TheNewsGuru

Tag: US

  • Attacks on media houses in Nigeria worrisome —UN, UK

    Attacks on media houses in Nigeria worrisome —UN, UK

    The United Nations and the British Government have described the growing attacks on media houses and journalists in Nigeria as disturbing.

    The UN and the UK, therefore, urged the authorities to stop all harassment and victimization of the media which is crucial in holding governments answerable to the people.

    British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, made this known on Monday on the occasion of the 2020 International Day to End Impunity For Crimes Against Journalists.

    The high commissioner tweeted, “A free press is essential for an informed citizenry. Journalists play a crucial role in holding our governments to account and preventing impunity. Journalists should never be intimidated or attacked for pursuing the truth.”

    Also, the Director, United Nations Information Centre in Nigeria, Ronald Kayanja, said at a virtual event on Monday that journalists and media houses must be protected by all means.

    Kayanja said that attacks on reporters and media houses were a cause for concern and called on authorities to investigate such cases while allowing the relevant arms of the law to bring justice in those situations.

    Kayanja also said one way to curb fake news is to empower the independence of the media.

    “One way to fight fake news and hate speech which is pervasive through digital media is to strengthen the independent media.

    “Just like support is being provided for other sectors of the economy, to build back a better media the industry should also be supported,” the UN official said.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that had at least three media houses were torched during the violence that trailed the recent #EndSARS protests against police brutality.

     

  • Why we don’t support Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala as next WTO DG – U.S.

    Why we don’t support Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala as next WTO DG – U.S.

    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has explained why the President Donald Trump led administration is opposed to the selection of former Nigerian finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

    The United States said it supported instead Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee.

    She is “a bona fide trade expert who has distinguished herself during a 25-year career as a successful trade negotiator and trade policy maker, ” the US statement read.

    Although the U.S. did not mention Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, it said “The WTO is badly in need of major reform. It must be led by someone with real, hands-on experience in the field.”

    The U.S. position was seen Wednesday night as another blow at the WTO by the Trump administration.

    U.S. President Donald Trump, who faced a re-election battle on 3 November, had described the WTO as “horrible” and biased towards China.

    The Trump administration has already paralysed the WTO’s role as global arbiter on trade by blocking appointments to its appeals panel.

    Now it is threatening to render it leaderless for weeks or months to come.

    The WTO itself has called a meeting for Nov. 9, less than a week after the U.S. election, by which time it hopes to have secured full backing for Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

    The decision needs to be approved by consensus, however, meaning any of the 164 WTO members could block her appointment.

    After weeks of consultations, three WTO ambassadors, the “troika” charged with finding a successor to Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, announced at a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday that the former Nigerian finance minister should be the next chief as she had secured cross-regional backing.

    “All of the delegations that expressed their views today expressed very strong support for the process, for the troika and for the outcome. Except for one,” WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told reporters after the closed-door meeting, specifying that the one was the United States.

    William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the U.S. move was likely to worsen trade tensions already running high within the WTO.

    “It’s very Trumpian. They’re basically saying ‘We want to get our way and we’re willing to throw sand in the gears if we don’t get it’,” he said, adding that it was possibly a bid to gain concessions in other disputes.

    A spokeswoman for Okonjo-Iweala said she was “immensely humbled” by the backing of the WTO’s selection committee and hoped for a swift conclusion to the process.

    Next steps are uncertain but WTO’s Rockwell said there was likely to be “frenzied activity” before the Nov. 9 meeting to secure the required consensus.

    It was not immediately clear if the outcome of the U.S. vote would affect the U.S. position on Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment. By then, Trump may be heading a lame-duck administration.

    Many members, including China and the United States, had declined to name their preference publicly before Wednesday although some African, Caribbean and other states had voiced support for Okonjo-Iweala during the four-month selection process.

    The European Union endorsed her on Oct. 26.

    The leadership void was created after outgoing WTO chief Azevedo stepped down a year early in August. The WTO is currently being steered by four deputies.

    Okonjo-Iweala, a 66-year-old former finance minister and World Bank managing director, would face considerable challenges with rival economies bickering amid rising tensions and protectionism during a coronavirus-induced trade plunge.

    Okonjo-Iweala, a development expert, has branded herself a “do-er”, saying she has the political clout to command influence in capitals.

    Currently chair of the of GAVI vaccine alliance board, she has also said the WTO should play a role in helping poorer countries access COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.

