America’s intel chief met with President Moon Jae-in before wrapping up her three-day visit to South Korea.
Reportedly key discussion topics included the two sides’ alliance as well as issues related to Pyeongyang.
President Moon Jae-in met with U.S. National Intelligence Director Avril Haines on Friday ahead of his summit next week with President Joe Biden in Washington.
South Korea’s top office said that the two had in-depth discussions on pending bilateral issues and North Korea.
President Moon said that the two countries share universal values such as democracy, human rights and peace, and that bilateral cooperation on intelligence will develop further.
Haines said that the alliance is about more than just security, and said she respects Moon’s efforts for human rights and peace.
FILE PHOTO: The Long March 5 Y-4 rocket, carrying an unmanned Mars probe of the Tianwen-1 mission, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo
China has landed an uncrewed spacecraft on Mars, becoming the second country to put a rover on the planet.
The six-wheeled rover, Zhurong, named after a god of fire in Chinese mythology, reached Utopia Planitia, a large plain in Mars’ northern hemisphere.
It’s also where NASA’s Viking 2 landed in 1976.
The rover used a combination of a parachute, a protective capsule, and a rocket platform to make the descent.
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter will relay its signal to the rover during its mission and conduct a global survey of the planet for one Martian year.
Scores of youths under the aegis of Omo Oduduwa United have stormed the streets of Osogbo capital of Osun State to agitate for the Yoruba nation.
The protesters converged on November 27 bridge in the Africa area, Osogbo for the protest.
They marched from the November 27 bridge through Ogo-Oluwa, Aregbe junction, Fakunle, Ola-Iya and Odi Olowo areas.
The protesters carried placards, banners chanting secession songs and distributing handbills to people along the streets.
They are heading to Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Old Garage.
The Nation had reported there was heavy security presence in major junctions of Osogbo as men of DSS, Police, JTF, Amotekun and other local operatives were on the ground.
Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr has drawn up a provisional squad list of 31 players for Nigeria’s prestige international friendly game against five-time African champions Cameroon in Austria on Friday, 4th June 2021. The game will take place at the Wiener Neustadt in the Austrian capital, Vienna starting from 8.30 pm Austria time.“Captain Ahmed Musa, with deputy captain William Ekong will lead Rohr’s troops to Austria.
Others include goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo, and forwards Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Samuel Chukwueze also called.
“Portugal-based Abraham Marcus is called for the first time and Enyimba FC’s energetic forward Anayo Iwuala, whose tenacity and drive has helped the People’s Elephant to the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup, has the opportunity to fight for a place and continue on his international footprints, following cameo appearances against the Benin Republic and Lesotho in AFCON qualifiers in March.
“The provisional list of 31 will be whittled down to 23 before the Super Eagles fly to Vienna for the clash with perennial rivals Indomitable Lions.“Cameroon wrestled down the Eagles for three of their five AFCON titles (1984, 1988, 2000) but have not beaten Nigeria in regulation time since a 1-0 triumph in a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Stade Omnisports in Yaounde on 27th August 1989.
“The Eagles lashed the Lions 4-0 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Uyo in September 2017 and were forced to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Yaounde, setting the stage for Nigeria’s qualification for the finals in Russia.“
Portugal will open to tourists from nearly all European countries from Monday, the interior ministry said, following months of restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Travellers from EU countries with coronavirus rates below 500 cases per 100,000 residents during the last 14 days can make “all types of visits to Portugal, including even non-essential visits,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
It said restrictions, limited to essential trips, would be maintained for five EU countries — Cyprus, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden.
It stressed restrictions also remained on non-European countries including Brazil, India and South Africa.
“We’re not opening tourism to the whole world. Restrictions remain for third countries,” a ministry spokeswoman said.
Restrictions are lifted for “passengers from the European Union, the Schengen Area and the United Kingdom,” provided their rate is below 500 cases per 100,000 residents, the spokeswoman said.
The Schengen Area covers 26 European countries, most of them in the European Union.
Under the rules, all passengers above two years old heading to the country will still have to present a negative PCR Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before embarking.
Airlines that allow passengers to embark without the test will face a fine between 500 euros and 2,000 euros per passenger.
The announcement came a day after Lisbon lifted restrictions from visitors from Britain, which accounted for some two million annual visitors to the country before Covid-19 hit.
Porto, Portugal – April 24, 2016: Tourists at restaurants in the Ribeira riverside district of Porto with the old traditional bridge, the Dom Luis I bridge and a old buildings background, also queing up for traditional boat rides along the riverbanks. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Portugal and Britain currently have two of the lowest virus rates in Europe.
