the many government agencies that are present at the ports.
But today, the story seems different as five countries in West Africa have decided to stop importing “dirty fuels” from Europe, the UN Environment Programme has said. Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have all agreed on the import ban.
Daily Sun had in September reported the findings by Swiss watchdog group, Public Eye, with the title, “Dirty Diesel’’ which had alleged that the Swiss trading firms are blending and dumping dirty fuel in Nigeria and other West African countries with more than 100 per cent toxic (sulphur) levels allowed in Europe, thereby causing health and environmental hazards.
Why the ban?
The UN says the move will help more than 250 million people breathe safer and cleaner air because the sulphur particles emitted by a diesel engine are considered to be a major contributor to air pollution and are ranked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the top global health risks associated with heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory problems.
Head of UNEP, Erik Solheim, hailed the import ban
In a statement, the UN Environment Programme said the five West African countries, in addition to banning the import of dirty fuels, have also agreed to upgrade the operations of their national refineries.
The upgrade, which will concern both public and privately owned refineries, is meant to boost standards in the oil produced in the five countries.
The report into Europe oil exports released in September particularly criticised the Swiss for their links to the African trade in diesel that has toxin levels illegal in Europe.
“West Africa is sending a strong message that it is no longer accepting dirty fuels from Europe. Their decision to set strict new standards for cleaner, safer fuels and advanced vehicle emission standards shows they are placing the health of their people first,” he added.
FG speaks
Despite the denial by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in September, that it was impossible to have toxic fuel in circulation in Nigeria, the commitment of the Federal Government to ban the toxic fuel from entering the country has proved critics, including DPR, wrong.
Deputy Director, Public Affairs in DPR, Dorothy Bassey, had told Daily Sun in a telephone interview that there was no cause for alarm as all petroleum products are tested before entering the shores of the country. According to her, any product or products that fail the specification test are sent back to the country of origin.
“But if by error of omission or commission any product(s) that fall short of the required specification find their way into the country, the importer of such products will be severely sanctioned,’’ she said. But Nigerians are yet to see such sanctions on the Swiss importers.
But Environment Minister, Amina Mohamed, said: “For 20 years, Nigeria has not been able to address the vehicle pollution crisis due to the poor fuels we have been importing. Today, we are taking a huge leap forward – limiting sulphur in fuels from 3,000 parts per million to 50 parts per million.”
She said the move would result in major air quality benefits in Nigerian cities and would allow the country to set modern vehicle standards.
The WHO says that pollution is particularly bad in low and middle-income countries.

Read More:

http://sunnewsonline.com/why-nigeria-banned-toxic-fuel-from-europe/

One in seven with HIV in Europe unaware of infection

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One in seven people with HIV in Europe is unaware of their infection, the EU and World Health Organization reported Tuesday as 2015 marked another record year for new HIV cases in the region.

“HIV/AIDS continues to be a serious problem in Europe… The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) estimate that one in seven people living with HIV are unaware of their status is particularly worrying,” EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said in the report released ahead of World AIDS Day on Thursday.

“People who do not know they are infected cannot benefit from life-saving treatment, and can continue to transmit the virus to others,” he noted.

The ECDC figure is based on data from the 28 EU nations plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Almost half of cases in those countries — 47 percent — are diagnosed at a late stage of infection, the ECDC said, estimating that on average it takes almost four years before an HIV infection is diagnosed and reported.

Sex between men remains the main reported HIV transmission mode in those 31 countries, accounting for 42 percent of diagnoses. Men who have sex with men is the only group that has seen a steady increase in infections over the years, the report said.

Heterosexual sex accounts for 32 percent of diagnoses, followed by drug use at four percent.

High rates of infection

Meanwhile, Europe registered its highest number of new HIV cases in a single year in 2015, at 153,407 cases, up from 142,000 in 2014, the WHO said.

The 2014 figures were also a record number, driven by cases in Russia and immigrants who acquired the virus after arrival.

The WHO regional office for Europe has a different definition of Europe and compiles data from 53 countries.

Almost 80 percent of the 2015 cases it tallied were reported in eastern Europe, 18 percent in western Europe and three percent in central Europe.

Russia, where HIV remains a largely taboo subject, accounted for 64 percent of all newly diagnosed infections in the WHO’s European region, and 81 percent of cases in eastern Europe.

There, heterosexual sex is the main route of transmission of the virus which is spread through contact with contaminated body fluids.

