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Monday, 16 September 2019 05:44

More than 80 percent Nigerians applying for student visas in Canada this year denied. This is why

Yomi Kazeem What are the chances of getting a study permit approved in Canada? If you’re African, it’s currently 25%. New analysisof data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows that three in four African students (75%) who applied for study permits in Canada between January and May this year were rejected. For Nigerians, it has been 81 percent denial rate so far this year. The rate is much higher than the global rejection rate of 39%. The figure for rejection of Africans applicants did not include applications for study permit extensions or withdrawn applications. Typically, reasons for rejection include…

Monday, 16 September 2019 05:43

Iran dismisses U.S. claim it was behind Saudi oil attacks, says ready for war

Iran dismissed accusations by the United States that it was behind attacks on Saudi oil plants that disrupted world oil production and warned on Sunday that U.S. bases and aircraft carriers in the region were in range of its missiles. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility for Saturday's attacks that knocked out more than half of Saudi oil output. But U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was no evidence the attacks came from Yemen and accused Iran of "an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply." Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, speaking on state TV, dismissed the…

Monday, 16 September 2019 05:42

Trump says US has ‘all options on the table’ in response to drone attack

Tensions are flaring in the Persian Gulf after President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “locked and loaded” to respond to a weekend drone assault on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure that his aides blamed on Iran. The attack, which halved the kingdom’s oil production and sent crude prices spiking, led Trump to authorize the release of U.S. strategic reserves should they be necessary to stabilize markets. Trump said the U.S. had reason to believe it knew who was behind the attack his secretary of state had blamed Iran the previous day and said his government was waiting to consult with…

Monday, 16 September 2019 05:40

Xenophobia: Ramaphosa dispatches envoys to Nigeria, Tanzania, 5 other African nations

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dispatched three officials to seven African nations to discuss how the government is addressing a recent spate of xenophobic attacks in his country. Former minister Jeff Radebe, Mr Kingsley Mmabolo and Mr Khulu Mbatha, a veteran leader of the ruling African National Congress, will visit Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, according to a statement emailed by the presidency on Sunday. “The special envoys will brief governments in the identified African countries about steps that the South African government is taking to bring a stop to the attacks and to…

Sunday, 15 September 2019 05:07

How ex-CJN helped foreign company to defeat Nigeria in $9.6bn judgment debt

For the former Chief Justice, it was all business. It did not matter that he was providing an expert legal opinion against his country whose judiciary he once headed. It did not matter that Nigeria stood to lose the case on account of his testimony, neither did it matter that offering such service to a foreign company was illegal. All that mattered, it seems, was money. PREMIUM TIMES can confirm that a key legal argument the British firm, P&ID Limited, used in securing the humongous arbitral award of $9.6 billion (N3.2 trillion) against Nigeria was provided by former Chief Justice…

Sunday, 15 September 2019 05:06

If Fulani go on strike for one week Nigerians will know their worth - Miyetti Allah Women Leader

Mrs Baheejah Mahmood, from Azare in Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State, is the National Women Leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association. In this interview with newsmen in Bauchi, she spoke on a number of issues affecting the Fulani; the controversial Rugga settlement introduced by the Federal Government. Ishola Michael brings excerpts of the interview. In your opinion, who do you think is Fulani? What are they known for? A Fulani is a courageous, self-reliant, fearless and shy person who can be considered an introvert. The Fulani man does not interact and mingle so much…

Sunday, 15 September 2019 05:04

Drones attack world's largest oil plant in Saudi Arabia, causing huge fire

Two major Saudi oil refineries were set ablaze after a drone strike that was reportedly orchestrated by Yemen's Houthi rebel group. The extent of the damage was unclear, which could be critical to the state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco's plans for what could be the largest initial public offering of stock in the world. A spokesman for the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen said it had deployed 10 drones in the attacks, according to the BBC. Houthi fighters were blamed for drone attacks on a natural gas facility last month and Iran has previously been blamed for attacks on oil…

