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Tag: Ban

  • Russia bans oil exports to Ukraine

    Russia bans oil exports to Ukraine

    Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday said Russia has banned exports of oil and petroleum products to Ukraine, as well as certain Ukrainian imports.

    Relations between the former Soviet neighbours have been at an all-time low since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in retaliation for Kiev ousting its Kremlin-backed president.

    Medvedev cast the new sanctions, which include bans on importing certain metals, consumer goods and equipment from Ukraine, as counter-measures for Ukrainian sanctions against Russia.

    “We are forced to protect our interests and strike back,’’ Medvedev said at a meeting of the cabinet of ministers, Russian state news agency, TASS reported.

    “Those Ukrainian imports that are now banned had amounted to about $250 million in 2018,’’ Medvedev added.

  • Togolese FA official gets life ban for bribery

    Togolese Football Association official Kokou Hougnimon Fagla has been banned from all football-related activities for life after being found guilty of accepting bribes to manipulate an international friendly.

    World football ruling body FIFA said on Wednesday that Fagla, who is also a referee, had taken bribes in violation of the organisation’s code of ethics.

    “The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Mr Kokou Hougnimon Fagla… guilty of having accepted bribes to manipulate an international friendly match,” FIFA said in a statement.

    “The formal ethics proceedings against Mr Fagla….stemmed from an extensive investigation into various international matches that Mr Wilson Raj Perumal attempted to manipulate for betting purposes.”

    Fagla was also fined 3,000 Swiss francs (2,270.7 pounds).

  • Man City faces two-window transfer ban

    Manchester City will be banned from making signings in the next two transfer windows by FIFA for breaking rules related to the protection of youth players and third-party ownership, according to reports.

    The club is already being investigated by the Football Association and Premier League for allegations related to youth transfers and financial fair play rules, with the latter also being looked at by European football’s governing body UEFA. That investigation could result in City being banned from the Champions League.

    A transfer ban for the Premier League champions would come less than a month after Chelsea was also hit with the same sanction for 29 breaches of article 19 of FIFA’s regulations on the transfer and status of players.

    The west London club has already lodged an appeal against that punishment but were told by FIFA last week that the sanction would not be frozen while the case is being reviewed, as Chelsea had hoped.

    FIFA has been investigating City’s international transfers for several years, although the club was cleared of breaking the rules when it signed Benjamin Garre from Velez Sarsfield in 2016 just after the Argentine midfielder’s 16th birthday.

    According to The Sun, FIFA believes City has crossed the line, though, in regards to their relationship with FC Nordsjaelland and the Right To Dream football academy in Ghana that is also owned by the Danish side’s president Tom Vernon.

    Last year, two players from the academy, Sierra Leone’s George Davies and Ghanaian Dominic Oduro, told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that they signed for City and played in youth matches before they turned 18.

    Both have since left City – Davies now plays in Latvia and Oduro in the United States – but FIFA has been investigating their time with the English club.

    And that investigation was broadened later in 2018 when a second Danish newspaper, Politiken, published a story that claimed City had a secret deal with Vernon to have first refusal on the best prospects from Right to Dream.

    If true, that would be a breach of the rules preventing the third-party ownership of players, as City could be argued to have undue influence over another club’s players.

    In regards to international transfers of players aged under 18, they are only allowed in three circumstances: the players’ parents have moved to the new country for non-footballing reasons, they and the club are based close to the relevant national border or the transfer takes place within the European Economic Area and the player is at least 16.

    As well as Chelsea, Spanish trio Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been punished for signing under-age players from abroad in the past.

    Real were able to get their ban reduced on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport – an avenue Chelsea and now perhaps City will also explore.

    Neither Manchester City nor FIFA were available for comment on Thursday night.

  • Chelsea appeal against two transfer windows ban

    Chelsea have appealed against Fifa’s decision to ban them from signing players in the next two transfer windows.

    It follows the world governing body’s investigation into Chelsea’s signing of foreign under-18 players.

