Tag Archives: BRITAIN

23 Nigerians deported from Britain arrive Lagos

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The Government of the United Kingdom has deported 23 Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 6.a.m on Friday.

The deportees,who are all males, were brought back in a chartered aircraft. DSP Joseph Alabi, the Spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development to NAN.

The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Police.

Also on ground to receive them were officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and given stipends to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.The Italian Government on March 8, deported 37 Nigerians from the country for similar reasons.

 

Source: NAN

Finally, UK Begins Exit Process From European Union.

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The United Kingdom has formally begun the country’s departure from the European Union.

The country’s permanent representative to the European Union, Sir Tim Barrow has handed a letter triggering Article 50 to the European Council President Donald Tusk.

This follows a June referendum which resulted in a vote to leave the EU.

Prime Minister Theresa May, an initial opponent of Brexit, who won the top job in the political turmoil that followed the referendum vote, now has two years to settle the terms of the exit before it comes into effect in late March 2019.

 

Source: Channels TV

Like the US, Britain is set to ban passengers from carrying laptops, tablets on flights

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Britain on Tuesday said that it is set to ban passengers from carrying most electronic devices on flights from certain countries in the Middle East.

This it said followed similar measures that were introduced in the U.S.

The U.S. imposed restrictions on electronic devices bigger than cellphones on planes coming from 10 airports in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.

According to security sources, the details of the British ban, which might differ from the U.S. measures, would possibly be confirmed later on Tuesday.

The British government had no immediate comment as at the time of this report.

In a related development, EgyptAir said it received instructions from U.S. transport authorities imposing restrictions on electronic devices carried by incoming travelers and will bring them into effect on March 24.

A spokesperson said: “Based on the instructions coming from transport authorities in the U. S. regarding placing electronic devices in the hold beneath the plane and not the cabin, EgyptAir will implement this decision on all travelers heading to the U.S. as of Friday, March 24.”

The devices include laptops, tablets, cameras, E-readers, portable DVD players, electronic games units, travel printers, and scanners from cabin luggage on certain flights originating from eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

The biggest carrier in the Middle East, Emirates Airline, from Dubai, said in an e-mailed statement the directive comes into effect on March 25, and is valid until October 14.

The new rule, which took effect on Tuesday, applies to nonstop U.S.-bound flights from 10 international airports in the cities of Cairo in Egypt, Amman in Jordan, Kuwait City in Kuwait.

Others are Casablanca in Morocco, Doha in Qatar, Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Istanbul in Turkey, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

 

Source: Reuters/NAN

Britain to trigger Brexit March 29

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Britain will formally begin Brexit by triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty on March 29, officials said on Monday, nine months after Britain voted to leave the European Union.

“We want the negotiations to start promptly,” Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman told reporters.

Britain’s envoy to Brussels Tim Barrow “has this morning informed the office of European Council President Donald Tusk of the UK’s intention to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on March 29,” the Brexit ministry said in a statement.

“Next Wednesday, the government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50,” he said.

“We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation.”

Britain voted by a 52 percent majority to leave the European Union — the first member state ever to do so.

The divorce process under Article 50 gives a two-year framework for negotiations.

May has said she wants to leave the European single market in order to be able to control immigration.

The European Commission is expected to provide an initial answer to Britain’s Article 50 notification within 48 hours but negotiations are not expected to start for several weeks or even months.

IPOB accuses Britain of using Nigerian government to suppress quest for Biafra.

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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused Britain of orchestrating the Nigerian government’s suppression of Biafra.

IPOB said it was hypocritical of the British government to be against the quest for Biafra when it allowed Scotland conduct a referendum.

In a statement released on Wednesday by Emma Mezu and Clifford Iroanya, IPOB said the “restoration of Biafra” is unstoppable and as such, the British government is wasting its time.

“It is hypocritical of the British government to support Nigerian government in violently suppressing the quest for Biafra self-determination when the same British government opted out of European Union. This same British government allowed Scotland to conduct referendum without using B52 bombers to bomb the Scottish people,” read the statement.

“Why is it that the British government is so livid when it comes to the right of self-determination of the Biafran people? The most laughable aspect of British government‘s objection to Biafra exit from Nigeria is the lame excuse of believing in the territorial integrity of pre-independence Nigeria.