The return of tourism follows a disastrous year for the sector in 2020 and is key to the country’s economic recovery.
Last year tourism accounted for 6.3 percent of Portuguese GDP, as opposed to 11.8 percent the previous year.
Budapest's mayor candidate of the centre left opposition party Gergely Karacsony adresses the audience after his victory in the local election over the current city Mayor Istvan Tarlos, who was supported by Orban's governor FIDESZ party, in Budapest downtown on October 13, 2019. - Hungary's opposition scored a shock win in the Budapest mayoralty election on October 13, 2019, the first electoral blow for nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban since he came to power in 2010. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP) (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)
Budapest’s popular mayor said on Saturday that he would seek to lead an opposition alliance to oust Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban in next year’s general elections.
Gergely Karacsony, a liberal who defeated Orban’s candidate in a race to head the Hungarian capital in 2019, said that he would participate in a primary to decide who will head a united opposition to take on Orban and his party in parliamentary elections.
“At the end of a long process of thinking, I will run in the opposition pre-election as a prime minister candidate,” the 45-year-old said in a video posted on Facebook.
“I feel that Hungary is in trouble, our country is divided to the extreme. I would like to serve to reunite Hungary,” he said in the message recorded in his childhood village of Nyirtasson, 270 kilometres (170 miles) from Budapest.
The primary vote, organised by a six-party alliance of opposition parties, will be the first time that such a method is used to decide candidates for parliamentary elections in the country.
Karacsony is widely tipped to win the opposition primary votes. Three of the six parties have already signalled that they would support Karacsony as the candidate for the general election, likely to be held next April.
Current polls show the alliance holds a small lead over Orban’s powerful Fidesz party.
Fidesz has won three straight parliamentary super-majorities since 2010, in part thanks to the opposition parties’ decision to run separately.
Last year the alliance, which includes usually bickering leftist, liberal and right-wing parties, said it would join forces to have a single candidate stand against Fidesz in all 106 electoral districts.
It also agreed to create a common programme for government and accused Orban of steering Hungary toward authoritarianism and away from mainstream democratic and European Union values.
The first round of voting to decide the opposition’s common candidate will take place September 18-26.
The top three candidates will then advance to a run-off, which will take place October 4-10.
The possibility of shifting the date for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is very high, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said yesterday.
The Registrar of the board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said during a virtual meeting with 2021 UTME Committee members that over 600,000 candidates who indicated interest in sitting for the exams, were yet to register.
The exam is scheduled for between June 5 and June 19.
He said the candidates were finding it difficult to register due to the challenges of National Identification Number (NIN).
He said so far, 1.1 million candidates have registered for the 2021 UTME, stating that the board anticipated approximately 1.9 million registrations at the end of the exercise.
The JAMB boss noted that though 50 per cent of candidates have already registered without problem, there is need to carry everyone along.
The JAMB boss noted that though 50 per cent of candidates have already registered without problem, there is need to carry everyone along.
He said: “The possibility of shifting the exam forward is still high; but that will be determined after our meeting with stakeholders.
”This is because about 600,000 candidates who have indicated interest in the exam are yet to register. There is a need to give everyone the opportunity.”
Oloyede apologised for the new initiatives introduced in the 2021 UTME, saying that it was not to punish candidates but to expose candidates in the habit of indulging in various forms of malpractices.
He added that candidates were expected to provide two pictures on the candidate slip, picture of the person who registered at the JAMB office, and a picture of the owner of the name who registered with NIN.
He asked candidates to take note of the process, adding that the essence was to detect any disparity in the process.
The US embassy in Russia said Friday it would temporarily resume consular services for its citizens after Moscow postponed a ban on it hiring foreign citizens ahead of a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden.
Russia-US relations have recently hit historic lows, with Washington accusing the Kremlin of interference in US elections, a massive cyber attack and other hostile activity.
The temporary reversal came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held phone talks this week and agreed to meet on the sidelines of an Arctic council meeting in Reykjavik on May 19-20.
The decision also comes in anticipation of a proposed summit between US President Biden and Russian leader Putin in June.
On Friday, the US embassy in Moscow said that the Russian government had informed the diplomatic mission of “its intent to postpone the prohibition of US Mission Russia’s employment of foreign nationals.”
“Consequently, through July 16, (the) US embassy (in) Moscow will temporarily resume routine US citizen services,” it added.
