Egypt called off a scheduled meeting between its foreign minister and top U.S. presidential adviser Jared Kushner on Wednesday after the United States decided to withhold millions of dollars in aid. But President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would meet the U.S. delegation led by Kushner later in the day as scheduled, Sisi’s office said. Two U.S. sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday that Washington had decided to deny Egypt $95.7 million in aid and to delay a further $195 million because of its failure to make progress on…
Read MoreDay: August 23, 2017
Sri Lanka president sacks justice minister
Sri Lanka’s justice minister was sacked on Wednesday after criticising the government’s decision to sell a majority stake in a newly built deep sea port to a state-owned Chinese company. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was removed by President Maithripala Sirisena at the request of his own party – the United National Party led by Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. The minister called the decision to sell 70 per cent of the shares in the loss-making Hambantota port illegal and said he would campaign to reverse the deal signed in July. The justice minister…
Read MoreBuhari sick, weak, old, he should resign – Fayose
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Thursday declared that he stands by all that he said about the health of President Muhammadu Buhari while he was away in London on a medical trip, maintaining that the president is sick, weak and old and should not continue in office. Governor Fayose told newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, that the president should throw in the towel and return to his native Daura to take care of his health, because he allegedly is not fit to continue in office. Fayose, who…
Read MoreBoko Haram sends 83 child bombers to Nigeria
Boko Haram militants in northeast Nigeria have sent out 83 child bombers against Nigerian targets this year, according to a tally by United Nations Children’s Fund. This is four times as many child suicide bombers used in all of 2016, the UNICEF said. The UN agency said out of the 83 children deployed by the atrocious insurgents, 55 were girls, mostly under 15 years old and 27 were boys. One was a baby strapped to a girl. Nineteen children were used last year, UNICEF said. The Boko Haram insurgency, now…
Read MoreBuhari back in Nigeria but leadership doubts linger
Questions are being raised about the ability of Nigeria’s president to rule after his decision to cancel Wednesday’s cabinet meeting — the first since he returned from a long overseas medical absence. An announcement Tuesday that President Muhammadu Buhari, 74, will work from home following more than 100 days of medical treatment in London because of a rodent infestation in his official office had already raised doubts about his health. Amaka Anku, an analyst at Eurasia Group consulting, said ahead of Buhari’s return at the weekend that he “remains quite…
Read MoreNo outbreak of Lassa fever in Kwara – Commissioner
The Kwara State Government has dismissed reports of an alleged outbreak of Lassa fever in the state. The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Alhaji Babatunde Ajeigbe, however told newsmen in Ilorin on Wednesday that only two isolated cases were recorded. Ajeigbe spoke on the outcome of the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting. He said there was a reported case of the disease in Babanla, Ifelodun Local Government Area, which prompted the state government to send sample of those in contact with the victim. “We sent sample of eight people…
Read More