Other countries with high rates of new infections last year were Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Moldova, Latvia and Georgia.

“Despite significant efforts, HIV remains among the main public health concerns in the WHO European region, in particular in its eastern part,” the WHO regional director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab, said.

She urged member countries to implement a new action plan they endorsed in September, including improving access to HIV testing and prevention methods, to reverse the HIV epidemic.

Facebook stops collecting WhatsApp user data in Europe after govt pressure

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Facebook has stopped collecting WhatsApp user data across Europe, the Financial Times reports, bowing to pressure from privacy watchdogs across the continent.

 

The shift in policy means that European users of the messaging app will no longer have information — including phone numbers — relayed to Facebook, but the social network says it may only be a temporary suspension while the laws are debated.

 

“We hope to continue our detailed conversations with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office and other data protection officials,” Facebook says, confirming that it “remain[s] open to working collaboratively to address their questions.”

 

Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, but only started to collect data from its users in August this year.

 

That move drew criticism from Europe’s data collection authorities, 28 of whom signed an open letter sent last month in which they urged WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum to suspend data collection until the legality was worked out.

 

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s office — Facebook’s European regulatory body — confirmed to the Financial Times that Facebook had indeed suspended European data collection last week.

 

The company had already been ordered to halt the practice in Germany: German authorities ruled that the collection of app data constituted “an infringement of national data protection law,” and also demanded that Facebook delete all data that had already been obtained on the country’s 35 million WhatsApp users.

 

Other countries, including the UK, France, and Italy, have their own ongoing investigations into Facebook’s data collection.

Nigeria Customs To Export Farm Produce To Europe

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The Nigeria Custom Service says it will begin to export farm produce to Europe from some Northern States.

The Comptroller in charge of Kano and Jigawa States, Abutu Mathias, made this known on Thursday during the quarterly stakeholders’ forum in Kano.

Mr. Mathias said that the aim was to complement the efforts of the Federal Government towards boosting the non-oil sector to revive the nation’s economy.

He said that the process was set to begin during the November and December harvest of 2016.

The officer revealed that some of the produce to be exported are sesame and gum arabic grains among other types of exportable grains.

The comptroller appealed to all agencies involved to give the effort a maximum cooperation to achieve the desired goals.

On the achievements recorded by the command this year, Mr. Mathias noted that the revenues collected so far in every month of this year exceeded the revenues generated in the corresponding months of the year 2015.

He expressed optimism that the command would maintain the tempo in order to meet up with the 2016 target.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Kano and Jigawa states command of the Nigeria Custom Service, had conducted its quarterly stakeholders’ forum in Kano where vital issues were discussed to improve the services of the NCS.

Credit: NAN

EU Set To Send Nigerian Migrants Home.

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The European Union (EU) and Nigeria will start formal talks in Abuja this week

– The talks will centre on a deal to send Nigerian migrants in Europe back home
– It is part of the EU’s latest move to stem the exodus of Africans to Europe

A report by Financial times have revealed that a delegation of 15 EU officials will arrive Nigerian capital, Abuja this week to discuss plans to direct private European money to infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama is expected to lead the talks from the Nigerian side.

This is part of a longer term goal to raise up to 60billion euros of private funds to stem migration from nations including Nigeria.

Diplomats quoted in the report say the move is aimed at addressing not only the ramifications of migration in Europe, but also dealing with the root causes of migration especially from Africa.

The EU has already outlined plans to retarget about 8billion euros during the next four years to help countries with large numbers of would-be migrants.

Hollande warns Britain must pay the price for Brexit

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French President Francois Hollande has sent one of the strongest warnings yet that Britain will have to pay a heavy price for leaving the European Union, adding to deep concern in financial markets.

He called for “firmness” by the EU powers in Brexit negotiations to avoid the risk that other countries might seek to follow Britain’s lead and leave the bloc.

The comments added to jitters on financial markets, where the pound Friday morning suffered its biggest drop since Britain voted in a June referendum to leave the EU.

“There must be a threat, there must be a risk, there must be a price, otherwise we will be in negotiations that will not end well and, inevitably, will have economic and human consequences,” he said in a speech Thursday evening.

“Britain has decided on a Brexit, I believe even a hard Brexit. Well, we must go all the way with Britain’s will to leave the European Union.