Earlier this week the US embassy said it suspended most consular services for its nationals and stopped issuing visas after having to significantly cut its consular workforce.
Biden has increased pressure on Moscow since becoming US president in January, and comments he made likening Putin to a “killer” were met with fierce criticism in Moscow.
Washington in April announced a new round of sanctions including the expulsion of 10 diplomats and a restriction on US banks trading in Russian government debt.
Moscow responded by expelling 10 US diplomats, banning top US officials from entering the country and prohibiting the US embassy from employing foreign nationals.
Russia has also temporarily recalled its ambassador and said the US envoy should also head to Washington for consultations.
Standing before the breathtaking beauty of the Balos lagoon in Crete on Friday, three German tourists couldn’t believe their luck at being there.
“We searched for a location to go for our first holiday post-Covid and we … spontaneously decided to come here,” said Anne Marie Buhrer, 25, from Munich. “We can’t believe how beautiful it is here.”
The trio were among some of the first foreign travellers returning to Greece after the country kickstarted its tourism season on Friday, hoping the lure of sun, sand and sea will bring a sorely needed revenue boost after last year’s miserable holiday season.
Greece is vying with Europe’s other tourism hotspots to woo back visitors.
France and Spain launched tourism campaigns this week while Italy said Friday it was scrapping a quarantine requirement for visitors from the EU, Britain and Israel who test negative for the coronavirus.
“We are raising anchor,” Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis declared as he launched the holiday season Thursday evening from the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, near Athens.
“We leave behind the dark clouds of fear and insecurity,” he added, saying that foreign tourists were eager to return to the country.
The announcement couldn’t come soon enough for restaurateurs and cafe owners eagerly preparing for patrons to come back after suffering so long under coronavirus lockdown measures.
“We hope this will be a good season because the winter was difficult for all of us, employers, employees and the tourist sector,” said Alexandros Koukourakis as he set up tables and chairs at his restaurant near the old town of Chania, on the island of Crete.
“We hope people will chose us as a country and as an island,” he added. “It is in our hands not to close again.”
According to government regulations announced on Wednesday, anyone travelling to Greek islands by sea or air must show a vaccination certificate or a negative Covid-19 test result.
Europe’s leading tour operator TUI has scheduled 120 flights to Greece until the end of May, with the first six touching down on Friday and another 15 set for Saturday.
Some 40 international incoming flights are expected in 14 regional Greek airports on Friday and another 110 on Saturday.
Most islands have less extensive health facilities than the mainland, and an initiative to vaccinate local populations is underway.
Nationwide, nearly four million vaccinations have already been carried out in the country of 10.8 million.
In an early setback, the UK put Greece on its amber travel list, meaning that returning Britons face at least five days in quarantine.
With several restrictions still in place for travellers throughout Europe, Greek hoteliers expect the tourism sector to pick up from late June or early July, alongside stronger vaccination figures.
An Israeli flag has been hoisted along with the Slovenian and EU flags on the Slovenian government building as an expression of solidarity with Israel amidst an escalating conflict with armed Palestinian groups.
“We condemn the terrorist attacks, and we stand by Israel,” says a post on the government’s official Twitter account, where photos of the flags have been published.
Prime Minister Janez Janša posted the same message on his Twitter account.
The move follows Austria, where an Israeli flag has been flown at the seat of government and the Foreign Ministry, and the Czech Republic, where an Israeli flag has been raised at Prague Castle, the seat of the president.
President Borut Pahor expressed disagreement with the government’s decision, tweeting that he was “not in favour of the expression of the country’s views on international issues with the raising of other countries’ flags”.
He also endorsed the recent EU appeal for an end to Israeli-Palestinian violence and reiterated his statement that the dispute should be resolved peacefully in accordance with the two-state solution.
Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič said he was “not in favour” of such “cheerleading raising of flags”. “In armed conflicts, Slovenia should pursue a neutral stance and support initiatives for negotiations and the achievement of peace.”
There was a rally in support of Palestine in front of the Israeli consulate in Ljubljana in the afternoon as about 100 protesters chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Death to Israeli occupation”.
Some also protested against the flying of the Israeli flag. The crowd featured several Palestinian refugees who have relatives in Gaza, public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported.
Parliamentary Speaker Igor Zorčič said he was “not in favour” of such “cheerleading raising of flags”. “In armed conflicts, Slovenia should pursue a neutral stance and support initiatives for negotiations and the achievement of peace.”
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