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LSHA: Court Adjourns To March 10 To Hear Pending Applications

The suit filed by Hon. Mudashiru Obasa to challenge his removal as Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly continued on Friday at the State High Court sitting in Ikeja.

Justice Yetunde Pinheiro has adjourned till Monday, March 10 to hear all new and pending applications in the matter.

The judge ordered all parties to file and serve all necessary processes to enable the court hear all the pending applications at the next adjourned date.

In some of the pending applications, the Deputy Speaker and 36 other lawmakers are asking the court to dismiss the suit or strike it out. They submitted that the matter has become an academic exercise.

Two new counsels, Olusola Idowu (SAN) and Clement Onwuenwunor purportedly representing some of the lawmakers also came into the matter. They have also filed their applications having now joined the suit.

READ ALSO: Obasa Shows Up At Lagos Assembly Amid Speakership Tussle

After listening to the submissions of all counsel, Justice Pinheiro said she would adjourn the matter till Monday in the interest of justice.

Outside the courtroom, Counsel to Speaker Obasa, Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), told journalists that beyond challenging his removal for not following due process, his client is also challenging the allegations in the notice of his removal which include fraud, high-handedness, abuse of office, and gross misconduct as he was not given a fair hearing.

What’s the future of Europe-US relations?

Financial Times US Editor Ed Luce argues that President Donald Trump is declaring a ‘ global power vacuum’.

United States President Donald Trump sees many European countries as extensions of the Democratic Party abroad, and thus his “adversaries”, argues Ed Luce, the US national editor at the Financial Times.

Luce tells host Steve Clemons that the string of European leaders “bringing fruits to the volcano” in Washington will not be able to change Trump’s views on Ukraine or Europe in general. “America now sees the world as a jungle”, he says.

Argentina: Football for the people

To privatise or not to privatise? People &amp, Power explores the ideological debate over Argentina’s most beloved sport.

The government of Argentina has placed football at the centre of the country’s ideological debate amid an economic crisis that threatens the survival of many clubs. With President Javier Milei proposing to reduce state subsidies and open clubs to private investment, football — one of the pillars of Argentinian identity — has become a battleground between opposing visions.

British rivals Fisher & Allen set for rematch in May

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British heavyweight rivals Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen will meet in a rematch in London on 17 May.

Fisher and Allen first fought on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury 2 in December.

Essex’s Fisher, who is unbeaten in 13 fights, claimed a controversial split-decision win, despite being dropped for the first time in his professional career.

Doncaster fighter Allen has won 23 of his 32 bouts, losing seven with two ending in draws.

The Britons will headline at the Copperbox Arena.

“I’m excited to be getting another great opportunity”, said Allen.

“To headline shows twice in London means a great deal to a kid from a small village in Doncaster. This time I will be bringing home the victory”.

Undefeated light-welterweight Dalton Smith is also set to return to action against Mathieu Germain on 19 April in his hometown of Sheffield at the Canon Medical Arena.

Smith has won all 17 professional contests, picking up 13 victories inside the distance, and stopped Walid Ouizza in January.

A win could see Smith become the number-one challenger to Alberto Puello’s WBC light-welterweight title.

“I’m not looking ahead, but there will be one name I’ll be calling out after dealing with Germain”, Smith said.

Related topics

  • Boxing

Trump pauses some Mexico, Canada tariffs: What’s exempt, and what’s next?

United States President Donald Trump, on Thursday, paused tariffs on several imports from Mexico and Canada for a month. Earlier, he had imposed 25 percent tariffs on almost all imports from both countries.

He first announced a halt on the tariffs for Mexico after a phone call with that country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum. Later, he extended that reprieve to Canada.

Here is what happened, which products the pause applies to and what comes next:

What happened?

On Thursday, Trump signed orders temporarily exempting goods from Mexico and Canada that are covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) from the 25 percent tariffs. The order suspending tariffs took effect at 05: 01 GMT on Friday.

These tariffs had kicked in on Tuesday, a month after Trump had first announced 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10 percent tariffs on imports from China, in February. The tariffs were initially supposed to come into force on February 4, but Trump had postponed them by a month following negotiations with Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

On Wednesday, Trump had temporarily exempted car manufacturers from the 25 percent tariffs for a month.

The tariff pause announced on Thursday will remain until April 2, Trump announced. That’s when&nbsp, Trump has threatened to impose a global regime of reciprocal tariffs on all US trading partners: Each country will face the same tariff rates that it subjects US goods to.

But even before that, Trump is still set to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminium imports on March 12. Canada and Mexico are big exporters of these products to the US – particularly Canada, which supplies the US with most of its aluminium.

What’s behind Trump’s tariff pause?

In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement. This Agreement is until April 2nd”.

Trump added that he did this “out of respect” for Sheinbaum, adding the US and Mexico have had a good relationship and the two countries are working together to regulate undocumented migration and the flow of fentanyl into the US.

He later said Canadian exports to the US covered by the USMCA would also be similarly exempt.

What is the USMCA?

USMCA is short for United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a free-trade agreement negotiated during Trump’s first term.

It was signed in 2018 and came into force on July 1, 2020, replacing the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The USMCA is supposed to be reviewed every six years.

How much relief does Mexico get?

While details of specific products that will be exempt are unclear, the overall benefit to Mexican exports is significant.

In 2024, Mexico’s total exports to the US were worth about $505.8bn. According to US Census Bureau data, the exports that fell under the USMCA were about $249.7bn.

This means Trump’s reprieve will apply to about 49 percent of Mexico’s exports to the US.

How much relief does Canada get?

In 2024, Canada’s exports to the US were worth about $412.7bn. Out of these, about $156.9bn were under the USMCA.

Hence, Trump’s pause applies to 38 percent of Canada’s exports to the US.

Almost all agricultural products traded between the US and Canada fall under the USMCA. Additionally for Canada, Trump’s reprieve also applies to potash, a fertiliser.

The pause does not fully cover energy products, on which Trump has imposed a separate 10 percent tariff. Canada is the biggest source of US oil imports.

How have Mexico and Canada responded?

Mexican President Sheinbaum posted on X on Thursday, “We had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results, within the framework of respect for our sovereignties”.

While Mexico had initially planned to announce retaliatory tariffs on Sunday at a public event in Zocalo, the heart of capital Mexico City, that gathering is now poised to be more of a celebration of the reprieve.

When Trump first announced the tariffs, Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs worth $30 billion Canadian dollars ($21bn) on US products including orange juice, peanut butter, cosmetics, footwear and paper products. Two Canadian officials told The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity that these tariffs will remain in place.

Canada has delayed its second wave of retaliatory tariffs on $125 billion Canadian dollars ‘ ($87.3bn) worth of US imports until April 2, Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc wrote in an X post.

Doug Ford, the premier of Canada’s Ontario, also said the 25 percent tariffs on Ontario’s electricity, which is supplied to 1.5 million Americans in Minnesota, New York and Michigan will remain. “A pause on some tariffs means nothing. Until President Trump removes the threat of tariffs for good, we will be relentless”, Ford wrote in an X post.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is stepping down from his position after elections for his Liberal Party’s leadership on Sunday, told reporters he saw a trade war between the US and Canada in the foreseeable future after he had a call with Trump on Wednesday. “It was a colourful call. It was also a very substantive call”, Trudeau said.