“But Nigeria’s territorial integrity is not the same from independence till date because the world is aware that a section of Nigeria called Bakassi had been ceded to the Cameroons, even though the Nigerian Constitution was not adjusted to exclude that ceded section.

“Also, the British government tried everything to resist the phasing-out of colonialism, but its resistance came to naught because colonialism was defeated even though the British played a trick on the world by giving the impression that Nigeria is no longer colonized whereas, in practice, Nigeria is still controlled and pillaged by the British government.

“The latest gimmick of hiding behind Nigerian officials will not do any good to the British government because Biafrans can read in-between the lines to decipher when the British government is speaking through these Nigerian government officials.

“We will like to advise the Nigerian government officials being used by Britain that they are wasting their time because the restoration of the nation of Biafra is unstoppable and irreversible.

“One incontrovertible fact the British government and their Nigerian collaborators must bear in mind is that the civilized world had determined that self-determination is an inalienable right and there is nothing anybody can do about it. Biafra is a must, whether the purveyors of iniquity in the name of keeping Nigeria one, like it or not.”

 

Source: The Cable

The Observer: How Goodluck Jonathan rejected British offer to rescue Chibok girls

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British armed forces offered to attempt to rescue nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, but were rebuffed by Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s president at the time, the Observer has learned.

In a mission named Operation Turus, the RAF conducted air reconnaissance over northern Nigeria for several months, following the kidnapping of 276 girls from the town of Chibok in April 2014. “The girls were located in the first few weeks of the RAF mission,” a source involved in Operation Turus told the Observer. “We offered to rescue them, but the Nigerian government declined.”

The girls were then tracked by the aircraft as they were dispersed into progressively smaller groups over the following months, the source added.

Chibok is located in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state. Today 195 of the girls are still missing. Those who have managed to escape from their kidnappers have told of a life of torture, enslavement, rape, and forced marriages in captivity.

Notes from meetings between UK and Nigerian officials, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, also suggest that Nigeria shunned international offers to rescue the girls. While Nigeria welcomed an aid package and assistance from the US, the UK and France in looking for the girls, it viewed any action to be taken against kidnapping as a “national issue”.

“Nigeria’s intelligence and military services must solve the ultimate problem,” said Jonathan in a meeting with the UK’s then Africa minister, Mark Simmonds, on 15 May 2014.

A document summarising a meeting in Abuja in September 2014 between Nigeria’s national security adviser and James Duddridge MP, former under-secretary of state at the Foreign Office, shows Operation Turus had advanced to the point where rescue options were being discussed. Minutes from a meeting the following month between Major-General James Chiswell and Jonathan hinted at the frustration felt by those trying to prompt some action from Nigeria.

“[President] Jonathan was still focused on ‘platforms’. General Chiswell said again we could offer advice on what equipment might make sense and how weapon systems might be best deployed,” the October 2014 document stated.

The Nigerian government did not respond to a request for comment. The Foreign Office said: “We wouldn’t comment on specific operational details, which are a matter for the Nigerian government and military.”

Jonathan has drawn criticism at home and abroad for a lack of action and perceived apathy over the kidnappings. The government was slow to mount any response in the weeks after the girls were taken. The governor of Borno, Kashim Shettima, also publicly criticised Jonathan for failing to even call him or any other state official for 19 days after the kidnappings. Jonathan also hit out at the worldwide #BringBackOurGirls campaign, branding it a “manipulation” of the victims of the attack.

Boko Haram had raided the dormitories of the government secondary school at Chibok. The girls staying there had braved warnings of an attack to sit their final examinations. Boko Haram looted the school and then burned it to the ground. The kidnappings also blighted the lives of the girls from the town who were not taken away, as many have been too scared to continue their education.

In addition to Nigeria, Boko Haram is active in regions of Cameroon, Chad and Niger. According to Unicef, more than 1.3 million children have now been displaced. Some of those taken by Boko Haram have been forced to become child soldiers: one in five suicide bombers in Nigeria are believed to be children, and three-quarters of those are girls.

 

Source: The Guardian

 

British government reject calls to prevent Trump from meeting the Queen

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The British government on Tuesday rejected a petition which argued that receiving President Donald Trump as a guest would embarrass the Queen.

The British foreign office recommended that Trump “should be extended the full courtesy of a state visit’’, but lawmakers are to debate the petition on February 20.

