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160 Women Claiming To Be Nigerians In Sudan Have No Passports To Fly Back – FG

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The Federal Government says 160 women claiming to be Nigerians in Sudan have no passports to fly back to the country.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed stated this in Abuja on Sunday while briefing the press on the progress made so far in the evacuation of Nigerians from war-torn Sudan.

According to him, although the women claimed to be Nigerians, they do not possess Nigerian passports to verify their claims.

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READ ALSO: Sudan Crisis: Conflicting Sides Set For face-to-face Saudi Arabia Talks

He said the agency is being careful not to evacuate persons who are not Nigerians.

It will be recalled that before the commencement of the evacuation exercise, the Nigerian Diaspora Commission had said there were about three million Nigerians in Sudan and a total of 5,000 students.

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However, the NEMA boss said apart from the 2,518 Nigerians that have so far been evacuated and 15 flights operated so far, the citizenship of many of those claiming to be Nigerians cannot be verified.

He said some of them claimed their great-grandparents up to the fifth generation were Nigerians while they were born in Sudan but that remains unverified.

He disclosed how some desperate Sudanese tried to enter the vehicles that were meant to move Nigerians from Sudan to Egypt border.

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READ ALSO: Sudan: Battles Rage On As UN Warns Of ‘Catastrophe’

Asked how much was expended to evacuate Nigerians from Sudan, Ahmed did not give the exact amount but he disclosed that Nigeria paid a total of $22,662 as exit fees at the point of moving the evacuees from Sudan and $62,950 dollars for entry visa into Egypt.

Meanwhile, NEMA said the door of opportunities is opened to any Nigerian with verified documents who is interested in returning to the country.

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Among the 2,518 Nigerian returnees is a pregnant woman who was said to have given birth while waiting to be evacuated. Her child was the only infant among the evacuees. The eight-day infant is currently being treated for jaundice at the University Of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

No Nigerian life was lost to the war in Sudan, according to NEMA. However, a total of 23 sick evacuees were received, out of which 10 were treated on arrival by medics while 13 were referred to the 108 Nigerian Airforce Hospital, Abuja.

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Antitrust Trial: US Asks Court To Break Up Google’s Ad Business

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Google faces a fresh federal court test on Monday as US government lawyers ask a judge to order the breakup of the search engine giant’s ad technology business.

The lawsuit is Google’s second such test this year, following a similar government demand to split up its empire that was shot down by a judge earlier this month.

Monday’s case focuses specifically on Google’s ad tech “stack” — the tools that website publishers use to sell ads and that advertisers use to buy them.

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In a landmark decision earlier this year, Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that Google maintained an illegal grip on this market.

READ ALSO:Google Fined $36m In Australia Over Anticompetitive Search Deals

Monday’s trial is set to determine what penalties and changes Google must implement to undo its monopoly.

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According to filings, the US government will argue that Google should spin off its ad publisher and exchange operations. The DOJ will also ask that after the divestitures are complete, Google be banned from operating an ad exchange for 10 years.

Google will argue that the divestiture demands go far beyond the court’s findings, are technically unfeasible, and would be harmful to the market and smaller businesses.

We’ve said from the start that DOJ’s case misunderstands how digital advertising works and ignores how the landscape has dramatically evolved, with increasing competition and new entrants,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.

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READ ALSO:Google Introduces Initiative To Equip 1,000 Nigerian Developers

In a similar case in Europe, the European Commission, the EU’s antitrust enforcer, earlier this month fined Google 2.95 billion euros ($3.47 billion) over its control of the ad tech market.

Brussels ordered behavioral changes, drawing criticism that it was going easy on Google as it had previously indicated that a divestiture may be necessary.

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This remedy phase of the US trial follows a first trial that found Google operated an illegal monopoly. It is expected to last about a week, with the court set to meet again for closing arguments a few weeks later.

The trial begins in the same month that a separate judge rejected a government demand that Google divest its Chrome browser, in an opinion that was largely seen as a victory for the tech giant.

That was part of a different case, also brought by the US Department of Justice, in which the tech giant was found responsible for operating an illegal monopoly, this time in the online search space.

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READ ALSO:Iran Hackers Target Harris And Trump Campaigns – Google

Instead of a major breakup of its business, Google was required to share data with rivals as part of its remedies.

The US government had pushed for Chrome’s divestment, arguing the browser serves as a crucial gateway to the internet that brings in a third of all Google web searches.

