Trump fires election security official who rejected fraud claims – Newstrends
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Trump fires election security official who rejected fraud claims

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United States President Donald Trump has fired the government’s top election security official, who rejected the President’s claims of “massive” fraud in the November 3 poll, which he lost to the Democratic Party candidate, Joe Biden.

Trump announced on Twitter the termination “effective immediately” of Chris Krebs, who led the agency that jointly declared “the November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.”

Trump, who refuses to acknowledge that he lost his bid for reelection to Biden, has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the voting and count were replete with fraud.

“The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud,” Trump wrote in a tweet.

“Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.”

Krebs, who reportedly told friends last week he expected to be removed, appeared to confirm it in a tweet on his personal account.

“Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow,” he wrote.

Krebs was in charge of fending off possible foreign and domestic hacker intrusions into myriad voting machines, sorting and counting machines, databases and other systems that states and localities rely on to tally ballots.

Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Krebs and his team had “worked diligently to safeguard our elections.”

“Instead of rewarding this great service, President Trump is retaliating against Director Krebs and other officials who did their duty,” he said in a statement.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse wrote: “Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation will tell you — and he obviously should not be fired.”

The challenge was even tougher this year because of the complexities of the coronavirus, which forced a sweeping turn to voting by mail.

Under Krebs, CISA had also warned several times that Russians and Iranians were making attempts to break into the US systems, as Russians had tried in 2016.

The White House was reportedly particularly unhappy about a CISA webpage set up to fight disinformation called “Rumor vs Reality.”

The page rejected claims Trump and others have made, including that many votes were made in the names of dead people, that counting the ballots days after election day is not normal and that shifting vote counts indicate fraud.

Through numerous reviews, investigations and lawsuits, no evidence has come up of any significant distortion or loss of votes, by accident or fraud.

“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” an official group of senior US federal and state election officials said in a report last week.

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Libya nabs three Nigerians over drug trafficking

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Libya nabs three Nigerians over drug trafficking

The Samnu Police Department in southern Libya detained three Nigerians for drug trafficking.

According to a statement issued by Migrant Rescue Watch on X (previously Twitter) on Sunday, the suspects were apprehended carrying a quantity of hashish that officials believe was meant for sale.

The arrests were made during a targeted operation in the town of Samnu, Murzuq region, which is known for smuggling and human trafficking due to its proximity to Libya’s southern borders.

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This operation is part of a larger security effort to combat drug-related crimes and cross-border trafficking of migrants.

The suspects’ identities have not yet been made public. Authorities acknowledged that the case had been turned over to the public prosecutor for further investigation and judicial action.

The statement said. “Samnu Police Dept. arrested 3 #migrants of Nigerian nationality on charges of drug trafficking. The trio were found in possession of a quantity of hashish earmarked for sale. The case was referred to public prosecution.”

 

Libya nabs three Nigerians over drug trafficking

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NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

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NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced the expansion of its Contactless Biometric Passport Application System to several countries in the Americas.

In a recent statement by ACI AS Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at NIS Headquarters in Abuja, confirmed that the service under Comptroller General Kemi Nandap is rolling out the next stage of implementation across Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Jamaica this month.

The contactless system, which enables Nigerians living abroad to renew their travel document without physically visiting passport offices for biometric enrollment, went live in the United States on April 11. Mexico, Brazil and Jamaica are scheduled to gain access on April 14.

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“This expansion represents our commitment to innovative and efficient service delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world,” said ACI AS Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

The application system is currently available on the Google Play Store as “NIS Mobile” and allows passport renewal without in-person biometric enrollment. An iOS version for Apple devices is under development and will be released soon, alongside an enhanced version of the Android app to improve user experience and accessibility.

The NIS further confirmed that the Contactless Passport App is now operational in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. Australia and Nigeria itself remain pending, with implementation dates to be announced in the future.

 

NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

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Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

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President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has expressed fear that unless the Federal Government takes deliberate steps to increase Nigeria’s non-export earnings, the current global tariff war may lead to job losses, low foreign exchange inflow, and economic instability.

This was the position of the President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye, as the chairman at the Vanguard Economic Discourse 2025 with the theme, “Nigeria’s Economic Outlook 2025: Hardship and Pathways to Sustainable Recovery”, held last week in Lagos.

Among other things, Oye who is also the Chairman of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), emphasized the need for a viable and affordable homegrown democracy.

His words: “In this pivotal moment, we must recognize and confront the significant challenges before us—challenges that have been magnified by the advent of America’s “America First” policy.

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“This paradigm shift in global trade, driven by protectionism and tariffs, presents a unique and formidable array of obstacles for developing nations such as ours.

“The world we once knew, one characterized by cooperative, rules-based trading systems under the World Trade Organization, has given way to an environment fraught with uncertainty. This transformation not only disrupts global markets and supply chains but poses an acute threat to our competitive standing in international trade.

“The recent implementation of a 14% tariff on Nigerian exports to the United States directly jeopardizes what has historically been a critical market for our key goods, including crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and agricultural products. “The ripple effects of reduced demand could precipitate job losses, economic instability, and a decline in vital foreign exchange inflows, particularly for our non-oil sectors”.

“Indeed, the ramifications of current U.S. policies go beyond tariffs. We are witnessing a significant decrease in funding for initiatives that empower Africa’s burgeoning start-ups. The $51 million cut from the United States Development Fund, which affects countries like Nigeria and Kenya, exemplifies the broader challenges we face. The grants previously allotted to our SMEs are critical for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship within our local economies”.

In the face of these challenges, Oye said Nigeria must act decisively and strategically to reshape its economic destiny where adversity can give rise to opportunity.

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

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