chidi Nduka Aja

The African Development Bank (AfDB) said it would assist the Nigerian government to bridge its infrastructure gap estimated to cost about $3 trillion in the next 26 years. The Senior Director, AfDB Nigeria, Mr Ebrima Faal, said this at the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) Road show on Tuesday in Abuja. Faal said the AIF idea came from the reality that the government alone could not finance the infrastructure gap in the country which made it difficult to achievr sustainable development. “Indeed, over the last decade, and despite impressive growth rates in most of the continent, Africa’s infrastructure needs remain formidable with annual financing gap between 130 and $107 billion annually. “Nigeria’s infrastructure cumulative financing needs are estimated to reach $3 trillion by 2044 or about $100 billion annually. “This is all happening at a time when public sector finances are extremely pressured. “There is therefore a critical need to change the current funding mix and create partnership...

The UN has accused South Sudan government forces and allies of killing 232 civilians and raping 120 women and girls in opposition-held villages. A UN investigation identified three commanders suspected of bearing the “greatest responsibility” in the violence in Unity State between April 16 and May 24 that may amount to war crimes, the UN said. “The perpetrators …must not be allowed to get away with it,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Al-Hussein. The investigation has also identified three individuals who may bear the greatest responsibility for the violations committed. One of them was reportedly removed from his functions for his alleged implication in these violations. The violence took place after clashes between the SPLA and associated forces, and SPLA-IO (RM) in Unity State culminated in a significant military operation by Government and associated forces between April and May in multiple areas in southern Unity. The military offensive was pa...

The number of divorces in Germany has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years, the Federal Statistics Office reported on Tuesday. “In 2017, there were 153,500 marriages officially dissolved by the state, 9,000 fewer than the previous year, representing an annual drop of 5.5 per cent,’’ the office reported. The last time the annual divorce figure was lower than that was in 1992, when it was 135,000. Contrary to the cliché of the “seven-year itch,” a large number of divorces actually occurred after six years: some 8,000 of last year’s divorces resulted from marriages made in 2011. Couples going their separate ways after 25 years or more made up 17.5 per cent of 2017 total. The average length of a marriage before divorce was 15 years. There was a slight majority of wives instigating divorce proceedings, at 51.5 per cent of the total. (dpa/NAN)

Malaysia Sharia Court fined village imam who married an 11-year-old Thai girl 1,800 ringgit (450 dollars) and sentenced to six months in jail, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. Zaini Sulaiman, from the state sharia court in north-eastern Kelantan, confirmed the charges to dpa and said the marriage has been invalidated. Zaini said that Che Abdul Karim Che Abdul Hamid, aged 41, had violated Islamic family laws. “That’s why the punishment imposed is appropriate,” he added. The rubber scrap dealer, who is said to have six children from his first two marriages, apparently got married in Thailand without the consent of his other wives. The prosecutor had previously told dpa that the case was being treated as “polygamy without consent.” According to local media, the girl’s parents gave consent to the marriage and were present when the marriage took place at a Thai mosque. The mother is thought to work for the imam’s first wife and a...

The proposed Counter Terrorism and Border Security Bill, which is currently going through UK parliament, may be misinterpreted and might violate human rights, the parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said on Tuesday. “The Committee is concerned that some of the new powers are too vaguely defined and do not have sufficient safeguards to protect human rights,” the JCHR said. The proposed counter-terrorism bill provides for punishment of up to 15 years in prison. Though the bill aims to close some loopholes in the current legislation, some of its provisions extend the reach of the criminal law into private spaces. The bill might criminalise “curious minds and expressions of belief which do not carry any consequent harm or intent to cause harm,” the committee explained. The conclusions of the parliamentary watchdog contradict the opinion of UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who called the proposed legislation a “balanced” response to terrorism. In June, Ja...

Israel will not dismiss the possibility of future relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,  Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Tuesday. The statement came as the Syrian government retook parts of southern Syria recently, regaining territories lost to rebels during the country’s seven-year civil war. Responding to a reporter’s question if Israel would establish some kind of relations with Syria, Lieberman responded: “Our assessment is that we are far from that, but we do not rule out anything.’’ Israel says it has not taken sides in the Syrian civil war, but has bombed targets repeatedly in the war-torn country, typically weapons transfers to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and regional rival, and sites affiliated with Iran. Lieberman has also stepped up rhetoric against the Syrian military warning them not to enter a buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights established after a 1973 war with Israel. “Any Syrian soldier found in the buffer zone...