    Fifa says it found breaches in 29 cases out of 92 investigated, including striker Bertrand Traore, now at Lyon.

    The governing body says it has received an appeal but could not confirm when this would be heard.

    Chelsea have also been fined £460,000, while the Football Association has been fined £390,000.

    The ban, which runs until the end of January 2020, does not prevent the release of players and will not apply to their women’s and futsal teams.

  • Former FIFA vice-president Chung banned from football

    Former FIFA vice president David Chung of Papua New Guinea has been banned for six-and-a-half years from football for ethics rules violations.

    The ethics committee said on Friday that Chung was found guilty “of having offered and accepted gifts, as well as having acted under a conflict of interest.’’

    He was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (dollars).

    Chung stepped down in April 2018 as Oceania confederation chief and from the FIFA Council as FIFA stopped funding and probed financial wrongdoing in connection with construction of Oceania’s new headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand.

  • 2019 Elections: UK threatens to ban, forfeit assets of violent politicians

    The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, has warned that Nigerian politicians who incite or execute violence during Saturday’s elections would have their visas banned and assets in the UK seized.

    Ms Laing gave the warning at a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja to unveil the Election Situation Room of the Civil Society Situation Room set up by a coalition of civil society organisations to monitor the polls in Abuja.

    She reminded political parties that apart from their assets being seized in the UK, they could experience a worst case scenario of prosecution.

    “We will apply this absolutely across board not directed to any particular party; so, we are monitoring and looking out for hate speech.

    “We are concerned about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally which has hate speech a lot and we will like to call that kind of thing out.

    “Our two worries are on security not just on the role the police will play to ensure peace but about the role individuals play by getting angry or militias being paid to disrupt elections .

    “Then, another worry is fake news (and) that is why we rely on CSOs and we will work with them to get information,’’ she said

    UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, thanked the CSOs for the launch of the situation room, describing it as a good work toward the elections.

    Ibn Chambas said it showed that the groups were prepared for the elections and ready to monitor the voting process thus helping UN with ideas on the process in the country.

    The American Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, said the special thing with the room was not just about that CSOs would say and do but about what every Nigerian would say and do.

    “The time has come for this outside world that cares so much about Nigeria to listen to the people of Nigeria and to see what each of them do and then forward the results to lift Nigeria up,’’ Mr Symington said.

    Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, Ketil Karlsen, said the work of CSOs over the last years gave hope that continued consolidation of democracy clamoured for internally could happen.

    Jude Illoh, Country Director of Open Society for West Africa (OSIWA), said that though there a lot of apprehension about the election, Nigeria would overcome it.

    Mr Illoh said Nigeria’s democracy had experienced good progress.

    “We have defied dictators, we have defied civil war and everything you can imagine, insurgency terrorism everything thrown at us we are still standing.

    “I can tell you that the morning after the election we will be standing as a country, proudly Nigerians, ‘’ he said.

    Clement Nwankwo, the convener of the Situation room, said the situation room would help monitor the election and give Nigerians information as it came in order to guarantee free, air and credible elections.

  • How FG’s ban on 41 Items aided Nigeria’s economic recovery – Emefiele

    Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has said the decision by federal government to restrict the importation of 41 items has led to the recovery of the nation’s economy from recession it slipped into in the second quarter of 2016.

    Speaking at the recently held 53rd annual bankers’ dinner organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), the CBN chief said if not, the recovery may have been weaker.

    “Based on our internal research conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria, there is strong evidence that the recovery from recession may have been much weaker, even negative without the implementation of the restriction on the 41 items,” Mr Emefiele said.

    He therefore, warned companies conniving with unscrupulous individuals to contravene the apex bank’s 41 items forex restriction to immediately desist, emphasising that refusal to heed this warning would necessitate repercussions.

    He said further that one of the punishments for defaulters will come in the form of restrictions placed on their accounts with the CBN, revealing that the central bank was working in partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commensurately punish defaulters.

