ASUU members threaten to boycott UNN convocation
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by hilary akalugwu2 the nationwide strike embarked upon by academic staff of public universities in the country will continue until the federal government meets the demands of the union he said1 the chairman of the chapter dr ifeanyichukwu abada made the announcement in nsukka on thursday at a news conference after a congress to update members of the union on the ongoing nationwide asuu strike1 he said the union agreed at the congress to write the vice-chancellor of unn prof. benjamin ozumba to suspend the 2018 convocation of the university billed to start on nov. 26 and end on dec. 21 one of the resolutions reached at this congress is that ozumba should suspend arrangements for the 48th convocation of the university until the ongoing asuu strike is suspended1 if he refuses and decides to go ahead with the convocation academic staff of unn will boycott all the activities lined up for the convocation1 i wonder what the convocation will look like in the absence of lecturers heads of departments directors and deans of faculties who have the responsibility of presenting graduating students to the university during convocations1 the university of nigeria nsukka unn chapter of the academic staff union of universities asuu has announced that its members would boycott the 2018 convocation of the university1 asuu executives in nsukka zone who attended this congress are in support that the convocation should be cancelled since the ongoing asuu nationwide strike is total and comprehensive1 serious sanctions will be placed on any academic staff who participates in the convocation if unn decides to go ahead with it1 if some universities in the country can cancel their convocations because of ongoing asuu nationwide strike i see no reason why unn will not do same1 the unionist said the congress was happy with the compliance of unn workers with the ongoing strike of the union urging the members to keep it up1 the congress is happy that the strike since it startedhas been total and comprehensive in unn1 the total compliance has paralysed academic activities at both the nsukka campus and the enugu campus of the university1 abada said that severe sanctions would be imposed on any academic who might sabotage the union by participating in the convocation if the university decided to go ahead with it1

Nissan sacks detained Chairman Ghosn
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amid growing uncertainty over the future of the alliance japans industry minister and frances finance minister are due to meet in paris on thursday to seek ways to stabilize it1 nissan motor cos board voted unanimously to oust chairman carlos ghosn on thursday after the shock arrest of the industry heavyweight ushering in a period of uncertainty for its 19-year alliance with renault1 the moves which leaves the chairman position vacant came despite renault urging nissans board before its meeting to delay removing ghosn sources close to the matter told reuters1 the franco-japanese alliance enlarged in 2016 to include japans mitsubishi motors 7211.t has been rattled to its core by the arrest of the 64-year-old ghosn in japan on monday1 ghosn had shaped the alliance and was pushing for a deeper tie-up including potentially a full renault-nissan merger at the french governments urging despite strong reservations at the japanese firm1 japanese prosecutors said ghosn and kelly conspired to understate ghosns compensation at nissan over five years from 2010 saying it was about half the actual 10 billion yen 88 million1 shin kukimoto deputy public prosecutor at the tokyo district public prosecutors office said on thursday that court approval was received a day earlier to detain ghosn for 10 days but he could not comment on whether he had admitted to the allegations1 nissan executives have five seats on the nine-member board renault loyalists have two seats and the remaining two are held by unaffiliated outside directors a former bureaucrat and a race driver1 with ghosn and kelly still in detention neither of the men were able to vote or defend themselves at the meeting1 renault has refrained from firing ghosn as chairman and ceo1 but mitsubishi motors plans to remove ghosn from his post of chairman at a board meeting next week1 the japanese firm said its board also voted to remove greg kelly who like ghosn has been arrested after allegations of financial misconduct from his post as representative director1 for me the future of the alliance is the bigger deal a senior nissan official told reporters on wednesday when asked about ghosns arrest. its obvious that in this age we need to do things together. to part would be impossible1 nissan said on monday an internal investigation triggered by a tip-off from an informant had revealed that ghosn engaged in wrongdoing including personal use of company money and under-reporting of his earnings for years1 ghosn and kelly have not commented on the accusations and reuters has not been able to reach them1 prosecutors said ghosn is being held at the tokyo detention centre which is known for its austere regime a far cry from his usual luxury lifestyle including restrictions on sleeping during the day and a requirement to wear a mask when meeting with visitors to prevent the spread of disease1 the detention house is pretty cold at this of time year internet entrepreneur and convicted fraudster takufumi horie told his followers on twitter1 motonari otsuru a former public prosecutor who is known for overseeing the case against horie was hired as ghosns lawyer nhk reported. otsurus law office declined to confirm that he represented ghosn and said no one was available for comment1 the asahi shimbun said on thursday quoting unnamed sources that ghosn had given kelly orders by email to make false statements on his remuneration. tokyo prosecutors likely seized the related emails and may use them as evidence the report said1 the yomiuri japans biggest-circulation daily cited unnamed sources as saying nissans internal investigation found that ghosn had since 2002 instructed that about 100000 a year be paid to his elder sister as remuneration for a non-existent advisory role1 the paper said nissan had found through the investigation that ghosns sister had in fact been living in and managing a luxury apartment in rio de janeiro that the company had bought through an overseas subsidiary but had done no advisory work for the car maker. nissan has shared the information with prosecutors yomiuri said1 shares in nissan closed up 0.8 percent in line with a broader market .n225 ahead of the board meeting1

