TheNewsGuru

Tag: america

  • Covid-19: Trump’s stand irresponsible, America needs 6-10 weeks of extreme shutdown – Bill Gates

    Billionaire Bill Gates recommended the U.S.needs six to 10 weeks of “extreme shutdown” of regular life to tame the COVID-19 pandemic.

    His view expressed in an interview with TED contradicted President Donald Trump’s.

    Trump wanted the U.S.loosen restrictions by Easter Sunday, April 12. Healthy people would return to work, while people who are sick would remain isolated.

    Gates slammed Trump’s view as irresponsible.

    He said: “It’s very irresponsible for somebody to suggest we can have the best of both world.

    “What we need is an extreme shutdown so that in six to 10 weeks, if things go well, then you can start opening back up.”

    Gates noted that while isolation in populated areas — along with widespread testing — is difficult and “disastrous” for the economy, “the sooner you do it in a tough way, the sooner you can undo it.”

    The United States surpassed China on Thursday as the world’s worst hit country by the virus.

    It now has 82,457 confirmed cases.

    In contrast, China has 81,285 and Italy 80,598.

  • The trial of America – Hope Eghagha

    The trial of America – Hope Eghagha

    By Hope Eghagha

    On the impeachment matter, it can be said that America had been on trial. On trial in the eyes of the world. Not President Donald Trump, not really Donald Trump that is, even though he was in the dock. America tried itself. The world tried America. American tried its institutions. The idea of America was compelled to face the crucial test of the primacy of the rule of law, fairness, truth, justice and equity. That nation which is presented in the biblical metaphor of a city set on a hill was on trial. From the investigations of the Democratic Party-dominated House of Representatives through the Republican-controlled Senate and the final verdict, the American Idea, or the idea that is America was tried.

    In the end, America did not pass its own test, in our eyes. Yes, in our eyes. What do we matter in the survival of America? Nothing really. Our votes do not count in America. As minions and infinitesimal homo sapiens from a continent infested with official corruption and criminal administrative incompetence, who are we to stand in judgment over America? Yet, seen in another light, that is why we need the city that is on the hill. As an example. As gold that cannot, must not rust. Although a democracy, America does not need the democratic support of the world to have its way. The arsenal of mass destruction at its disposal is bullishly intimidating. America will wait for November 2020 to pass a verdict on all stakeholders in the impeachment brouhaha. That is what counts. And for that America must wait!

    We, believers in America though were disenchanted by the conclusion of the process. Not because the president was not found guilty by Senate. But because truth was seen from the prism of party lines. We never thought America could decide an issue as fundamental as this on strictly party loyalty. Survival. Not honour. Not the Ideal. Bread and butter. Survival of the Republican Party. Just like the politicians we are used to in Africa. In the Third World. The world without order. We were simply appalled that the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court could preside over a trial in which the White House withheld 71 documents and blocked 12 witnesses from testifying! The Law could do nothing about obstruction of justice. In a proper trial, he would re-direct the court process to guarantee a fair trial. But we are told the law is the law! Not because the Chief Justice was appointed by the Republicans. Not because he has Republican ideals and beliefs in his blood and brain. Is that why in Notes of a Native Son James Baldwin quipped: ‘The American ideal, after all, is that everyone should be as much alike as possible?

    What is the idea of America, we ask ourselves? I remember John Gunther’s reference to America as ‘ours is he only country deliberately founded on a good idea”. What is America to the free world? Is the American idea, the American ideal constant? Is it in a flux, pulled by forces known and unknown? Should it be constant? Can a nation which once institutionalized racism be an ideal nation, still be a city on the hill? Is there a contest between religions as epitomized by the idea of America as we currently perceive it? Is justice political, allowed to serve political interests and still be justice for all, justice done and seen to be done?

