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Category: Foreign

  • Russian court sentences U.S. soldier to jail

    Russian court sentences U.S. soldier to jail
    Jail
    Moscow, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A U.S. soldier detained in Russia in early May has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison by a court in Vladivostok for theft and death threats.
    According to local media reports on Wednesday, the court found that the man had stolen 10,000 rubles (120 U.S. dollars) from his girlfriend and threatened her.
    The defence had demanded an acquittal.
    The court’s sentence fell short of the four years and eight months in prison sought by the prosecution.
    The U.S. soldier had been detained in Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
    According to the U.S. Army, the soldier had completed his service in South Korea on April 10.
    Instead of returning to the mainland United States, he travelled to Vladivostok via China “for personal reasons.”
    The soldier had not sought official permission for his trip from the Department of Defense, the U.S. authorities said.
    He had joined the army in 2008 and had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    Local media reported that the man had wanted to visit a woman in Russia with whom he allegedly had a romantic relationship.
    During an argument, he reportedly grabbed his girlfriend by the throat, which she perceived as life-threatening.
    He also stole money from her, the report said.
    The detention of U.S. citizens in Russia often leads to complicated negotiations between Moscow and Washington over a release or exchange.
    According to the Kremlin, negotiations are ongoing regarding the detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich.
    His trial is set to begin on June 26 behind closed doors.
    Since late 2018, former U.S. soldier Paul Whelan has also been held in Russian custody after being convicted of espionage. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • Expert advocates locally developed AI for accurate information

    Expert advocates locally developed AI for accurate information

    AI

    By Sarafina Christopher

    Lagos, June 19, 2024 (NAN) Mr Arnold Agure-Dam, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert, has advocated for a locally owned platform to enhance accurate and unbiased information retrieval about the country.

    Agure-Dam, who is the CEO of GreyDots, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos state.

    The AI app is called Nigeria Info’ Generative Pre-trained Transformer (NiGPT) and will harmonise the nation’s information from a local system.

    According to Agure-Dam, NiGPT is a necessity for Nigeria because most of the data about the country are not controlled locally and has created room for information bias.

    “So we decided to provide a platform that will democratise Nigerian specific information and bring it to the fingertip of our citizens.

    ”This will be easy to access information without going on a long research to get answers. We aim to replace Google with Ask NiGPT in Nigeria.

    “We want to make questions about our country a priority without having to go through long and biased research,” he said.

    Agure-Dam also added that NiGPT was a revolutionary project designed to harness the power of AI to revolutionise various sectors.

    “The goal is to develop sophisticated AI solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into industries such as healthcare, finance, education and agriculture, among others.

    “AI is a cutting-edge technology that not only addresses complex problems but also enhances the efficiency and productivity of businesses and organisations.

    “Therefore, by leveraging AI, NiGPT aims to bring about significant positive changes in how industries operate, ultimately improving everyday life and business operations,” Agure-Dam said.

    The Minister of State for Youths, Ayodele Olawande, said that AI was a welcome development that everyone in Nigeria should key into, adding that it would help improve intelligence.

    Olatubosun Alake, Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, reiterated the government commitment towards supporting innovations that would promote accurate information about Nigeria.

    “The launch of this app is along the lines of building capacity in Artificial Intelligence. It also goes to show that our Nigerian companies have the capacity.

    “We are proud to announce that now our local team has built a solution that we own as Nigerians.

    ”This is a significant advantage for us as we can now start to solve problems from a local context,” Alake said.(NAN) (www.nannews.com.ng)

    SAF/COO/IS

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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ismail Abdulaziz

  • U.S. regulators accuse TikTok of violating child privacy laws

    U.S. regulators accuse TikTok of violating child privacy laws

    Accusation

    Washington, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has referred a complaint against the popular video-sharing app TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance to the Department of Justice.

    It alleged that they failed to protect children’s privacy.

    The FTC said in a statement that, it uncovered reason to believe TikTok and ByteDance were violating or are about to violate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

    The regulator did not provide any further details of the alleged violations in its statement.

