White Privilege: Far-Right Activist Ammon Bundy Threatens ‘Shotgun’ Standoff Over Hospital Lawsuit

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

CC™ News

By Kelly Weill

Six years after his last armed standoff with law enforcement, far-right leader Ammon Bundy appears to be threatening another armed action—this time over a lawsuit from an Idaho hospital he’s accused of harassing.

“They’re suing me for defamation. They’re probably going to try to get judgments of over a million dollars and take everything they have from me,” Bundy told the conservative Idaho Dispatch in a livestream video this week. “And I’m not going to let that happen. I’m making moves to stop that from happening. And if I have to meet 'em on the front door with my, you know, friends and a shotgun, I’ll do that. They’re not going to take my property.”

Bundy, who recently and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Idaho, rose to national fame during tense confrontations with federal law enforcement at his family’s Nevada ranch in 2014 and at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. Following those standoffs, Bundy launched the People’s Rights Network, a far-right activist group.

Bundy, the People’s Rights Network, and other associates are defendants in a lawsuit by St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center, which accuses the right-wing network of defamation.

In March, Bundy and the People’s Rights Network mobilized against the St. Luke's where Bundy claimed a baby had been “medically kidnapped [...] due to a missed non-emergency doctor’s appointment.”

Authorities disputed Bundy’s characterization of the case. The baby, a grandson of a People’s Rights member, was admitted to the hospital early that month for “severe malnourishment,” according to police. The 10-month-old gained weight in the hospital and was discharged with his parents, after which he “lost a significant amount of weight and the parents canceled the next follow-up appointment and could not be located.” The baby’s doctor, who was not affiliated with the hospital, reported concerns to Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare, which flagged the baby as in “immediate danger involving a life threatening and/or emergency situation,” according to the hospital’s lawsuit.

After agreeing to another appointment and failing to appear, the parents allegedly refused to let police check on the child at home. The family was later found during a traffic stop and the baby was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for three days. The DHW returned him to his parents three days later.

During the baby’s hospital stay, Bundy and followers harassed staffers in an ambulance bay, leading to Bundy’s arrest for allegedly trespassing and resisting or obstructing officers. The People’s Rights Network campaign caused a security threat that sent the hospital into lockdown, during which it was unable to accept ambulances for an hour.

The Bundy network fabricated conspiracy theories about St. Luke’s and its staff, all while running fundraisers online, the hospital claims in its lawsuit. “These solicitations for charitable contributions were made based on defamatory statements about the St. Luke’s Parties and others kidnapping, trafficking, and killing children.”

The online campaign falsely accused the hospital of vaccinating the baby against his parents’ wishes, and claimed the baby had been forced to take “toxic poison” and “possibly could lose his life because of the decisions of people [at St. Luke’s] who don’t even care” about him. The campaign also singled out St. Luke’s doctors, whom it falsely accused of mass kidnapping.

“They told their followers to target the same individuals for doxing and harassment. Defendants mirrored false statements across the websites and social media they controlled,” the lawsuit reads. “Defendants also organized a campaign of technological disruption. They encouraged their followers to flood St. Luke’s phone lines and email inboxes in an effort to shut down St. Luke’s operations. Defendants’ followers jammed phone lines with menacing calls (including death threats), sent threatening emails, and sent spam to disrupt servers.”

St. Luke’s claims the defendants raised more than $115,000 from the protests.

Bundy, who did not return The Daily Beast’s request for comment, hasn’t been cooperating with the lawsuit. He’s skipped court appearances, including a September sanctions hearing. In his interview with the Dispatch, Bundy held up a stack of court papers and said he’s been throwing them in the garbage.

“I just throw it all away. I literally just take it from the mail and throw it in the garbage,” he said. “I haven’t responded one bit to them.” He added that “they have servers that come here all the time, knocking on the door, serving papers.”

St. Luke’s is seeking monetary damages from the defendants, which it says it will donate to the Children at Risk Evaluation Service. While it is unclear exactly how much the hospital will seek, it requested a sum total of at least $50,000, combined, from the defendants.

Source: The Daily Beast

Flashback: Buhari Is An Ethnic Bigot, Religious Fanatic – Bola Tinubu

CC™ Retrospective

Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State and leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, once described General Muhammadu Buhari as an agent of destabilization, ethnic bigot and religious fanatic who if given the chance would ensure the disintegration of the country, according to a Wikileaks transcript of a conversation between Tinubu and the US consul-general in 2003.

