Iran accuses US of involvement in Israeli strike on its territory Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi hold a joint press conference after their meeting at Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Istanbul, Turkiye.
The United States played a role in Saturday’s Israeli strikes on Iran, a top official in Tehran said.
“The Americans clearly participated in the attack,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a televised interview on Sunday.
“The Americans provided an air corridor for the Zionist air force, and the defensive equipment they sent to them is considered a form of involvement in the recent operations,” he added, saying that US participation is “completely clear.”
On the international backlash to Israel’s attack, he said: “The level of global condemnation for this aggressive act by the Zionist entity was very high.”
President Joe Biden, for his part, was at least candid enough to disclose some uncertainty. “I hope this is the end,” he said yesterday.
That might be the hope in the giant echo chamber that is Washington, but it is only in that alternate reality that the war has ended.
Israeli on Saturday said it had carried out a four-hour assault on Iran, with Tehran stating that it successfully repelled “attempts by the Zionist entity to attack some points in Tehran and across the country.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama at a rally in Michigan for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris at the weekend warned potential Trump voters that women were at risk of becoming “collateral damage to your rage” as Republicans curtail access to lifesaving healthcare under the guise of restricting abortion.
Obama challenged men to support Kamala Harris’ bid to be America’s first female president, warning at a rally in Michigan on Saturday that women’s lives would be at risk if Donald Trump returned to the White House.
The former first lady described the assault on abortion rights as the harbinger of dangerous limitations on healthcare for women. Some men may be tempted to vote for Trump because of their anger at the slow pace of progress, Obama said, but “your rage does not exist in a vacuum.”
”If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage,” Obama said. “So are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them you supported this assault on our safety?”
The rally in Kalamazoo was Obama’s first appearance on the campaign trail since she spoke at the Democratic National Convention over the summer, and her remarks were searing and passionate in their support of Harris.
“By every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready,” the former first lady said. “The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?”
Obama added, “Do not buy into the lies that we do not know who Kamala is or what she stands for. This is somebody who understands you, all of you.”
Although Obama has been a reluctant campaigner over the years, she showed no hesitation on Saturday as her speech stretched from the political to the personal. Obama said she fears for the country and struggles to understand why the presidential race remains close.
… As media aid, Njoku Macdonald Obinna eulogise him
The wife of Ezeigbo Ghana, Her Majesty Queen Ugoeze Liberty Ihenetu has celebrated Her Husband, the Eze Ndigbo Ghana HRM Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu who marked his birthday on the October 26, 2024 in Accra, Ghana.
As captured by Njoku MacDonald Obinna, Country Director media and strategy to HRM Ihenetu this remarkable date marking Eze Ihenetu birthday celebration; the Igbo community in Ghana, and Nigerians in the diaspora, are throwing caution to the wind as they roll the drums to celebrate a rare gem, a living legend, King Jaja of Opopo reincarnated, one of the greatest gifts from God to humanity, a global peace ambassador, an advocate of social justice, a catalyst for impactful leadership; a philanthropist par excellence, a man from whose heart flows the milk of human kindness, a good husband, and father -figure to many, His Royal Majesty, Eze (Dr.) Amb. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu.
He said: “Eze-Ohazurume, you are a study in humility and disciplinary leadership as you have been at the front burner in championing the good cause of ndi Igbo by building bridges across all divides, especially, within the African continent.
“As an eye witness reporter from Nigeria who covered the epoch making and well attended the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Igbo New Yam Festival in the Republic of Ghana under your charismatic leadership, I saw you radiating royalty as you are seated with your shoulders high on the highly revered royal throne of Obi Igbo Ghana, Obi Eziokwu, as the first patriotic Igbo son unanimously coronated by ndi Igbo living in Ghana with expressed support of the Ghanaian Government.
“On the international scene, you were privileged to have worked with African heros and legends like; the late South African President and Freedom Fighter, Nelson Mandela , the late Ghananian President , His Excellency, Jerry John Rawlings , late Prof. Chinua Achebe , etc, thus, making you one of the most exposed Igbo sons with deep knowledge about Igbo cosmology and social anthropology.
“Your coronation as the Monarchy of Ezeigbo Ghana did not come to many people who know you back home as a surprise because to you, “ Serving others is one of life’s most awesome privileges.“ Needless to say , that service to God and humanity runs in your DNA.
