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Vice President Harris’ Trip Aims To Deepen US Ties In Africa

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will strive to strengthen and reinterpret U.S. partnerships in Africa during a weeklong trip that marks the Biden administration’s latest and most visible outreach as it moves to offset China’s growing influence.

Harris intends to travel to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia, focusing on economic development, climate change, food security, and a growing young population. She is set to arrive in Ghana’s capital, Accra, on Sunday. Doug Emhoff, her husband, is accompanying her.

“For far too long, the United States’ foreign policy establishment has treated Africa as an after-school project rather than part of the core curriculum,” said Michelle Gavin, an Africa expert at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former United States ambassador to Botswana. “I see a concerted effort now to change that mindset.” However, it takes time.”

Harris will be widely followed across Africa as the first person of color and the first woman to serve as America’s vice president. Harris was reared in California even though her mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica.

“Everyone is excited about Kamala Harris,” said Idayat Hassan, director of Abuja, Nigeria’s Centre for Democracy and Development. “You can be whatever you want — that’s what she represents to many of us.”

A lecture in Accra and a visit to Cape Coast Castle, where enslaved Africans were once put onto ships bound for America, will highlight Harris’ trip. Harris also intends to meet with authorities in each country she visits and to lay a wreath in memory of the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital.

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Harris will be widely followed across Africa as the first person of color and the first woman to serve as America’s vice president.

Her schedule also includes a few non-traditional sites designed to emphasize the exciting future of a continent with a median age of only 19.

Harris intends to visit a recording studio in Accra, meet with female entrepreneurs, and visit a tech accelerator in Dar es Salaam. Harris is scheduled to meet with corporate and charity leaders in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, to discuss boosting access to digital and financial systems.

Emhoff’s events have a similar focus. During his visit to Ghana, he intends to hold a town hall meeting with performers from a local television show, attend a girls’ basketball clinic, and tour a women-run chocolate company.

According to administration sources, the goal is to promote Africa as a site for investment rather than just aid packages, a subject that Harris underlined in December during a U.S.-Africa meeting in Washington.

“Because of your energy, ambition, and ability to turn seemingly intractable problems into opportunities,” she remarked, “I am an optimist about what lies ahead for Africa and, by extension, for the world.” “Simply put, your ability to see what could be, unburdened by what has been.”

Harris will spend three nights in Ghana, two nights in Tanzania, and one in Zambia before returning to Washington on April 2.

“It’s trip to support reformers,” said Vanda Felbab-Brown, co-director of the Brookings Institution’s Africa Security Initiative. “All three countries have faced significant challenges and changed dramatically.”

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Tanzania’s first female president has loosened restrictions on opposition parties and rallies.

Ghana is facing a debt crisis and excessive inflation, dragging down an economy that was once among the best in the region. It is particularly concerned about instability caused by Islamist extremists and Russian mercenaries operating in countries north of Ghana.

Tanzania’s first female president has loosened restrictions on opposition parties and rallies. Zambia has implemented its reforms, such as decriminalizing presidential slander. However, democratic development in both areas is thought to be fragile.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and First Lady Jill Biden have traveled to Africa. President Joe Biden is set to leave office later this year.

Harris will visit Zambia for the first time since childhood when her maternal grandpa worked there. He was a civil servant from India who assisted with refugee relocation after Zambia gained independence from Britain.

“Grandpa was one of my favorite people in the world and one of the earliest and most lasting influences in my life,” Harris writes in her book.

The December U.S.-Africa meeting was the first since President Obama hosted one in 2014. Although Washington’s approach to Africa has had some historic successes, such as President George W. Bush’s HIV/AIDS effort, which has saved millions of lives, there have also been times of neglect.

“There’s a lot of skepticism and doubt about American staying power,” said Daniel Russel, a former State Department official who now works at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “They’re used to American promises that fizzle out and don’t amount to much.”

In stark contrast, China has led far-reaching infrastructure projects and increased telecom activities throughout the region.

According to John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, African leaders are “beginning to realize that China is not their friend.”