“We have to have this firmness” otherwise “the principles of the European Union will be questioned” and “other countries or other parties will be minded to leave the European Union in order to have the supposed benefits and no downsides or rules.”

Hollande made the speech to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Institut Jacques Delors, a think tank founded by the former president of the European Commission.

He said Delors “had also faced crises provoked by the United Kingdom”, noting that the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s obtained a rebate on its EU contributions worth billions of pounds every year.

Thatcher “wanted to remain in Europe, but receive a cheque in return,” he said.

“Today, Britain wants to leave, but does not want to pay anything. That is not possible”.

British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Sunday that her government will trigger Brexit negotiations by the end of March, putting the country on course to leave the European Union by early 2019.

European powers keen to dampen rising euroscepticism in their own backyards have taken a hard line with Britain, warning that informal negotiations cannot start before the two-year notification process is triggered.

May’s government and party is divided over whether to go for a “hard” or “soft” withdrawal from the EU.

“Hard” Brexit would mean quickly severing all links with EU institutions and pulling out of the single market, relying instead on World Trade Organization rules to trade overseas.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino Wants 48-Team World Cup Tournament

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Fifa president Gianni Infantino has proposed expanding the World Cup finals to a 48-team tournament – a larger number than his election promise.

The Italian suggested 16 of those teams would be eliminated after one knockout match – before the group stages.

The rest of the tournament would be the same as it is now, with 32 teams competing in group stages followed by knockout rounds.

One of his election promises was to expand the finals to 40 teams.

Infantino said a decision would be taken by the governing body’s council in January.

“These are ideas to find the best solution, we will debate them this month and we will decide everything by 2017,” said the 46-year-old.

“They are ideas which we put forward to see which one is the best.”

Infantino took charge of football’s world governing body in February after the disgraced Sepp Blatter resigned.

Under his proposal, a preliminary knockout round in the host country would involve 32 teams with the winners reaching the groups, while a further 16 seeded teams would get a bye to that stage.

“It means we continue with a normal World Cup for 32 teams, but 48 teams go to the party,” he added.

“Fifa’s idea is to develop football in the whole world, and the World Cup is the biggest event there is. It’s more than a competition, it’s a social event.”

Nigerian Refugees ‘Brainwashed’ By Boko Haram To Become Suicide Bombers Head For Europe- Report

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Thousands of Nigerian refugees indoctrinated in Boko Haram camps are heading to Europe’s shores as a famine intensifies, security sources have warned.

Five children are dying an hour with 250,000 at risk of starvation while parliament remains hamstrung in a political wrangle.

Despite being Africa’s oil-rich country Nigeria’s civil war with Islamic terrorists has left the north-east Borno region devastated with three million refugees.

Britain has committed to spending £860 million in foreign aid to Nigeria, which now boasts Africa’s largest economy, to help support the country’s efforts to crush Boko Haram terror group, which has been responsible for a spate of outrages, including the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls.

But intelligence sources report human traffickers from the ISIS-backed terror group are transporting girls and young men across the Sahara into Libya.

Some trained suicide bombers and militants are heading for Europe while others are travelling to fight for Islamic State in Syria.

‘They will soon start showing up on the Mediterranean’s shores,’ a source linked to Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency said.

‘Some of these people are trained suicide bombers and fighters, including children as young as ten. They have all been indoctrinated by Boko Haram and they could soon turn up in Europe’s capitals.’

Meanwhile Nigeria’s parliament is struggling to pass legislation as President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration presses ‘politically motivated’ charges against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

Read More: DailyMail

Brexit: Britain Leaving EU, Must Not Turn Our Back On Europe– Cameron

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EU leaders attempted to rescue the European project and Prime Minister David Cameron sought to calm fears over Britain’s vote to leave the bloc as the country lost its prized top-category credit rating.

Britain has been pitched into uncertainty by Thursday’s referendum result, with Cameron announcing his resignation, the economy facing a string of shocks and Scotland making a fresh threat to break away.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who flew to Brussels and London for talks on the crisis, said there was also “a genuine fear of contagion” and the leaders of Germany, France and Italy vowed a “new impulse” for the EU at talks in Berlin.

While Cameron does not want to trigger the process to leave before he steps down by September, he is facing pressure from other EU leaders to hurry the process up ahead of a flashpoint Brussels summit Tuesday.

But he is also facing pressure at home from those who opposed leaving the EU not to rush into a swift settlement. Nearly four million people have now signed a petition calling for a second referendum on EU membership.