“His Royal Majesty, Eze Dr. Amb. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu is a development driven Igbo traditional ruler in the diaspora and patriotic Igbo son who had mastered the ropes and dynamics of boardroom business strategy , traditional leadership, and the need for institutional royalty and projecting Igbo rich cultural heritage in a good light.”
Married to Ugoeze Liberty Ihenetu (Igbo Queen mother in Ghana), the marriage is truly blessed with young stars and many adopted children who are in different levels of their studies overseas
Queen Ugoeze Ihenetu said: “As my husband, His Royal Majesty , Eze Dr. Amb. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu celebrates yet another beautiful year to his fruitful years, let us therefore , pray God Almighty to grant him longevity in good health and with the wisdom of King Solomon , as we roll the drums to celebrate one of the amazing gifts from God to humanity.
“May your throne last long, my beloved husband, Eze-igbo Ghana!
Mel Gibson has expressed support for Donald Trump while claiming that Kamala Harris has the IQ of a fence post, as quoted in a report by Variety.
With recent campaign rally appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Julia Roberts, and Spike Lee, Kamala Harris has unquestionably emerged as the more popular presidential candidate among entertainment industry talent this election.
The 68-year-old Gibson shared his thoughts on the forthcoming election battle on 5 November, with the two candidates practically level in the polls.
Speaking to TMZ as he walked through LAX on Thursday, Gibson was asked his thoughts on the election, to which the Braveheart star jokingly replied: “Whoa, that’s a big question.”
For three days, a conclave of some sort took place in the Russian city of Kazan.
Leaders of the Global South gathered for the 2024 BRICS Summit of emerging economies to determine the future direction of the economies of developing countries.
The theme of this year’s summit is the delinking of the economies of developing countries from the dollar-dominated financial system controlled by the West.
The reasoning behind this agenda is the fear of economic disruptions from sanctions that may be imposed on member nations as seen in Russia and Iran.
How will a multi-polar economic system impact the Nigerian economy?
The BRICS nations and why they matter
BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, started in 2006 when the first four countries in this line up came together to form the ‘BRIC’ group. In 2010, South Africa joined to make it ‘BRICS’.
The group was designed to bring together major emerging economies to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were invited to become members effective 1 January 2024. Saudi Arabia is yet to confirm its membership, but has sent a representative to the Kazan Summit.
A new nomenclature is yet to be assigned to this expanded membership, but it may be something around ‘BRICS +’.
The BRICS nations account for about 45%of global population. Taken together, their economies account for about 28% of global GDP. That’s around $28.5tr.
At the Kazan Summit, leaders of the nations in the BRICS grouping predicted its influence would grow, outlining common projects, ranging from grain exchange to cross-border payments system.
According to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, “the trend for the BRICS’ leading role in the global economy will only strengthen.” He cited population growth, urbanization, capital accumulation, and productivity growth as key factors.
“BRICS countries are among the world’s largest producers of grains, legumes, and oilseeds. In this regard, we proposed opening a BRICS grain exchange,” Putin told the leaders.
He added that the exchange “will contribute to the formation of fair and predictable price indicators for products and raw materials, considering its special role in ensuring food security”.
“The implementation of this initiative will help protect national markets from negative external interference, speculation, and attempts to create an artificial food shortage,” Putin said.
The Russian President, who is facing Western sanctions over his war on Ukraine, has sought to use the BRICS summit to promote an alternative payments system to bypass trade restrictions.
Other leaders such as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, backed the creation of a common cross-border payments system, which would help BRICS countries trade with each other, bypassing the dollar-dominated global financial system.
The Brazilian President noted that the group’s New Development Bank (NDB) was designed as an alternative to what he called “failing Bretton Woods institutions” such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Russian President also called for the creation of a BRICS investment platform, which will facilitate mutual investment between BRICS countries and could also be used for investment in other countries in the Global South.
Impact on Nigeria
Two members of the BRICS grouping, China and India, are Nigeria’s largest trading partners, accounting for about 52.2% of Nigeria’s total trade.
According to data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics for 2022, India received about 12.6% of Nigeria’s total exports. This is the largest by any single country. China supplied about 22.7% of Nigeria’s total imports.