  • Trump reduces number of refugee admissions into U.S to 15,000

    Trump reduces number of refugee admissions into U.S to 15,000

    President Donald Trump has cut the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. to historic low of 15,000 in the current fiscal year.

    The figure includes 6,000 unused places from the previous financial year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Trump said in a statement distributed by the White House in the early hours of Wednesday.

    The policy caps the number of refugees who can be admitted from Iraq at 4,000 and the number admitted from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras at 1,000.

    The remaining 10,000 spots are for people who fear persecution for their religious beliefs or political activities or who are referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Programme.

    The statement additionally specifies that “persons from certain high-risk areas of terrorist presence or control, including Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, shall not be admitted as refugees, except those refugees of special humanitarian concern.”

    The U.S. State Department had announced the cut would happen earlier in the month, saying it was necessary to “prioritise the safety and well-being of Americans, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.’’

    The number is the lowest level since the introduction of the U.S. refugee programme in 1980. The previous limit for the last fiscal year was 18,000.

    In 2016, then-President Barack Obama’s last full year in office, about 85,000 refugees were allowed into the US.

    Trump lowered the limit in 2017, his first in office, and about 53,000 refugees were let in, according to a report issued last year by the Department of Homeland Security.

  • US jails Nigerian Nosa Onaghise for BEC scam, to refund $1,869,419

    US jails Nigerian Nosa Onaghise for BEC scam, to refund $1,869,419

    Nosa Onaghise, a 33 year-old Nigerian residing in Austin, Texas has been sentenced to 51 months in US federal prison for his participation in a conspiracy that laundered more than $1.7 million.

    Onaghise was sentenced for his role in a conspiracy that laundered more than $1.7 million in Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam proceeds, stolen from multiple companies.

    He must also pay $1,639,419.57 in restitution, pay a $230,000 money judgment, forfeit $14,282.50 seized from a bank account, and be placed on supervised release for three years, after completing jail term.

    Onaghise’s sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer; Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), San Antonio; and, Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Houston Division

    In a BEC scheme, scammers target businesses and individuals making wire transfer payments, often targeting employees with access to company finances.

    The scammers trick the employees into making wire transfer payments to bank accounts thought to belong to trusted partners—except the money ends up in accounts controlled by the fraudsters.

    Sometimes the scammers use computer intrusion techniques to alter legitimate payment request emails, changing the recipient bank accounts. Sometimes they send spoofed emails from email addresses similar to the real email accounts used by trusted partners.

    On December 12, 2018, Onaghise pleaded guilty to one count of passport fraud admitting to attempting to use a false, forged or counterfeit passport to open several bank accounts in the U.S. in 2018, in furtherance of the fraud scheme.

    On December 20, 2019, Joseph Odibobhahemen, a 28-year-old Nigerian citizen formerly residing in Austin and Onaghise’s co-defendant, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his role in the fraud scheme.

    Court records in this indictment (A18CR358), and the indictment also returned in Austin against four other co-conspirators (A19CR78), show that between November 2016 and April 2019, over $10 million was allegedly sent by victims to accounts controlled by the conspirators, who were able to take in excess of $6 million before law enforcement or financial institutions stopped the fraudulent transfers.

    Onaghise, Odibobhahemen and the others acquired or controlled dozens of bank accounts opened in the U.S., including in Austin, utilizing fraudulent identification documents, including fraudulent foreign passports in fake names.

    READ ALSO FBI nabs Nigerian Arinze Ozor for $1m scams, using Ghanaian, Beninese passport
    Once the funds were fraudulently procured and deposited into these bogus accounts, the defendants worked quickly to withdraw or transfer the funds.

    The four additional co-conspirators—Bameyi Omale, Chinonso Agbaji, Igho Calaba and Chibuzor Uba—have all pleaded guilty and are currently serving lengthy federal prison terms: Omale, 135 months; Agbaji, 78 months; Calaba, 30 months; and Uba, 36 months.

    “Scammers and fraudsters beware! We will bring the full weight of federal law enforcement down on those who prey on the legitimate business community here in Austin and elsewhere in this district,” stated U.S. Attorney Sofer.

    “The sentence and restitution order handed down today demonstrate the serious nature of these offences – offences that damage our economy and harm innocent victims. If you are engaged in this shameful and illegal activity, you can expect to go to federal prison.”

    “This federal investigation uncovered a sophisticated scheme to steal from U.S. businesses,” said HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Folden.