“China’s interests in the region are purely selfish, in contrast to the U.S.,” he remarked. “We are truly committed to assisting our African friends in dealing with many challenges.”

Senior administration officials have been careful not to characterize Harris’ visit as another step in a geopolitical contest, which might alienate African leaders weary of choosing sides between global heavyweights.

They are now waiting to see what Harris and the U.S. have to give over the next week.

“Because of her profile, she has a very good reputation in Africa,” said Rama Yade, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. “However, beyond that, public opinion in the three countries will develop expectations very quickly.”

 

SOURCE – (AP)

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Canada to Expedite the Rejection of Bogus Refugee Claims

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Canada to Fast-Tracking Refugee Refusals

Canada’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, has announced that he intends to suggest reforms to the nation’s refugee system. These reforms could expedite the rejection of cases with a low likelihood of success.

“I intend to bring up additional initiatives. I intend to reform the system. “It is not working as it should,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a parliamentary committee on Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been shifting his government’s friendly posture toward migrants. He promises to limit immigration and Canada’s population over the next two years as his party falls in polls and Canadians express waning support for new arrivals.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, an independent adjudicator of refugee claims, is receiving claims from “people with increasingly fewer hopes to stay in Canada and being counseled to file, I believe unjustly, asylum claims where they should not be able to do so,” Miller added.

In recent months, Canada has seen an all-time high number of refugee claims. Although the monthly total fell to roughly 17,400 in October from above 20,000 in July, the number of claims pending was the highest ever, at more than 260,000 last month.

Statistics Canada reports that more than 265,000 non-permanent residents arrived in Canada during the second quarter of 2024.

Miller has called into question the legitimacy of thousands of refugee petitions filed by international students.

The reforms would try, in part, to discourage people who planned to utilize their international studies as a gateway to permanent residency in Canada from submitting refugee claims as a last-ditch effort to stay now that new laws have closed that avenue.

According to the Immigration and Refugee Board, 46,736 people have sought asylum in Canada since March of this year. This represents a 62% increase over 2023, with a backlog of 186,000 claimants.

An increase in temporary immigration has been connected to Canada’s housing crisis. In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cautioned that the situation needed to be “under control,” claiming that temporary immigration had “grown at a rate far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb.”

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Notorious Serial Killer Paul Bernardo Denied Parole

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Serial killer Paul Bernardo makes third attempt at release before Canada parole board

Paul Bernardo, a notorious serial killer, has been denied parole for the third time during a hearing before the Parole Board of Canada.

The parole board stated that, while Bernardo has made some progress while incarcerated, there is still great worry about his potential for sexual recidivism and narcissistic personality disorder, given the “extremely violent” nature of his crimes.

Paul Bernardo, a dangerous offender, is serving an indeterminate life sentence for the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of Kristen French, 15, and Leslie Mahaffy, 14, in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ontario.

The 60-year-old told the board that his primary goal was to obtain day parole at a halfway house or, at the very least, escorted absences from jail so that he could attend a community program for sex offenders.

Leslie’s mother, Debbie Mahaffy, arrived in person on behalf of both families. Meanwhile, Kristen’s mother, Donna French, delivered her victim impact statement virtually.

Tim Danson, the families’ lawyer, noted, “Unfortunately, Donna French will be unable to attend the hearing due to PBC’s short notice and last-minute change in position. “She will deliver her victim impact statement virtually.”

Bernardo also killed his sister-in-law, Tammy Homolka. Karla Homolka, his ex-wife, served a 12-year sentence for manslaughter in the French and Mahaffy murders.

Last year, Bernardo’s transfer from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security facility in Quebec sparked widespread outrage.

The victims’ family presented an emotional case against Bernardo’s release, claiming they had been re-traumatized every time his parole hearings came up.

After about 30 minutes of deliberation, the parole board decided at the end of a daylong hearing at the La Macaza Institution in Quebec, where Bernardo is now housed.

About Paul Bernardo

Paul Bernardo is a Canadian serial rapist and murderer. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he committed heinous atrocities alongside his wife, Karla Homolka.

