Connect with us

Musings From Abroad

Morocco postpones Abraham Accords summit. Here’s why

Published

on

Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita has revealed that the country has postponed the “Abraham Accords,” a summit it planned to host between Israel and Arab states.
The summit was postponed until after the summer after Israel decided to expand settlement-building in the occupied West Bank and after an Israeli raid on Jenin in which five people were killed.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen had earlier announced that other countries that did not have ties with Israel might attend following the one held last year in Israel’s Negev desert between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, the UAE, the United States, and Egypt, which agreed to peace with Israel in 1979.
In addition to scheduling issues, Bourita said that the decision was made as a result of “provocative and unilateral measures” that “undermine peace efforts in the region.”
He decried also Israel’s intention to construct settlements in the occupied territory where Palestinians want to create an independent state, and denounced the Israeli army’s raid on Jenin in the West Bank.
In the meantime, Israel claimed in defence that the goal of its operation in Jenin was to detain two Palestinians thought to be responsible for assaults. In reaction to a neighboring Palestinian shooting, it declared its intention to construct 1,000 new homes in the Eli settlement in the West Bank.
A former Israeli foreign and prime minister, Yair Lapid, has commended his country’s stand and stated that “this is not how foreign policy should be conducted.” Lapid heads the opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious government.

Musings From Abroad

Prince Harry, Meghan treated to street-style dances in Nigeria as their trip winds down

Published

on

On Sunday, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were treated to street-style dances in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, where they announced a partnership between their Archewell Foundation and the non-profit Giants of Africa, which utilizes sports to empower young people.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are making their first visit to Nigeria, where they were welcomed by the country’s chief of defence staff. The couple watched basketball practice at Ilupeju Senior Grammar School on Lagos Mainland, where Harry participated in ball-bouncing drills and shot a hoop.

“What you guys are doing here at Giants of Africa is truly amazing,” he said. “The power of sport can change lives. It brings people together and creates community and there are no barriers, which is the most important thing.”

The couple watched basketball practice at Ilupeju Senior Grammar School on Lagos Mainland, and Harry stepped on the court for some ball-bouncing drills and to shoot a hoop.

Former Toronto Raptors star Masai Ujiri, president of Giants of Africa, wished Meghan a happy Mother’s Day and said his organization was uniting communities and uplifting young people through sport, especially. Archewell Foundation and Giants of Africa will construct a basketball court in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.

“Talk about full circle again – never did I think we would be able to be here all those years later supporting the expansion of this incredible organization,” she said.
Harry and Meghan were set to round off their Lagos trip by attending a reception for a local charity. The couple live in the United States with their two children after Harry gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020.

Continue Reading

Musings From Abroad

Binance accuses Nigeria of setting dangerous precedent with detention of its executives

Published

on

After its executives were invited to Nigeria and subsequently arrested as part of a crackdown on cryptocurrencies, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, warned that the African nation was creating a dangerous precedent.

The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, Binance, and two of its executives are being tried separately for tax evasion and money laundering, charges that the business is contesting.

CEO Richard Teng declared in a statement that it was time to voice opposition to the imprisonment of a US citizen and head of financial crime compliance at Binance, Tigran Gambaryan.

Former executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British Kenyan who works as a regional manager for Africa, escaped detention in Nigeria last month. While in Nigeria, Anjarwalla and Gambaryan were arrested by the country’s anti-corruption body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), after arriving on February 26, after which the country banned several websites that traded cryptocurrencies.

In a follow-up meeting on February 26, he stated that the authorities had declared the Binance concerns to be matters of national security and that they wanted the exchange to remove the naira from its site and disclose “granular-level” information on every Nigerian user. After that, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were taken into custody.

“To invite a company’s mid-level employees for collaborative policy meetings, only to detain them, has set a dangerous new precedent for all companies worldwide,” Teng said, in his strongest comments yet since the case started in February.

“For spurious reasons,” Teng said that Gambaryan had been detained in Nigeria for almost two months. Early in March, Binance declared that it will no longer be accepting any new naira transactions.

“Our hope when we took this drastic step was that our colleagues would be released and Binance could continue to work with the Nigerian government to resolve any further concerns. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” said Ten.

He stated that Gambaryan ought to be permitted to return home while Binance and the Nigerian government work out any kinks. “We will continue engagement with Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on resolving potential historic tax liabilities,” he said.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Metro3 hours ago

Nigeria: President Tinubu unveils 21 major initiatives

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has unveiled 21 major policy initiatives of his administration after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting...

Tech3 hours ago

Nigeria: Govt approves SPV for 90,000km fibre optic cable

To facilitate the delivery of an additional 90,000 kilometres of fiber optic cable for universal internet access throughout Nigeria, the...

VenturesNow3 hours ago

Uganda discusses power line to South Sudan with China’s Sinohydro

According to the president’s office, Uganda is in negotiations with Sinohydro Corporation Limited of China to build a $180 million...

VenturesNow4 hours ago

Uganda considers nuclear energy to meet increased electricity demand

Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development announced on Tuesday that it was collaborating with the International Atomic Energy Agency...

Politics5 hours ago

South Africa: President Ramaphosa insists pause in power cuts not linked to election

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, denied on Monday that a recent halt in the country’s long-running energy disruptions was due...

VenturesNow6 hours ago

Shell investigates smoke at Gbaran oil plant in Nigeria

Shell is investigating allegations of smoke near its Gbaran Ubie oil and gas complex in Nigeria’s coastal Bayelsa state. Residents...

Sports17 hours ago

Super Falcons star Nnadozie wins best goalkeeper in France

Super Falcons of Nigeria goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, has entered the history books as she became the first female African player...

Metro22 hours ago

Chipata youth calls for stronger media protections amid concerns over media independence

Alepha Banda, a programmes officer at the Youth Development Foundation (YDF), says Zambia’s existing laws do not adequately safeguard journalists,...

VenturesNow1 day ago

Nigeria’s Petroleum Regulator begins bidding round for 12 oil blocks

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has announced the start of the bidding process for 12 oil blocks recently put...

VenturesNow1 day ago

Ecobank’s $183 million impairment losses highlight hazards in sovereign bonds

Ecobank, a pan-African banking group, has more than doubled its impairment losses on Ghana’s problematic Eurobonds to $183 million, highlighting...

Trending