Society seeks govt. support to prevent hearing loss
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by felicia imohimi11 the theme of the agm was manpower development for otorhinolaryngology practice in nigeria time for subspecialist training with hearing and speech rehabilitation in nigeria and emerging infections in otorhinolaryngology as sub theme1 the society made the call in a communique issued at the end of its annual general conference in abuja on thursday1 the communique was signed by prof. onyekwere nwaorgu the president of pan african federation of otorhinolaryngological societies pafos and immediate past president of orlson as well as prof. titus ibekwe immediate past secretary of orlson1 the society noted that such strategies should include hearing screening programmes and enforcement of legislation against noise pollution1 the society commended the federal government for constituting technical committee to produce the nigerian national strategic policy on ear and hearing care1 it however urged government to enforce legislation against avoidable risks of otorhinolaryngology orl diseases1 it further urged the populace to embrace the culture of early presentation of ear nose and throat ent cases to specialists to ensure good management1 the otorhinolaryngological society of nigeria orlson has solicited the support of government on strategies for the prevention of hearing loss early detection and other interventions1 it identified the conference as part of efforts by orlson to champion the cause of uplifting and advancing otorhinolaryngology practice in nigeria to compete favorably with global best practices1 the communique however urged government to support training and research and to establish more national ear care centres neccs at least one in each geopolitical zone1 it noted that government should encourage and establish suitable training programmes for the development of human resources in the field of ear and hearing care1 it is desirable that government funds researches to determine national prevalence of common orl diseases in nigeria1 government should support and fund cochlear implant surgery programmes and also encourage programmes that will improve availability and accessibility of diagnostic and adjunct therapeutic tools in the country1 the communique identified new leadership of orlson as prof. abubakar salisu president and dr aliyu kodiya as secretary1 the society assured of its commitment to ensure the production of highly specialised manpower for otorhinolaryngology practice in the country1

Russian military intelligence chief Korobov dies
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dpanan the head of the russian military intelligence agency col.-gen. igor korobov who britain accused of poisoning a former double agent with a chemical weapon in southern england this year has died1 korobov 62 had served as chief of the main intelligence directorate commonly known by the russian acronym gru for nearly three years1 a distinguished aviator korobov died of a serious and long illness the russian defence ministry said in a statement on thursday using a phrase that implies cancer1 korobovs agency entered the international spotlight this year when britain accused it of perpetrating the near-fatal attack on former russian spy turned double agent sergei skripal in the southern english city of salisbury1 russian defence minister sergei shoigu was cited in the statement as expressing condolences over korobovs death which occurred on wednesday but he did not name a successor1 russian state media reported that the most probable successor is the agencys first deputy chief igor kostyukov currently serving as the interim chief1

Visa on arrival paying off in Nigeria
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according to him the voa has facilitated ease of doing business in nigeria eliminated unnecessary human contact which can encourage corrupt practices and elimination of error in visa classification1 nigerias visa on arrival voa policy has increased the influx of tourists as well as facilitated ease of doing business in the country1 babandede made the observation in his presentation entitled encouraging tourism in nigeria role of nigeria immigration service at the fourth nigeria tourism investors forum and exhibition ntife in abuja1 ntife is an annual meeting organised by federation of tourism associations of nigeria ftan to attract relevant stakeholders and chart a way forward for the tourism sector in the country1 the theme for the two-day forum and exhibition is infrastructure and security catalysts for sustainable tourism development1 visitors and tourists now come into the country and get their visa within 48 hours and go to patronise hotels and get involved in other leisure activities1 babandede who was represented by an assistant controller general caroline adepoju said that the voa had resolved the naughty issue of having to return to ones country of residence before applying for visa1 he explained that businessmen tourists and visitors could apply for the visa from any part of the world1 mr muhammad babandede comptroller general of the nigeria immigration service cgis said on thursday the voa policy has boosted influx of tourists into the country people do visit the country now because the policy has made the acquisition of visa very simple and easy1 as a leading agency responsible for migration the importance of encouraging tourism to the nigeria immigration service cannot be over emphasised1 in other to encourage international tourism the service has taken various measures which include contributing to national security through taking seriously issues of border patrol and security1 our personnel are trained in host-manship to engender a friendly atmosphere for migrants tourists and visitors and the personnel are expected to treat people with courtesy1 the issue of multiple clearance procedures in our ports of entry has been addressed by collaboration with sister security agencies such as port health and nigeria customs1 check points along our ways from international border routes have been dismantled and our personnel have been directed to do more of border patrol because this allows for easy movement he said1 the immigration boss also urged groups government agencies and corporate orgainsations who invited persons from outside the country to always inform the service ahead of their arrival1 it will assist us to provide dedicated desks to facilitate easy and effective clearance of the invited persons at our entry points he said1