    Senate chaplain Barry Black’s prayer “Remind our senators that they alone are accountable to You for their conduct. Lord help them to remember that they can’t ignore You and get away with it” – did not save America. God did not answer the chaplain. He looked the other way and allowed them to have their way. So, loyalty to party interest, not American interest won the day. Which is a sad day for champions of ethical beauty. A sad day for eternal things. The conclusion is that things are not always what they seem to be. Institutions represent a country. Yes, they do. These are institutions are made up of men and women. Of course, we witnessed the beauty of the minds of the men and women who spoke for and against the President in Senate. Excellent arguments. Puerile arguments. Less than intelligent arguments. The duplicitous art of speaking from both sides of the mouth. Technology was at play. AI was recruited also. Human intelligence directed Artificial intelligence. But minds were made up. Hard work. Decades of established convention. Whether these efforts yielded the truth or not, the institutions stood. The persons may have failed. But the institutions stood to be counted. Which is a contradiction. Only to be resolved by a deus ex machina.

    But of course, if America failed us, we could only lament. In power and in might, America dwarfs the world. At the height of the Cold War, America wore a garment of moral authority. Or so it seemed. It is possible that we elevated America beyond its true moral integrity as a corporate body. The proclaimed and much vaunted projected ideals set out in the American Constitution are subject to human frailty. E.E. Cummings acknowledged this when he said: “America makes prodigious mistakes, America has colossal faults, but one thing cannot be denied: America I always on the move. She may be going to hell, of course, but at least she isn’t standing still”. But if America could not sustain its name, if it did not believe in the grand personality of the nation, we indeed wanted it to be different. The ideals of America are needed in the world. Or so I think. Yet I come from an infinitesimal continent and country! So, what does my thought matter? Sometimes, leaders emerge, leaders with immense power, who are unable to rise to the ideals of a nation. They then try to bring the nation to their level. They sometimes succeed in dragging the entire nation along till the scales fall off the eyes of the collective mind!

    Perhaps considering the political mess which my country has found tragically itself, I should direct all my energy towards proffering solutions to the baffling level of foolishness hereabout. In the end, the Senate chaplain’s prayer: “Stand up, omnipotent God, stretch yourself, and let this nation and world know that let this nation and world know that You alone are sovereign” will give us an anchor through restitution in a manner that will be pleasantly wonderful to us all. As Chief Justice of the, the World Sovereign will reign eternal and will bring down those that exalt themselves while elevating the abased ones.

    Eghagha can be reached on 0806 325 9454 or heghagha@yahoo.com

  • US records first Coronavirus death

    US records first Coronavirus death

    The first death from the novel coronavirus has been confirmed on US soil, in Washington state, health officials said Saturday, after a handful of cases of unknown origin were detected, indicating the disease was spreading in the country.

    This is coming barely a week after President Donald Trump said America was doing a great job and there was no case of the novel virus in the US.

    The fatality occurred in King county, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, says officials in the state.

    The victim was not immediately identified.

    “It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends,” Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement.

    US President Donald Trump said he would address the media about the “latest coronavirus developments” at about 1:30 pm (1830 GMT).

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60 people are infected with the disease in the United States — the majority of them passengers from the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship.

    An American citizen died of the new coronavirus in early February at the Chinese epicenter of the global outbreak, the city of Wuhan, the US embassy confirmed at the time.

    Worldwide, the virus has hit 59 countries across the globe, with more than 2,900 people killed and over 85,000 infected since it was first detected at an animal market in Wuhan late last year.

    Authorities in Washington state set a press conference for 1:00 pm Pacific time (2100 GMT).

  • US watchlist: CAN backs America, tackles Buhari-led govt

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) believes that the US government was rightly justified to have included Nigeria on a special watchlist for having “engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom”.

    CAN in a statement by Adebayo Oladeji, the Special Assistant (Media &Communications) to its President, Reverend Samson Ayokunle, said it is an open secret that Nigerian Christians are having a raw deal under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “We are not happy that our country is being listed among the nations where religious intolerance is one of their hallmarks but it gladdens our hearts that, at least, the global community is not unaware of the fact that Nigerian Christians are becoming endangered species in their Fatherland,” the statement read.

