LIVE
Home Blog Page 2198

Donald Trump Congratulates Buhari on Twitter Ban

Zoe Maven
-
0
Donald Trump Congratulates Buhari on Twitter Ban

Former US president Donald Trump has praised Nigeria’s government for banning Twitter after it deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s post for breaching its rules.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Trump said,”Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their president,”.

Trump questioned Who are they to dictate good and evil, if they themselves are evil? He urged other countries to ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech.

He suggested that he should have banned Facebook while he was in office, but said the company’s boss Mark Zuckerberg “kept calling me and coming to the White House for dinner telling me how great I was”.

Trump also backed unnamed rival social media platforms, saying they “will emerge and take hold”.

Trump was banned from both platforms after the US Capitol riot in January.

While Twitter made its ban permanent, Facebook announced last week that its suspension, including of the former president’s Instagram account, would last at least two years.

The authorities in Nigeria accused the platform of threatening the country’s “corporate existence” by allowing “misinformation and fake news to spread.”

The ban followed the removal of President Buhari’s tweet, which referred to Nigeria’s civil war four decades ago, and included a veiled threat towards those backing a secessionist movement in the south-east of the country.

Bitcoin – El Salvador Makes Cryptocurrency Legal Tender

Zoe Maven
-
0
Bitcoin – El Salvador Makes Cryptocurrency Legal Tender

El Salvador has become the first country in the world to officially classify Bitcoin as legal currency.

Congress approved President Nayib Bukele’s proposal to embrace the cryptocurrency, with 62 out of 84 possible votes on Tuesday night meaning Bitcoin will become legal tender, alongside the US dollar, in 90 days.

The president said the government had made history, stating that the move would make it easier for Salvadoreans living abroad to send money home.

The new law means every business must accept Bitcoin as legal tender for goods or services, unless it is unable to provide the technology needed to do the transaction.

President Bukele shortly before the vote said It will bring financial inclusion, investment, tourism, innovation and economic development for our the country.

He has previously said the move will open up financial services to the 70% of Salvadoreans who do not have bank accounts.

El Salvador’s economy relies heavily on remittances, or money sent home from abroad, which make up around 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

More than two million Salvadoreans live outside the country, but they continue to keep close ties to their place of birth, sending back more than $4bn  each year.

Bitcoin, a virtual asset with no direct connection to the real economy, has seen large fluctuations in value over the years.

Most of the world’s central banks are looking into the possibility of creating their own digital currencies. In April, the Bank of England announced it was looking into creating a digital money that would exist alongside cash and bank deposits.

Meghan Markle Releases First Children’s Book ‘The Bench’

Koko Lawrence
-
0
Meghan Markle Releases First Children’s Book ‘The Bench’

Meghan, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, released her debut children’s book, dedicating it to her husband Prince Harry and their two-year-old son Archie.

“The Bench”, which looks at the relationship between father and son through a mother’s eyes, hit bookstands days after the couple welcomed their daughter Lilibet Diana, named after Queen Elizabeth and Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, last week.

Meghan has previously said the book, written with rhyming text, began as a Father’s Day poem she wrote for Harry shortly after Archie was born in 2019.

In a handwritten-like note inside the book, Meghan wrote: “For the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump”.

Meghan also narrates an audio version of the book, which features watercolour illustrations by artist Christian Robinson.

Harry and Meghan quit royal duties last year, leaving Britain for California, where they now live.

Nigerian Singer TEMS Bags BET Nomination

faith Jegede
-
0
Nigerian Singer TEMS Bags BET Nomination

Its a year of recognition for singer Temitope Openiyi aka TEMS as BET announced her nomination as the viewers choice for Best new international act.

This comes after her HEADIES’ nomination for the coveted price of ‘Next Rated’ earlier this year.

Black entertainment television announced that Tems was nominated in the Viewers’ Choice: Best New International Act Category at the 2021 Awards, alongside South African R&B singer, Elaine; British acts; Arlo Parks and Bree Runway, French acts, Bramsito and Ronisia, as well as Brazilian, MC Dricka.