Man to spend life in jail for killing pregnant wife, 2 daughters
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we love you cindy watts said into a microphone before turning to look directly at her son. and we forgive you son1 a man who strangled his pregnant wife and suffocated their two young daughters wanted to escape his marriage and growing family prosecutors said monday as a judge imposed a sentence of life without parole after a plea deal kept the killer from facing the death penalty1 prison is too good for you1 this is hard to say but may god have mercy on your soul rzucek said1 prosecutors have said shanann watts relatives who live in north carolina asked them not to seek the death penalty when defense attorneys made the proposal1 watts 33 was formally sentenced to consecutive life sentences for the murders1 he also received a 48-year sentence for unlawful termination of a pregnancy and 12 years each for tampering with a corpse totaling 84 years1 the girls bodies were found submerged in separate oil tank on property owned by the company watts worked for1 his wifes body was found in a shallow grave nearby1 as a prosecutor detailed the injuries found on the bodies rzucek leaned forward gasping1 michael rourke said shanann watts was strangled but her lack of significant injuries suggested that her death came slowly1 the girls were smothered and rourke said there were signs bella fought for her life. celeste had no visible injuries he said1 christopher watts parents cindy and ronnie watts were permitted to speak as the girls grandparents1 christopher watts who pleaded guilty two weeks ago did not speak during the hearing. one of his attorneys said watts was sincerely sorry1 watts wiped away a tear with his shirt after his parents left the podium. he kept his head down for much of the hearing speaking only once to confirm that he did not want to make a statement before judge marcelo kopcow imposed his sentence1 friends of shanann watts lined up inside the courthouse monday morning. more people filed into an overflow room to watch a video stream1 the killings captured national media attention and became the focus of true crime blogs and online video channels which showed dozens of family photos and videos that shanann watts shared on social media showing the smiling family1 prosecutors said the images belied a hidden truth that christopher watts was having an affair1 a friend asked police to check on shanann watts on aug. 13 after not being able to reach her and growing concerned that the expectant mother had missed a doctors appointment1 rourke said police later found that watts spoke to a real estate agent about selling the familys home and called the girls school to report that they could not be present when fall classes began1 investigators quickly became suspicious of him after he was unable to square his claims that his family had disappeared from a tightly secured home in a busy subdivision1 meanwhile watts spoke to local television reporters from the front porch of the familys home in frederick a small town on the plains north of denver where drilling rigs and oil wells surround booming subdivisions1 he pleaded for his familys safe return telling reporters their house felt empty without bella and celeste watching cartoons or running to greet him at the door1 within days he was in custody charged with killing his family1 rourke said watts has never discussed a motive for the killings with police but investigators could find no explanation other than his ongoing affair with a co-worker1 i cant speak as to why anyone would take the steps that he did we couldnt find anything else that was a significant enough motive to annihilate your family he said1

APC appoints Peace and Reconciliation Committees
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by emmanuel mogbede4 south-south2 this according to a statement by malam lanre issa-onilu the partys national publicity secretary on monday in abuja is in recognition of the need to address the post-primary elections disputes in the party1 issa-onilu said that the partys national chairman mr adams oshiomhole would inaugurate the committees on wednesday1 the full composition of the committee for each zone1 the national working committee nwc of the all progressives congress apchas approved the formation and composition of a national peace and reconciliation committees for each geo-political zone1 south-east1 south-west1 north-central1 north-east1 north-west1

Osun commissions Adesoji Aderemi way
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the oba adesoji aderemi way built by osun government and named after the first governor of western region was on monday commissioned1 governor rauf aregbesola of the state of osun commissioned the road situated along ring road in osogbo1 the commissioning attracted many dignitaries including governor state of osun ogbeni rauf aregbesola the eldest son of the first governor western region of nigeria prince ishola aderonmu adesoji and the the ooni of ife oba adeyeye enitan ogunwusi1 also at the ceremony was the eldest child of chief obafemi awolowo chief mrs tola oyediran deputy governor titi laoye-tomori governor-elect mr. gboyega oyetola his deputy mr. benedict gboyega alabi1 oba sir titus martins adesoji tadeniawo aderemi i alias adesoji aderemi kcmg was a nigerian political figure and yoruba traditional ruler as the ooni of ife from 1930 until 1980. he served as the governor of western region nigeria between 1960 and 19621

