The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Palestinian envoy seeks international help to rescue people under debris

    Palestinian envoy seeks international help to rescue people under debris

    The Palestinian Ambasssador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh, has called on the international community to assist in rescuing people still under debris. 

    Shawesh said a specialised team is required to save life’s and also remove the dead bodies.

    He spoke in Abuja while addressing the press on the ongoing hostility between his country and Israel. 

    He said: “Urgent international actions are needed to set up special mechanisms and specialized teams to remove debris from homes and buildings that Israel’s army has bombed, rescue those trapped alive under the rubble and retrieve the thousands of dead bodies stuck under it.

    “13, 000 Palestinian are reportedly missing in the Gaza Strip.”

    The Palestinian Ambassador also said the damages to critical infrastructure as a result of the continuous attacks by the Israeli forces is in the tune of $18.5 billion. 

    Shawesh who was quoting the World Bank and the UN joint report said that it is equivalent to 97% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. 

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    He pointed out that over one million people are without homes, while 75 percent of the population is displaced.

    Beside the fact that majority of the population no longer have access to health facilities as the ambassador said that 84% of the country’s health facilities are destroyed.

    He said the education sector has collapsed as 100% of the children are out of school. 

    Giving an update of the hostility which has lasted 192 days, Shawesh said as at 12 April  2024, no fewer than 33,634 Palestinian had been killed and at least 76,214 wounded in the Gaza Strip.

    He said over 462 Palestinian were also killed in the occupied west bank and East Jerusalem. 

    He added that as of Tuesday, April 9, the number of the Palestinian detained since October 7 is 8,165 from the occupied West Bank only,  including 272 women, 500 children and 66 journalists, 45 of whom are still under arrest and 24 of whom are sentenced to administrative detention.

  • China’s rise to global power not accidental, says Banwo

    China’s rise to global power not accidental, says Banwo

    A linguistics and Asian Studies expert, Dr Adetoro Banwo, has said that China’s rise to global power was not accidental, saying that it was fueled by pragmatic policies that prioritise the well-being of its people alongside continuous reforms.

    Banwo, who lectures at the Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies at the University of Lagos, said Nigerians could learn a valuable lesson from China.

    In a paper titled: “Building a Community of a Shared Future in Nigeria- A Policy of Win-Win Initiatives” presented recently in Lagos, the language expert said China’s partnership with Nigeria has dramatically transformed the country’s development landscape.

    He said: “New roads snake across Nigeria, connecting cities to hinterlands and towns. Ports have been built to boost trade and grow Nigeria’s Gross National Product. Infrastructure projects of monumental scale, like the Abuja-Kano, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, and Lagos-Ibadan railway routes, have been successfully completed through Sino-Nigerian collaboration.

    “These railways are the largest in Nigeria’s history, designed to facilitate the seamless transport of people and goods across the country.  One immediate benefit is the explosion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and townships springing up along these railway routes and stops. These SMEs are the backbone of a healthy and thriving Nigerian economy. They provide income, create employment opportunities, and drive national growth by opening new markets for different regions.

    “China has bolstered Nigeria’s economy in several key ways. Their billion-dollar investment in the Lekki Deep Sea Port aims to streamline trade exports and imports not just for Nigeria, but for all of Africa. Constructing this port has created millions of local jobs, boosted Nigeria’s overseas trade patterns, and secured a stable stream of revenue for the country.

    Read Also: Africa-China cooperation and prospects of a shared future

    “The massive equipment used at the port has become a platform for knowledge exchange and skills transfer. China is empowering Nigeria to navigate the ever-changing dynamics of the modern world by equipping its workforce with these valuable hard skills. At a forum held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the Chinese Consul General, Yan Yuqing revealed that Nigeria-China trade volume reached $22.6 billion in 2023, making Nigeria China’s third-largest trading partner in Africa.

    “This partnership is mutually beneficial. Nigeria imports a wide range of manufactured goods from China, filling the gap in its own manufacturing sector, which has been hampered by erratic power supplies, security concerns, and an unfavourable business climate. Meanwhile, China imports natural resources from Nigeria”.

