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Biden: US is 'all in' connected Africa's future
Joe Biden has committed to strengthening Africa’s nutrient supplies, tackling the clime exigency and partnering with the continent’s nations to instrumentality connected the rising planetary powerfulness successful the portion of China and Russia.
In an code astatine the US Africa Business Leaders forum successful Washington DC, the president says “the US is each successful connected Africa’s future”.
He’s outlining a multi-prong attack to fortify those ties, including the signing of a memorandum of knowing that Biden says volition “unlock caller opportunities for commercialized and concern betwixt our countries and bring Africa and the US adjacent person than ever”:
It’s an tremendous accidental for Africa’s future, and the US wants to assistance marque those opportunities real.
Included successful the bundle are, helium says, up to $370m from the US planetary improvement concern money for caller projects, including investing $100m for cleanable vigor for sub-Saharan Africa.
Entrepreneurship and innovation are astatine the apical of Biden’s list, helium says.
And helium wants $350bn from Congress for a “digital transformation” for Africa, which includes involving companies specified arsenic Microsoft to physique networks and infrastructure to bring net entree to 5 cardinal Africans who are presently not connected:
When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds and, rather frankly, the full satellite succeeds arsenic well,” Biden says.
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A immense portion of the Biden administration’s just-announced concern successful Africa’s aboriginal volition beryllium a half-billion dollar concern successful infrastructure, specifically the gathering and maintaining of roads linking ports to interior countries.
The money, Joe Biden says, volition travel from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an autarkic authorities overseas assistance bureau with a little to trim planetary poverty.
The president said that MCC had made caller investments of astir $1.2bn successful Africa, and expected to perpetrate an further $2.5bn crossed the continent implicit the adjacent 4 years:
This compact volition put $500m to physique and support roads, enactment successful spot policies that trim proscription costs, marque it easier and faster for ships to vessel goods from the larboard of Cotonou [in Benin] into neighboring landlocked countries.
The clime emergency, Biden stressed, volition beryllium different apical focus, with enactment already nether way, funded by $80m successful nationalist and backstage finance, to regenerate 12 coal-fired powerfulness plants successful South Africa with renewable vigor sources, and to make “cutting borderline vigor solutions” specified arsenic cleanable hydrogen.
He cited a $2bn woody to physique star vigor projects successful Angola, and a $600m precocious velocity communications cablegram linking southbound Asia and Europe done Egypt, and $800m to assistance support African countries against cyber threats.
One of the astir indispensable resources for galore entrepreneurs and tiny concern owners who privation to enactment successful the planetary system is reliable and affordable entree to the internet.
So today, I’m announcing a caller initiative, the integer translation with Africa. We’re present with Congress to put $350bn, to facilitate much than astir a fractional a cardinal dollars successful financing to marque definite radical crossed Africa enactment successful a integer economy.
Biden brought his code to a adjacent conscionable earlier the kick-off of the France v Morocco World Cup semi-final.
Biden: US is 'all in' connected Africa's future
Joe Biden has committed to strengthening Africa’s nutrient supplies, tackling the clime exigency and partnering with the continent’s nations to instrumentality connected the rising planetary powerfulness successful the portion of China and Russia.
In an code astatine the US Africa Business Leaders forum successful Washington DC, the president says “the US is each successful connected Africa’s future”.
He’s outlining a multi-prong attack to fortify those ties, including the signing of a memorandum of knowing that Biden says volition “unlock caller opportunities for commercialized and concern betwixt our countries and bring Africa and the US adjacent person than ever”:
It’s an tremendous accidental for Africa’s future, and the US wants to assistance marque those opportunities real.
Included successful the bundle are, helium says, up to $370m from the US planetary improvement concern money for caller projects, including investing $100m for cleanable vigor for sub-Saharan Africa.
Entrepreneurship and innovation are astatine the apical of Biden’s list, helium says.
And helium wants $350bn from Congress for a “digital transformation” for Africa, which includes involving companies specified arsenic Microsoft to physique networks and infrastructure to bring net entree to 5 cardinal Africans who are presently not connected:
When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds and, rather frankly, the full satellite succeeds arsenic well,” Biden says.
Joe Biden is speaking present astatine the US-Africa enactment acme wherever he’s astir to denote partnerships with African nations and a pathway to amended ties and concern relations.
But the president said helium was alert of radical knowing the France v Morocco World Cup crippled was starting astatine the apical of the hour, and were thinking: “Make it abbreviated Biden. There’s a semi-final crippled coming up”.
We’ll bring you the champion of Biden’s comments.
Earlier this month, the Guardian’s Joan E Greve travelled to Newtown, Connecticut to talk with Nicole Hockley and Mark Barden of Sandy Hook Promise, the parents of Dylan and Daniel, who were killed 10 years agone today.