Obasanjo commissions Asaba Stadium, endorses Okowa for 2nd term
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sixteen years ago i came here to lay the foundation of this stadium and today i am here to inaugurate it. i hope to come back to see the hostel you have built to train the youths he said1 former president olusegun obasanjo on monday formally inaugurated the stephen keshi stadium in asaba urging deltas gov. ifeanyi okowa to effectively utilise the facility1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that obasanjo who was in the state on a two-day visit also inaugurated other road projects in agbor in the state1 the former president while noting that the stadium might not mean much to the ordinary man said the gains of the project could however not be over-emphasised1 no one can have a sound mind and sound body without exercising. the stadium is a veritable source of money for the state and the people of asaba and environs he said1 obasanjo added that the essence of the structure would be defeated if the state government failed to through it train the young people by catching them young1 the thinking of the people is what are you doing with the stadium and to the ordinary man the importance is not appreciated1 but the importance is in having a sound mind in a sound body. i have always played squash rackets and i have a squash court in my house to keep fit and it is very important that you exercise1 in todays world there is virtually nothing from which you cannot make money. sports tourism will make the economy of the state strong and the people of asaba will grow their economy1 we must not just have the stadium we must utilise the facility to bring up the young ones by catching them young1 you must recruit those that would be trained and build a hostel where they stay to be trained and if you do this the state will develop1 this is even as he endorsed the gov. okowa for a second term in office saying who was a good product to the people of delta1 while commissioning the road project obasanjo also endorsed okowa for second term describing him as a good product1 as an elder statesman whatever i see and heard my mouth will talk about where i come from we are always looking for good things and when we have good things we hold on to it1 when you have good leaders hold on to them this governor ifeanyi okowa from what i have seen and from what i have heard he is a good product and when you have a good product you dont throw it away1 i know that this governor is a good governor i will hold on to him because he has started well and we must give him the opportunity to consolidate on his good works he said1 earlier okowa had said the stadium was at a 20 per cent completion stage when he came into office as governor1 he added that he had then decided to take up the task of completing the project1 now the stadium has hosted an international athletics competition which had in attendance athletes from about 52 african countries in august and it has also hosted the 2018 aiteo cup final match between rangers international fc of enugu and kano pillars fc1 during these events the states economy blossomed as hotels in the state capital were fully booked and other economic activities thrived. but some persons have asked that of what importance is the stadium1 we are ready to host a friendly match between the super eagles and the cranes of uganda on tuesday1 but beyond this the fact is that we are trying to grow our economy and when we hosted the athletics championships and the aiteo cup final economic activities in asaba increased1 now we have gotten the asaba airport runway right and just few days ago a flight took off from the airport to south africa and returned and we plan to concession the airport for effective management as cargo airport by december okowa said1

Chinas space rocket hits orbit
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china has launched a new space environment research satellite and four nanosatellites on a long march-2d carrier rocket which has successfully entered their pre-set orbit1 the rocket was launched from the jiuquan satellite launch centre in northwest china said on tuesday1 according to the centre the satellites have successfully entered their pre-set orbit after launch on november 20 20181 shiyan-6 will be used for conducting space environment exploration experiments1 the term nanosatellite refers to a small artificial satellite weighing between one kg and 10 kg1 among the four nanosatellites tianping-1a and tianping-1b will be used for equipment calibration on ground control stations while jiading-1 is the first satellite of the xiangyun satellite constellation in low earth orbit1 a software-defined satellite developed by the innovation academy for microsatellites the chinese academy of sciences will be used for conducting experiments on open-source satellite software research and development on android platforms1 compared to traditional satellites a software-defined satellite is more flexible and reconfigurable1 a report says it enables its operator to capture diverse markets with its ability to change things like frequency band and coverage areas on demand1 it is the 292th mission of the long march carrier rocket series. xinhuanan1