The petitioners suggested that Trump should be allowed to enter Britain as the head of the US government, but should not be invited for a state visit, which would involve a reception by Queen Elizabeth II.

Those behind the petition were able to garner 1.8 million signatures.

“Donald Trump’s well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales,’’ the petition read.

The British parliament is planning to debate the petition alongside a counter-petition set up a few days later, which argued that Trump should indeed make a state visit to Britain.

British parliament says Trump is the leader of a free world and the UK is a country that supports free speech and does not believe people opposed to its point of view should be gagged.

The government is obliged to respond to any petition which is signed over 10,000 times.

Report say the date of Trump’s first visit to Britain as president has not yet been finalised.

British govt rejects call to ban Trump from meeting the Queen

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The British Government on Tuesday rejected a petition which argued that receiving the new president as a guest would embarrass the Queen.

The British foreign office recommended President Trump “should be extended the full courtesy of a state visit’’, but lawmakers are still to debate the petition in parliament on Feb. 20.

The petition, which stated that Trump should be allowed to enter Britain as the Head of the U.S. Government, but should not be invited for a state visit, which would involve a reception by Queen Elizabeth II, garnered 1.8 million signatures.
“Donald Trump’s well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales,’’ the petition read.

The British parliament is planning to debate the petition on Feb. 20, alongside a counter-petition set up a few days later which argued that Trump should indeed make a state visit to Britain.
According to the British parliament, he is the leader of a free world and the UK is a country that supports free speech and does not believe people opposed to its point of view should be gagged.

The government is obliged to respond to any petition which is signed over 10,000 times. Report say the date of Trump’s first visit to Britain as president has not yet been finalised.

British PM must get parliament approval to trigger Brexit – Supreme Court

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The UK Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May must get parliament’s approval before she begins Britain’s formal exit from the European Union, EU.

 

The UK’s highest judicial body dismissed the government’s argument that Ms. May could simply use executive powers known as “royal prerogative” to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty and begin two years of divorce talks.

 

However, the court rejected arguments that the UK’s devolved assemblies in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales should give their assent before Article 50 is invoked.

 

“The referendum is of great political significance, but the Act of Parliament which established it did not say what should happen as a result,” said David Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court which ruled by eight to three against the government.

 

“So any change in the law to give effect to the referendum must be made in the only way permitted by the UK constitution, namely by an Act of Parliament.”

 

Ms. May has repeatedly said she would trigger Article 50 before the end of March but she will now have to seek the consent of lawmakers first, potentially meaning her plans could be amended or delayed, although the main opposition Labour Party has said it would not slow her timetable.

 

Last week Ms. May set out her stall for negotiations, promising a clean break with the world’s largest trading block as part of a 12-point plan to focus on global free trade deals, setting out a course for a so-called “hard Brexit”.

 

Source: Reuters

British ex-PMs raise possibility of new Brexit vote.

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Former British prime minister John Major believes there is a “credible case” for a second referendum on Brexit, a newspaper reported Friday, after his successor Tony Blair suggested the process could be stopped.

Major, a former leader of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party, warned against the “tyranny of the majority” in implementing the June vote to leave the European Union, in which 52 percent opted for Brexit.

“I hear the argument that the 48 percent of people who voted to stay should have no say in what happens. I find that very difficult to accept,” he told a dinner this week, according to The Times newspaper.

“The tyranny of the majority has never applied in a democracy and it should not apply in this particular democracy.”

Asked if the public should be given another say on the terms of the withdrawal deal, Major reportedly said: “That is a matter for parliament. You can make a perfectly credible case for it.

“I don’t know whether that will happen. I think we need to see how things pan out before we decide exactly what needs to be done.”

He said he accepted Britain would not remain a full member of the EU but still hoped for a deal that would enable the country to stay as close as possible to the union and its single market.

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The comments by Major, who led Britain between 1990 and 1997, were published the day after his Labour successor suggested that Brexit could still be halted.

“It can be stopped if the British people decide that, having seen what it means, the pain-gain cost-benefit analysis doesn’t stack up,” Blair told the New Statesman magazine.

He added: “I’m not saying it will (be stopped), by the way, but it could. I’m just saying: until you see what it means, how do you know?”

Blair, a fervent pro-European who was prime minister from 1997 to 2007, said: “I think, in the end, it’s going to be about parliament and the country scrutinising the deal.”