    He added that China has emerged as a key development partner for Nigeria through various projects and collaborations, stating that China is actively driving progress in Nigeria’s economy, infrastructure, and cultural sectors.

    Banwo stressed: “China’s cultural exchange efforts in Nigeria are driven by President Xi’s Global Civilization Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the value and importance of all human civilizations. President Xi promotes respect for cultural diversity, shared human values, and the ongoing exchange and innovation between cultures. People-to-people exchange and cooperation are central to this vision.

    “In 2019, China held a tourism week in Nigeria. This week aimed to showcase the cultural potential of both countries and deepen cultural ties. An eleven-person delegation of experts from Hainan Province, China, visited Abuja to share their knowledge of tourism, creative arts, and intangible cultural heritage. China and Nigeria partnered again in 2023 for a Cultural Fiesta Dancing Competition.”

  • Mahama, Khama urge African leaders to pursue unity, progress

    Mahama, Khama urge African leaders to pursue unity, progress

    Former presidents of Ghana and Botswana John Mahama and Lt. Gen. Seretse Ian Khama respectively have jointly called on African leaders to consciously pursue unity and progress, to enable the continent reach its full potentials and achieve sustainable economic prosperity.

    This call was contained in a statement the Heritage Times issued yesterday on the Second African Heritage Awards held in Lagos.

    Their clamour for unity and progress came in the wake of political instability that has wrecked parts of Africa, and has seen a number of countries slipped into  military rule.

    Speaking during a strategic Panel Session themed: ‘Shaping Africa’s Path To Prosperity’, Mahama strongly noted that the youthful population of Africa is fast growing, thus, leaders must “move in a fast pace” to provide citizens with the dividends of democracy towards achieving self-reliance. 

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    Mahama who was honored with the African Advancement Award for Exemplary Leadership at the event, said African countries can foster international cooperation by removing certain encumbrances like Visa restrictions, which he said is slowing down economic prosperity across the continent. 

    Recalling the pre-independence era, Dramani lamented that “Africa does not have the opportunities that advanced countries had in the past. There’s nobody to colonize, there is nobody to enslave all those things gave them the edge in their trajectory towards development.

    “Our founding fathers, Kwameh Nkrumah had wanted the African continent to come out of independence as one nation, but unfortunately, we lost that opportunity and became 54 different countries, flags, anthems and markets. This has constituted trade tariffs and other barriers,” he said. 

    He admitted that Africa is currently moving towards the right direction, adding that the laid out economic blueprints of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other regional “trade schemes are steps in the right direction” that “will allow our people to have a market of about 1.3 billion people”.

    Similarly, former Botswana president who was chairman of the event, regretted that despite the huge amount of human and natural resources domiciled in Africa, the continent has not transited into economic prosperity. He blamed corruption and bad leadership for the drawbacks.

    Khama said from his experience as a politician, it can be agreed that a lot of Africa’s “problems and instability is caused by some politicians.”

    “My observation is that those politicians who fail to put the interests and needs of their people first are a cause for backwards.”

    He added that the “power-hungry, self-serving individuals taking control of our countries” are driving the continent backwards. 

    While expressing hope that the African Heritage Awards will continue to award and showcase the best that Africa has to offer, he said: “Many of us do not know what our brothers and sisters are doing in their respective fields across the continent. It is high time we package and showcase our own brilliance as Africans.”

    Chief Host and Chairman of Heritage Times HT, Moses Siasia, noted that the solution of the world lies in the African continent. 

    “We have huge deposits of resources. Not just mineral resources, or the hydrocarbons and gas that we enjoy, the best resources that we have is human resource. Our people excel anywhere in the world. So we must not think less of ourselves as Africans. We must take charge, we must realize that we have the potential to be the solution the world needs.”

    He however urged African leaders to pursue progress with a sense of urgency and purpose to meet up with global realities, as the world is fast tilting towards “technological advancements, economic globalization, and shifting geopolitical dynamics.”

    “As leaders of Africa, we must embrace these realities and adapt our policies and institutions accordingly.”