Africa transparent in military spending
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the central african republic car is one of the stand-out cases with substantial improvements in military sector transparency1 the level of transparency in military spending in sub-saharan africa is greater than previously thought1 at least 45 of the 47 states surveyed published at least one official budget document in a timely manner online1 contrary to common belief countries in sub-saharan africa show a high degree of transparency in how they spend money on their military says dr nan tian researcher in the sipri arms transfers and military expenditure programme1 citizens everywhere should know where and how public money is spent. it is encouraging that national reporting in sub-saharan africa has improved1 no transparency in equatorial guinea and eritrea fall in botswana1 while sipris study shows that there is generally a high degree of transparency in the military sector in sub-saharan africa equatorial guinea and eritrea have not published any official information on military spending since 2009 and 2003 respectively and botswana was one of very few states to show a deterioration in transparency1 recently in botswana official budgetary reports have become increasingly difficult to obtain there is a lack of a national defence policy and almost no government information or dialogue exists on issues such as arms procurement1 while these issues are worrying the main cause for concern is the decreased public engagement on military-related matters says dr tian1 botswana had the third highest percentage increase in military spending between 2014 and 2017. military spending grew by 60 per cent or 182 million in that period as part of several military procurement programmes involving france and switzerland1 this military spending increase has occurred despite the fact that botswana is located in one of the least conflict-prone areas of africa and is one of the few states in sub-saharan africa to have never been involved in an armed conflict says dr tian1 a new report from the stockholm international peace research institute sipri carried out the survey between 2012 and 20171 there is evidence of improved oversight and accountability in budget reporting such as implementing an official budget formulation process and publishing budget execution reports both quarterly and biannually1 although improvements are still needed in the areas of accessibility and disaggregation military sector transparency has increased substantially1 the publication of accessible spending information is a major step towards greater transparency and accountability in the military sector says tian1 unlike europe and south america there are currently no regional reporting mechanisms in place in sub-saharan africa for exchanging information on military expenditure between states1 the un report on military expenditures is the only international reporting system to which states in sub-saharan africa have agreed to participate1 in the period 200817 only five states in sub-saharan africa reported at least once and no reports were submitted during the years 2015171 it is clear from sipris study that the lack of un reporting is not due to a lack of information1 rather the challenge is to encourage countries to submit data to the un says pieter wezeman senior researcher with the sipri arms transfers and military expenditure programme1 government transparency at the international level is key to reinforcing trust and encouraging dialogue between countries says ambassador jan eliasson chair of the sipri governing board and former un deputy secretary-general1 therefore un member states need to work together on implementing and improving reporting he says1

Lai visits, condoles families of deceased APC members
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information and culture minister lai mohammed has paid condolence visit to the families of the kwara all progressives congress apc members who died in a road crash between omu-aran and oro on sunday1 according to mr. segun adeyemi the special assistant to the minister mohammed was accompanied by kwara apc chairman bashir bolarinwa house of representatives member-elect tunji olawuyi kwara south senatorial candidate lola ashiru and other state party officials1 they visited the families of the five deceased members in arandun agbonda omu-aran oko and odo owa all in theekitiirepodunisinoke-ero federal constituency where the apc won a landmark victory at the polls on saturday1 the minister and his entourage also visited two others who are in hospitals in omu-aran to wish them speedy recovery1 at agbonda the minister and his entourage attended the funeral service for one of the five deceased chief ayobami adekeye an official of the party in ajase ward 21 while visiting the homes of the deceased the minister commiserated with their families hailed the members for their supreme sacrifice for the emancipation of the people of kwara1 he promised that the party would not abandon their dependants1

Kenya, China talk flower tariffs
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source63 kenya has set up a committee to discuss with china on the possibility of easing the east african nations entry into worlds flower market1 if successful this will allow flower growers to tap into the growing chinese market and boost the earnings of the sector as part of the countrys effort to diversify its markets1 we are going to have the first meeting next january with china and we hope to have completed negotiations by the end of february1 our target is to do away with this four per cent tariff to make our products competitive kenyas trade cabinet sectary peter munya said1 in july 2010 china removed tariffs charged on 60 per cent of the goods that it imports from kenya and 32 other developing countries but retained the levy on cut flowers1 beijing and nairobi also signed a memorandum of understating to drive exports of over 40 per cent of kenyas fresh produce to the chinese market that has over 1.3 billion consumers1 currently kenyas cut flowers are sold to a single economic bloc the european union exposing export trade to vulnerabilities1 most kenyan flower reach china via the netherlands-based international flower auction1 however kenya enjoys a duty and quota-free export arrangement in the eu market and also has a duty-free flower arrangement with japan1 in the region it is only ethiopia that enjoys a duty- free flower arrangement with china1 this agreement will facilitate export of agricultural products from kenya to china1 we would love to see more of kenyas products on our shelves guo ce the economic and commercial counsellor at the chinese embassy in kenya said1 for kenyan growers who earned 822.5 million last year this new development is a boon1 last week kenya and china formed a technical work group that will oversee the withdrawal of the four per cent duty on most kenyan exports to china1 currently our flowers are being charged higher taxes in china which makes them uncompetitive. we hope that the government will negotiate favourable trade protocols and agreements with china clement tulezi the chief executive officer of the kenya flower council said1 bobby kamani the managing director of primarosa flowers ltd said the government talks with china were welcome development especially for the flowers sector given the potential it has1 we were in china with government officials and we saw the interest. it was an eye opener for us at the expo because kenyan growers had an unexpected reception in the chinese market1 we got contacts of flower suppliers who have traditional dealt with ecuador and colombia and having an african connection further opens up our access mr kamani said1 he added that primarosa has turned around its business model and now does more than 70 per cent of its sales to individual buyers with 30 per cent sales in auctions a model he believes the chinese market will sustain1 some chinese flower importers have been forced to use a single import and centralised distribution system to lower costs as it allows them to import multiple batches of products at a single time and redistribute them in warehouses scattered across china which also reduces their tax obligations1 the opening up of the chinese market now offers bigger opportunities for kenyan flower farmers and also chinese importers who have over the years developed strong interest in the produce1 chinas jiuye supply chain in guangzhou has emerged as one of the leading contact firms that kenyan flower exporters are using1 we chose to introduce flowers from kenya to china because of the vast number of varieties they grow including some that you cannot find in other regions1 we were also impressed by the length of the flowers vase life said qi bo the director of jiuye supply chain department adding that with a 25 per cent annual increase in demand for the kenyan flowers should see them double imports from nairobi to five million stems by the end of this year1 logistics is however still a challenge since only kenya airways through its code share with china southern airlines flies directly to guangzhou1 the other options are ethiopian airlines flights from addis to shanghai with a two hour transit time while the gulf carriers are costly because of connections1 i havent seen the actual documents signed but we are interested in expanding our footprints in china1