Sunday, 15 September 2019 05:03

Saudi oil strikes: US blames Iran for twin attacks

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for Saturday's drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. He dismissed a claim by Yemeni Houthi rebels that they had attacked the two facilities, run by state-owned company Aramco. Saudi Arabia's energy minister said the strikes had reduced crude oil production by 5.7 million barrels a day - about half the kingdom's output. Correspondents say they could have a significant impact on world oil prices. TV footage showed a huge blaze at Abqaiq, site of Aramco's largest oil processing plant, while a second drone attack started fires in the Khurais oilfield. The…

Sunday, 15 September 2019 05:02

Xenophobia: South Africa’s President booed at Mugabe’s funeral

It was all jeers for President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa yesterday in Harare, Zimbabwe, when he joined other African leaders to pay tribute to Zimbabwe’s founding president, Robert Mugabe. The former Zimbabwean President had died on September 6, 2019 at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore. The crowd booed him as he was introduced by the master of ceremony at the funeral held at the National Sports Stadium. The boos were in reaction to recent xenophobic attacks by South Africans on fellow Africans living in their country, including Nigerians and Zimbabweans. The MC pleaded with the stadium crowd to let Ramaphosa speak.…

Saturday, 14 September 2019 05:39

FG agency demands access to bank accounts of Lawan, Gbajabiamila, Muhammad, others

Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit has started investigating bank accounts of all judges in the country, including Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr Tanko Muhammad. Also included in the “secret” investigation are Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan; his deputy, Mr Ovie Omo-Agege; Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila; his deputy, Mr Idris Wase, as well as other principal officers and members of the National Assembly. Also under investigation are the bank accounts of “other relevant politically exposed persons”. The unit has written to all banks in the country to send them the banking information of the affected persons. Our correspondent…

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Saturday, 14 September 2019 05:38

State police? Forget it - FG

Federal Government has said that the proposed Community Police Policy is better than the state police being clamored for by many Nigerians, to strengthen security in the country. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, said this on Friday in Abuja during submission of the report of the Committee on Strengthening Internal Security Framework and Community Policing in Nigeria held at Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). According to him, the state police require each state government to create, recruit, train, and manage a policing system separate from the federal system, while community policing…

Saturday, 14 September 2019 05:35

Paris at standstill as transport strike causes 124 miles of traffic

Paris came to a standstill today as public transport worker unions protest a sweeping pension reform by French President. The French capital's public transport company, RATP, said 14 of the city's 16 metro lines have been closed and several others, including the RER suburban rail, are severely disrupted. On platforms, messages in French and English warned passengers of the strike - the biggest since 2007. Officials have noted a whopping 186 miles of traffic jams during the morning's rush hour, more than double the city's normal levels. The government issued warnings telling people to cycle to work and Parisians have…

Saturday, 14 September 2019 05:34

Robert Mugabe: African leaders gather in Zimbabwe for state funeral

African leaders are gathering in Zimbabwe's capital Harare as the country prepares for former president Robert Mugabe's funeral on Saturday. More than a dozen current and former leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, are expected to attend. A national sports stadium is expected to be filled with well-wishers. The funeral follows a row between the Mugabe family and the government over his burial. Some dignitaries, including Equatorial Guinea President Theodore Obiang Nguema, have already arrived. Mr Obiang, who came to power in 1979 and has so far outlasted Mr Mugabe's 30-year rule by a decade, said he was "a…

Friday, 13 September 2019 05:42

I’ve always appointed women as Finance Ministers. This is why - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja said placing women in strategic positions of his government, like the financial sector, is to ensure effective management of limited resources available, and promote a stronger sense of inclusiveness. Mr Buhari said he preferred women to oversee the economic and financial hub of the country, Ministry of Finance, as they can readily deploy their experience in aligning resources with the needs of the country, explaining that the nation also had many female technocrats with local and international experiences on economy and finance. The president gave the insight into his preferred choice for Ministers of…

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