    The watch list contains countries such as Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

    CAN’s reaction came on the heels of another statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condemning the US action.

    The government statement rejected the US designation of the country as a nation that engages in or tolerates severe violations of religious freedom, saying the iniquitous tag stems from an orchestrated narrative that has long been discredited.

  • Nigeria returns seized America’s mine-resistant vehicles

    Nigeria returns seized America’s mine-resistant vehicles

    Nigeria has returned six mine-resistant multipurpose vehicles seized in August and later found to belong to the United States of America (USA).

    The Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) handed over the vehicles to American officials during a brief ceremony at the Adamawa/Taraba Zonal headquarters of the Command on Friday.

    The vehicles were seized in August by security officials who said they were not convinced about the ownership, purpose and destination of the vehicles.

    Speaking Friday on the occasion of the handing over, the Zonal Comptroller of Customs, Adamawa/Taraba Command, Kamardeen Olumoh, said the handover was in deference to a directive from the National Security Adviser to release the vehicles to the American Government.

    “I am directed by the National Security Adviser to comply, release and hand over the vehicles to the American Government,” the Customs zonal comptroller said.

    The Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of United States of America in Nigeria, Kathleen FitzGibbon, thanked Nigeria for its understanding.

    FitzGibbon explained that the vehicles were on their way to Niger Republic for a security mission when they were seized by Nigerian authorities.

    Military and security chiefs from various security formations and some military and security officials of the American Embassy
    were present during the handing over ceremony.

  • Drug baron El Chapo faces life jail in America

    Mexican mobster and drug baron Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was found guilty Tuesday by a New York jury of crimes spanning a quarter of a century as head of one of the world’s most powerful drugs gangs.

    The 61-year-old former head of the Sinaloa cartel — famed for his brazen escapes from Mexican prisons — faces a possible life sentence after being convicted of smuggling tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States.

    He was also found guilty of money laundering and illegal weapons possession charges.

    In a three-month trial that unfolded like a real-life telenovela, Guzman’s former beauty queen wife and a parade of his lovers and henchmen took the witness stand under the gaze of the onetime drugs kingpin.

    In his closing arguments late last month, Guzman’s lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman asked the jury not to convict on the basis of the “garbage” testimony of government witnesses.

    Lichtman contended that Guzman was merely a “scapegoat,” and that the real culprit in the drug trafficking operations was Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel.

    “Mayo has been the largest narco-trafficker for decades in Mexico. He has never been arrested. He has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to stay free,” Lichtman said.

    The government, meanwhile, appealed to the jury not to let Guzman escape — an allusion to his two spectacular jail breaks in Mexico, the last one in 2015 through a tunnel from a shower area in his cell.

    “Do not let him escape responsibility. Hold him accountable for his crimes. Find him guilty on all counts,” US assistant attorney Andrea Goldbarg said in her closing arguments.

    During the trial, the government presented 56 witnesses and troves of incriminating material, including intercepted calls between Guzman and his associates, and conservations taped secretly by informants, over a period stretching almost three months.

    The defense called just one witness, an FBI agent put on the stand in an attempt to undermine the credibility of one of Guzman’s cocaine suppliers who had testified against him.

    The defense’s strategy centered on attacking the credibility of the cooperating witnesses — former secretaries, pilots, cocaine suppliers, Guzman’s top trafficker in the United States, a manager, an accountant, a former communications chief, and even a former lover.

    Most are serving prison sentences and hoped to have their penalties reduced in return for their cooperation with prosecutors.

    “Those witnesses not only admitted to lying every day of their lives, their miserable, selfish lives — they lied to you here in the courtroom,” Lichtman said.