Egypt, Eurasian in free trade talks
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source63 egypt and the eurasian economic union eaeu are going to hold the first round of negotiations on trade agreement in mid- january in cairo1 the document was signed by egypts minister of trade and industry amr nassar and minister for trade of the eurasian economic commission veronika nikishina1 the egyptian minister noted that this agreement came as a result of president abdel fatah al-sisis visit to russia in october where he agreed with chairman of the eurasian economic commission tigran sargsyan on speeding up the negotiations related to the free trade between both sides1 according to nassar both sides agreed to hold a joint business forum during the first half of 2019 to boost the economic and trade partnership between businessmen of both sides and stressed on the necessity to complete a free trade agreement between egypt and the unions countries in 20191 nassar said that the document targets to generate continued talks and negotiations about the bilateral economic and international cooperation between both sides and to enhance the economic and trade relationship as well as the liberalization of trade between them through the establishment of a long-term and stable institutional legal framework1 he explained that agreement will contribute to the enhancement and development of the joint relations between egypt and the eurasian countries including russia belarus kazakhstan armenia and kyrgyzstan1 the minister pointed out that egypt is a major hub for the unions exports to various african and arab markets and other economic blocswith which egypt has free trade agreements1 they had signed a framework document for negotiations on the free trade agreement1 trade exchange between egypt and eurasian union countries hit 6.78 billion in 2017 in which 6.24 billion represented egypts imports and 544.7 million went for exports according to the minister1 nassar said that this agreement is expected to raise the trade volume between both sides to reach 15.7 billion and to upgrade egypts exports to the unions countries to 1.9 billion1 the minister referred that the most important egyptian exports to eurasian countries are agricultural commodities machinery equipment and pharmaceutical products while the main imports to egypt include wheat minerals chemical products plastic products cars and tractors1 he reiterated the need to encourage the business community and industrial companies from the eurasian countries to increase their investments in egypt during the coming period especially in light of the egyptian governments adoption of a number of mega projects including the new administrative capital projectthe development project of the suez canal and the russian industrial zone in egypt1 nassar also emphasized the importance of the role played by the private sector in enhancing trade and investment relations between egypt and the unions countries1 for her part nikishina said that egypt is one of the most important markets in the middle east and africa and is a focal point for the transit of the products of the union countries to african countries1 she pointed out that the next phase will witness more cooperation between the two sides especially after the signing of the free trade agreement which will make a quantum leap in the level of trade and economic relations between egypt and the eurasian union1 the eurasian countries also represent a distinct window for egyptian exports in north and central asia as well as europe1

Army flushes out criminals in Northwest
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the criminals terrorising citizens in north west have been disorganised and are on the run as operations to flush them out extends beyond zamfara1 the defence headquarters reported on tuesday that the criminals fell to the superior fire power of the joint security operation in the area1 acting director of defence information brig.-gen. john agim stated this while briefing newsmen in gasau on tuesday1 he said that several enclaves of the bandits were being destroyed by constant air strikes which had led to the death of some of the criminals and arrest of some as well as rescue of some victims1 agim said that operation sharan daji launched in zamfara had been expanded to cover the entire state and local government areas in neighbouring sokoto kebbi katsina and kaduna states1 he also stated that under the trans-border joint security patrol with the niger republic bandits were followed into the neighbouring country and either neutralized or arrested to help in investigation1 although we lost one of our soldiers during encounter with the bandits in zamfara recently where six others were wounded and receiving treatment we have neutralized over 20 of the bandits and arrested 21 others1 the defence spokesman also said that 1444 cows 473 sheep 11 camels 14 donkeys 56 rams and 293 goats were recovered from the bandits and handed to the state government to return to the rightful owners1 similarly he said that 24 ak 47 rifles two pump action guns 4798 rounds of 7.6 mm ammunition local bullet prove jackets bows and arrows and local charms were also recovered while two kidnapped persons were rescued1 agim urged members of the public to continue to give credible information to security agencies on suspected persons or movements. nan1

