TheNewsGuru

Tag: U.S.

  • Nigeria’s young population a global asset – U.S. official

    Nigeria’s young population a global asset – U.S. official

    Joy Basu, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of United States, Bureau of African Affairs, has described Nigeria’s young population as an asset to Africa and the world at large.

    Basu made the remark during a visit to Vibranium Valley Tech City to discuss about the African economy on Saturday in Lagos.

    She said it was important for the world to know that the young talents in Nigeria were incredible.

    According to Basu, not only is the population of Nigeria so young but filled with youths who are very smart.

    “These young talents have a history of unlocking economic prosperity through creativity and innovations.

    “They see challenges in diverse perspective and are ready to delve into it to find solutions,” Basu said.

    She said the young talented population were not only needed to solve Nigeria’s problems, but also Africa and the world.

    Basu explained that such young assets should not be left unrefined, stressing that opportunities should be created for them to thrive for economic growth and development.

    She noted that the U.S government recognises the immense potential of Nigeria’s young population and would continue to provide support through investment, partnership and trainings.

    “We will continue to partner with Nigeria and Africa to build a better world,” she said

    Basu stressed that talent discovery and development needed to be taken seriously.

    On bridging gender gap, she said the U.S government had been doing a lot to support women by ensuring they had equal opportunities.

    Basu noted that the U.S government was not only supporting women through access to funding, but also by ensuring that it reaches those in the underserved communities.

    Basu said bridging the gap had been a challenge for both the U.S and Nigeria, adding that several opportunities through innovative programmes had been provided for women, to ensure they had equal rights.

    Speaking on what Vibranium Valley Tech City had done to bridge employment gap, Mr Bunmi Akinyemiju, the Chief Executive Officer Venture Garden Group, said a lot of money had been spent to groom 1,500 talents in Nigeria.

    Akinyemiju said for job creation, they had also built about 22 companies from the scratch.

    He added that Vibranium Valley Tech City had invested in about 65 companies through their venture capital arm.

    Akinyemiju said he believed that the growing of Nigeria Gross Domestic Product and Africa had to do with building bridges, noting that the bridge was between Nigeria and America.

    He also noted that the U.S consulate had been an incredible partner in driving some of their goals of building talents.

    Also, Mr Debo Omololu, the Chief Executive Officer, GetFundedAfrica, a tech-enabled marketplace, said Nigeria and other countries in the continent were going to be the workforce in the future.

    Omololu explained that Nigeria, which had one of the youngest population in the world with 60 per cent younger than 45, needed jobs.

    He said that to provide solutions to some the job challenges, GetFundedAfrica had partnered the Federal Government and one of the banks to provide opportunities for young Nigerians.

    Omololu explained that the company uses technology to help aspiring business owners, existing businesses, job seekers and working professionals.

    Omololu noted that leveraging on their partnership, they were able to get a bank to provide financing of up to $50 million to train every single person that registered under their organisation.

    He explained that asides learning skills they were also given certificates to help them get jobs easily.

  • Israel-Gaza crisis: U.S. vetoes Security Council resolution

    Israel-Gaza crisis: U.S. vetoes Security Council resolution

    The United State on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza.

    The failure by the Council to make its first public intervention on the Israel-Gaza crisis followed the rejection of a Russian-backed draft on Monday evening.

    While 12 of the Council’s 15 members voted in favour of the Brazilian-led text, one (United States) voted against, and two (Russia, and the United Kingdom) abstained.

    A ‘no’ vote from any one of the five permanent members of the Council stops action on any measure put before it. The body’s permanent members are: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    Prior to the vote, two amendments proposed by Russia, calling for an immediate, durable and full ceasefire, and to stop attacks against civilians were rejected by the Security Council.

    Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, “the time for diplomatic metaphors is long gone.”

    According to him, anyone who did not support Russia’s draft resolution on this issue bears responsibility for what happens, saying, the current draft “has no clear call for a ceasefire and will not help to stop the bloodshed.”

    He said Russia’s amendments proposed a call to end indiscriminate attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Gaza and the condemnation of the imposition of the blockade on the enclave; and adding a new point for a call for a humanitarian ceasefire.

