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US GOVERNMENT

US Government mourns Niger flood victims

by Administrator June 2, 2025

written by Administrator

PRECISE – The United States Mission in Nigeria has expressed sadness over the floods that struck Niger State last week, leaving at least 151 people dead and displacing more than 3,000 residents.

In a statement released on Monday via its X, the US Mission conveyed condolences to the victims and praised the efforts of emergency responders.

“The US Mission is deeply saddened by the news of last Friday’s devastating floods that have impacted Niger State.

“During this time of immense loss and hardship, our hearts are with all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, displaced by loss of homes and livelihoods, or struggling to find shelter.

“We are holding in our thoughts you and the federal and state emergency workers who are working to provide relief and alleviate the effects of this disaster,” the statement read.

The disaster has triggered a significant humanitarian crisis.

According to the Niger State Government, the floods destroyed over 260 homes as well as key infrastructure, including township roads and major bridges in Mokwa and Raba.

In response, President Bola Tinubu on Saturday dispatched a high-level delegation to the affected areas to assess the damage and support ongoing relief operations.

State officials have appealed for additional federal and international assistance to help manage the unfolding crisis.

June 2, 2025 0 comments

World News

Musk Confirms Exit From US Government Role

by Administrator May 29, 2025

written by Administrator

PRECISE – Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday announced he was leaving his role in US government, intended to reduce federal spending, shortly after his first major break with President Donald Trump over his signature spending bill.

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote on his social media platform X.

“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he added.

(FILES) Tesla and SPaceX CEO Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump shake hands as they attend the men’s NCAA wrestling competition at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 2025.

The South African-born tech tycoon had said Trump’s bill would increase the deficit and undermine the work of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has fired tens of thousands of people.

Musk — who was a constant presence at Trump’s side before pulling back to focus on his Space X and Tesla businesses — also complained that DOGE had become a “whipping boy” for dissatisfaction with the administration.

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said in an interview with CBS News, an excerpt of which aired late Tuesday.

Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” — which passed the US House last week and now moves to the Senate — offers sprawling tax relief and spending cuts and is the centrepiece of his domestic agenda.

But critics warn it will decimate health care and balloon the national deficit by as much as $4 trillion over a decade.

“A bill can be big, or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion,” Musk said in the interview, which will be aired in full on Sunday.

The White House sought to play down any differences over US government spending, without directly naming Musk.

“The Big Beautiful Bill is NOT an annual budget bill,” Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said on Musk’s social network, X, after the tech titan’s comments aired.

All DOGE cuts would have to be carried out through a separate bill targeting the federal bureaucracy, according to US Senate rules, Miller added.

But Musk’s comments represented a rare split with the Republican president whom he helped propel back to power, as the largest donor to his 2024 election campaign.

‘Whipping boy’

**Elon Musk speaks as US President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025.**

Trump tasked Musk with cutting government spending as head of DOGE, but after a feverish start Musk announced in late April he was mostly stepping back to run his companies again.

Musk complained in a separate interview with the Washington Post that DOGE, which operated out of the White House with a staff of young technicians, had become a lightning rod for criticism.

“DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,” Musk told the newspaper at the Starbase launch site in Texas ahead of Space X’s latest launch on Tuesday.

“Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.”

Musk blamed entrenched US bureaucracy for DOGE’s failure to achieve all of its goals — although reports say his domineering style and lack of familiarity with the currents of Washington politics were also major factors.

“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he said. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least.”

**(FILES) US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla vehicle on the South Portico of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.**

Musk has previously admitted that he did not achieve all his goals with DOGE even though tens of thousands of people were removed from government payrolls and several departments were gutted or shut down.

Musk’s own businesses suffered in the meantime.

Protesters against the cost-cutting targeted Tesla dealerships while arsonists even torched a few of the electric vehicles, and the firm’s profits slumped.

“People were burning Teslas. Why would you do that? That’s really uncool,” Musk told the Post.

Musk has also been focusing on Space X after a series of fiery setbacks to his dreams of colonizing Mars — the latest of which came on Tuesday when its prototype Starship exploded over the Indian Ocean.