For the Guardian’s Politics Weekly America podcast, Joan besides met teenagers from the Junior Newtown Action Alliance, who present spell done terrifying lockdown drills arsenic mentation for different shooting and who privation to spot much alteration successful weapon legislation, and spoke to Senator Chris Murphy, who helped draught the first important weapon power policy successful the US successful 30 years this year.
The Massachusetts legislator Elizabeth Warren is pressing Congress to follow bipartisan authorities which would unit crypto firms to abide by the aforesaid regulations arsenic banks and corporations, successful an effort to ace down connected wealth laundering done integer assets. Ed Pilkington reports…
Warren is pushing for the caller controls connected the crypto manufacture successful the aftermath of the spectacular illness of the cryptocurrency speech FTX. On Tuesday its laminitis and erstwhile CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, was charged with 8 transgression counts including conspiracy to perpetrate wealth laundering.
Warren’s measure is being co-sponsored by the Republican legislator from Kansas Roger Marshall. The Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act would fundamentally taxable the satellite of crypto to the aforesaid planetary fiscal regulations to which much accepted wealth markets indispensable conform.
Under existent systems, crypto exchanges are capable to skirt astir restrictions designed to halt wealth laundering and enforce sanctions. Should the measure beryllium enacted into instrumentality it would authorize the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) to reclassify crypto entities arsenic “money work businesses” which would bring them nether basal regulations laid retired successful the Bank Secrecy Act.
In a statement to CNN, Warren said “commonsense crypto legislation” would support US nationalist security.
“I’ve been ringing the alarm doorbell successful the Senate connected the dangers of these integer plus loopholes,” she said, adding that crypto was “under superior scrutiny crossed the governmental spectrum”.
Bankman-Fried, 30, was indicted by prosecutors astatine the confederate territory of New York and is being held successful custody successful the Bahamas. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has besides brought civilian charges against him, accusing him of creating a steadfast that was a “house of cards”
Some quality retired of Oregon that came aboriginal yesterday, which we wanted to record: the outgoing Democratic politician Kate Brown has commuted the sentences of each 17 of the state’s decease enactment prisoners to beingness without parole.
“I person agelong believed that justness is not precocious by taking a life, and the authorities should not beryllium successful the concern of executing radical – adjacent if a unspeakable transgression placed them successful prison,” Brown said successful a statement released by her office.
“Since taking bureau successful 2015, I person continued Oregon’s moratorium connected executions due to the fact that the decease punishment is some dysfunctional and immoral.
“Today I americium commuting Oregon’s decease enactment truthful that we volition nary longer person anyone serving a condemnation of decease and facing execution successful this state. This is simply a worth that galore Oregonians share.”
Brown’s bid volition besides spot the closure of the state’s execution chamber. Oregon’s astir caller execution was successful 1997, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Governor John Kitzhaber archetypal declared a moratorium connected executions successful 2011, which Brown has kept successful spot ever since.
Full story:
Poll: Voters 'turned off' by Biden v Trump rematch
Voters person little appetite for a rematch betwixt Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the presidency successful 2024, a canvass released Wednesday lunchtime has found.
Roughly six successful 10 Republicans, and the aforesaid borderline successful the Democratic party, don’t privation their respective 2020 nominees to tally again, according to the CNN canvass conducted by SSRS.
Support from registered Republicans for Trump, especially, has plummeted, a reflection of the erstwhile president’s burgeoning ineligible troubles and, perhaps, the rising prima of rightwing Florida politician Ron DeSantis.
In January, CNN found, 50% said they hoped Trump would beryllium the nominee and 49% wanted idiosyncratic else. By July, 44% wanted Trump to beryllium the party’s nominee, and now, lone 38% accidental the same.
Trump announced past month his 3rd tally astatine the White House arsenic a Republican.
There’s somewhat amended quality for Biden. 40% of registered Democrats privation the president to tally again successful 2024, the canvass says, up from lone 25% successful the summer. But some figures are a driblet from the 45% enactment helium received successful January.
You tin read astir the poll here.
Martin Pengelly
The erstwhile Trump run seat and White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway has repeatedly praised the Republican National Committee connected Fox News portion failing to disclose that it has paid her steadfast much than $800,000 since past year, Media Matters reports.
Eric Hananoki, an investigative newsman for the wide media watchdog, writes: “The deficiency of disclosure astir Conway’s fiscal ties goes against the ethics-challenged network’s purported policy”. He adds:
A Fox News spokesperson told the Washington Post successful 2019 regarding enactment Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer did with the RNC that ‘Fox News requires contributors to disclose ties related to immoderate taxable helium oregon she discusses connected the aerial successful which the contributor whitethorn person a fiscal interest.’ The spokesperson added that specified a regularisation would use erstwhile talking astir ‘the RNC connected air.’
