Kidnapped German Worker Freed in Nigeria

A German national, who worked for the construction firm Julius Berger, has been freed less than a week after Nigerian gunmen kidnapped him and killed another German citizen in a raid on their vehicles, the company said on Thursday.
Ogun state police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi said the hostage was "rescued" on Thursday, but the security services have previously claimed successful rescue operations even when ransoms were paid.
The staff and a contractor for the firm in southwest Nigeria's Ogun state on Friday, making their way to work in a quarry, when four gunmen emerged from the bush and opened fire on two vehicles in which the two men were traveling.
“Julius Berger Nigeria is pleased to announce the release of the company's member of staff,” a statement said. "The company would like to thank the all those who assisted in achieving a swift and safe release, especially government authorities and security services."
Foreign companies, especially oil majors and large construction firms, typically require expatriate staff to travel with police escort because of the high threat of kidnapping in Nigeria.
Julius Berger has operated in Nigeria since 1965 and has more 600 employees in the country, according to the company's website. Many of its staff are Nigerian nationals.

Defection Drama: IG orders withdrawal of policemen attached to Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, has ordered the withdrawal of policemen attached to the office of the Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal.

The order is contained in a statement issued by the Force spokesman, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Acting Commissioner of Police, on Thursday in Abuja.

The statement said the action was because of Tambuwal’s defection from the PDP to APC.

The police defended its stand, stating that it was done “having regard to the clear provision of section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended’’.

The speaker defected on Wednesday shortly before the House adjourned sitting till Dec. 3.

Meanwhile, the I-G said the force had committed adequate resources to the provision of logistics to effectively police the 2015 generation elections.

Ojukwu, in another statement, said Abba gave the assurance when the “ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact Finding Head of Mission to Nigeria’’ paid him a courtesy visit.

It said Abba had assured the team that, the police had made adequate preparations to make the election hitch free, adding that the welfare and training of personnel on election security was on going.

The statement indicated that the head of the ECOWAS mission, former Ghananian President, John Kufour, had informed the police chief that the visit was to appraise the police readiness for a violent-free poll in 2015.

It added that Kufour commended the force for the proactive strategies it had adopted ahead of the election.

Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'I'm proud to be gay'

Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly confirmed he is gay in an opinion piece published Thursday, making him the highest-profile chief executive to come out.

In  an essay published by Bloomberg Businessweek advocating for human rights and equality, Cook says he was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King to set aside his desire for privacy to do something "more important."

"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now," writes Cook. "So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."

Cook says he's been open with others about being gay, but felt compelled to publicly come out to help others. "I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," writes Cook. "So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy."

On Twitter, Apple's chief of global marketing, Philip Schiller, showed support for Cook. "Proud to work for you and be your friend," Schiller said.

In a statement released Thursday, gay rights group the Human Rights Campaign praised Cook's "courageous" decision. The organization says Cook becomes the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

"Tim Cook's announcement today will save countless lives," says HRC President Chad Griffin. "He has always been a role model, but today millions across the globe will draw inspiration from a different aspect of his life."

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, applauded Cook and Apple's "long history" in demanding equality. "As a person of faith, a son of the south, and the CEO of one of the world's largest companies, Tim Cook's story reaches from church pews to the C-Suite, sending a powerful message to countless people that anyone can live the life they love," says Ellis.

Apple has been among the top American companies for embracing equality. Fred Sainz, vice president of communications at HRC, says Apple has achieved the top rating in their Corporate Equality Index every year since it was introduced in 2002.

But Sainz notes it will be important to watch how Cook addresses equality now that's he's publicly revealed his sexuality. "What we'll be interested to see is how he now uses his platform as the CEO of one of the world's most prominent companies to further advance equality and justice for people across the world."

Cook's piece published days after the Apple CEO criticized his home state of Alabama over gay rights. "We can't change the past, but we can learn from it, and we can create a different future," said Cook.

This is not the first time Cook's sexuality has been addressed. In June, CNBC hosted a segment on gay CEOs where one host seemed to out Cook as gay. "I think Tim Cook is fairly open about the fact that he is gay at the head of Apple, isn't he?" said Squawk on the Street co-host Simon Hobbs, causing an awkward silence. Hobbs quickly followed with "Oh dear, was that an error?"

During Friday's 'Squawk on the Street', CNBC host Simon Hobbs potentially outed Apple CEO Tim Cook in a discussion about gay CEOs of major companies. VPC

Cook says the decision to reveal his sexuality was difficult, and hopes people focus more on his efforts running the tech giant. "I'm an engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on the things I'm best suited for and the work that brings me joy."

The CEO also says he will continue to advocate for human rights and equality. "We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick."

Zambia Get A White President Following Michael Sata's Death

Guy Scott, pictured above with his wife and the Obamas, was sworn in yesterday as the interim president of Zambia following the death of Zambian president Michael Sata yesterday October 28th.

 This makes Mr Scott, who is of Scottish descent but born in Zambia, the first white president in Africa since apartheid.

 Guy Scott, 70, became vice-president of Zambia in 2011 and will serve as interim-president pending when the country holds fresh elections for a new president within 90 days. The Zambian constitution makes it impossible for Scott to be president because his parents were not born in Zambia.

States sign Berlin deal to fight tax evasion

More than 80 countries signed an agreement in Berlin on Wednesday that could end banking secrecy in the global battle against tax evasion and fraud, even though critics pointed to shortcomings in the deal.

Among the signatories were EU countries but also previously staunch proponents of banking secrecy such as Liechtenstein and tax havens like the Cayman Islands.

The deal - known as the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement - crowned two days of talks by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. The meeting was hosted by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

   

Fifty-one countries signed one agreement to put in place an automatic exchange of information between the participating countries beginning in September 2017.
The agreement designates the national authority in each country which will be responsible for collating the data and transferring it to the other countries.
The aim is for every country to be kept fully informed about the offshore holdings of its citizens.
Around 30 other countries - including Austria and Switzerland, the Bahamas and the United Arab Emirates - pledged to join the agreement from 2018.
"Banking secrecy, in its old form, is obsolete," Schäuble told the mass-circulation daily Bild in an interview.

The danger of being caught is now "very high", Schaeuble said.
 The forum was set up under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development , which said that "offshore tax
evasion is a serious problem for jurisdictions all over the world."
   

Economist Gabriel Zucman, a specialist in fiscal fraud, has calculated that about €5.8 trillion ($7.4 trillion) is stashed away in tax havens, depriving authorities all over the world of around 130 billion euros in revenue each year.

Banking secrecy lives on
 

But experts in fiscal fraud, such as Andres Knobel of Tax Justice Network, has identified a number of potential shortcomings in the OECD deal.
In order to exchange information in 2017, the banks will collect the data from 2016 on accounts holding more than $250,000. The delay will be sufficient for tax evaders to carve up their assets and place them into multiple accounts holding smaller amounts.
Countries will also be able to decide on a case-by-case basis which information will be automatically exchanged.
Switzerland, for example, has said it will hand over information only to countries which are important for Swiss industry. Thus, the holdings of wealthy citizens from poor countries will not come under scrutiny.
Tax evaders could also hide behind "smoke-screen" companies or foundations in certain cases where banks are not obliged to reveal the identity of the account holder.
That will not help the fight against international money-laundering, the critics complain.