The implication of this is that with the institution of a multi-polar economic system as proposed by the BRICS group of nations, a new payments system may come into force. Local currencies may be used by trading partners within the BRICS grouping.
This could have enormous benefits for Nigeria’s struggling foreign exchange market which is plagued by an insufficient quantity of the US dollar to meet Nigeria’s ever growing import demands.
The Naira has fallen to an all-time low, compared to major foreign currencies. A solution to this may lie in the proposals emerging from the Russian BRICS summit.
A situation where Nigeria can trade with China using the Naira or the Yuan may ease pressure on the local currency by eliminating the need to source for scarce US Dollars to meet trading obligations.
Adopting the proposed BRICS economic system may afford Nigeria the opportunity to de-risk and diversify the economy from the chock-hold effect of the current dollar-dominated global economic system.
Former President Donald Trump said yesterday he would quickly fire special counsel Jack Smith and use his presidential powers to end his probe, if he is elected next month.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the former president on a range of charges in two separate cases, including one charging Trump with election-related crimes and another accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents after he left office.
When asked by radio host, Hugh Hewitt, whether he would pardon himself or fire Smith, Trump said: “It’s so easy. It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds.”
Trump later said he doesn’t believe he would be impeached if he fired Jack Smith and that he has “immunity at the Supreme Court,” referring to the high court’s decision in July.
Trump’s comment yesterday appears to be the first time he’s explicitly stated that he would fire Smith if he is re-elected.
Top Democratic strategist James Carville has predicted that Kamala Harris is “certain” to win the presidential election.
Carville, 79, has worked on several presidential campaigns, including former president Bill Clinton’s in 1992. Now, he has explained in a New York Times opinion piece why he’s confident Harris has this race in the bag.
“While I am not one to take part in the political prediction industry — recently ballooned by mysterious crypto investments gambling on a Donald Trump victory — today I am pulling my stool up to the political poker table to throw my chips all in: America, it will all be OK.”
The Democrat cited three main reasons for his prediction: Trump is a “repeat electoral loser,” Harris is out-fundraising her opponent and he “refuse(s) to believe” voters will “make the same mistake twice” by re-electing the former president.
“I refuse to believe that the same country that has time and again overcome its mistakes to bend its future toward justice will make the same mistake twice,” Carville wrote for the Times. “America overcame Mr. Trump in 2020. I know that we know we are better than this.”
With just 12 days until Election Day, the latest average of national polls indicates Harris has a 1.7-point lead over Trump. In the seven key swing states, neither candidate is more than a few points ahead, according to fresh polls from The Washington Post.
Former President Trump is in a neck-and-neck race with Vice President Kamala Harris in three critical swing states, according to new polling.
The Marist polls yesterday found Trump and Harris virtually tied in Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia, while Harris holds a five-point lead in national polling.
Trump leads Harris by one point in Arizona with a 50%-49% match-up.
In North Carolina, Trump holds another slim 50%-48% lead. Both candidates are tied at 49% in Georgia, according to the poll.
The Marist polls were conducted from Oct. 17-22, surveying over 1,400 residents from each of the states. The margin of error for North Carolina was 3.2%, while it was 3.7% in Arizona and 3.9% in Georgia.
The poll lines up with other surveys in the final stretch before Election Day. The Wall Street Journal released a poll on Wednesday showing Trump and Harris in a dead heat nationally, giving Trump a slight 47%-45% lead.
The polls widely indicate that the honeymoon period has passed for Harris, though she remains much more popular than President Biden when he led the Democratic ticket.
The latest Fox News poll results, with Trump with 50% support and Harris at 48%, were a reversal from last month, when the vice president had the edge.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has declined a planned visit by UN Secretary-General António Guterres following his controversial trip to Russia, sources within the Ukrainian presidential office told the BBC.
Guterres, who had attended the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, earlier this week, had hoped to visit Kyiv afterward.
However, following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky’s office made it clear that the visit would not be welcomed.
According to the source, the Ukrainian president did not “confirm” Guterres’ visit, explaining that it would be inappropriate to host him after the UN chief’s recent dealings with Russia.
“After Kazan, after shaking hands with the war’s instigator and spending UN Day in the territory of the aggressor country, it would be somehow strange to host him here,” the source told the BBC.