In his first appearance before a sombre House of Commons since the referendum, Cameron told lawmakers he wanted to retain the “strongest possible economic links with our European leaders”.

“Britain is leaving the European Union, but we must not turn our back on Europe — or on the rest of the world,” he added. He also announced the creation of a new government unit that will plan Britain’s withdrawal from the EU — a first for a European Union member state.

Credit: Vanguard

 

Nigerians In UK, Europe Express Disappointment With Referendum Result

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A cross section of Nigerians in Europe on Friday expressed disappointment over the decision of the UK in a referendum to leave the European Union.

Results released early on Friday by UK authorities indicated that 17, 410,742 Britons voted to leave EU, while 16,141,241 others voted to remain.

The Leave campaigners won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent with England and Wales voting strongly for Brexit, while London, Scotland and Northern Ireland backed staying in the EU.

In telephone interviews with the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria some Nigerians described the outcome of the referendum as a catastrophe for ethnic minorities in Europe.

Mr Raymond Aste, a lawyer and political analyst in London, said those who voted in favour of Brexit (Britain Exit) did so emotionally in line with their individual opinion on what a Leave EU vote meant.

Aste said, “I can understand concerns by the white supremacist to stem the flow of immigrants into their country.

“But for the immigrant communities, it beats me as to how they considered voting to leave the EU.

“This has a long implication economically, legally and many others.”

Similarly, Dr John Duniya, who resides in Scotland, said the Leave EU outcome meant ethnic minorities would not have protection of EU laws, especially on human rights issues.

“Being under the EU meant we had some kind of protection under certain laws but with this development the UK will be in full control of its system without interference from the EU.

“Secondly, the argument put forward by the Leave campaigners on immigration control and better welfare for commonwealth citizens is just a deceit.

“I bet you, their idea of commonwealth means Australia and Canada, not Nigeria, Ghana , India and Pakistan.

In the same vein, Mrs Yetunde Olivier, a member of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, France, said “this is bad for Europe.

“Britain should have pushed for renegotiation in areas it is not comfortable with rather than seek for exit.

“This is not only about immigration, it is about trade, currency, law and, above all, supremacy.

“I hope at the long run Nigerians and others would not be kicked out of the UK,” she stressed.

Some Nigerians, who spoke to NAN from Switzerland, stressed the need for Nigerians in diaspora to start considering going back home.

Mr Uche Obiano, a systems analyst, said “all this fear about uncertainty in the UK can be addressed if we start considering going back to our fatherland.

Obiano said, “If Europeans developed Europe themselves we can also go back home and contribute to nation building.

“The so-called opportunities ethnic minorities in the UK think they will benefit from after Brexit are not jobs their people want.

“Britons do not do cleaning, care-giving or security jobs, these can be very tasking and degrading but at the same time immigrants are seeking these jobs for survival.

“My opinion is that if you find life tough abroad then go back home and hustle.”

Similarly, politicians from France, Germany, Belgium, among others have expressed concern over the EU’s economy and future without Britain.

Some anti- immigration politicians in Europe have lauded the move and recommended the same step for their countries.

Credit: Punch

I Want A New Life In Europe, Says Ex-wife Of Terror Leader

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Born in Iraq to an upper-middle-class conservative family, Dulaimi was married off to Baghdadi. He was not a bloodthirsty terrorist back then, she claims. “I married a normal person, a university lecturer,” she said. “He was a family man.” She wasn’t his only bride; she had to share him with another wife. “He went to work and came home to his family,” Dulaimi said.

“He was great. He was the children’s ideal father. The way he was with children … he was a teacher — you know how teachers are. He knew how to deal with children, better than how to deal with the mother.” But the two did not talk much like others couples do. The reason? He had a “mysterious personality,” Dulaimi answered. And it was difficult being the second wife. “It’s hard for two wives to live together,” she said. Their union, she said, ended seven years ago.

Dulaimi said she ran away from Baghdadi after she became pregnant. She wouldn’t say exactly why, but explained, “I wasn’t happy.” She told Expressen TV that she did not love him. “The fact that I got out is proof of that,” she said.

He tried to get her back several times. “But I’d already made my mind up,” she said. They last spoke in 2009, Dulaimi said, when Baghdadi again tried to get her back. She didn’t tell him that she bore him a daughter. But he found out a while later, she said. “He said he’d take her when I remarry,” Dulaimi said.