May’s government intends to start formal exit talks with the EU by the end of March.

She has said parliament would likely vote on the final deal but is resisting calls to give lawmakers a say before the negotiations begin.

The Supreme Court is due next month to hear the government’s appeal against a lower court ruling that parliament must approve the triggering of Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which begins formal exit talks.

Donald Trump set to meet the Queen on state visit.

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The Queen is reportedly set to invite Donald Trump to Windsor Castle on an official state visit to the UK.

According to several newspapers, senior government officials are said to be drawing up plans for the visit as early as next year, as they ponder how to cement the “special relationship”.

The President-elect reportedly told Prime Minister Theresa May during a phone call last week that his late Scottish mother was a “big fan” of the Queen, according to the Sunday Times.

Mrs May could use the state visit to curry his favour, the newspaper added.

The move would also allow Mrs May to swat away claims that UKIP acting leader Nigel Farage has closer links to the tycoon, which have been dismissed by Downing Street.

A spokeswoman for No 10 said: “No visit has been organised but the Prime Minister is looking forward to welcoming the president-elect to the UK when he chooses to visit.”

Mrs May has been invited to visit Mr Trump at the earliest possible opportunity and she is expected to travel to the US after he is inaugurated on 20 January.

But a state visit by Mr Trump to the UK would allow her to roll out the red carpet and offer a meeting with the Queen.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “State visits and other meetings with overseas heads of state are organised on the advice of the Government.”

The reports came as Mrs May faced fresh calls to deliver what will be seen as a “hard Brexit” from a group of 60 Conservative MPs including prominent former cabinet ministers.

Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith, John Whittingdale and Theresa Villiers urged the PM to pull Britain out of the European single market and the customs union.

They claimed getting out of the single market free trade zone was crucial for the UK to become free of Brussels regulations.

Eleven Labour, DUP and UKIP MPs also reportedly backed the call.

A Government spokeswoman insisted there were “no binary choices” in the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU and that the Government would pursue a bespoke deal rather than an “off the shelf” solution.

She added: “That’s why the Government is painstakingly analysing the challenges and opportunities for all the different sectors of our economy.

“The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants UK companies to have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market – and to let European businesses do the same here.”

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.

EU Meets Without Britain For First Time Since Brexit Vote

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European Union leaders will Wednesday assess the damage from Britain’s decision to leave the bloc and try to prevent further disintegration, as they meet for the first time without a British representative.

And as the shockwaves reverberate around British politics, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is also expected in Brussels “utterly determined” to keep her pro-EU country in the club despite the Brexit vote.

Five days after Britain voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the bloc, unleashing turmoil on global financial markets, EU President Donald Tusk said he understood that time was needed “for the dust to settle” before the next steps can be taken.

However, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Britain did not have “months to meditate” and set a clear timetable for triggering Article 50 — the EU treaty clause that begins the two-year withdrawal process — after Cameron’s successor takes office in early September.

“If someone from the ‘Remain’ camp will become British PM, this has to be done in two weeks after his appointment,” he said. If they are from the Brexit camp, then it should be “the day after”.

And German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that London could not “cherry-pick” the terms of the exit negotiations.

Some in Brussels are concerned that giving Britain favourable divorce terms will spark a domino effect of others leaving the union, set up six decades ago to foster peace on the continent after World War II.

At a tense summit that finished late Tuesday, the 27 remaining EU members agreed to give Britain some breathing space, accepting that it needs time to absorb the shock of the Brexit vote before triggering Article 50 that will begin the formal divorce proceedings.

Credit: Guardian

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

 

Britain Is Most Corrupt Country On Earth, Says Mafia Expert, Roberto Saviano

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He has spent more than a decade exposing the murderous criminal underworld of the Italian Mafia, but journalist Roberto Saviano believes that Britain is the most corrupt country in the world.

The author of international bestsellers Gomorra and ZeroZeroZero,  has lived under police protection since publically denouncing members of the Camorra, a powerful Neopolitan  organised crime syndicate, in 2006.

On Saturday he made a rare historic appearance at the Hay Literary Festival flanked by several security guards.

He warned the audience in Hay-on-Wye that financial institutions were allowing ‘criminal capitalism’ to thrive through offshore holdings. And he warned that a vote to leave the European Union would leave Britain even more exposed to the organized crime.