Guterres’ trip to Russia sparked significant dismay in Ukraine. While in Kazan, he reiterated his stance on the war, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.
Guterres also called for a “just peace” in Ukraine during his visit, though his words were seen by many in Ukraine as insufficient given his engagement with Moscow.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already expressed their disapproval of Guterres’ visit to Russia prior to his arrival.
In a statement, they described his decision to attend the Brics summit as a “wrong choice,” arguing that it not only failed to advance peace but also damaged the UN’s reputation.
The ministry pointed out that while Guterres had declined an invitation to the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland—an event organized by Ukraine—the UN chief had accepted an invitation to visit Kazan, where Putin was hosting the summit.
The June Global Peace Summit, held in Switzerland, was attended by over 90 nations and condemned Russia’s invasion.
The summit also presented a peace proposal to end the war, though Russia, which was not invited, dismissed the event as irrelevant.
Ukraine’s frustration was further compounded by the fact that in 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, a move that Russia has rejected.
The ICC’s close cooperation with the UN added to the tension over Guterres’ participation in the Kazan summit.
Despite the controversy, Guterres defended his trip, stressing the importance of engaging with the Brics group to enhance global cooperation.
The Brics nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—have been working to challenge the dominance of the G7 group, which includes the world’s seven largest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.
Three postal officials, Brendan Donahue, Assistant Inspector in Charge, Adrienne Marshall, Director of Election and Government Mail, and Steve Monteith, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, have ruled out the possibility of widespread fraud in America’s mail-in ballots, reports United States Bureau Chief OLUKOREDE YISHAU
Brendan Donahue, Adrienne Marshall and Steve Monteith have something in common: Clear knowledge of America’s mail-in ballots. And on Wednesday, the trio came up with a verdict: No evidence of widespread fraud in the United States’ mail-in ballots.
They spoke at a briefing organised by the Washington Foreign Press Center.
Monteith, who is the United States Parcel Service (USPS) Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, said for the next two and a half weeks, the entire U.S. Postal Service, from its Postmaster General to its letter carriers, its facilities teams all across the country would be fully focused on delivering the nation’s election mail.
The agency has performed this task since 1864.
“The Postal Service’s role is to process, transport, and deliver the nation’s election mail, including ballot mail. The Postal Service provides a secure, efficient, and effective way for citizens to participate in elections when voters choose to use the mail as part of the voting process. We employ a robust process to ensure the proper acceptance, processing, and delivery of election mail, and these processes have proven successful in past elections, including 2020 and 2022.
“In the 2020 general election, the Postal Service worked effectively to deliver the nation’s ballots to and from voters to election officials; 99.9 percent of ballots were delivered from voters to election officials within seven days, and 99.7 percent of ballots were delivered from voters to elections officials within three days. On average in 2020, it took 2.1 days to deliver ballots to and/or from voters. These numbers fully demonstrate our ability to deliver on our role in the nation’s electoral system.
In the November 2022 general election, we had another strong performance, with 99.9 percent of ballots delivered from voters to election officials within seven days, and less than two days on average to deliver ballots from election officials to voters or from voters to election officials. We aim to deliver this excellent performance yet again in 2024,” Monteith added.
He said the agency was proud to do its part to help American citizens who choose to use the mail to vote to do so effectively.
“The purpose of our briefing today is to provide you with an understanding of the specific role the U.S. Postal Service plays in the American election process. We’ll also share the longstanding processes and procedures in place to ensure that the Postal Service effectively and efficiently delivers the nation’s ballots. Our colleagues with the Postal Inspection Service will offer a closer look at the work being done to ensure the security of the nation’s election mail.
“But first, it’s important to understand that the Postal Service is just one actor in the American vote-by-mail ecosystem. However, with 50 different states setting their own laws, requirements, deadlines, and ballot design, it’s the most constant and consistent actor in the ecosystem.
“The increased popularity in voting by mail over the most recent elections has heightened the impact of the disparate approaches and variations in the vote-by-mail ecosystem. Furthermore, variations in state election laws and deadlines fail to carefully consider the mail system. Simply put, too many varieties in local and state requirements, laws, and deadlines puts the Postal Service in a position of hyperfunctioning and puts unnecessary stress and heightened scrutiny on the entire mail-in voting ecosystem.”