    “If these are not included in the current draft, it would not help to address the human situation in Gaza and polarise positions of the international community,” he said.

    US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield explained her country’s veto in the Council chamber saying, “this resolution did not mention Israel’s right of self-defence.

    “Israel has the inherent sight of self-defence as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter.”

    She noted that the right was reaffirmed by the Council in previous resolutions on terrorist attacks, “this resolution should have done the same.”

    She said though the U.S. could not support the resolution, it would continue to work closely with all Council members on the crisis, “just as we will continue to reiterate the need to protect civilians, including members of the media, humanitarian workers and UN officials.”

    Thomas-Greenfield also noted that the U.S. is also engaged in on the ground diplomacy, with the visit of President Joseph Biden and other senior officials.

    “Yes, resolutions are important, and yes, this Council must speak out. But the actions we take, must be informed by the facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy that can save lives,” she said.

    Ambassador Sérgio França Danese of Brazil said his country, as President of the Security Council for October, responded to a call by Council members to forge a united response to the crisis.

    “We heeded the call with a sense of urgency and responsibility, in our view the Security Council had to take action and do so very quickly.

    “Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community,” he said, noting efforts to build a unified position.

    Ambassador Danese reiterated that the focus was and remained on the critical humanitarian situation on the ground, guided by political realism, “but our sight was always set on the humanitarian imperative.”

    He regretted that collective action had stalled, stating “very sadly, the Council was yet again unable to adopt a resolution on the crisis, again silence and inaction prevailed.”

    UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country abstained from the resolution as the text needed to be clearer on Israel’s inherent right to self-defence, and because it ignored the fact that extremist group Hamas, which controlled Gaza, was using Palestinian civilians as human shields.

    “They (Hamas) have embedded themselves in civilian communities and made the Palestinian people their victims too,” she said.

    She reiterated the UK’s support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, rescue hostages and strengthen its security in the long term, while calling on Israel “to take all feasible precautions” to avoid harming Palestinian civilians.

    She added that it would continue working with all partners to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, ensure protection of civilians and “to work towards the peace and stability promised by the two-State solution.”

    Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Ambassador for the United Arab Emirates and the sole Arab nation serving on the Council, said her country voted for the resolution, not because it was a perfect text but because it clearly stated the basic principles that must be upheld.

    “It is perhaps beyond me to put into words the abject horrors we are witnessing in Gaza,” she said, noting the mounting death toll, including the strike on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital.

    “Each passing hour of this ruinous war makes a mockery of the principles of international humanitarian law. Gaza is laid to waste, and nobody feels safe,” she said.

    She reiterated her country’s support for “no less than a full humanitarian ceasefire,” not at the expense of Israel’s security, but to allow people to tend to their wounded, bury their dead in dignity and begin putting their lives back together.

    The action on the Brazilian-led draft resolution followed the defeat on Monday evening of a Russian-led text calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza which did not include any mention or condemnation of extremist group Hamas, which controlled the Gaza strip.

    That resolution received five votes in favour (China, Gabon, Mozambique, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates) and four against (France, Japan, UK, and the U.S.), with six abstentions (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta, and Switzerland).

    This was the Council’s second open meeting on the situation in Gaza.

    Ambassadors had met, mainly behind closed doors, on the crisis, including meetings on  Oct. 8 and 13.

  • U.S. stays strong as global economic growth slows down

    U.S. stays strong as global economic growth slows down

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected medium term global economic stagnation while appraising the economy of the United States as strong and resilient.

    IMF’s Chief Economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, said this on Tuesday in Marrakech, while giving the World Economic Outlook for October.

    Gourinchas said that global expansion was expected to moderate in 2023 at three per cent, down from 3.5 per cent in 2022.

    According to him, the global economy is experiencing slow and uneven growth as it continues to be battered by high inflation, the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine and rising geoeconomic tensions.

    “The global economy continues to recover from the pandemic and from Russia invasion of Ukraine, but growth remains slow and uneven.

    “We see a global economy that is limping along, and not quite sprinting yet. Growth will slow from 3.5 per cent in 2022 to three per cent in 2023, and 2.9 per cent in 2024.

    “This remains well below historical averages,” he said.