  • Iran launches drone attack on Israel

    Iran launches drone attack on Israel

    Israeli defence forces said yesterday that Iran had launched drones toward Tel Aviv; an attack that the U.S. and Israel had warned was possible amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

    IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters that Israel was tracking the threat in its airspace, noting that drones fired from Iran would take several hours to reach Israel.

    The White House confirmed the attack, issuing a statement from National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson that said, “Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel.”

    “President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House,” the statement from Watson read, adding: “This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours.”

    President Biden decided to cut his weekend visit to Delaware short, returning to the White House yesterday to meet with his national security team amid growing concerns about an imminent attack on Israel by Iran.

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    The Iran attack followed Israel’s recent attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria which killed seven Iranian military advisers.

    On Friday, Biden said he expected Iran to attack “sooner than later,” issuing a one-word warning to officials in Tehran: “Don’t.”

    Biden says he expects Iran to attack Israel ‘sooner than later’

    Speaking to reporters after delivering remarks virtually to the National Action Network Convention, President Bi…

    “We are devoted to the defense of Israel,” the president added. “We will support Israel and help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.” The U.S. has taken steps in recent days to protect Americans in Israel and prepare U.S. troops and warships in the region to defend Israel in the event of a direct attack.

    With the latest news out of Israel on Saturday, it appears that Iran has ignored Biden’s warning. Here’s a look at how we got here, and what could happen next.

  • Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud

    Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud

    It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen.

    Behind the stately yellow portico of the colonial-era courthouse in Ho Chi Minh City, a 67-year-old Vietnamese property developer was sentenced to death on Thursday for looting one of the country’s largest banks over a period of 11 years.

    It’s a rare verdict – she is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime.

    The decision is a reflection of the dizzying scale of the fraud. Truong My Lan was convicted of taking out $44bn (£35bn) in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank. The verdict requires her to return $27bn, a sum prosecutors said may never be recovered. Some believe the death penalty is the court’s way of trying to encourage her to return some of the missing billions.

    The habitually secretive communist authorities were uncharacteristically forthright about this case, going into minute detail for the media. They said 2,700 people were summoned to testify, while 10 state prosecutors and around 200 lawyers were involved.

    The evidence was in 104 boxes weighing a total of six tonnes. Eighty-five others were tried with Truong My Lan, who denied the charges and can appeal.

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    All of the defendants were found guilty. Four received life in jail. The rest were given prison terms ranging from 20 years to three years suspended. Truong My Lan’s husband and niece received jail terms of nine and 17 years respectively.

    “There has never been a show trial like this, I think, in the communist era,” says David Brown, a retired US state department official with long experience in Vietnam. “There has certainly been nothing on this scale.”

    The trial was the most dramatic chapter so far in the “Blazing Furnaces” anti-corruption campaign led by the Communist Party Secretary-General, Nguyen Phu Trong.

    BBC

  • A global community of shared future: The Chinese examples

    A global community of shared future: The Chinese examples

    By Hammeed M. Bello, PhD

    Institutional search for global peace and development has been on for decades, and is still ongoing. At different times, the world has seen the emergence of bodies like the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the BRICS group, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the African Union, the ECOWAS, the Belt and Road Initiative and Forum for China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC among others. 

    The common denominator of all those bodies is the concern of how to make member countries, and by extension the world and its component parts, a much better place for increased stability, peace and prosperity. The goal of promoting unity, development, trade and cultural exchanges are integral to most of the bodies. The cumulative objective, as it were, is to make the global future safer, more secure and enterprising. 

    Recall that after the 2nd world war in 1945, the global community decided to float the United Nations to entrench more peace, security and development in the ravaged and emotionally stricken world. On the heels of World War II in 1945, nations were in ruins, and the world wanted peace. Representatives of 50 countries gathered at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California in the United States of America between 25 April and 26 June 1945, and two months after, the UN Charter was drafted and signed, and the United Nations was created to help prevent another world war.

    The UN officially began, on 24 October 1945 after its Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories.

    Now, more than 75 years later, the United Nations is still working to maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights, and uphold international law. The UN has also set sustainable development goals for 2030, in order to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, including efforts to address climate action to limit global warming.