    The FTC said that it did not typically make referrals of complaints public, but “determined that doing so here is in the public interest.’’

    The FTC is responsible for consumer protection in the U.S. and also played an important role in competition policy.

    TikTok rejected the allegations in a statement on X, noting it had been in talks with the FTC for more than a year.

    “We’re disappointed the agency is pursuing litigation instead of continuing to work with us on a reasonable solution,’’ it said.

    TikTok also said that many of the FTC’s allegations related to past events and practices were factually inaccurate or have been addressed.

    In 2019, TikTok agreed to pay 5.7 million dollars to settle FTC allegations against its predecessor company, Musically, concerning the collection of data from children under the age of 13.

    These collections were done without parental consent, in violation of U.S. law.

    According to the FTC, the current investigation into TikTok and its Chinese-based parent company ByteDance began with an audit to determine whether the platform was complying with the terms of the previous agreement.

    TikTok is currently involved in a separate legal battle in the U.S. over a proposed law that would force a change of ownership.

    U.S. politicians are concerned that the Chinese government could potentially access data from American users through ByteDance and use the app for propaganda.

    TikTok denied the allegations and has taken legal action in the U.S..(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/AMM
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey and Abiemwense Moru
    08053114137

  • Vessel sinks in Red Sea 1 week after Houthi attack

    Vessel

    Cairo, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A vessel is believed to have sunk in the Red Sea a week after the ship was attacked by Yemen’s Houthi Rebels, UK authorities have said.

    Maritime debris and oil have been sighted in the vessel’s last reported location in the Red Sea.

    The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, which is part of Britain’s Royal Navy, said this late on Tuesday.

    The vessel was attacked on June 12 while it was sailing off the coast of Yemen.

    It was hit twice but the crew was evacuated, UKMTO said.

    Last week, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that an unmanned surface vessel launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels had hit a Greek-owned and operated ship off the coast of Yemen.

    The hit caused severe flooding and damage to the ship’s engine room.

    The Houthis, had controlled parts of Yemen since 2014, but have been targeting ships bound for Israeli ports or those owned by Israeli companies in the Red and Arabian seas.

    They have also been targeting the Indian Ocean for months, in what they said was retaliation for Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

    The militia also attacked U.S. and British ships off Yemen after the two countries began launching strikes on areas under the group’s control.

    The U.S., Britain and other Western countries had launched operations to protect ships in the region. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/DOE
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Dianabasi Effiong

  • Commission to punish EU countries for excessive new debt

    Commission to punish EU countries for excessive new debt

    Punishment

    Brussels, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The European Commission could threaten France, Italy and Belgium, among other EU member states, on Wednesday, with legal action over their accumulation of excessive new debt.

    The EU executive arm expected multiple EU countries to breach regulations on budget deficits and national debt levels, according to an economic forecast published in May.

    As well as a decision on excessive new debt levels, the commission was also expected to make a proposal to design the European Union’s budget for 2025.

    The EU decided to suspend the debt and deficit regulations in the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    With the rules now back in place, after some reforms were negotiated, any EU country that breached the debt and deficit limits risked legal punishment, should the commission decide to act.

    This is primarily to ensure the stability of the eurozone with the aim of the excessive deficit procedure to bring countries to a sound financial position.

    This started a process where an EU country must introduce countermeasures to reduce its debt and deficit under the supervision of the commission for four years.

    Under certain conditions, for example if a country commits to growth-promoting reforms and investments, the plan can be extended to seven years.

    The commission can also temporarily take into account the increase in interest payments when calculating the adjustment efforts.

    According to the reformed rules, EU member state may not accumulate debt in excess of 60 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

    Highly indebted EU countries with debt levels over 90 per cent of GDP have to reduce their debt ratio by one percentage point annually,

    It also said that countries with debt levels between 60 and 90 per cent by 0.5 percentage points to also reduce debt ration.

