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Biden administration to waive sanctions for head of Nord Stream 2 pipeline
The new move from the Biden administration is likely to draw criticism from lawmakers who have argued that several pipe-laying vessels and entities, including Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO, could be subject to sanctions under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019, known as PEESA. The State Department’s report will call for four companies and four ships that are supporting the pipeline construction to be put on the sanctions list, sources said. News of the waiver was first reported by Axios. A State Department spokesperson did not comment on the waivers for Warnig or his company, which is owned by Russian gas company Gazprom. “The Biden Administration has been clear that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and tha...
James Ibori loot: Delta asks federal government to return recovered fund to state
Delta State Government on Tuesday reacted to receipt by the Nigerian government of the £4.2 million first tranche of the Ibori loot from the goverment of the United Kingdom. The state government restated its earlier stand that since the returned money was illegally taken out of Delta’s Treasury, it should appropriately be returned to Delta State. This is coming on the dissolution, on Tuesday, of the Delta State Executive Council (EXCO) with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa asking the Secretary to State Government (SSG), all civil commissioners and the governor’s aides to surrender all vital government documents and property to their respective permanent secretaries in the ministries, departments and agencies. The outgoing state commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, reiterated the positio...
Katsina judge kidnapped inside court
Gunmen have abducted a judge at a Sharia Court in Bauren Zakat village in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State. Witnesses told newsmen that the attackers broke into the court around 3pm on Tuesday and abducted the judge identified as Alhaji Husaini Sama’ila. The court was relocated to Safana due to security reasons. It is not clear why the judge was in court during the industrial action embarked upon by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). JUSUN had on April 6 embarked on a strike, demanding compliance with the provisions of sections 81(3), 121(3) and 162(9) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on financial autonomy of the judicial arm at the state level. Katsina is one of the NorthWest states where bandits are wreaking havoc. Security operatives are yet to react to this ...
France, African leaders push to redirect $100 billion in IMF SDR reserves by October
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday a summit in Paris on Africa financing had agreed to work towards persuading rich nations by October to reallocate $100 billion in IMF special drawing rights monetary reserves to African states. Impoverished African economies must not be left behind in the post-pandemic economic recovery and a substantial financial package is needed to provide much-needed economic stimulus, African and European leaders concluded at a summit in Paris. In the immediate term, that meant accelerating the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and creating the fiscal breathing room for African nations, which will face a spending shortfall of some $285 billion over the next two years, the summit communique showed. The communique set out a two-pronged response based on addressing...
Google Photos adds locked folder for private images
Google is introducing a new feature to Google Photos that lets you hide specific pictures so they won’t show up in your photo feed or in other apps. The feature, called Locked Folder, will put whatever sensitive pictures you’d rather not share behind a password. In its I/O presentation, Google used the example of parents trying to keep a puppy purchase secret from their kids — though the feature should be useful for any sensitive images that you don’t want to share with others. It’s easy to see how this feature could be useful: who hasn’t handed their phone to someone to show off one or two pictures, then suddenly realized, “Wow, I hope they don’t scroll too far to the left or right”? Locked Folder will help Photos users avoid that fear by keeping whatever sensitive pictures you’ve got on ...
Barcelona secure 500 million Euro loan
Barcelona have secured a €500m loan from Goldman Sachs, with €100m arriving immediately to cover unpaid wages. Like many of the clubs who had signed up to the Super League project, Barca are struggling financially in the wake of the COVID pandemic and in need of fresh funds. President Joan Laporta has seemingly found the key with a loan worth €500m from American investment bank Goldman Sachs. ESPN claim there will be €100m arriving immediately, so Barcelona can settle outstanding payments owed to players. The club’s gross debt is said to now be almost €1.2 billion. Sources told ESPN the situation with outstanding payments was so bad that the squad was preparing to take the matter to the Spanish Footballers’ Association. Barcelona agreed with the players to defer payment of their wages duri...