    “The CBN’s economic intelligence and banking supervision department will work very close with the EFCC to expose and sanction any bank or company whose directors or FX operator colluded with unscrupulous individuals or companies to undermine the policy on 41 items.

    “Such sanction will include but not limited to prohibiting the banks from maintaining bank account for such institution or person in Nigeria,” the CBN Governor said.

    The 41 items banned by the CBN range from consumer goods like rice to industrial goods like cement. As we analysed back in 2015 when the restrictions were imposed, the decision was part of CBN’s desperate measures to control Nigerians’ demand for hard currency dollar at a time when recession was hitting hard and the economy was struggling.

    Mr Emefiele believes this measure has yielded results by encouraging local production and stimulating economic growth; hence the need to sustain it.

    He further reiterated the CBN’s commitment towards ensuring that local production of goods and services are intensified in the country.

     

  • INEC lifts ban on 2019 presidential, NASS campaigns tomorrow

    INEC lifts ban on 2019 presidential, NASS campaigns tomorrow

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will tomorrow (Sunday) lift ban on campaign for 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections slated for February 16, 2019

    A statement by Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, INEC Director Of Voter Education and Publicity, on Saturday in Abuja said that political parties who fielded candidates for both elections would commence campaigns across the country.

    Osaze-Uzzi said that the commencement of campaigns was in line with the Timetable and Schedule of Activities issued by the INEC.

    He added that it was also in accordance with Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) which provides that “the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day”.

    “Political Parties are expected to conduct their activities in an organized and peaceful manner, devoid of rancour, hate and/or inflammatory speeches.”

    He reminded political parties and their candidates that campaigns for Governorship and State Houses of Assembly would commence on December 1.

  • Plateau crisis: Ban on public procession still in force – Lalong

    The Plateau Government says the ban on public processions in the state is still in force.
    Mr Yakubu Dati, Commissioner for Information and Communication, on Monday reminded the citizens of the ban, and warned against flouting it.
    The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that protests have continued in some parts of the state as a fallout of the local government elections held on October 10.
    “Government wishes to remind citizens that the ban on public procession in all parts of the state is still in force.
    “Consequently, no persons should engage in any form of protest until further notice.
    “By this notice, members of the public are therefore advised to adhere strictly to the ban.
    “This is to prevent miscreants and unpatriotic elements from hijacking any protest to further inflict pain and hardship on innocent citizens’’, he said.
    Dati stated that an election petitions tribunal and an appeal committee for the local government elections had been set up by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Yakubu Dakwak.
    He said that the tribunal and the appeal committee were to deal with any petition that might arise from the recently concluded polls in the 13 local government areas of the state.

  • Atiku visa ban: Obasanjo reacts to allegations of mounting pressures on U.S. Govt

    Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday reacted to allegation by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that he had been mounting pressure on American authorities to expunge an alleged corruption case against his anointed and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

    The ruling party allege that Atiku is wanted in the United States for fraud, claiming Obasanjo was scheming to have the alleged charges dropped in order to clear the path for Atiku’s entry into that country.

    Recall that Atiku has not been able to enter the U.S. since at least 2007 when he completed his two-term as vice-president, serving under Mr Obasanjo the entire eight years.

    Obasanjo and Atiku had been fiercely antagonistic of one another for several years, with the former president insisting he would never support his ex-vice-president’s political ambition.

    The crisis was, however, resolved earlier this week when Atiku and a host of political and religious leaders visited him at home in Abeokuta and pleaded with him for forgiveness. Forcing Obasanjo to promptly endorse Atiku, who had a week ago emerged the presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

    The APC said Obasanjo’s purported intervention betrayed his “legendary hypocrisy and self-serving interest in national affairs.”

    Reacting to the claim on Saturday Obasanjo’s spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi said: “Baba cannot be responding to frivolous allegations by a vicious political party.” “Let them bring any shred of evidence to back their false claim.”

    “It is unfortunate that they are trying to distract the attention of Nigerians in the lead up to a general election rather than focus on campaigning on serious issues to lift the country out of its current state,” Akinyemi added.