Africa worlds next big growth market
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according to the report there has been a big push by governments and the private sector to close infrastructure gaps1 africa will become the worlds next big growth market akin to the asian boom mckinsey a management consulting firm said on tuesday1 the report drew the conclusions from a survey of 3000 mckinsey client engagements in-depth proprietary research and interviews with 40 of africas most prominent business and development leaders1 the report examining several examples of african businesses that have translated opportunities into enduring business value revealed how companies can better understand the african market1 it also seized the opportunities for building profitable sustainable businesses1 africa has a fast-growing rapidly urbanising population with big unmet needs1 it means that there is a trillion-dollar opportunity to industrialise africa to meet rising domestic demand and create a bridgehead in global export markets the report said1 while other geographies are seeing incremental growth global companies that get in early and join the african champions shaping the right strategies can sustain double-digit profit growth over the next few decades it noted1 the report pointed to continued resource abundance in agriculture mining and oil and gas with innovation and investment in these sectors unlocking new production on the continent1 the rapid adoption of mobile and digital technologies could leapfrog africa past many obstacles to growth1 with over 400 african companies earning annual revenues of 1 billion dollars or more we can identify what works the report said1 according to the report the highly successful businesses are often african companies but many are entrepreneurial firms with western indian or chinese founders1 the report however pointed out that building a successful business in africa requires a long-term approach1 the four essential practices are mapping an africa strategy innovating business models and building resilience for the long term and unleashing talent1 at the heart of these four imperatives is a commitment to doing well by doing good said acha leke senior partner and chairman of mckinseys africa office and co-author of the report1

Atikus six-year policy plan worries South
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read more18 party leaders from the southeast and southwest are worried over the tenure framework in the document tagged peoples policy of the candidate of peoples democratic party pdp alhaji atiku abubakar1 the policy plan of the 72-year-old abubakar extended beyond four years an indication that he is planning for a second term in office1 this has caused anxiety in the party because the policy plan extended to six years instead of four1 instead of planning for a single term of four years atikus targets have a six-year timeline fueling speculations that he might be hoping for two terms in office the nation reports1 according to a pdp governor who spoke in confidence with the nation the policy is causing some disquiet because it does not give a ray of hope that power will shift from the north to the south in 2023 if atiku is elected as the nations president in 20191 the policy is for launch on monday less than 24 hours after president muhammadu buhari launched his next level1 the people of the south-east south-west and south-south want a commitment from atiku on whether or not he will spend one term in office in order to complete the slot of the north1 we are suspecting that those who drafted the policy have a hidden agenda of two terms in office for atiku1 i think our candidate is planning for the future for the country. it may not be a matter of second term ambition a member of the national working committee of the party said1 atiku has not really been categorical on whether or not he will spend one term in office. so those raising dust on 2025 policy plan are getting agitated to know where he stands1 some of us were expecting a timeline of 2019 to 2023 but the policy plan is mostly made up of a six-year plan1

Sex-for-mark: OAU professor lands in prison
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the offences he said contravened sections 8 1 a 2 and 18 d of the corrupt practices and other related offenses act 2000 and punishable under same sections1 by joshua oladipo1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that justice maureen onyetenu ordered the remand on monday pending the filing of his formal bail application1 mr kehinde adedoye the independent corrupt practise and other related offences commission icpc prosecutor had told the court that the defendanthad on sept. 16 2017 unlawfully demanded sexual benefits for marks from monica osagie1 according to the prosecutor the defendant is facing a four-count charge1 the defendant corruptly asked for sexual benefits from ms monica osagie on account of favour to be afterwards shown to her in the discharge of his official duties as a lecturer to wit altering her academic grades from fail to pass in the course mba 632 research method he said1 a federal high court in osun has remanded an obafemi awolowo university oau lecturer prof. richard akindele in ilesa prison custody for allegedly demanding sex for mark from his student1 nan reports that the defendant however pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him1 the defense counsel mr fola omotoso thereafter prayed the court to grant his client bail in the most liberal terms1 the icpc counsel however opposed the bail application noting that the defendant had refused to appear before the commission since he was granted administrative bail1 onyetenu therefore ordered the defense counsel to file a formal bail application before the next date of adjournment1 the trial judge adjourned the matter till nov. 27 for definite hearing and ordered the remand of the defendant1 nan reports that the defendant is a lecturer in the department of management and accounting of the university1