Real Madrid deny contacting Max Allegri to replace Zinedine Zidane
A lot spoken about the future of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid in the last few hours, as well as who could replace him should he decide to leave. It was even said that ‘Los Blancos’ had reportedly made an offer to Massimiliano Allegri, something which the club have since denied. It hasn’t been confirmed that Zidane will leave Madrid at the end of the season, nor that ‘Los Blancos’ have made an offer for Allegri to be his replacement. At the moment, everything remains the same. Massimiliano Allegri or Raúl will succeed Zinedine Zidane this summer, should the Frenchman decide to leave Real Madrid. (Source: AS) pic.twitter.com/Y2cisfYwOy — Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 18, 2021 It was without a doubt this morning’s top news story. If Madrid had offered Allegri 10 million a year, ...
IGP set to launch new police operation in South-South
The Acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, is expected to launch a new tactical unit of the Nigeria Police Force in the South-South, Wednesday. The new tactical unit christened Operation Restore Peace in the South-South region would tackle issues of insecurity in the oil-rich region. It would be recalled that the Federal Government had announced that it was coming up with a new security formation for the South-South and South-East in order to end the wave of attacks on security formations in the areas. National Publicity Secretary of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Hon Ken Robinson, had condemned the move and urged the FG not to be selective in its programs and policies However, the Acting IGP, Alkali, on Tuesday inaugurated the said outfit in the South-Eastern part of the countr...
Taiwo Awoniyi gets UK work permit, set to leave Liverpool permanently
Fulham and West Brom are interested in signing Taiwo Awoniyi after he was granted a UK work permit for the 2021/22 campaign. Awoniyi linked up with Liverpool in 2015 but is yet to feature in an official game for the Reds. The Nigeria international has spent the past six years on loan at different clubs across in Europe and is currently with Bundesliga club Union Berlin. According to Goal the 23-year-old and his family were finally granted UK permits this week, following a lengthy application process. Aside from Fulham and West Brom, Stoke City have also registered interest in the forward, while Union Berlin are also keen on signing him on permanent deal. German clubs Stuttgart and Wolfsburg are also keen on signing him this summer. Liverpool are open to selling Awoniyi but will only accept...
Ogun governor suspends aide arrested for ‘fraud’ in US
The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has suspended his aide, Abidemi Rufai, who was arrested in the United States for an alleged $350,000 (about N140 million) COVID-19 unemployment fraud. Kunle Somorin, Abiodun’s chief press secretary, confirmed the suspension to newsmen on Tuesday. This was also confirmed to newsmen by the chief press secretary to Abiodun, Kunle Somorin. “Our position is that the law should take its course,” Somorin said in a WhatsApp interview. “Meanwhile, the governor has ordered his immediate suspension from office to answer charges against him.” Sources within the government told newsmen that the governor took the action immediately he was briefed about Rufai’s arrest. This newspaper earlier reported that Rufai, Senior Special Assistant to Abiodun, was arrested l...
President Buhari seeks Senate’s approval to borrow $6.18 billion
President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the approval of the Senate to borrow $6.18 billion external loan to finance this year’s N5.6 trillion budget deficit. The president’s request is contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, and read by Lawan at Tuesday’s plenary. President Buhari said the proposed loan, which is equivalent of N2.3 trillion, is to finance the 2021 budget deficit of N5.6 trillion. According to the president, sourcing the loan will enable the federal government to fund critical infrastructural projects in transportation, health and education, among other sectors. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you b...
Kaduna strike: Northern governors call for calm
The Northern Governors Forum has called for calm and dialogue between Kaduna State Government and organised labour, to resolve the ongoing warning strike by workers in the state. The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong, made the call in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Makut Macham, on Tuesday in Jos. He said the forum was concerned of the impact of the strike on the state and its residents following the lockdown of economic activities in the state. The chairman noted that dialogue and negotiations were effective tools of addressing dispute in labour relations. He called for restraint and de-escalation of the situation to enable amicable resolutions. He pointed out that peaceful resolution was only possible when both parties operate wi...