The tycoon last week also said he would pull back from spending his fortune on politics, having spent around a quarter of a billion dollars to support Trump.

May 29, 2025 0 comments

World News

Trump meets with de-facto Syrian president al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia

by Administrator May 14, 2025

written by Administrator

RIYADH – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, a U.S. government representative confirmed.

The meeting took place in the Saudi capital before a scheduled meeting between Trump and leaders of several Gulf countries.

It is the first between a U.S. and Syrian Presidents in around 25 years.

The meeting also came a day after Trump said that he would be lifting sanctions imposed on Damascus.

Trump, who was in Saudi Arabia for the first leg of his three-nation Gulf tour, said lifting the sanctions were a chance for the war-torn country to shine.

The White House said on Tuesday that Trump had agreed to say hello to the Syrian President.

Sanctions were imposed by the U.S. and other countries in response to former president Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011.

The violence in his regime carried out against civilians during the ensuing civil war.

Al-Assad was overthrown in early December by an Islamist rebel alliance led by al-Sharaa, who was later appointed interim president.

Once an insurgent leader, al-Sharaa has since renounced both al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

However, doubts remain as to whether he has fully abandoned extremist ideology and he is still listed on U.S. and EU terrorist lists.

The last meeting between U.S. and Syrian leaders was in 2000 between then presidents Bill Clinton and Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad. (dpa/NAN)

May 14, 2025 0 comments

World News

US indicts Nigerian for $690k scam, false citizenship claim

by Administrator April 24, 2025

written by Administrator

FLORIDA – A Nigerian-born United States citizen, Oladapo Fadugba, risks 27 years imprisonment over his alleged involvement in a $690,000 wire fraud scheme and making false declarations to obtain US citizenship.

Learnt in a statement by the US Attorney for the District of Florida, Gregory Kehoe, obtained on Wednesday.

According to Kehoe, Fadugba was indicted for multiple charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements during his naturalisation process.

According to Kehoe, between October 2020 and July 2023, the suspect allegedly diverted $690,000 in funds belonging to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which was meant for reimbursement to a major local healthcare provider.

It was further alleged that Fadugba used another person’s identity to facilitate the transfers into various bank accounts under his control.

The statement read, “According to the indictment, beginning on October 30, 2020, and ending no later than July 11, 2023, Fadugba had more than $690,000 of Department of Veterans Affairs funds, intended for reimbursement to a large local healthcare provider, transferred to his personal bank accounts.

“Fadugba then wrote cheques to himself or to businesses associated with him, which were subsequently transferred to other bank accounts under his control. It is alleged that he used the identification of another individual to carry out these transfers.”

In addition, Fadugba is accused of lying under oath during his US naturalisation proceedings by falsely stating that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested.

Kehoe stated that, if the suspect was convicted on all counts, he risked a maximum sentence of 27 years in the US federal prison and the forfeiture of $400,000, representing proceeds from the alleged crimes.

“The indictment further alleges that Fadugba, a naturalised US citizen from Nigeria, made a false statement under oath during his naturalisation proceedings by claiming he had not committed any offence or crime for which he had not been arrested.

“If convicted on all charges, Fadugba faces up to 27 years in federal prison. The indictment also includes a notice that the United States is seeking a forfeiture order of $400,000, which reflects the approximate proceeds of the criminal conduct charged,” the statement added.

Kehoe concluded by noting that “an indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

Reported on April 12 that a 24-year-old Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents in the United States.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the plea was entered in a US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri.

Ojedeji had admitted to fraudulently securing a student visa and gaining admission into the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023.

He acknowledged using falsified academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a fabricated English language proficiency report to obtain the visa.

April 24, 2025 0 comments

World News

Deportation of Salvadoran immigrant ignites political, legal battle in U.S.

by Administrator April 23, 2025

written by Administrator

WASHINGTON – The deportation of a Salvadoran immigrant has sparked a clash between Democrats and Republicans over the White House’s policies on illegal immigration.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to his home country last month and placed in a maximum-security prison, in spite of a 2019 ruling.

The deportation occurred at a time when Trump had begun the mass deportation of individuals living illegally in the U.S.

The ruling was from an immigration judge that allowed him to stay in the U.S.