Dulaimi is worried for her daughter’s safety. “I’m scared of everyone; that’s what’s happened,” she said. She is very concerned for the girl, who says she hopes to get an education abroad. “She’s the one who now … suffers,” her mother said.

“She has the entire world’s disaster upon her shoulders.” Now the young mother dreams of a life with her daughter in Europe. She wants the girl to go to school. It will be a better and safer life, she believes. “I want to live in a European country, not an Arab country,” she said.

“I want my children to live and get an education.”

“Even if her mother was married to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a terrorist … what is the child guilty of there?” Dulaimi said it makes her sad to think she will always be thought of as Baghdadi’s ex-wife. “I’m branded a terrorist, but I’m far from all that,” she said. Europeans should accept her, regardless of her past relationship with Baghdadi, she said. “No bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden.

“I mean, where is my guilt if I was married to him in 2008? We’re divorced now. I was the one who left him, not the other way around.”

“I’m a woman who’s been through a lot and had to suffer in prison,” said Dulaimi, who was arrested in Lebanon in December 2014 as she was trying to enter the country from Syria. “Now I want to settle down,” she said. “If I’d wanted to live with him, I’d have lived like a princess,” she said.

“I could have moved in with them and had loads of money. But I don’t want money.” She wants something more. “I want to live in freedom, [to] live like everyone else.”

Credit: Vanguard

 

 

Libya Coast Guard Foil Attempt To Traffic 127 Illegal African Migrants To Europe

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The General Staff Coast Guard, in cooperation with Zuwara Security Chamber on Tuesday, March 15, foiled an attempt to sail an inflatable boat filled with 127 illegal African immigrants of different nationalities from the Libyan coast, Sabratha beach, to Europe. The Coast Guard staff acting on intelligence coming from the operations apparatus of the Coast Guard and the ports security department in Zuwara, managed to intercept the boat at 10 miles to the northeast of Zuwara city.

The immigrants and the boat were taken to the port where they given medical check up by the
Libyan Red Crescent, Zuwara branch. They were later sent to the Passports Investigation Center.

Obama Places $5m Bounty On Head Of Key ISIS Terrorist In Charge Of Drafting Recruits From The US And Europe

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The US president has placed a $5million bounty on the head of a key Islamic State terrorist in charge of mobilizing foreign fighters in Syria. The man’s name is Abu-Muhammad al-Shimali and last night, the US government announced the reward for information leading to the location or identification of the terrorist also known as Tirad al-Jarba.

 

He’s a senior leader of ISIS and heads the moving of foreign fighters into Syria and processing the group’s new recruits there. He’s said to be the leader of ISIS immigration and logistics committee, responsible for moving foreign terrorist fighters primarily through Gaziantep, Turkey to Jarabulus, Syria, a border town the group controls.

Ozil: I’m Not Worth €50 Million, No One Is

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The Arsenal attacker suggested football could lose its credibility with the massive sums of money paid to and for players around Europe

Mesut Ozil has admitted he does not feel he was worth the fee Arsenal paid to sign him from Real Madrid.

The Germany international joined the Gunners for €50 million (£42.5m) in the summer of 2013 and came under scrutiny for inconsistency in his first two seasons.

And Ozil has insisted that the price-tag was excessive, as he believes no footballer is worth such a sum.

“Nobody in the world is worth €50 million,” he told Express.

“We must be careful in football that we do not lose the grip of our credibility.”

Arsenal have been drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Ozil feels they are coming up against a side capable of winning the trophy this term.

“Bayern are one of the strongest teams in the world and they can beat just about any opponent,” he added.

“Some other teams will have a say in it, but why can’t Bayern win the competition? They are in a narrow circle of favourites.

U.S. Envoy Says Islamic State Can Become Global Menace

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A senior U.S. envoy said on Wednesday that the growth of the Islamic State (IS) militant group had global implications and could “wreak havoc on the progress of humanity” if unchecked.

Retired Gen. John Allen, appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to build a coalition against IS said this when he addressed a conference.
He said the group was not merely an Iraqi problem or a Syrian problem but “a regional problem trending towards global implications”.

“The group has lost about a quarter of the populated areas it once held in Iraq, but countering its ideology might take a generation or more,” he told the Brookings Institution’s U.S.-Islamic World Forum.