    “These types of crimes cost U.S. citizens hundreds of millions of dollars each year to finance criminal organizations around the world. HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to do everything possible to stop this kind of fraud and to protect the citizens of the United States.”

    “Technological advancements have led to the sophistication of fraudulent schemes,” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Gonzalez.

    “However, no matter what their scheme may be, if criminals use the U.S. Mail in furtherance of it, they will face the full investigative force of the Postal Inspection Service. Postal Inspectors will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners, such as HSI, to ensure these fraudsters are brought to justice.”

  • Lekki Shootings: US Congressional Black Caucus Writes Buhari [Letter]

    Lekki Shootings: US Congressional Black Caucus Writes Buhari [Letter]

    Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Rep. Karen Bass has written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari over the Tuesday’s shooting of peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll plaza.

    The caucus called for dialogue with the CBC and the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Sylvanus Nsofor.

    In the letter dated October 21, 2020, the Congressional Black Caucus expressed concern over reported cases of the use of force by the Nigerian police and military, which has resulted in the loss of lives and injury to many protesters in Nigeria.

    The Congressional Black Caucus urged President Buhari to take some urgent steps in managing the crisis. The CBC said the following steps, among other measures, should be taken by President Buhari to help address the crisis:

    “Release all the protesters who were arrested for taking part in the #EndSARS protests over the last few weeks;

    “Uphold the rights to non-violent protest and ensure the safety of protestors in accordance with the International Bill of Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended);

    “Publicly commit to allow an independent investigation into human rights abuses committed by the SARS unit and the police in general and include youth representatives voted on by the public on the Judicial Panels of Inquiry;

    “Allow an independent investigation of the actions the led to the killings at the Lekki Toll gate;

    “Provide justice for the families of the victims of recent protests against police brutality; and

    “Initiate comprehensive overall reform of the security sector, including incorporating accountability structures and the recommendations from the 5for5 made by Nigerian youth.”

  • Nigeria only African country barred from 2022 US Visa Lottery

    Nigeria only African country barred from 2022 US Visa Lottery

    Nigerians have been barred from participating in the United States’ Visa lottery in 2022.

    This was contained in a document obtained from the US’ website on Thursday.

    The 19-page document was titled ‘Instructions for the 2022 diversity immigrant visa program (DV-2022)’.

    “In Africa, natives of Nigeria are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program,” the document stated.

    However, natives from other African countries are eligible to apply, but “Persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria.”

    It stated that Nigeria was barred because more than 50,000 of its citizens immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.

    Part of the document read, “Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a diversity visa. The Department of State determines selectees through a randomized computer drawing. The Department of State distributes diversity visas among six geographic regions, and no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.

    “For DV-2022, persons born in the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.

    “Persons born in Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.”

  • Ondo poll: Again, US warns Nigerian politicians, reinstates visa ban for violators

    Ondo poll: Again, US warns Nigerian politicians, reinstates visa ban for violators

    The United States of America has again reiterated its commitment to a free, fair and inclusive election in Saturday’s (tomorrow) governorship election in Ondo State.

    The US also extended its commitment to violent free elections to Africa at large.

    Recall that the President Donald Trump led country issued similar warning to politicians in the build up to the Edo governorship election which held September 19.

    In a statement released by the US government and signed by Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo, the US said it would watch closely the actions of individuals who interfered in the democratic process and would not hesitate to consider consequences.

    It also stated that Visa restriction would be placed on those responsible for election-related violence.

    Furthermore, the statement explained that elections were not only important in Africa but for defenders of democracy around the world.

    “We believe all sides should participate peacefully in the democratic process. Repression and intimidation have no place in democracies,” it said.

    The US said rights of electorate should be respected during elections as they were pivotal to democracy.

    “The right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and association were at the heart of a functioning democracy.

    As partners to nations in Africa, the statement explained that US cared about democracy in Africa and would work with international and regional partners.

    Read the US full statement here.

  • BREAKING: Trump suffers fatigue, rushed to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19

    US president, Donald Trump is being transported to the Walter Reed medical center as he experiences mild coronavirus symptoms.

    The White House announced on Friday that Trump, who confirmed late on Thursday that he tested positive for COVID-19, will spend “the next few days” at the military hospital in Maryland.

    “Out of an abundance of caution, and at the recommendation of his physician and medical experts, the President will be working from the presidential offices at Walter Reed for the next few days,” the White House said in a statement.