Lawyers for the U.S. government have acknowledged that his deportation was an administrative error, and the Supreme Court has upheld a judge’s ruling that required the U.S. government to facilitate his release from prison.

Court documents found that Abrego Garcia admitted that he entered the U.S. illegally in 2012, local media reported.

However, the administration later adopted a different tone by depicting Abrego Garcia as a member of the MS-13 gang and a citizen of El Salvador.

The allegations of his connection to MS-13 stem from his arrest in 2019, according to a CBS report.

Abrego Garcia, a father of three who works in construction, denied the allegation, saying he had not been convicted of any crimes in the U.S.

Court documents show that he was arrested outside a Home Depot with three other men, at least two of whom had suspected gang ties.

The deportation has become a legal flashpoint and highlights the bitter partisan divide in Washington.

According to Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, immigration is a hot-button issue in the U.S. with lots of divisions regarding how to handle those who came into the country illegally.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who represents Maryland, where Abrego Garcia was living before his deportation, traveled to El Salvador last week and met with Abrego Garcia in prison.

However Trump last Friday had blasted Hollen writing on social media that the Senator ”looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention.’’

On Monday, four House Democrats travelled to Salvador to push for Abrego Garcia’s release and raise awareness for what they call a ”constitutional crisis.’’

Meanwhile protests erupted in front of the White House by the weekend, with demonstrators holding variety of handmade signs, including ”Stop illegal deportations!’’, ”The constitutional crisis is here!’’ among others.

Mrs Wood, who drove more than three hours from Bradford County, Pennsylvania, to join the protest, told Xinhua that the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal immigrants lacked due process.

She urged that everyone should have the opportunity to defend themselves in court.

”The administration claimed that those being deported are criminals, yet some were arrested simply for having tattoos.

”They are picking on people of color. It is totally racist. It’s white supremacy all the way,” she said.

Critics have accused the Trump administration of flouting the authority of the courts.

Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Centre for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland said that the administration’s position since it came into office is that whenever it is ruled against, this will be reversed by the Supreme Court anyway

”It need not follow what the lower court said.

”With the Garcia case, the administration went to the Supreme Court, did not get what they wanted, and now are stonewalling and lying about their non-compliance.

”So, this is the test case regarding the administration’s actual, not just stated, theory of presidential power. They do not intend to be constrained by the Supreme Court,’’ he said.

Trump, meanwhile, defended the administration’s approach on Monday.

”I am doing what I was elected to do, remove criminals from our country, but the courts don’t seem to want me to do that.

”We cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so will take, without exaggeration, 200 years,’’ he said in a post on Truth Social. (Xinhua/NAN)

April 23, 2025 0 comments

World News

Pharmaceutical giant, Roche to invest $50bn in U.S.

by Administrator April 22, 2025

written by Administrator

GENEVA – Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Roche, on Tuesday said it would invest 50 billion dollars in the United States (U.S.) in the next five years.

The Chief Executive of the pharmaceutical giant, Thomas Schinecker, made this known on Tuesday.

Schinecker said that the commitment include new state-of-the art research and development sites as well as new and expanded manufacturing facilities in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California.

He also said that the investments were expected to create more than 12,000 new jobs, including nearly 6,500 construction jobs, as well as 1,000 jobs at new and expanded facilities.

He explained that the added capacity would allow the company export more medicines from the U.S. than it imports.

”The investments underscore our long-standing commitment to research, development and manufacturing in the U.S.,” Schinecker said.

Roche is a Swiss company with a strong heritage in more than 130 countries globally. (dpa/NAN)

April 22, 2025 0 comments

Business

DHL To Stop Global Shipments Worth Over $800 To US Consumers

by Administrator April 21, 2025

written by Administrator

PRECISE – Global shipping giant DHL will “temporarily” suspend the shipping of parcels worth more than $800 from businesses to individuals in the United States as of Monday, the company said, citing delays in US customs clearances.

“As a result of recent US Customs regulatory updates, we are experiencing multi-day transit delays to the US from any origin for shipments with a declared customs value exceeding USD 800,” DHL said in a statement.