The nomination followed the release of her debut EP, ‘For Broken Ears’ and a collaboration with internationally recognized artist Wizkid which has continued to make waves and generate buzz around the world.

The singer has an Alternative R&B and afrobeats combination sounds.

UN Special Rapporteur To Myanmar Warns Of Mass Deaths

Zoe Maven
-
0
UN Special Rapporteur To Myanmar Warns Of Mass Deaths

The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has warned of mass deaths from starvation and disease amidst fighting between rebel groups and junta forces in the east of the country.

Tom Andrews said in a statement said the junta’s brutal, indiscriminate attacks are threatening the lives of many thousands of men, women and children in Kayah state.

Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the February putsch and a brutal military crackdown on dissent that has killed over 800, according to a local monitoring group.

Fighting has flared in several communities—especially in townships that have seen a high death toll at the hands of police—and some locals have formed defence forces.

Locals have accused the military of firing artillery shells that have landed near villages and the UN estimates around 100,000 people have been displaced.

Diplomatic efforts to halt the bloodshed have been led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of which Myanmar is a member but the bloc is riven with infighting and has managed to put little pressure on the junta.

An emergency summit in April produced a “five-point consensus” statement that called for an immediate halt to violence and a visit to Myanmar by a special envoy.

China—which enjoys exceptional leverage over Myanmar—has also been unwilling to condemn the junta and has refused to label its power-grab a coup.

Its foreign minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that Beijing’s policy towards its neighbour “is not affected by changes to Myanmar’s domestic and external situation.”

Kim Jong Un’s Sudden Weight Loss Sparks Health Rumours

Zoe Maven
-
0
Kim Jong Un’s Sudden Weight Loss Sparks Health Rumours

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is looking noticeably slimmer in the latest images released by state media last week, prompting speculation about his health, after disappearing from public view for more than a month.

The experts closely following North Korea and its leaders said that Kim Jong-un may have lost a significant amount of weight.

It compared the pictures of the North Korean leader from November-December, 2020, to April, 2021, and June, 2021.

Last week, he made a public appearance after about a month. On 1 June, reports said North Korea has created a position for a second-in-command after Kim Jong-un.

Earlier, experts assessed that he is at high risk of cardiovascular disease. His family reportedly has a history of heart issues as well. In November 2020, the NIS had reportedly told South Korean lawmakers that they believed Kim Jong-un weighed about 140 kilograms.

North Korean leader is also reported to be a chain smoker and has, in the recent past, faced a few medical problems, some reportedly leading to surgeries

His father, Kim Jong-il,  passed away due to a suspected heart attack in December 2011, which many believe was due to the bad lifestyle that he followed.

The country has been suffering from food shortage as the economic crisis has worsened since the trade relationship with China took a dramatic fall, and the natural disasters and international sanctions made things worse.

Austria Made 81 Arrests In Global Sting Against Organised Crime

Zoe Maven
-
0
Austria Made 81 Arrests In Global Sting Against Organised Crime

Austria’s government on Wednesday said it has made 81 of the more than 800 arrests that were part of a global sting against organised crime.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told a news conference that the operation was to deal a massive blow to organised crime and it succeeded.

He added that the gangs were involved in worldwide drug trafficking, arms trafficking and above all commit brutal acts of violence. About 35 weapons, 707 kg of drugs and 646,000 euros in cash were seized in 67 raids.

The operation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Australian and European police ensnared suspects in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East involved in the narcotics trade.

Those arrested in Austrian provinces ranging from Tyrol in the Alpine west to Vienna belonged to various groups and are suspected of offences ranging from drug trafficking to murder.

Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf said as part of the operation in which gangs were sold encrypted phones that law enforcement officials could monitor, Austrian police seized 30 kg of cocaine, 26 kg of heroin, 261 kg of cannabis resin and 390 kg of marijuana.