They were jointly responsible for the sexual assault and murder of several young women, including Karla’s sister, Tammy Homolka. Bernardo also became known as the “Scarborough Rapist,” having committed more than a dozen sexual assaults in the Toronto region.

In 1995, he was convicted of many offenses, including first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault, and sentenced to life. His case is still one of Canada’s most prominent criminal investigations.

 

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‘Keep Calm and Gobble On’: Joe Biden Holds Trump’s Final Turkey Pardon.

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AFP

(VOR News) – Vice President Joe Biden delivered a message to the American populace during his concluding Thanksgiving turkey pardon ceremony on Monday, encouraging them to “maintain composure and gobble on.”

Prior to Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House, this communication was conveyed.

The 82-year-old U.S. Vice President Joe Biden guaranteed that the birds Peach and Blossom would not be served at the American dinner table over the forthcoming holiday.

Joe Biden has observed this peculiar tradition for a long time.

Vice President Joe Biden, addressing a large audience on the South Lawn of the presidential palace, asserted that Blossom’s mindset was characterized by “no foul play,” while Peach adhered to the principle of “keep calm and gobble on” in a series of remarks. The audience was the intended recipient of these statements.

The two avian creatures “remained composed and continued to gobble, and they are still gobbling” as they journeyed from the Minnesota farm of their origin to Washington, he elaborated. During their relocation from Minnesota to Washington, he made this statement.

Notwithstanding this, the Democrats’ claims that the turkeys indeed emitted gobbling sounds on multiple occasions conveyed a melancholic sentiment as Obama readies to leave the White House on January 20.

Republican Donald Trump is poised to dismantle numerous programs established by Vice President Joe Biden following his victory over Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, in the November election.

Uncertainty has emerged in the United States and other nations due to Trump’s pledges to execute extensive deportations, dismantle the federal bureaucracy, and levy substantial tariffs on imports from foreign countries.

Biden remarked, in a more solemn tone, that this would be “my final opportunity to address you as your president during this season.” Biden’s address was intended to conclude on a momentous note. He also stated that it was “my final opportunity to address this audience.”

Following a disastrous televised debate with Trump in July, Biden exited the race, stating, “Let me express that it has been the honor of my life, and I am eternally grateful.” “I am eternally thankful,” he stated in conclusion. Finally, he expressed, “I will be eternally grateful.”

Ruffled feathers

Notwithstanding this, the outgoing president has pledged to refrain from creating any complications during the transition to Donald Trump’s government. This stands in stark contrast to his opponent, who persistently claims, without basis, that his loss to Biden in the 2020 race was due to a fraudulent campaign.

The White House confirmed on Monday that Vice President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend the Republican swearing-in ceremony on January 20. This occurred despite President Trump’s absence at the Democrats’ inauguration in 2021.

During a Thanksgiving dinner in New York with Vice President Joe Biden, Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates informed reporters, “He perceives this as a significant affirmation of our democratic principles and a tribute to the people’s will.”

In a press conference, Bates and Joe Biden spoke.

Vice President Joe Biden’s attention will soon transition to the personal pardons customarily issued by the president of the United States before leaving the White House, as the conclusion of his one-year term approaches. This is because these pardons are often granted by the President of the United States.

Vice President Biden quipped to reporters, “I am informed that there are 2,500 individuals present today seeking a pardon.” However, Biden has declared that there is one that he would not bestow upon his son, Hunter Biden, at this moment.

One of the gravest offenses is falsifying drug use, a charge for which the younger Biden was convicted this year in relation to a firearm purchase. Moreover, he has admitted guilt in a second legal proceeding for tax avoidance. Both charges culminated in convictions earlier this year.

The determination of whether Hunter Biden, whose little son Beau participated in the turkey pardoning event, will face any punishment remains unresolved in both instances. This matter remains unresolved.

On Monday, the White House issued a statement indicating it had no further remarks regarding Vice President Biden’s previous comments about his son’s prospects for obtaining a pardon.

SOUREC: NDTV

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