    Trump will be transported to the hospital by Marine One.

    Earlier in the day, White House doctor Sean P Conley said Trump “remains fatigued but in good spirits.”

    A new memo released on Friday afternoon details the mix of vitamins and antioxidants the president is taking for coronavirus symptoms.

    Conley, in writing the memo to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, wrote of Trump’s health status a day after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

    “As of this afternoon the President remains fatigued but in good spirits,” Conley wrote.

    “He’s being evaluated by a team of experts, and together we’ll be making recommendations to the President and First Lady in regards to next best steps.”

    Conley wrote that First Lady Melania Trump was doing mildly better than the president.

  • U.S., China clash over COVID-19 at UNGA

    U.S., China clash over COVID-19 at UNGA

    The U.S. and China on Tuesday clashed over the coronavirus pandemic during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

    U.S. President Donald Trump, who fired the first shot in his pre-recorded video message, referred to the coronavirus as “China virus”, a term that angers Beijing.

    “We must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China.

    “In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world.

    “China condemned my travel ban on their country, even as they cancelled domestic flights and locked citizens in their homes,” he said.

    Trump reiterated his allegation that China and the World Health Organisation (WHO), “which is virtually controlled by China”, deliberately misled the world on the mode of transmission of the virus.

    He accused them of “falsely declaring that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission”.

    “Later, they falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease.

    “The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions,” he said.

    Chinese ambassador to the UN, Amb. Zhang Jun, responded to Trump’s accusations before introducing his country’s president, Xi Jingping, who was the fourth leader to speak.

    Jun said China would not be cowed by U.S. “bully tactics”, accusing Trump of using the global stage to spread his “political virus”.

    “We strongly and totally reject the baseless accusation against China.

    “No matter what others say, we support multilateralism and the UN to play its central role in international affairs,” he said.

    The exchanges came shortly after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had, in his address, expressed concern over the escalating tensions between north countries.

    Warning against a “new Cold War” between the U.S. and China, Guterres said the bad blood was moving the world in “a very dangerous direction”.

    “Our world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe in a Great Fracture, each with its own trade and financial rules and internet and artificial intelligence capacities.

    “A technological and economic divide risks inevitably turning into a geo-strategic and military divide.

    “We must avoid this at all costs,” he said.

    Although the Chinese president did not address the U.S. directly in his speech, he said the world “must” reject unilateral actions and work together to defrost the virus.

  • Alleged fraud: Atiku reacts amidst reports of US placing him, family under close surveillance

    Alleged fraud: Atiku reacts amidst reports of US placing him, family under close surveillance

    Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the trending FINCEN files that detailed how he came under the radar of international financial surveillance.

    FINCEN is the acronym for US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

    The FinCEN Files contained thousands of closely held US Treasury documents — among them, suspicious activity reports — investigated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 newsrooms around the world.

    Nigeria’s Premium Times is part of the investigation and probed the Nigerian leg of the report, detailing the wire transfers that triggered flags about Atiku.

    In a statement, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, said neither Atiku nor his wives were under any surveillance as they have not breached any laws.

    Ibe also said the dismissed the story as recycled and regurgitated lies about the person of Atiku Abubakar.

    The statement by Ibe reads:

    My attention has been drawn to recycled and regurgitated lies about the person of Atiku Abubakar.

    For the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar is not under any US watch list, neither has he been charged, or will ever be charged by the United States Justice Department or any other in a foreign jurisdiction.

    It will be recalled that these recycled lies were re-unearthed just before the February 23, 2019 Presidential election, and to put paid to them, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, applied for and received a US visa, whereupon he embarked on a visit to the United States on January 17, 2019. He stayed at a hotel just miles to the United States Department of Justice.

    Atiku Abubakar in the course of that trip was also received in audience, by officials of the United States Government.

    These ‘new’ reports are a desperate gambit to recast these discredited accusations. They are meant to divert the attention of Nigerians from the recent statement by the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr Mike Pompeo, announcing visa and travel bans for certain unnamed but notorious individuals.

    Moreover, the timing of this report, less than 24 hours after the Edo state gubernatorial elections, should give some thought to thinking people.

    And considering the season that we are in, more of such jaundiced stories seeking to discredit Atiku Abubakar would come.

    However, it needs to be reiterated that the former Vice President and every member of his family keeps a clean business portfolio that has nothing to do with government resources and in conformity with local and foreign laws of respective countries”.