N30,000 minimum wage: President Buhari meets governors
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by ismaila chafe7 president muhammadu buhari on monday met behind closed doors with representatives of nigerian governors forum ngf over the disagreement between the organised labour and state governors on the proposed n30000 minimum wage1 the news agency of nigeria nan recalls that the amal pepple tripartite committee on the review of national minimum wage had on nov. 6 submitted its report to president buhari where it recommended n30000 as the new national minimum wage1 while receiving the report the president expressed his commitment to ensuring the implementation of a new national minimum wage and pledged to transmit an executive bill on national minimum wage to the national assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time1 he expressed delight that the committee had successfully completed its assignment in a peaceful and non-controversial manner1 president buhari said that the federal government would soon transmit an executive bill on national minimum wage to the national assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time1 however the 36 state governors had since expressed reservations over the proposed n30000 new minimum wage by the amal pepple committee saying the state governments were not in a stable financial position to pay the new minimum wage1 the chairman of the governors forum and governor of zamfara alhaji abdulaziz yari had on nov. 15 told newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the governors in abuja that payment of n30 000 wage was impracticable1 nan reports that representatives of the governors forum who met with the president over the issue included governors of zamfara lagos kaduna and enugu while the minister of labour and employment chris ngige was also in attendance1

DStv subscribers want pay-as-you-view billing system
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by florence onuegbu5 maputo said that the new prices for some bouquets are hd premium normal from n11900 to n9900 gotv from n6900 to n3200 explora from n52000 to n29900 while the premium is n380001 in separate interviews with the news agency of nigeria nan in lagos on monday dstv subscribers pleaded with the federal government to enact a law to compel multichoice to introduce pay-as-you-view billing system1 the subscribers said that there was need for such billing system as it would ensure value for subscription1 many of the subscribers complained of paying for what they did not get services for saying that after several complaints multichoice did not listen1 mr uzochukwu nwafor a businessman said that multichoice was not considerate on how it was handling the issue of pay-as-you-view1 there is need to put a regulation in place to help subscribers enjoy the money they paid to view the programmes1 with that pay-as-you-view billing we can save some money. i see subscribing to dstv programmes as a waste of money it does not happen abroad or even in south africa he said1 mr silvanus nwankwo a civil servant said that the national assembly nass was supposed to look into the operations of multichoice1 many companies come to nigeria and rip us off because our policies are not being implemented1 again dstv does not have serious competitors and that is why the company is behaving as it pleases1 the pay-as-you-go billing that telecommunications operators offer is supposed to be applicable to dstv he said1 nwankwo however said that the national assembly should focus on the number of nigerians that subscribed to the companys service and insist on reducing prices of its bouquets1 a hip hop artiste ishmael lawal popularly known as king songo complained about the decoder of multichoice1 digital satellite television dstv service subscribers in nigeria are grumbling over the continued payment for services not rendered by multichoice the major distance-to-home service provider in nigeria1 he also said the company cuts off subscriptions two days before expiration without warning1 again they keep repeating programmes when one had paid to get new and trending programmes1 a source at the consumer protection council cpc who pleaded anonymity said that the council had already taken multichoice to court over the issue1 the source said that cpc received complaints from consumers against multichoice among which was the refusal of the company to offer pay-as-you-view billing on both dstv and gotv1 the complaints included failure to receive signal after subscription paid subscription disconnection prior to end of billing cycle with no credit applied for paid time lost and lack of clarity in terms and conditions1 other complaints were non-activation of free to air channels except when a consumer complains and confusing toll-free customer care telephone channels1 other complaints were arbitrary charges confusing billing blocking some channels already subscribed poor picture or signal quality with excessive and uncompensated downtime during both inclement and clear weather conditions and lack of responsiveness1 martin maputo the general manager sales and marketing multichoice said that for two months the company would reduce prices of its bouquets1 maputo said that multichoice wanted subscribers to enjoy the 2018 christmas with their families while enjoying music food movies among others1 according to him this years festive together theme is it is a good time to gather and there is no place like home1 we want families to be together and watch different programmes on our dstv sports wrestling all africa music awards afrima cross river festivals the experience a church programme with a lot of artistes playing1 others are akwa ibom christmas carols festival childrens programmes and cartoons miss africa pageant and others1 we want to use all these again to help raise funds for the less-privileged people because they have no one to help them maputo said1 lawal said that after subscription he hardly watched the programmes because the signal was poor1