“If I asked you what is the most corrupt place on Earth you might tell me well it’s Afghanistan, maybe Greece, Nigeria, the South of Italy and I will tell you it’s the UK,” he said.

“It’s not the bureaucracy, it’s not the police, it’s not the politics but what is corrupt is the financial capital. 90 per cent of the owners of capital in London have their headquarters offshore.

“Jersey and the Cayman’s are the access gates to criminal capital in Europe and the UK is the country that allows it. That is why it is important why it is so crucial for me to be here today and to talk to you because I want to tell you , this is about  you, this is about your life, this is about your government.

“Leaving the EU means allowing this to take place. It means allowing the Qatari societies, the Mexican cartels, the Russia Mafia to gain even more power and HSBC has paid £2 billion Euros in fines to the US government, because it confessed that it had laundered money coming from the cartels and the Iranian companies. We have proof, we have evidence.”

Credit: Telegraph

Britain To Support Cross River On Arts

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British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Paul Arkwright, on Sunday said his home government would partner Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) to develop creative art.

 

Arkwright, who stated this in Calabar after a facility visit to CRUTECH’s Craft Department, said thast the high embassy would get some British universities experienced in arts and crafts to partner the university.

 

He said, “I met two persons that are in CRUTECH that have won scholarship and have studied in the UK; so, that is already happening, when you talk about scholarship, they have benefited from that. But, we are ready to look at other partnerships which we can bring in British universities who got experience in the arts, who can partner CRUTECH and see what they can offer.

We have such range of opportunities here which we can explore. We will do our best; there are beautiful talents in CRUTECH. Let’s see what we can do to develop those talents.”

 

The high commissioner said that he was pleased with the willingness of its partners in the state in developing youths in entrepreneurship in partnership with the British Council.

 

“It is quite early but what we have seen is the willingness of our partners here. They include the governor, the private sector and the university through the British Council and a number of young artists and entrepreneurs. This is a very promising beginning,” he said.

 

He promised to return after a year to access those that had received training on event management and other entrepreneurship skills and see how they carried on with their own companies.

He said that the British High Commission would also look at the option of bringing investments from Britain to the state.

 

“Again, this is my first visit here so this is something that we need to consider. We are looking at British companies that might want to come and invest. I mentioned a couple to the governor. We have agreed that we will explore those opportunities.

Again there are also British companies that are already active here. We like more British companies to come here.

On infrastructure, we have relevant expertise and we want to apply those expertise in people here so they can partner the governor,’’ Arkwright said.

 

 

(NAN)

Why Buhari Must Visit France, Britain Tomorrow

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President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria will be seeking more global efforts against terrorism during his visit to France and Britain on Wednesday.

At his first stop in Strasbourg, France, President Buhari will on February 3 address a special session of the European Union Parliament to be attended by members of the executive and legislative arms of the Union.

Other issues that President Buhari would focus on in his address are violent extremism, corruption, Nigeria and Africa’s current security, economic and developmental challenges, and the need for greater support from the European Union and advanced nations for their rapid resolution.

A statement by a spokesman for the President, Femi Adesina, said that Buhari would also hold talks with the President of the European Parliament, Mr Martin Schulz and the President of the European Commission, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker on the same issues.

After talks with the EU officials, President Buhari will leave Strasbourg for London to join other world leaders at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference scheduled to open in the British capital on Thursday, February 4.

The President will use the opportunity of his participation in the conference which is being co-hosted by Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations to continue his push for more global understanding, collaboration and support for Nigeria and other countries in the frontlines of the war against terrorism who are striving to overcome its very adverse effects on affected populations.

He is due back in Nigeria at the weekend.

Credit: ChannelsTv

Petition To Ban Trump From Britain To Be Considered For Debate By Parliament

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More than 130,000 people had signed Wednesday a petition to ban US presidential hopeful Donald Trump from Britain following his call to bar Muslims from entering the United States. Having topped 100,000 signatures, the petition now has to be considered for debate by parliament and will require a written government response.

“The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK,” said the petition. The petition was part of a social media storm after Trump said that radicalisation meant there parts of London where the police feared for their lives.

Tweeting under the ironic hashtag #trumpfacts, web users mocked the blustering tycoon. One tweet had a picture of London’s telecom tower with the comment: “The world’s tallest minaret calls the whole nation to prayer in the UK”. Another carried an image of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a headscarf with the inscription: “Even the British monarch is now forced to wear a hijab”.