    In recent times however, the authority of the UN in delivering its lofty mandates to the world has been challenged by recalcitrant states. We see in Israel’s war on Gaza for instance, the refusal by Israel to obey international humanitarian laws of which the UN is a key custodian. Major countries have at different times been accused of violating international laws, relying on their customary characteristics that make them less enforceable. 

    Much like the UN, but with local characteristics, the Communist Party of China has taken steps that hope to harness the world much closer for a shared future where peace and development can be accessed by many, if not all societies, and where tangible and concrete outcomes can be delivered to all. This is good news if, as China has promised, the goal of the global development initiatives will not be skewed to give it undue advantage over other countries whether in the short term or in the long run. 

    President Xi Jinping, at different times, has placed emphasis on a “win-win” ideology that will deliver a “shared future” to mankind. This does not sound like manipulative rhetoric because the Chinese President has demonstrated palpable commitments in providing alternative platforms to draw the world much closer with a promise not to interfere in the internal local affairs of participating countries.  

    In pursuit of this objective, the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, in September 2023 came up with a template that will help drive increased empowerment and prosperity for the world. The template identifies that humanity is at a Crossroads, and requires Interdependence which has been a prevailing trend throughout history.

    According to the template, Global challenges call for global response, while the new era calls for new ideas that will speedily transform global society on a path of wealth and prosperity by profeering an answer to the call of the times and a blueprint to secure the future. 

    The template cites China’s efforts in introducing a new approach to international relations on the basis of equality of nations. Other key aspects highlighted in the template include the new features of global governance, opening up new prospects for international exchanges, and an outline of a new vision for building a better world. 

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    China’s ideas about a global community of shared future for mankind as captured in the template also highlights the importance of History and Cultural Traditions in human relations, and promoting the fine diplomatic traditions of New China, showcasing the best of traditional Chinese culture under the broad global vision of the Communist Party of China. 

    Incorporating the outstanding achievements of other civilizations is necessary for global inclusivity, according to the template. 

    The template also prescribes pressing ahead with a new type of economic globalization that will follow a peaceful development path, and foster a new type of international relations that will embrace more of true multilateralism that will promote the common values of humanity. In this respect, China’s action and contribution will involve promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and implementing the three global initiatives which include the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China to guide the advancement of human society across the three dimensions. Resonating and complementing each other, the initiatives have evolved into a crucial cornerstone for building a global community of shared future, offering China’s solutions to major challenges pertaining to peace and development for humanity.

    The fundamental aim of the initiative is to accelerate the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its core requirement is a people-centered approach, its foremost philosophy is united, equal, balanced, and inclusive global development partnerships, and its pivotal measure entails results-oriented actions to bolster stronger, greener, and healthier global development and jointly build a global community of development by working more with countries and regions of the world. 

    As observed recently by Cui Jianchun, the Ambassador of China to Nigeria in an article, in building a community with a shared future for mankind, the goal is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity, and that the pathway is promoting global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit. The guiding principle is to apply the common values of humanity, the basic underpinning lying in building a new type of international relations, with the strategic guidance coming from the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and the platform for action is high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. 

    In this respect, China seeks to bring countries together to meet challenges and achieve prosperity for all, and usher in a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress for our world. President Xi Jinping’s vision of a community with a shared future for mankind offers China’s solutions to meet global common challenges and jointly deliver a brighter future for the world, which has received the extensive support of African countries, including Nigeria.

    Over the past decade, as noted by Ambassador Jianchun, building a community with a shared future for mankind has developed from a conceptual proposition to a scientific system; from a Chinese initiative to an international consensus, and from a promising vision to substantive actions. It has been included in resolutions of the UN General Assembly for seven consecutive years, extending to various regions and covering various areas, it has served as a glorious banner leading the progress of the times.