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Shares in Google-parent Alphabet have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent since that decision.

Judge Brinkema has said in pre-trial hearings that she will closely examine the outcome of the search trial when assessing her path forward in her own case.

These cases are part of a broader bipartisan government campaign against the world’s largest technology companies. The US currently has five pending antitrust cases against such companies.

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AFP

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Google Faces Court Battle Over Breakup Of Ad Tech Business

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Google faces a fresh federal court test on Monday as US government lawyers ask a judge to order the breakup of the search engine giant’s ad technology business.

The lawsuit is Google’s second such test this year after the California-based tech juggernaut saw a similar government demand to split up its empire shot down by a judge earlier this month.

Monday’s case focuses specifically on Google’s ad tech “stack” — the tools that website publishers use to sell ads and that advertisers use to buy them.

Advertisement

In a landmark decision earlier this year, Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that Google maintained an illegal grip on this market.
Monday’s trial is set to determine what penalties and changes Google must implement to undo its monopoly.

According to filings, the US government will argue that Google should spin off its ad publisher and exchange operations. The DOJ will also ask that after the divestitures are complete, Google be banned from operating an ad exchange for 10 years.

READ ALSO:Google Fined $36m In Australia Over Anticompetitive Search Deals

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Google will argue that the divestiture demands go far beyond the court’s findings, are technically unfeasible, and would be harmful to the market and smaller businesses.

We’ve said from the start that DOJ’s case misunderstands how digital advertising works and ignores how the landscape has dramatically evolved, with increasing competition and new entrants,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.

In a similar case in Europe, the European Commission, the EU’s antitrust enforcer, earlier this month fined Google 2.95 billion euros ($3.47 billion) over its control of the ad tech market.
Brussels ordered behavioral changes, drawing criticism that it was going easy on Google as it had previously indicated that a divestiture may be necessary.

Advertisement

This remedy phase of the US trial follows a first trial that found Google operated an illegal monopoly. It is expected to last about a week, with the court set to meet again for closing arguments a few weeks later.

READ ALSO:Perplexity AI Makes $34.5bn Surprise Bid For Google’s Chrome Browser

The trial begins in the same month that a separate judge rejected a government demand that Google divest its Chrome browser, in an opinion that was largely seen as a victory for the tech giant.

Advertisement

That was part of a different case, also brought by the US Department of Justice, in which the tech giant was found responsible for operating an illegal monopoly, this time in the online search space.
Instead of a major breakup of its business, Google was required to share data with rivals as part of its remedies.

The US government had pushed for Chrome’s divestment, arguing the browser serves as a crucial gateway to the internet that brings in a third of all Google web searches.
Shares in Google-parent Alphabet have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent since that decision.

Judge Brinkema has said in pre-trial hearings that she will closely examine the outcome of the search trial when assessing her path forward in her own case.

Advertisement

These cases are part of a broader bipartisan government campaign against the world’s largest technology companies. The US currently has five pending antitrust cases against such companies.

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Peru Anti-government Protesters Clash With Police

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Hundreds of anti-government protesters clashed with police in the Peruvian capital Lima on Saturday, throwing stones and sticks as officers fired tear gas on the demonstrators, AFP journalists reported.

The protest, organized by a youth collective called “Generation Z”, is part of growing social unrest in Peru against organized crime, corruption in public office, and a recent pension reform.

“Today, there is less democracy than before. It’s getting worse… because of fear, because of extortion,” said 54-year-old protester Gladys, who declined to give her last name.

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Around 500 people gathered in the city center, under heavy police presence.

READ ALSO:FULL TEXT: US Govt Releases Text Messages Between Charlie Kirk’s Suspect, Roommate

Congress has no credibility, it doesn’t even have the approval of the people… It is wreaking havoc in this country,” said protester Celene Amasifuen.

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The clashes broke out as demonstrators tried to approach executive and congressional buildings in Lima.

The radio station Exitosa said that its reporter and a cameraman were hit by pellets, commonly fired by law enforcement.

READ ALSO:‘Over 7,000 Nigerians Sought Asylum In Sweden In 24 Years’

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Police said at least three officers were wounded.

Approval ratings for President Dina Boluarte, whose term ends next year, have plummeted amid rising extortion and organized crime cases.

Several opinion polls show the government and conservative-majority Congress are seen by many as corrupt institutions.

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This week, the legislature passed a law requiring young adults to join a private pension fund, despite many facing a precarious working environment.

AFP

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