    The chief economist said that the economic slowdown was more pronounced in advanced economies than in emerging markets and developing economies.

    “The U.S is being revised up with resilient consumption and investment, while the Euro zone has been revised down as tighter monetary policy and the energy crisis took a toll, ” he said.

    According to him, the divergence among emerging markets and developing economies, with China facing growing headwinds, while Brazil, India and Russia are revised up.

    He, however, said that the news on inflation was encouraging, adding that “we are not quite there yet ”.

    “Headline inflation continues to decelerate ; core inflation, excluding energy and food, is also projected to decline more gradually.

    “However, most countries are not expected to return to inflation targets until 2025, ” he said.

    Gourinchas said that central banks had more work to do to bring inflation back to target for a sustainable period.

    “On the fiscal front, we must review our ways of managing risks. Buffers need to be built, including by phasing out energy subsidies while still protecting the vulnerable.

    “Structural reforms have always been key. Long term growth can only be achieved through a careful sequence of reforms, especially those focused on governance, business, regulation and the external sector,” he said.

  • China’s Xi receives U.S. senators in Beijing

    China’s Xi receives U.S. senators in Beijing

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday received a delegation of United States senators in Beijing in a possible move to bring the two countries closer together.

    “The China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world,” Xi said.

    Xi struck a conciliatory tone at the meeting as he told the group led by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

    For China, Xi said it had always been clear that the two countries’ common interests far outweighed their differences.

    Earlier on Monday, the U.S. officials also spoke with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.

    “I hope this visit will help the U.S. view China in a more accurate and objective way and bring China-U.S. relations back to the track of sound development,” Wang said.

    In a televised excerpt of Schumer’s comments, the senator said the U.S. wanted stability and fairness and not an economic decoupling with China.

    “But China must also provide a level playing field for American companies and workers,” Schumer added.

    Schumer, a democrat, also criticised China’s failure to condemn the bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas on Israel, which left hundreds dead.

    In a statement on the conflict, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not express sympathy or support for Israel.

    He instead called on all parties to exercise restraint, cease fire immediately, protect civilians and ensure the situation did not deteriorate further.

    Before the China trip, the U.S. side said the bipartisan delegation wanted to meet government and business representatives, and also hoped to meet with Xi.

    Xi is both the paramount leader of China’s government and the general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

    The relationship between the world’s two largest economies is currently hampered by sanctions, economic and geopolitical disputes and spying allegations.

    Observers are, therefore, looking forward to a possible meeting between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Summit in San Francisco in November.

    It remained unclear whether Xi will attend.

    The Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not comment on the possibility on Monday when asked.

  • BREAKING: U.S. House names interim Speaker

    BREAKING: U.S. House names interim Speaker

    The United States House of Representatives has named Rep. Patrick McHenry as interim Speaker, following the ousting of erstwhile Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports McCarthy was booted out of office on Tuesday, following a motion moved by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

    In the minutes following the ousting of McCarthy, McHenry was named as Speaker pro tempore.

    McHenry will lead the chamber until another Speaker is elected in the near future.

    Meanwhile, Gaetz, who moved the motion for the ousting of McCarthy, has floated names for who could become the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

    On his list were House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern.

    Gaetz said he will “absolutely not” put himself forward for Speakership.

    TNG reports McHenry is a top McCarthy ally and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

  • BREAKING: U.S. House of Reps Speaker booted out of office

    BREAKING: U.S. House of Reps Speaker booted out of office

    Kevin McCarthy has been ousted as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, following a motion by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports McCarthy was voted out of the seat in a historic moment on Tuesday.

    This makes it the first time in the history of the U.S. that the Speaker of the House would be booted from the post, putting the chamber in unprecedented territory.

    “The office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant,” Rep. Steve Womack, who presided over the vote to oust McCarthy said, following the vote.

    In a 45-minute roll call vote, the House moved to oust McCarthy as Speaker.

    The final vote was 216 to 210 in favour of Gaetz’s motion to vacate, with eight Republicans joining Democrats.

    TNG reports McCarthy was criticized for how he handled spending and budget fights since Republicans retook majority control of the chamber, with Gaetz claiming that the ousted Speaker can’t be trusted.