    In addition, the general government deficit namely the gap between income and expenditure of the public budget, which was primarily covered by loans, must be kept below 3 per cent of GDP.

    According to the commission’s economic forecast, France at 5.5 per cent, Italy at 4.4 per cent and Belgium at 4.4 per cent will breach this deficit limit in 2024.

    Also included were Austria, Finland, Estonia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia also have deficits that were too high, according to the rules.

    Spain is at exactly -3.0 per cent. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/SH
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Sadiya Hamza

  • Scottish Greens to propose abolishment of monarchy

    Scottish Greens to propose abolishment of monarchy

    Abolishment
    London, June 9, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The Scottish Green manifesto for Britain’s upcoming general elections would propose removing the “pomp and pageantry” of the monarchy, co-leader Patrick Harvie has said.

    Speaking ahead of the party’s campaign launch in Edinburgh on Thursday, Harvie has said his party would set out plans for a written constitution and a republic which can elect and remove heads of states.

    The manifesto plans were set to propose the abolition of “unelected heads of state and a permanent written constitution” in an independent Scotland.

    He said: “the monarchy is a badly outdated and fundamentally undemocratic institution. It represents a different era and feels increasingly irrelevant and ridiculous in the 21st century.

    “Yet in a matter of weeks the full pomp and pageantry of monarchy will be on display when the King does the state opening of a new government.

    “We should be able to challenge power and elect or remove our head of state through the ballot box, like most countries do.”

    He went on to demand a written constitution which would be used to avoid the kind of power grabs and stunts we have seen from Westminster.

    “The Scottish Greens are the only party that is calling for an independent Scottish republic where power lies with the people rather than being banned down like a family heirloom.”

    The United Kingdom is set to hold general elections on July 4.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    COO/IS
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ismail Abdulaziz

  • Putin arrives in North Korea on state visit

    Putin arrives in North Korea on state visit

    Visit

    Seoul, June 19, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for a two-day state visit.

    Putin was received by North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un at the airport in Pyongyang, the Russian news agency Interfax reported on Wednesday.

    According to observers, the two-day visit will also focus on further arms deliveries from Pyongyang, which Moscow intends to use in its war against Ukraine.

    The main part of the visit begins on Wednesday.

    The day would begin with a meeting between Putin and Kim on Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang’s urban and symbolic centre.

    Long negotiations were then planned, first in one-on-one talks, then on a larger scale.

    In addition to several meals together, a wreath-laying ceremony and a joint concert visit have also been announced.

    The last time Putin was in North Korea was in 2000, when he was received by Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il.

    He said after a long break in the relationship, the two countries have recently moved closer together not least because of the Ukraine war.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    COO/IS
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ismail Abdulaziz

  • WFP increases response in Nigeria, others to address rising hunger

    WFP increases response in Nigeria, others to address rising hunger

    Hunger

    By Cecilia Ologunagba

    New York, June 19,  2024 (NAN) The World Food Programme (WFP) says it will increase its food and nutrition assistance programme in some countries in West and Central Africa in June.

    WFP, through the programme, hopes of reaching 7.3 million people as the June-August lean season is under way at a time when hunger levels are high and food resources are low.

    The programme will aid response plans of national governments in Nigeria. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

    WFP, in a statement on Tuesday, stated that with the right amount of funding, WFP’s initiative can reach 12 million people, but with diminishing resources available, humanitarians working with the programme have reached fewer people than anticipated.

    This comes as malnutrition in West and Central Africa is reaching alarming levels along with a projection that 55 million people will face acute hunger during the lean season.

    Chris Nikoi, WFP’s Regional Director for Western Africa, said that this crisis exposes the need for “transformative solutions” to assist vulnerable families with food and other needs.

    “We need to continue prioritising emergency response for those most in need,” Nikoi said.

    “But, we need more investment in sustainable solutions to help strengthen food security, improve agricultural productivity and purchasing power of families at the right time and cushion economic and climate shocks.”