The anti-Trump petition was posted late Tuesday by Scottish resident Suzanne Kelly, a long-time critic of the 69-year-old. Six MPs have also signed a House of Commons motion calling on the government “to refuse a visa allowing Donald Trump to visit the UK until Mr Trump withdraws his comments”, saying they were “extremely divisive and will incite discrimination and hatred”.

Finance minister George Osborne told parliament that Trump’s comments “fly in the face of the founding principle of the United States”. He said democratic debate was “the best way to deal with Donald Trump and his views rather than trying to ban presidential candidates”. Another MP, Tulip Siddiq, said Trump’s remarks were “dangerous”.

“I would say to him you are not welcome in our country in the same way that you want to ban people like me going into your country,” she told BBC radio. “I don’t think we need someone poisonous like Donald Trump in our capital city,” the niece of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said.

Credit: Vanguard

Hours After Parliament Voted To Authorize Air Strikes, Britain Bombs ISIS Source Of Revenue

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British fighter jets today started bombing ISIS-controlled oil fields in Syria in a bid to disrupt the revenues which the jihadist group depends on to wage terror around the world, hours after Parliament voted to authorise air strikes in the country.

Seven precision-guided 500lb Paveway bombs have been dropped on the east of the country in two separate raids by Tornado jets flying out from RAF Akrotiri, in Cyprus, with the first mission setting off just 57 minutes after MPs voted in favour of military action.

The jets are pictured on the runway setting out, main image, and returning with bombs missing, inset. The MoD said that the raids appeared to be ‘successful’. This morning eight more jets, six Typhoons and two Tornados, flew out from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland to join the raids on Syria in response to a request from Britain’s allies.

Britain Trains 150 Nigerian Army Personnel

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The British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) has organized a five-day capacity training seminar for 150 Warrant Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers of the Nigerian Army.

The seminar is part of the collaborations between Nigeria and Britain in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east and other similar security challenges across the oil-rich nation.

The commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Major General Sani Muazu, made the disclosure on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, at the seminar held at the Armed Forces and Staff College, Jaji in Kaduna State on Tuesday.

The Army Chief said the BMATT had been assisting Nigeria in the capacity building of its military forces in the areas of tactics for over 35 years.

He explained that the seminar would focus on the operation development of the officers, with the aim of making the Nigerian Army a professional force.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Father Of British-Born Oregon Shooting Gunman Says He Is ‘As Shocked As Anyone

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The dad of British-born Oregon gunman Chris Harper Mercer (pictured above) has spoken of his disbelief after his son killed 10 people and injured seven in a US college gun rampage yesterday.

The killer burst into Umpqua Community College in Roseburg and opened fire. Eye-witnesses say he was asking victims their religion before shooting people who identified themselves as Christian.

The 26-year-old was later killed in a shootout with police.

Dad Ian Mercer told reporters outside his home he is ‘as surprised as anyone’ at the tragedy.
He said: “Obviously, it’s been a devastating day. Devastating for me and my family.

“I’m just as shocked as everybody at what happened today. I’ve just been talking to the police and the FBI. That’s all the details I have right now, is what you know already.”

Police recovered four weapons at the scene, including three handguns and a long-range rifle, according to reports.

‘I Will Go Back To Britain & Will Carry On Cutting Heads Off’- Jihadi John

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Swaggering in the desert and glowering menacingly at the camera, this is believed to be notorious Islamic State murderer Jihadi John – filmed unmasked in Syria for the first time.

In a one-minute 17-second video, the knife-wielding fanatic, who has taken part in the gruesome beheadings of at least seven hostages in Syria, including two Britons, vows to continue ‘cutting heads’. He said, ‘I will go back to Britain… and will carry on cutting heads off’

Credit: foxnews

Britain Is Keeping Up With The Kardashians – By Taking On Their Names

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It looks like we’re all so intent on Keeping Up With The Kardashians that their names are inspiring a whole generation of knames.

See what we did there? That will stop right k-now.

As the Office for National Statistics released its annual data dump of baby names in the UK it showed us something entirely curious about the popularity of monikers usually followed by Kardashian, Jenner, or even Disick.

They’re getting even more popular (in the main).