Last month, the Iraqi government had its worst military setback in nearly a year when IS seized Ramadi from a weakened Iraqi army.
Ramadi is the capital of the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim province of Anbar is 90 km, west of Baghdad.

Since then, government troops and allied Shi’ite Muslim militia have been building up positions around Ramadi.
Many Iraqi Sunnis dislike the ultra-hardline Islamic State but also fear the Shi’ite militias after years of sectarian strife.

Allen said there was no future for Iraq without Sunni support and stressed the need for the government to control the Shi’ite militias, some of whom have links to Iran.

“We said many times that it is critical that all forces in the battle field must be under the command and control of the government of Iraq for the counter-ISIL operation to be successful,” he added.

Washington remained “very attentive and concerned about extremist militia elements frequently influenced by Iranian leadership, where Iran may play a significant role in their presence,” he said.

He also said Turkey’s borders with Syria and Iraq were the “last line of defense” against foreign fighters coming into the conflict, adding that other countries also needed to help stop the influx.

“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should have no place in a solution to Syria’s war, he said, repeating Washington’s stance on efforts to end the fighting. (Reuters/NAN)

There Is Tremendous Support For You Internationally, Tony Blair Tells Buhari

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Visiting former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, yesterday assured President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) of the support of the major democracies of the world, especially Britain to enable him succeed.

Blair gave the assurance during his congratulatory visit to Buhari in Abuja.

Speaking to journalists after a closed door meeting, the former PM hailed the credibility and the tranquillity that defined the last general elections, saying Nigeria and her people had earned the respect of the international community.TONY-Buhari

He expressed confidence in the incoming government of Buhari, saying it was determined to achieve
its set objectives.

He said: “In the last few weeks, Nigeria has earned respect through out the whole world. There is enormous support for Nigeria now in the international community. The support takes into consideration the challenges that lie ahead and there is great confidence in the country.

“This is an election which took place in a way which the country showed the majority of democracies the spirit and character of its people and in the President-elect and Vice President-elect.

“It is a leadership that I know is determined to do its best for the country. Obviously, the future and destiny of Nigeria lies in the hand of its people.

“I just want to say to the President-elect that there is tremendous support for you and the country at this moment and all of us. In what ever way we can stand ready to support you and help you. It is a moment of great challenges which bother on the life of the people as well as their security and so on.

“If the same spirit and character that defined the election can be taken through these coming years to address the challenges, I think we can all have great confidence in the times ahead.

“Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to see you again here in Nigeria and wish you and your team the best in the times head”.

Also speaking, the president-elect, told journalists of what transpired behind the closed doors.

He said: “We had a meeting and discussed how Britain and the United States were helping us in making sure that we conducted ourselves according to our constitution. The fact that it has been so successful is a major relief for us and to all people of conscience throughout the world.

“I thank the former British Prime Minister for his concern for Nigeria and Nigerians, in what he is prepared to do by continuing to help us as a country and as a people.”

Beyonce and Jay Z Planning to Conceive Second Child in Europe

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Beyonce and Jay Z will reportedly try to have another baby while spending a leap year in Paris.

The celebrity couple was spotted looking for housing in the City of Lights earlier is this year, and sources told Dailystar they plan to conceive another child, during their time abroad.

”Jay and Bey have been spending a lot of time in Paris lately and they adore France. They’re hoping to conceive their second child out there. And taking a year out will allow Beyonce to have a quiet, stress-free pregnancy,” an insider told the publication.

The couple is already parents to 2-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, and where seen with her while touring Paris’s The Louvre in October.

According to the source, both Beyonce and Jay Z “adore the laid-back lifestyle and culture” of France and plan to “put music on the back-burner” next year to just “enjoy” the country.

“They want to have some time doing very little, enjoying Blue Ivy and chilling out,” said the source. “They are hoping she will pick up the lingo too. And of course it will be great for their French.”

The reports about Beyonce and Jay Z’s possible move come after months of speculation that the singers were headed for a divorce and follows reports that they renewed their vows in October.

Credit: www.upi.com

Libyan Migrants’ Boat En route to Europe Sinks

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Libyan navy reports that many migrants have drowned on their way to Europe after their boat sank off Libya.

Navy spokesman Ayub Qassem said 26 people had been rescued after the vessel – which carried 250 – went down near Tajoura, east of Tripoli. He adds that, “there are so many dead bodies floating in the sea” and that most of the migrants were Africans and many were women.