    Regarding the Belt and Road Initiative as a road connecting civilizations for the New Era, concrete tangible outcomes can be found from Xi’an, China’s ancient capital at the foot of the Qinling Mountains to Lisbon, the European city on the continent’s western edge; from the coastal city Xiamen in southeastern China to the Port of San Antonio across the Pacific: the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is connecting countries across the globe, where people with different skin colors and speaking different languages proudly nurture their cultures. Living in a world of different civilizations, beliefs and customs, should we progress alone or together? And should we stay behind close doors or embrace one another? China’s answer is clear: Build a bridge of interaction and mutual learning, and make the BRI a road connecting different civilizations.

    Over the past decade, Belt and Road partner countries have carried out diverse people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, which have become bridges for mutual cultural appreciation. Initiatives such as the Silk Road International League of Theaters, the International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road, the Silk Road International Arts Festival, the Silk Road International Library Alliance and the Silk Road International Gallery Alliance had attracted close to 100 countries and international organizations by the end of 2022. Luban Workshop, a vocational training program, is today being conducted in more than 20 Asian, African and European countries to help cultivate a pool of high-caliber technical personnel for the local community. Chinese and foreign archaeologists are working together to explore the cultural relics of the ancient Silk Road and renew the exchanges along the Silk Road with modern-day cultural interactions. The BRI has built a platform for dialogue among civilizations, where the flowers of different civilizations bloom and shine together. 

    Part of China’s global development initiatives in Africa include the China-Africa Think Tank Forum, and the Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Recall that the 13th meeting of the China-Africa Think Tank Forum was concluded in Dar es Salaam with a message that the world is like a village with a shared future and understanding.

    In what observers see as a springboard for the continent’s economic and industrialisation agenda, the forum was further focused on exploring China-Africa cooperation mechanisms, strategic initiatives and practical actions in the fields of industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, and human resources training among others.

    Hosted by the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the Forum in China-Africa Cooperation, it was a platform for an initiative on building China-Africa think tank cooperation network, which is in Chinese, English, and French, calling for the strengthening of China-Africa think tanks’ cooperation and a network promoting mutual understanding and common development between the two sides.

  • CAFET and USAID ATI partner to facilitate African Fashion Trade

    CAFET and USAID ATI partner to facilitate African Fashion Trade

    The United States Agency for International Development USAID and Prosper Africa recently partnered with the Centre for African Fashion Education and Technology (CAFET) to showcase a curated selection of African brands at the “SOURCING at MAGIC” trade show in Las Vegas which held on 13th to 15th of February, 2024.

    “SOURCING at MAGIC” is the largest fashion-sourcing event in North America, offering an unparalleled opportunity to connect with a global community of manufacturers, suppliers, brands, and retail buyers.

    While the path to global recognition and market access is complicated for African fashion brands, USAID is actively paving the way with programs like the African Trade and Investment Program (ATI).

    Aligned with the ATI objectives, CAFET showcased six African brands at the event.

    Buyers admired the premium quality of Aso Oke in Abiola Olushola, the unique woven tapestries of Greenz Style, and the versatility of Domina by Michelle and FiiBii Studio. Fia Factory and Y’Wande Lag’s bold designs showcased the distinct creative spark African fashion brings to the industry. Notably, several buyers expressed interest in private-labeling collaborations.

    The trade show provided the CAFET team with a valuable opportunity to gain deeper insights into the market. Buyers, mindful of the significant investments involved in wholesale purchases, emphasized the importance of the scalability of garments for the retail market.

    Lanre Shonoiki, Partner at CAFET, remarked, “We anticipated many of these potential concerns through our pre-selection quality assurance process. We ensured that brands and products met the requisite quality standards to satisfy buyer demands.”

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    He emphasized that this stringent quality assurance process laid a strong foundation for the subsequent prospecting phase following such trade shows.

    Eme Bassey, representing CAFET at the event, noted that buyers appreciated the handcrafted elements like fabric dyeing and woven embellishments. However, concerns arose regarding high-volume production capacity. Ms. Bassey countered by highlighting Africa’s potential for sustainable sourcing, stating, “Here, buyers can access ethically produced goods that utilize these time-honored techniques while maintaining environmentally friendly production volumes.”

    Looking ahead, Eme Bassey and Lanre Shonoiki, Partners at CAFET, expressed their commitment to collaborating with brands to enhance garment properties through improved technical assessments during sourcing and standardization of pre-production & production processes to facilitate scalability.