President Donald Trump has launched a wide-ranging trade war since coming to office, threatening friend and foe alike with steep tariffs to address US trade deficits with individual countries.

As part of those changes, the government has also lowered the threshold at which parcels to individuals require formal entry processing by US Customs — down to $800 from $2,500 as of April 5.

“This change has caused a surge in formal customs clearances, which we are handling around the clock,” said DHL.

The company added that business-to-business shipments would not be affected by the suspension, “though they may also face delays.”

Trump’s government has taken particular aim at China, and earlier this month Washington closed a duty-free exemption for small parcels from that country, a move that appeared to be designed to target low-cost online retailers like Temu and Shein.

AFP

April 21, 2025 0 comments

World News

U.S. seeks Rwandan forces’ withdrawal from occupied DRC territory

by Administrator April 18, 2025

written by Administrator

ABUJA – The U.S. Government has called for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) occupied territory, and urged the alleged Rwandan-backed M23 rebels to declare a ceasefire.

U.S. Department of State’s Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, made the appeal at a digital news conference following a four-nation East-African trip to DRC, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

According to him, the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from DRC, and laying down of arms by the M23 rebels are crucial to ending the war in the war-ravaged DRC.

Reports that Boulos’ visit aimed at supporting efforts to achieve durable peace in eastern DRC, exploring and preserving U.S. private sector investment in the subregion.

DRC has been plagued by conflict for decades, with over 120 armed groups active in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces, including the M23, which has killed and displaced thousands.

The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which deployed forces to curb the escalating conflict, recently withdrew them, raising concerns about a deepening security vacuum.

Responding to questions on the way out of the deteriorating situation in the Congo, Boulos insisted that war was not the solution to the conflict but dialogue and peace.

The U.S. envoy said that at the moment, an opportunity for peace presented itself, like never before, and urged all parties involved to take bolder steps to make that a reality.

“The U.S. position is that the M23 must lay down their arms, and Rwandan forces must withdraw from the DRC.

“I will also reiterate our position that Rwanda should cease all military support for M23 and withdraw all Rwandan troops from DRC territory.

“We all know that this can only be resolved peacefully. This is not and cannot be won and cannot be concluded with force. This has to be resolved through dialogue and peacefully,” he said.

Boulos disclosed that negotiations between the DRC government and M23 toward achieving a broader peace process had already begun, and expressed optimism that the outcome would be positive.

He appreciated the recent dialogue held by DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi and the M-23 for the first time, saying it was a good step that was successful and fruitful by all counts.

Boulos lauded the EAC, SADC, AU and ECOWAS for their mediation efforts, while also expressing optimism about an AU-led peace process.

“With regards to the EAC and SADC, ECOWAS and the African Union, we highly appreciate their efforts. They’ve been trying and doing their best for a very long time, for many years.

“We are looking forward to building on this towards achieving a final peace and a lasting peace and full stability in the DRC and in the region.

“I must say that ECOWAS, although it’s West Africa, has been a major and key player in the continent, especially with regard to peacekeeping missions and many other things,” he said.

Boulos also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to long-term economic partnerships in Africa, adding that U.S. involvement in the region was not aimed at countering other competing powers like China.

He emphasised that the U.S.’ recent mineral supply chain agreements in DRC were not exclusive to the country but also included neighbouring countries like Angola, Zambia.

These, he explained, were part of broader efforts to diversify critical mineral sources and counter over-reliance on single markets, which would mutually serve U.S. and DRC’s national strategic interests.(NAN)

April 18, 2025 0 comments

World News

Trump faces first electoral setback after Wisconsin Supreme Court Vote

by Administrator April 2, 2025

written by Administrator

Donald Trump’s second presidency was dealt a spinning blow by voters in Wisconsin Tuesday as they elected a liberal judge to the state’s Supreme Court, despite his billionaire advisor Elon Musk pouring millions into the race to sway the polls.

Liberal judge Susan Crawford soundly defeated Trump-backed Brad Schimel with more than 95 percent of the vote tallied, according to US media.

“Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price,” Crawford said in her victory speech after the most expensive judicial contest in US history.