    McCarthy’s defence of his record, including most recently in averting a partial federal government shutdown, was not enough to save his head.

  • Son of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ extradited to U.S.

    Son of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ extradited to U.S.

    A son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, who was arrested after a bloody firefight with Mexican authorities earlier this year, has been extradited to Chicago.

    He is expected to face sweeping narcotics trafficking charges.

    Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 32, is reputed to have taken over the powerful Sinaloa cartel after his father’s arrest seven years ago.

    He is one of four El Chapo sons, nicknamed the “Chapitos,” charged in an indictment unsealed in Chicago earlier this year.

    Of the sons, Guzman Lopez, who is known as “El Raton,” or “The Mouse,” was the only one in custody.

    He was captured in Culiacán, Mexico in January after an intense battle that left 10 soldiers and 19 suspects dead, according to news reports.

    Guzman Lopez, who was being held in Mexico pending extradition proceedings, was flown to Chicago on Friday afternoon, according to a law enforcement source.

    He could make an initial appearance at the Dirksen US Courthouse as soon as Monday.

    A lawyer for Guzman Lopez was not listed on the court docket as of Friday.

    Guzman Lopez was among 28 reputed members of the notorious Sinaloa cartel charged as part of a multi-jurisdictional fentanyl-trafficking investigation unveiled in April.

    Attorney General Merrick Garland; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram; and other top federal prosecutors, including acting Chicago U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual launched the investigation.

    In outlining the charges, Garland described the violence of the Sinaloa cartel and how its members have tortured perceived enemies, including Mexican law enforcement officials.

    In some cases, cartel members also have fed victims, some still alive, to tigers owned by Guzmán’s sons, Garland said.

    The Chicago indictment, which was filed under seal in January, alleged Guzman Lopez assumed day-to-day control of the cartel after his father’s arrest in 2016.

    The indictment accuses the sons of orchestrating the shipment of thousands of pounds of cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs into the U.S. by boat, plane, and other means.

    Guzman’s other sons charged in Chicago, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, remained at large as of Friday.

    The indictment was filed as part of the same case originally filed in Chicago in 2009 against El Chapo himself as well as many of his top henchmen, which is widely considered the largest narcotics case ever brought in Chicago.

    Those charges alleged the Sinaloa cartel used jumbo jets, submarines, and tunnels to smuggle massive amounts of drugs into the U.S., much of which was later distributed in wholesale quantities in Chicago.

    The cartel members then laundered billions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.

    Among the cartel’s top distributors were Pedro and Margarito Flores, twin brothers who rose from the obscurity of the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side to working directly for El Chapo before cutting a secret cooperation deal with the government.

    The twins’ decision to cooperate with federal authorities in 2008 culminated with Pedro Flores testifying against El Chapo at his trial in New York in December 2018.

    El Chapo was convicted in New York in 2019 and is serving a life sentence at a maximum security federal prison in Colorado.

    The indictments announced in April, meanwhile, differed significantly from previous investigations by including allegations that the cartel is now trafficking fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic 50 times more potent than heroin.

    Nearly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration says most of the fentanyl trafficked in the United States comes from the Sinaloa cartel.

    In addition to cartel leaders, the indictments also charged Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl.

    Others charged in the cases include those accused of running drug labs and providing security and weapons for the drug trafficking operation, prosecutors said.

    In announcing the cases, Garland said the charges “describe in detail how the Sinaloa Cartel operates — without respect for human rights, for human life, or the rule of law.”

    Two of the defendants were accused of testing the potency of the cartel’s fentanyl on victims while they were tied down, Garland said.

    In another instance, cartel members “experimented on a woman they had been ordered to shoot,” injecting her instead with fentanyl until she overdosed and died, he said.

    In another allegation contained in the charges, after an addict died testing a batch of the cartel’s fentanyl, one of the defendants sent the batch to the United States anyway, Garland said.

  • Why U.S. State of Georgia honoured Pastor Jerry Eze of NSPPD

    Why U.S. State of Georgia honoured Pastor Jerry Eze of NSPPD

    Pastor Jerry Eze, the Senior Pastor and Founder of Streams of Joy International has been honoured by the State of Georgia in the United States of America (USA).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Pastor Eze is also the convener of the New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declaration (NSPPD).