Monteith said the agency has the capacity to handle a high volume of election mail in the final weeks of the election.
“This is evidenced by our performances in 2020 and 2022, as well as our performance in the past holiday season. We deliver 433 million pieces of mail a day. “In 2022, election mail, including ballots, accounted for just 9/10ths – or 9/100ths of a percent of total mail volume. In 2020, when we saw a record number of voters choosing to vote by mail, ballots accounted for 11/10ths of a – 11/100ths of a percent of the total mail volume, so a very small percent of the volume that we deliver daily,” he said.
He added that the postal network was operating effectively without any major reported disruption. “Service performance across the nation is strong. We move all election mail, including ballot mail, as quickly and effectively as possible once it enters our mail system. In the first three weeks of October, ballot mail performance scores were high; 97.8 percent of ballot mail was delivered on time when compared with the Postal Service’s service standards, and 99.9 percent was delivered within seven days,” he said.
He urged voters who choose to use the mail in the coming days to plan ahead to give themselves enough time to complete and return their ballot by the deadline.
“Be sure to know your state’s requirements and recommendations on receiving a blank ballot and mailing competed ballots. Each state is different.”
Marshall, who discussed operational efforts at the briefing, is the Director of Election and Government Mail.
She said: ” The Postal Service deploys longstanding election processes and procedures to deliver election mail. Throughout the year, the Postal Service conducts several activities to advance election mail, including conducting all-clears in facilities to ensure that election mail is being processed appropriately. Furthermore, we advance election mail ahead of all other mail in processing operations, no matter the time of year. Finally, we have continued to educate and train our employees on election mail processes through the distribution of operational memos and stand-up talks this fall.
“As in previous general elections, the Postal Service is deploying extraordinary measures in the final weeks of the election season to swiftly move ballot mail either close to or on Election Day and/or the state’s return deadline. Extraordinary measures began on Monday, October 21st and will continue nationwide through Election Day and extend through the last day in each state that boards of elections will accept completed mail-in ballots as timely.
“The extraordinary measures are designed to accelerate and enhance the delivery of ballot mail. When the Postal Service is ability to identify the mail piece as a ballot, the Postal Service’s extraordinary measures include, but are not limited to, extra deliveries and collections, special pickups, specialized sort plans as processing facilities to expedite delivery to the boards of elections, and local handling and transportation of ballots. These measures are consistent with our efforts in past elections. A complete list of extraordinary measures is available on our website and was distributed to all employees on September 26th.”
She explained that many states use postmarks as proof that a ballot was timely mailed.
“And our longstanding process has been to try to ensure that every return ballot that is mailed by voters receives a postmark. This policy applies regardless of the postage-paid method or indicia on the mail piece. Normally, we do not postmark or cancel every piece of mail in a typical – in our typical operations, as the primary goal of cancellation is to prevent postage reuse. However, for the election, we must try to ensure that every identifiable return ballot receives a postmark during retail operations or originating processing operations.
“We have specific operational initiatives to support this goal, such as deploying ballot monitors and ambassadors, instructing hand cancellations at retail and in processing, and early collections in the week before Election Day. Despite our efforts, because this is a deviation from our normal postmarking practices, not all ballots will receive a postmark. For any domestic voter that wants to ensure that a postmark is affixed to their return ballot, postmarking is available at all of our 30,000 retail post offices across the country. Simply bring in your ballot to make sure that it is postmarked from your local post office. Our postmarking policy is available on our website and was distributed to all employees on September 26th.”
On how the agency is supporting uniformed officers and American citizens planning to vote by mail from outside the country, she said: “The Postal Service is committed to enabling citizen participation in elections from abroad. We have strong partnerships with the Department of State, the Federal Voting Assistance Program, and the Military Postal Service Agency. This teamwork supports successful use of mail when members of the military and diplomatic personnel, their families, and other overseas American citizens choose to use the mail to participate in elections.”
On securing the mail-in ballots, Donahue, the assistant inspector in charge with the United States Postal Inspection Service, said the integrity of election mail would not be compromised.
Donahue said: “We have not seen any evidence of widespread fraud involving election mail, including mail-in ballots, that would change the outcome of the election in this election cycle or in any prior election cycle.”