    On the administrative front, CAFET anticipates the ongoing collaboration with USAID’s ATI program will better align interventions with industry players’ needs, as necessary to achieve their overarching mission of developing the African fashion value chain for global competitiveness.

  • U.S. policy on Gaza will change if Israel fails to protect civilians, Biden warns Netanyahu

    U.S. policy on Gaza will change if Israel fails to protect civilians, Biden warns Netanyahu

    President Joe Biden yesterday warned Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States policy will change towards Gaza unless Israel immediately takes concrete steps to address the humanitarian crisis.

    The comments, which followed an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, mark the first meaningful shift in rhetoric from the Biden administration since Israel launched its war in Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

    Biden also demanded an immediate ceasefire.

    During a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, the U.S. President: “emphasised that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” the White House said in a readout.

    “He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.

    “He made clear that US policy concerning Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” it added.

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    Observers remarked on the change of tone for Biden, who is under crushing domestic pressure to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.

    Daniel Kurtzer, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005 said: “These are different words, different phrases that the President is using, and they’re designed to get Netanyahu’s attention and to institute changes,”

    Kurtzer said the strike on World Central Kitchen, an organisation headed by renowned chef, Jose Andres that helps feed millions around the world, represents a “turning point” in the conflict.

    “The organisation itself, which has such credibility, the chef is very well known and the fact that the organisation was feeding both Palestinians in Gaza and Israelis I think was quite important, number one.

    “Number two, these vehicles were targeted and it may have been that the mistake was in the targeting. But it wasn’t an accident or incidental fire. That’s what has impacted me.

    “We’ve walked up to the question of immediacy, but this is the first time that it is now part of US policy,” Kurtzer explained.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, said that humanitarian conditions in Gaza “are woefully insufficient and unacceptable”

    He described Monday’s strike on World Central Kitchen aid workers as “horrific”.

    It “was not the first such incident” he added, but “it must be the last. If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront.”

    Blinken rebuffed accusations that he had not expressed enough outrage in the immediate aftermath of the strike and made clear that he condemned the killing of the aid workers.

    At the White House, National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby said Biden and Netanyahu had a “very direct, very businesslike, very professional” call that lasted about 30 minutes.

    “What we want to see are some real changes on the Israeli side. If we don’t see changes from their side, there’ll have to be changed from our side, but I won’t predict what that to look like,” Kirby said, noting that the US expects to see changes within “hours and days.”

  • China and the global goal of a community with shared future for humanity

    China and the global goal of a community with shared future for humanity

    • By Dr Austin Maho

    A global community with a shared future is central to Chinese president Xi Jinping’s idea and vision for the world.

    In the last half decade or thereabout the philosophical concept of a global community with a shared future as proposed by Xi has become mainstreamed in international diplomacy and debate for global peace and harmony.

    The concept was first proposed in January 2017, when Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech titled “Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind” at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

    Since then the pursuit of global community with a shared future for mankind has remain a major point in diplomatic circles. This is because the world need peace to progress. Recognizing our common humanity can go a long way in fostering global harmony, fairness, equity and justice.

    In the face of global turbulence and war mongering and the numerous challenges of human society there is the need for rational thinking among global leaders in protecting and preserving global peace and harmony.

    Leaders and peoples from all countries expectedly should become more conscious and participants in the advancement and building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The world belongs to all of us.

    We are all interconnected. As President Xi noted in a Keynote address at the CPC conference of World political parties in March 2023, where he also proposed the global civilization initiative, the world is like a garden more beautiful and colorful when we work together in common aspiration for peace and harmony: ” A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden. As the future of all countries are closely connected, tolerance, coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in advancing humanity’s modernization process and making the garden of world civilizations flourish. Here, I wish to propose the Global Civilization Initiative”

    This initiative is built on mutual collaboration and win-win. People-to-people exchanges and cooperation, the building of a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation, enriching the content of exchanges and expanding avenues of cooperation for the benefit of mankind is a major goal of China