    Eze is a seasoned Nigerian pastor, preacher, speaker and leadership coach.

    The special recognition by the US State of Georgia is coming after the recently concluded NSPPD USA PRAYER CONFERENCE with over 20,000 persons in attendance.

    The conference saw different sets of passionate and excited attendees from various walks of life, many who travelled from far and wide troop into the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston Texas, US.

    Several mind-blowing testimonies of healings and instant miracles were recorded live.

    A child brought in brain dead was revived, wheelchairs and walking aids were abandoned as the lame walked, painful lumps melted off, deaf ears and blind eyes popped open instantly at the Word of the Lord.

    The NSPPD USA Prayer Conference was a massive success and Pastor Eze was duly commended by the State of Georgia for being a shining example for the unmatched strength and refuge he continues to provide to Christians globally.

    From Nigeria to the World, Pastor Eze who hails from Bende LGA of Abia State has become a global brand as the ministry continues to wax stronger and stronger.

    The NSPPD Fire Altar, the largest online prayer platform in the world has stood him out amongst his colleagues and peers.

    He studied history and International Relations at the Abịa State University, Uturu.

    He proceeded to University of Greenwich, London, where he obtained MBA in Entrepreneurial Management and a Master’s Degree in International Human Resources Management.

    He remains an undeniable embodiment of His famous Slogan that indeed “What God Cannot Do Does Not Exist.”

  • Tinubu tasks U.S. on defence of democracy as Biden sends invite for discussion

    Tinubu tasks U.S. on defence of democracy as Biden sends invite for discussion

    President Bola Tinubu has tasked the U.S. to collaborate with African countries in defending its democracies against anti-democratic forces within and outside the continent in order to improve on its peoples living standard.

    Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement, disclosed that the president said this when he received the U.S. Presidential envoy and Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Molly Phee, in Abuja on Saturday.

    He said that the American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions required comprehensive reforms to meet the developmental requirements of younger democracies in Africa, which operate in authoritarian-crowded environments.

    He said that this must be done with vigour as the institutions designed policies to support war-torn Europe after World War II, adding that this would meet the legitimate yearnings of Africans of using local solutions for its challenges.

    “Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the U.S. Government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria.

    ‘’Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address their specific regulatory, tax and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families,” the President said.

    Tinubu said that the crisis in Niger Republic would not deter him from concluding his economic reform programme for the benefit of Nigerians, adding that he would only advance the interest of Nigerian in his approach toward ECOWAS’ handling of the regional standoff.

    “We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging on our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms.

    ‘’War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defence of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time,” Tinubu, who is the ECOWAS Chairman, said.

    Pledging its support for the position of ECOWAS, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy, expressed the high regard the U.S. Administration has for the leadership of Tinubu as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

    She extended an exclusive invitation from U.S. President Joe Biden to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City to advance discussions further in late September.

    “We know there is more we can do to incentivize large-scale American investment in Nigeria and we are committed to working closely with you to achieve that, as part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian and the regional economy.

    ‘’We appreciate your willingness to create an enabling environment for that. President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA, and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership,” she said.

  • Apply more pressure on Niger junta – U.S. tells Tinubu

    Apply more pressure on Niger junta – U.S. tells Tinubu

    The United States has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by President Bola Tinubu not to put its foot off the pedal on recent events in Niger Republic.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the U.S. told President Tinubu in a phone call to apply more pressure to ensure ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and his family were released.

    U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken had a phone conversation with Tinubu on Monday, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Matthew Miller.

    According to the statement, Blinken commended President Tinubu’s leadership of the ECOWAS Second Extraordinary Summit on the situation in the Republic of Niger.

    “He noted the importance of maintaining pressure on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to restore constitutional order and to see President Mohamed Bazoum and his family released,” the statement reads.

    The statement reads in full: “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

    “The Secretary commended President Tinubu’s leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Second Extraordinary Summit on the situation in the Republic of Niger.

    “He noted the importance of maintaining pressure on the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) to restore constitutional order and to see President Mohamed Bazoum and his family released”.