    Many dealing with acute hunger in West and Central Africa have been left without assistance and risk having their situation worsened since funding for the programme has not kept “apace” with increasing crises in the region.

    WFP said this is worrying since the 2024 seasonal forecast reveals weather that could disrupt farming and prolong the next lean season.

    “The escalation of humanitarian needs far outstrips available resources,” Nikoi said. “The only way out of this cycle is to prioritise durable solutions.”

    Currently, WFP said it is supporting “long-term transformative hunger solutions” and working on improving government systems that increase communities’ shock resilience via social protection and investments in inclusive food systems.

    WFP programmes have helped to, among other things, restore degraded lands to food and fodder production, support children’s education, improve access to food and boost incomes across the Sahel and provide more frequent and diversified meals to civilians in Nigerian villages.

    The programme said initiatives including “strengthening poor families’ purchasing power with timely shock-responsive social protection schemes need to be prioritised and expanded as a humanitarian response alone is financially not sustainable and does not address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition.” (NAN) (www.nannew.ng)

    CIA/SH

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    edited by Sadiya Hamza

  • Air pollution, second leading risk factor for premature death – report

    Air pollution, second  leading risk factor for premature death – report

    Pollution

    By Cecilia Ologunagba

    New York, June 18, 2024 (NAN)The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that air pollution is increasing impacting human health and is now the second leading global risk factor for premature death.

    The State of Global Air (SoGA) report, published in partnership with UNICEF, showed a global deadly and growing impact of air pollution.

    The fifth edition of the report, released by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), revealed that air pollution caused 8.1 million deaths worldwide in 2021 and many millions are dealing with debilitating chronic diseases, leaving healthcare systems, economies, and societies.

    Further, it found that children under five are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, leaving over 700,000 in this age group dead in 2021.

    The SoGA report found that pollutants like outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – which comes from burning fossil fuels and biomass in sectors like transportation, residential homes, wildfires and more – caused more than 90 per cent of global air pollution deaths.were found to be the “most consistent and accurate predictor of poor health outcomes around the world.”

    Other pollutants like household air pollution, ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – which can be found in traffic exhaust – also contribute to the global deterioration of human health.

    HEI President Dr. Elena Craft said she hopes the information in the report will inspire change.

    “Air pollution has enormous implications for health. We know that improving air quality and global public health is practical and achievable,” she said.

    In addition to affecting people’s health, pollutants like PM2.5 add to greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. As the earth warms, regions with high levels of NO2 will experience great levels of ozone, which can result in greater health effects.

    Dr. Pallavi Pant, HEI’s Head of Global Health said, “This new report offers a stark reminder of the significant impacts air pollution has on human health, with far too much of the burden borne by young children, older populations, and low- and middle-income countries.”

    She continued, “This points sharply at an opportunity for cities and countries to consider air quality and air pollution as high-risk factors when developing health policies and other noncommunicable disease prevention and control programmes.”

    The report reveals that children are “uniquely vulnerable” to air pollution and effects can begin in the womb.

    It states that young children’s exposure to air pollution has resulted in one in five deaths globally, pneumonia and asthma and affects children with inequities more than it does those in high-income countries.

    UNICEF  Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden said that nearly 2,000 children under five die every day due to the effects of air pollution.

    ‘The global urgency is undeniable,” she said. “It is imperative governments and businesses consider these estimates and locally available data and use it to inform meaningful, child-focused action to reduce air pollution and protect children’s health.”

    In addition to sharing details on the negative effects of air pollution on human health, the SoGA report also claims that there has been better awareness about the harms of being exposed to household air pollution and a 53 per cent decrease in the death rate of children under five since 2000 due to increased access to clean energy for cooking.

    Also, regions experiencing the highest levels of air pollution have begun to address the issue by installing air pollution monitoring networks, implementing stricter air quality policies and more – particularly in Africa, Latin America and Asia. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    CIA/SH

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    edited by Sadiya Hamza

     

  • Daily recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah strengthens faith — Cleric