    China seeks to be different and has always advocated international fairness and justice, world peace and stability. China according to Xi, “Will neither tread the old path of colonization and plunder, nor the crooked path taken by some countries to seek hegemony once they grow strong. What China pursues is the right course of peaceful development. We seek to settle differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through cooperation. We firmly oppose hegemony and power politics in all their forms. We advocate solidarity and win-win mentality in handling complex and intertwined security challenges to set up a fair and just security architecture that is built and shared by all. The world does not need a new Cold War. The practice of stoking division and confrontation in the name of democracy is in itself a violation of the spirit of democracy. It will not receive any support. What it brings is only endless harm. A modernized China will strengthen the force for world peace and international justice. No matter what level of development China achieves, it will never seek hegemony or expansion”.

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    Evidently, China has chosen the path of peaceful growth and has held itself accountable to the scrutiny of the international community so that people will better understand the common aspiration that is dear to mankind. It is not about hegemonic power but about mankind and the future of the global community and to,

    “Pass on the torch of peace from generation to generation, sustain development and make civilization flourish: this is what people of all countries long for: it is also the responsibility statesmen of our generation ought to shoulder….: build a community of shared future for mankind and achieve shared and win-win development

  • Gaza: US failed resolution was biased, says envoy

    Gaza: US failed resolution was biased, says envoy

    The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh, has described as biased the failed United States resolution on Gaza.

    Shawesh also alleged that Israel violated Ramadan ceasefire agreement.

    The envoy disclosed this at the weekend while speaking on the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    He said U.S was biased in its resolution as it failed to call for immediate ceasefire.

    He said: “On Friday, March 22, the USA presented a resolution before the Security Council, which did not pass due to a veto. In this regard, and despite many other criticisms, I would like to highlight the following points:

    “So all what you hear on the media about the ceasefire resolution is spout empty words. The US resolution fail to call for an immediate ceasefire that the secretary of state Blinken theorize for it on the media day before table it on the security council as the magic stack to put an end to the human suffering in Gaza.

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    “The US resolution fell short of condemning the ongoing Israeli massacre against the Palestinian people. Instead, it gave Israel the green light to continue its textbook genocide.

    “The US resolution emprise and incubated all the Israeli claims about Oct 7 even before any independent fact finding mission or inquiry mission established by independent intergovernmental body to come with final report on what happened on that day.

    “The US resolution mentioned the 132 Israeli hostages in Gaza but did not say a word about the more than 7,000 abducted and hostage Palestinians in Israeli concentration camps and prisons, all of whom are subjected to torture, degradation, and ill-treatment, resulting in the deaths of 12 of them so far.

    “This is a clear form of racism and white supremacy, prioritizing the lives of Israelis over the lives of Palestinians.

    “The US resolution deliberately did not mention any single words on the UN body, UNRWA, which is the most expert and capable body to tackle the humanitarian crises in Gaza, in clear complicity to support the Israeli occupation request to dismantle it. When it came to the humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian no one can deny the crucial role that the UNRWA played since Al-Nakba 1948.

    “It is important to note that the US Congress voted not to resume funding for UNRWA until at least 2025, a move welcomed by Israel, which declared that the UN agency will not be part of Gaza’s future.

    “The US did not mention Israel the occupation power except one time in the context of the two state solution.”

    He also accused the Israeli authorities of not respecting UN resolution which called for ceasefire during the ongoing Ramadan.

    He said: “On Monday, March 25, the Security Council adopted the Resolution 2728 calling for an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan. While the ink on the resolution is not yet dry, Israeli cannon barrels are still firing and claiming more innocent Palestinian lives.

    “On a practical level, this means Israel has turned its back on the Security Council. Israeli pushback on the UN ceasefire resolution, and the war minister Yoav Gallant said Israel has no moral right to stop the war in Gaza.

    “The Israeli occupation authorities have continued their aggression, restrictions, and repressive measures in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

    “They have deployed more than 24 military battalions there, imposed a comprehensive siege, cut off ties with partial sieges on all regions and towns, deployed over 750 checkpoints, installed more iron gates, and forced citizens to travel on bumpy roads that consume their time and money.”