  • I’m ready to go to America — Atiku

    I’m ready to go to America — Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he is prepared to go to the United States if the country’s diplomatic authorities approve his application for visa.

    Recall that Atiku has not been able to travel to the U.S. since he left office.

    “If America says come today, I will board the flight and go there soonest,” Mr Abubakar told columnist Dele Momodu. Mr Momodu who has been interviewing potential presidential candidates in 2019 elections, and he spoke with Mr Abubakar earlier this week as part of the series.

    Atiku added, “I applied to America for visa which was not granted. A man who is afraid of being arrested won’t go near the American Embassy, it is simple logic. If America says come today, I will board the flight and go there soonest. Perhaps, America was fed with lies about me. It is normal in politics. The Indian and Kenyan leaders could not visit America at a time. America is not like Nigeria where we convict people on the pages of newspapers.”

    He added that the government has lost total grip on all aspects of governance and that the president appears to be totally confused.

    “Therefore, the leader Nigeria needs urgently is one who can unite the country and heal the deep wounds, not another Buhari who would further divide Nigeria and deepen the wounds,” he said.

    “Check my records Dele, my office as vice president reflected the best of Nigeria; the guys were young and vibrant, and I gave them the wings to fly.”

    On the public perception that he is a corrupt leader, Atiku insisted that he has never stolen public funds.

    He said: “I have thrown the challenge repeatedly that anyone who has any corrupt charges against me should come forward. I never stole government money. Do you think President Obasanjo would not have exposed me if there was any such act of stealing?”

  • U.S. officially opens new embassy in Jerusalem amid protests

    U.S. officially opens new embassy in Jerusalem amid protests

    The United States has formally opened a new consulate in Jerusalem amid global protests.

    The ceremony of moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem began on Monday with the US national anthem.

    US ambassador to Israel David Friedman then spoke and President Donald Trump was given a standing ovation when he mentioned him.

    Friedman referred to the embassy’s location as “Jerusalem, Israel” drawing wild applause.

    Earlier in the day, violent clashes erupted along the Gaza Strip’s border, leaving 37 Palestinians dead from Israeli fire and hundreds wounded in the conflict’s bloodiest day in years.

    Tens of thousands had gathered near the border in protest while smaller numbers of stone-throwing Palestinians approached the fence and sought to break through, with Israeli snipers positioned on the other side.

    US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan led the Washington delegation at the inauguration that also included Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both White House aides, as well as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

    Some 800 guests were attending the ceremony.

    Jerusalem’s status is perhaps the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

    AFP

  • I’m not running from America, I applied for visa but was denied – Atiku

    I’m not running from America, I applied for visa but was denied – Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said contrary to rumours peddled around, he has been applying for the United States Visa but was denied on administrative grounds.

    The former Vice President revealed this in an interview with The Boss newspaper, published by Dele Momodu.

    “I applied, but wasn’t issued a visa. However, they did not decline me categorically either. They’ve only said my application is going through administrative process,” he said.

    “It is the sole prerogative of America to determine who they want in their country or not. I’m not running away from America,” he stated further.

    The former vice-president said such administrative denials were not unique to him, insisting that President Muhammadu Buhari could not also enter the country for 15 years due to his religious views.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that there had been wide speculations that Atiku’s run in with U.S. authorities stemmed from a broadband contract award to iGate, an America company which Williams Jefferson, then U.S. federal lawamker from Louisiana, had interest in.

    Jefferson was said to have used his political influence and friendship with Atiku to ensure that the contract went smoothly in Nigeria with intentions to pay some kickbacks to Nigerian officials, including the former vice president.

    Jefferson revealed in a secretly recorded conversation with the FBI that Atiku stood to benefit up to $500,000 for helping influence the broadband deal in Nigeria at the time.

    Although Jefferson lost his representative seat and served jail term in America for the deal, Atiku was never prosecuted in Nigeria. It is also not clear if Atiku was indicted in the U.S over the case.