**Susan Crawford, Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, speaks during a campaign rally in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on March 30, 2025.**

Republicans had pursued an all-out effort to flip the Wisconsin state Supreme Court — which rules on things like voting district boundaries — with Musk pouring $25 million into the race and traveling to Wisconsin.

“The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary,” Musk posted on his social media platform as results poured in.

Trump appeared to ignore the outcome on social media, highlighting a separate Wisconsin ballot initiative requiring voters to present photo identification to cast a ballot.

“Voter I.D. just approved in Wisconsin election…this is a big win for Republicans, maybe the biggest win of the night,” he posted on TruthSocial late Tuesday.

And he celebrated a pair of House races in Florida on the same day, where two deeply conservative districts stayed in Republican hands, even if the margins were narrower than in 2024.

***People arrive to attend a town hall with Elon Musk in Green Bay, Wisconsin on March 30, 2025.***

‘Fate of civilization’

Musk, who has spearheaded Trump’s attempts to gut much of the US government in a right-wing cost-cutting drive, had personally campaigned for Schimel.

The highlight of his weekend visit to the upper Midwestern state reprised a tactic seen during his efforts to help Trump defeat Democrat Kamala Harris in November — handing out money to anyone who signed a petition against so-called “activist judges.”

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders told voters on X they had “the power to REJECT Musk and the oligarchy buying our elections.”

After Crawford’s win, he said Wisconsin “defeated the wealthiest person on earth.”

In Florida, two seats in the US House of Representatives were up for grabs to fill vacancies in Republican strongholds, left by Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and failed nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz.

On Tuesday evening, US media called the race for Florida’s sixth district in favor of Republican Randy Fine, with Trump tweeting: “Congratulations Randy, a great WIN against a massive CASH AVALANCHE.”

Shortly after, media outlets also called the special election in Florida’s first district for Trump-backed Republican Jimmy Patronis.

Democrats, adrift since losing the presidency to Trump and both chambers of Congress in November, had hoped a decent showing in Florida and a win in Wisconsin could spark a comeback.

But in Florida, they were defeated by double-digit percentage margins in both special elections.

Trump took credit for his party’s victory in both deep red districts, posting on social media that “the Trump endorsement, as always, proved far greater than the Democrats forces of evil.”

But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered an optimistic view, telling broadcaster MSNBC that the smaller margins in districts won handily by Trump “should have my Republican colleagues quaking in their boots.”

***Elon Musk gives a $1 million check made to the order of Ekaterina Diesler during a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin on March 30, 2025.***

Big stakes, bigger money

Illustrating the stakes of the contest in Wisconsin, the race set a spending record — much of that in advertising and attempts, particularly by Musk, to drive turnout.

Musk, who spent roughly $277 million on Trump’s 2024 election campaign, presented checks of $1 million to two voters and $100 each to other voters who signed his petition.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, more than $53.3 million has been spent by Schimel and his backers, including $12.2 million from Musk’s America PAC.

Crawford’s campaign and those backing her have spent an estimated $45.1 million.

The spending has made the Wisconsin race the most expensive in US judicial history, the center said.

“Wisconsin beat the billionaire,” said Minnesota Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Billionaire Musk’s Green Bay rally on the weekend drew an enthusiastic crowd, but the South African-born oligarch’s role in Wisconsin elections provoked as much resistance as support.

At a pro-Crawford rally, 65-year-old retired electrical engineer Rob Patterson held up a sign showing Musk giving a straight-armed salute.

“Our Supreme Court is not for sale,” the sign read.

AFP

April 2, 2025 0 comments

US GOVERNMENT

US Government mourns Niger flood victims

Musk Confirms Exit From US Government Role

‘Whipping boy’

Trump meets with de-facto Syrian president al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia

US indicts Nigerian for $690k scam, false citizenship claim

Deportation of Salvadoran immigrant ignites political, legal battle in U.S.

Pharmaceutical giant, Roche to invest $50bn in U.S.

DHL To Stop Global Shipments Worth Over $800 To US Consumers

U.S. seeks Rwandan forces’ withdrawal from occupied DRC territory

Trump faces first electoral setback after Wisconsin Supreme Court Vote

‘Fate of civilization’

Big stakes, bigger money

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