One of those arrested is a leader of a crime syndicate who is wanted for three murders in Serbia and was in hiding in Greece and Turkey before spending a matter of days in Vienna.

A Serbian wanted for international drug trafficking who is also a murder suspect in Serbia was also arrested.

Report Says American Billionaires Pay Little To Nothing In Taxes

Zoe Maven
-
1
Report Says American Billionaires Pay Little To Nothing In Taxes

Several of the richest Americans have paid zero income tax in some years, according to an investigative report published Tuesday that comes as Washington weighs new proposals to address tax avoidance by the wealthiest individuals and companies.

The report, by New York-based journalism nonprofit ProPublica, showed Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos paid no income tax in 2007 and 2011, while Tesla chief Elon Musk avoided all payments in 2018.

Others who paid nothing to the Internal Revenue Service in some years included news industry billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, activist investor billionaire Carl Icahn, and philanthropist and financial giant George Soros.

ProPublica says the billionaires did nothing illegal in their tax declarations, but employed tax-avoidance strategies “beyond the reach of ordinary people.”

They also benefited from the way taxable income is defined in the US tax code, since it does not take into account the growing value of assets like stock and property, and only taxes proceeds from sales of those items.

The report comes days after G7 finance ministers endorsed a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15 percent, one of several tax proposals aimed at ensuring profitable multinationals pay their fair share.

Other efforts include Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren’s initiative to tax the super-wealthy, including the value of their stock holdings and homes, rather than focusing on income alone.

Biden To Meet Allies, Then Putin, On First Official Trip Abroad

Zoe Maven
-
0
Biden To Meet Allies, Then Putin, On First Official Trip Abroad

US President Joe Biden is on the first foreign trip of his presidency, kick-starting series of summits with G7, European and NATO partners before a face-to-face with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

From there, in rapid succession, Biden will visit Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, fly to Brussels for summits with the NATO military alliance and European Union, then finish up in Geneva, where he meets Putin next Wednesday.

Part of Biden’s agenda features the even bigger task of shoring up a somewhat-tattered group of democracies against Russia and China.

Writing in the Washington Post at the weekend, Mr Biden said that the visit would examine how democracies can come together and deliver “real results for our people in a rapidly changing world.

He said this trip is about realising America’s renewed commitment to our allies and partners, and demonstrating the capacity of democracies to both meet the challenges and deter the threats of this new age.”

Responding to criticism of his decision to meet Mr Putin in person, the president said that the US “does not seek conflict” with Russia but will “not hesitate to respond to future harmful activities”.

Biden will be accompanied by an entourage of officials, advisers and journalists, including secretary of state Antony Blinken and national security advisor Jake Sullivan.

Among the issues expected to be raised during Mr Biden’s bilateral meeting with the British prime minister is the ongoing impasse over the Northern Ireland protocol.

US Senate Passes Legislation To Address China Tech Threat

Zoe Maven
-
0
US Senate Passes Legislation To Address China Tech Threat

The US Senate has voted 68-32 to approve a sweeping package of legislation intended to boost the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology.

The measure authorises about $190 billion for provisions to strengthen US technology and research and would separately approve spending $54 billion to increase U.S. production and research into semiconductors and telecommunications equipment.

This will include $2 billion dedicated to chips used by automakers that have seen massive shortages and made significant production cuts.

The bill also seeks to counter Beijing’s growing global influence through diplomacy, by working with allies and increasing US involvement in international organisations after Republican former President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

The bill must pass the House of Representatives to be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law. It is not clear what legislation in the House will look like or when it might take it up.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a co-sponsor of the measure, warned of the dire consequences of not funding research to keep up with China.

But China’s parliament expressed “strong indignation and resolute opposition” to the bill.

It said in a statement that the US bill showed “paranoid delusion of wanting to be the only winner” and had distorted the original spirit of innovation and competition.

1...2,1972,1982,199...2,555Page 2,198 of 2,555
Kingschat

© 2025 LN247. All Rights Reserved