There’s the first wave of Kardashian stars: Kourtney, Kimberley, Khloe. Then there’s their younger sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

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Read More: uk.celebrity.yahoo.com

Instant HIV Self-Test Kit Now Selling In Britain

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Britain’s first legally-approved HIV self-testing kit went on sale online on Monday, promising a result in just 15 minutes with a 99.7 percent accuracy rate. Developers hope the BioSure HIV Self Test will help identify the estimated 26,000 people in Britain who have HIV but do not yet know.

“Knowing your HIV status is critical and the launch of this product will empower people to discreetly test themselves when it is convenient to them and in a place where they feel comfortable,” explained BioSure founder Brigette Bard.

Early diagnosis reduces the risk of passing the disease on to other people and also raises the success rate of modern treatments, which now make the disease manageable.

“Over 40 percent of people living with HIV are diagnosed late, meaning they have been living with HIV for at least four years,” said Deborah Gold, chief executive of the National Aids Trust (NAT).

“People diagnosed late are 11 times more likely to die in the first year after diagnosis,” she added. The kit reacts to antibodies — proteins made in response to the virus — in a drop of the person’s blood, producing two purple lines in the event of a positive diagnosis.

Read More: vanguardngr

David Cameron to Hold Emergency Ebola Talks

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Prime Minister David Cameron will hold an emergency Cobra committee meeting Wednesday on how to coordinate the country’s response to the Ebola outbreak after Britain pledged troops to help combat the virus in West Africa.

Dozens of British military personnel are due to fly to Sierra Leone next week to help build medical facilities to tackle the epidemic, the Ministry of Defence said Tuesday.

The Department of Health said there were no plans to introduce entry screening in Britain for Ebola, after the United States said it planned to increase checks at airports.

In a statement, the prime minister’s office said Cameron had spoken to President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone to discuss the situation.

“The president said the situation continued to be very serious and they were increasing their response, with a need to train more medical staff, have a better system for servicing treatment centres and improve the burial process,” the statement said.

“The prime minister said the UK would continue to do all it could to support their efforts.”

Around 100 British troops are expected to travel to Sierra Leone to provide assistance, including building a 12-bed treatment unit.

“The Ebola virus represents a global threat to public health and we will not stand idly by,” Britain’s minister for the armed forces Mark Francois said as he visited troops preparing for their mission at a training facility at Strensall barracks, York.

There are already about 40 military personnel in Sierra Leone.

Britain has pledged to provide infrastructure for 700 beds and training for medical staff.

US Strikes IS Oil Refineries in Syria

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The United States bombed Islamic State-controlled oil refineries in Syria as President Barack Obama recruited more allies to fight the jihadist “network of death.”

US, Saudi and Emirati warplanes broadened their bombardment to target the oil installations in eastern Syria that have helped fund the jihadist group’s brutal rise from rebel faction to alleged global threat.

The strikes came as Obama urged leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly to join his coalition and convinced the Security Council to back a resolution to stem the flow of foreign fighters that has swelled the IS ranks.

Belgium and the Netherlands committed warplanes to Iraq and Britain said its parliament would vote Friday on following suit.

Obama told the UN about the Islamic State group, which has grabbed vast areas of Iraq and Syria that, “The United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death…,Today I ask the world to join in this effort.”

He added that “We will use our military might in a campaign of air strikes to roll back ISIL.”

Barack Obama addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York

U.S Forming “Core Coalition” to Fight I.S

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Isis fighters parade through Raqqa

The United States said on Friday it was forming a “core coalition” to battle Islamic State militants, calling for broad support from allies and partners but ruling out committing ground forces.

President Barack Obama sought to use a NATO summit in Wales to enlist allied support in fighting the Islamist militants, but it is unclear how many nations might join the United States in air strikes in Iraq.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told foreign and defense ministers from 10 nations on the sidelines of the summit on ways they can help. Kerry said, “We need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own. Obviously I think that’s a red line for everybody here: no boots on the ground.”

Hagel said, “This group here this morning is the core coalition,.. It is the core group that will form the larger and extended coalition that’s going to be required to deal with this challenge.”  And nations involved include, The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Poland and Denmark, whose Ministers have met to discuss a strategy for addressing the Sunni militant group.

Kerry also said he hoped the allies could develop a comprehensive plan fighting IS in time for this month’s annual U.N. General Assembly session in New York.