Elsewhere, the Daily Beast adds that “Karl Rove, different Fox News contributor with heavy ties to the GOP, was allowed to support his paid web gig portion overseeing Senate Republicans’ fundraising efforts successful 2020”.
As Hananoki notes, the RNC and its chair, Ronna McDaniel, person faced fierce disapproval since the midterm elections, successful which Republicans took backmost the House but by a slim bulk and failed to triumph backmost the Senate – a disappointing show wide blamed connected erstwhile president Donald Trump, who endorsed a drawstring of defeated candidates.
Conway, Hananoki writes, “has utilized her Fox News level to praise the RNC and play defence for McDaniel”.
According to Media Matters, the RNC “has paid KAConsulting $829,969.38 since 2021 for a assortment of expenses. The RNC’s astir caller outgo was connected 4 November for ‘political strategy services’. The organisation precocious announced that Conway would service connected a Republican Party Advisory Council ‘to pass the Republican Party’s 2024 imaginativeness and beyond’.”
Fox News did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.
The last witnesser grounds earlier a Q and A league astatine today’s House proceeding into anti-LGBTQ unit was a chilling relationship of wrong Orlando’s Pulse nightclub arsenic a gunman murdered 49 mostly cheery and transgender patrons successful 2016.
“There were gunshots, endless gunshots; the hairsbreadth lasting up connected the backmost of my neck; the stench of humor and fume burning the wrong of my nose,” said Brandon Wolf, a subsister who mislaid his 2 champion friends successful the massacre, and who has present go a salient weapon power and LBGTQ+ advocate.
“A tense huddle against a wall; a miss trying desperately truthful hard not to scream. I could consciousness her trembling connected the tiles underneath us.
“There was a sprint to the exit, each atop this bang, bang, bang, from an battle weapon. A antheral filled with hatred an equipped with a Sig Sauer MCX charged into Pulse, an LGBTQ harmless space, and murdered 49 of those we loved.”
Wolf called retired the bigotry and hatred of extremists who person fomented unit against the LBGTQ+ community, and dispersed hateful narratives that person resulted successful attacks, threats and clampdowns connected everything from resistance shows, to donut shops to schoolhouse libraries.
“For years cynical politicians and greedy Grifters person joined forces with close helping extremists to determination gasoline connected anti LGBTQ hysteria and terrorize our community,” helium said.
“My ain politician Ron DeSantis has trafficked successful that bigotry to provender his insatiable governmental ambition and propel himself toward the White House.
“We person been smeared and defamed. Hundreds of bills person been filed successful bid to erase us; almighty figures person insisted that the top threats this state look are a teacher with they-them pronouns, oregon idiosyncratic successful a wig speechmaking Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
Barack Obama has called the Sandy Hook massacre “the azygous darkest time of my presidency”.
In his ain connection marking the 10th day of the simple schoolhouse shooting successful Newtown, Connecticut, the erstwhile president besides said helium believed “the tide is turning” connected weapon violence.
I see December 14th, 2012 the azygous darkest time of my presidency. The quality from Sandy Hook Elementary was devastating, a visceral blow, and similar truthful galore others, I felt not conscionable sorrow but choler astatine a satellite that could let specified things to happen. pic.twitter.com/Y2log7FBaH
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 14, 2022His medication was incapable to renew a nationwide battle weapons ban, lamenting that inaction connected weapon information laws was the “biggest regret” of his clip successful office.
Here’s Obama’s connection today:
The quality from Sandy Hook Elementary was devastating, a visceral blow, and similar truthful galore others, I felt not conscionable sorrow but choler astatine a satellite that could let specified things to happen.
Even past we understood that specified words could lone bash truthful overmuch to easiness the load of the families who were suffering. But successful the years since, each of them has borne that value with spot and with grace. And they’ve drawn intent from calamity – doing everything successful their powerfulness to marque definite different children and families ne'er person to acquisition what they and their loved ones did.
The travel hasn’t ever been casual – and successful a twelvemonth erstwhile determination hasn’t been a azygous week without a wide shooting determination successful America, it’s wide our enactment is acold from over. But of late, I’ve sensed that slowly, steadily, the tide is turning; that existent alteration is possible. And I consciousness that mode successful nary tiny portion due to the fact that of the families of Sandy Hook Elementary.
Ten years ago, we each would person understood if those families had simply asked for privateness and closed themselves disconnected from the world. But instead, they took unimaginable sorrow and channeled it into a righteous origin – mounting an illustration of spot and resolve.
They’ve made america proud. And if they were present today, I cognize the children and educators we mislaid a decennary agone would beryllium proud, too.
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