    “On the issue of corruption, I have challenged anyone, anywhere, who has any evidence of corruption against me to come forward. I’m sure they would have combed everywhere trying to find anything incriminating against me, but they have not found it, or they are still searching,” he said.

    Atiku who served as vice-president from 1999-2007 with former President Olusegun Obasanjo has largely been a businessman since retiring from Nigeria Customs Service decades ago.

    He dismissed his critics and contenders as lacking basic entrepreneurial knowledge, hence the reason they despise him for his own business acumen.

    “Let any of those who want to compete with me show what they have managed successfully,” he said.

    The former vice president who recently decamped from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is tipped to run for Presidency in 2019.

  • Igbonla boys: Notorious kidnap kingpin, ‘America’, 19 others killed during rescue operation – Police

    The Police on Friday disclosed that 20 suspected kidnappers and one civilian were killed during the rescue operations of abducted pupils of Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe.

    This was revealed by the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni at the Lagos House, Alausa, during a joint press briefing on the release of the pupils.

    He said three kingpins, including the mastermind of the pupils’ kidnap, Bright Idubo Adeniyi and a notorious militant, Oniweyi Eyelabo alias America, were killed in two operations.

    Owoseni also explained that the civilian who was killed was a member of the Joint Task Force, adding that eight policemen and four members that took part in the operations were wounded.

    He said: ”As long as you have human beings in a society, there must be security challenges. Government and security agencies acted swiftly in this incident. We were not letting out information to avoid criminals using same.

    ”We have talked against celebrating whether ransom was paid or not. We do not want to glorify crimes. If we start talking about it, we may be sending wrong messages to the public.

    ”It is pertinent to mention that security agencies did everything that was needed to be done. I want to acknowledge the roles played by the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and governors of the Southwest region.

    Continuing, he said: ”The response to this kidnap was very swift. It was combination of so many factors. The abduction took place on May 25. There were a lot of things that were done underground that we did not want reported to avoid jeopardising the safety of the victims.

    “It would interest you to know that the kidnappers were many in number. The person who led the kidnap was one Bright Idubo Adeniyi. Immediately after that operation, security agencies stormed into action.

    “The first thing we did was to ensure that the children were not taken off the areas we could monitor. The kidnappers in three boats, tried to move the children away. In the course of doing that, they ambushed Marine Police operatives and volunteers who knew the terrain very well.

    “Two of their three boats were sunk and 17 of them killed that day, including Adeniyi. The security operatives were cautious with the third boat because it had the children in it.

    “The kidnappers went further with a view to frustrate efforts of security operatives and the government by attempting to attack Marine Police posts in order to steal our gunboats.

    “Specifically on July 18, they ambushed a Marine Police post with a view to steal gunboat. That operation was led by ‘America’ and he died in that ambush with two others. We must tell you that the criminals launched the offensives and the government and security operatives handled everything that needed to be handled.

    “We also engaged the parents. Where we needed to engage psychologists, we did. It also led to the Acting President reassuring the parents on the release of the children. I can tell you that this is one operation the criminals will know that the government is responsible and they cannot dispute whether the government has the capacity to secure its citizenry.

    “We have just started. This is the beginning. The security operatives with the support of the governors of the Southwest, has demonstrated the commitment reached in Abeokuta for a joint security team in the region.

    “The criminals should know that there will be no hiding place for them in the southwest. People involved in criminality would be made to face the wrath of the law.”

    Earlier, Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, who received the children on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode from Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of Ondo State, said the state would intensify security in public schools before resumption.

    She said: “I will like to commend the police and other security agencies for ensuring that the children are back. We plan to have comprehensive medical check-up on the children and they will be debriefed in collaboration with other stakeholders.

    “We are going back to the drawing board to ensure that all that need to be done in terms of security before the resumption of schools are done.”

    Akeredolu said the combined efforts of South West governors and security agencies led to the release of the pupils, adding that the role played by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was incisive.