Tinubu disclosed this to the United States spy posing as the consul general – in a 2003 conversation- that Buhari should not be trusted due to his bigot tendencies. He pointed to Buhari’s tribalistic nature as potentially dangerous to the unity of Nigeria. In Tinubu’s summation, he stated: ‘Buhari and his ilk are agents of destabilization who would be far worse than Obasanjo.’ The conversation was recorded by the US Consul General and wired back to Washington DC for analysis. Of which, Wikileaks got a hold of the recorded transcripts and published the conversation.

Section 6 (C) reads “Turning to the presidential contest, Tinubu disclosed that he does not like President Obasanjo because he contributed to the end of democracy in Nigeria during his tenure as a military president and is now benefiting from that history. That said, Tinubu admitted that he and his party, the Alliance for Democracy, must support Obasanjo. Southwest Nigeria is Yoruba land and the President is Yoruba. Tinubu’s party had no choice since it has not fielded a presidential candidate. Moreover, Obasanjo is the only candidate who stands a chance of blocking his rival, General Muhammadu Buhari, whose ethnocentrism would jeopardize Nigeria’s national unity. Buhari and his ilk are agents of destabilization who would be far worse than Obasanjo. Tinubu and many other governors are therefore implementing a strategy to re-elect Obasanjo, partly in an effort to prevent Sharia from spreading. Tinubu predicted that the President will follow his own course, if re-elected, since he will not need as many friends the second time around.”

However, barely 11 years after, Tinubu and Buhari have forged an alliance to upstage the PDP government. The curious marriage between both men has got many tongues wagging. While some see the new Tinubu-Buhari liaison as a marriage of convenience just to undo the PDP, others expressed suspicion at the intent of Tinubu to sell Buhari to Nigerians this time round, barely one decade after he dismissed the leadership credentials of the former military dictator.

During his reign as Head of State, Buhari introduced a notorious decree to restrict press freedom, under which two journalists were jailed. He ruled with iron fist and was unable to reflate a sagging economy.

His attempts to rebalance public finances by curbing imports led to the closure of businesses and many job losses. The economy took a downturn as prices of goods rose, while living standards fell, leading to a palace coup by Gen Ibrahim Babangida on 27 August 1985.

INDEPENDENT

Northern and Southern Governors have banned open grazing in Nigeria

CC™ ViewPoint

By Femi Falana

At the virtual meeting of Northern Governors Forum held on February 9, 2021, the members unanimously resolved to ban open grazing. According to the communique issued at the end of the meeting, it was stated that the Forum noted with concern “the growing wave of insecurity in the country particularly as it relates to the circulation of unverified video clips on social media portraying violent attacks on persons in some parts of the country. Therefore, the forum called on political leaders to segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as   criminals.

The forum reiterated   the   condemnation of   every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally. It also noted with concern the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country. And it  expressed concern that this is heating the already fragile security atmosphere with threats of reprisals which the Northern governors are working assiduously to contain.”

The forum also noted with concern that “the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing is no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanization and population of the country.”

Consequently, the forum resolved to aggressively sensitize herdsmen on the need to adopt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.” The forum appealed to the Federal Government “to support states with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production (and) resolved to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion with a view to dousing the tensed security environment in the North and called on all the citizens of the north to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.”

The forum stressed the urgent need for the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, to meet and discuss the issue holistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity.

In response to the call of the NGF for an urgent meeting, the Nigeria Governors Forum held a virtual meeting on February 11, 2021. At the meeting the 36 state governors agreed by consensus to end nomadic cattle rearing in the country in order to end the incessant violent clashes between farmers and herders. In the communique of the governors it was categorically stated as follows: “Following an update from governors on the various initiatives taken by state governments to address the rising insecurity in the country due to the   activities of herdsmen, members reached a consensus on the need for the country to transition into modern systems of animal husbandry that will replace open, night and underage   grazing in the country.”

It was further stated in the Communique that: “State   governments are encouraged to put in place systems to accelerate the grazing initiative of the National Livestock Transformation  Plan, NLTP and ranching in the country.” However, the Forum urged state governments to respect “the right of abode of all Nigerians and strongly condemns criminality and the ethnic profiling of crime in the country in an effort to frame the widespread banditry and the herders /farmers crisis.”

At its own meeting held at Asaba, Delta State on May 11, 2021,   the Southern Governors Forum reiterated the decision of the Nigeria Governors Forum to ban open grazing in the country. Curiously, Professor Usman Yusuf has condemned the decision of the Southern Governors Forum on the ban. Even though he did not condemn the decisions of the Northern Governors Forum and the Nigeria Governors Forum, Professor Usman has argued that the decision of the Southern Governors Forum could not be justified under the Land Use Act. Such divide-and-rule tactics are designed to further polarise the masses of our people.

In any case, the decision of all the   governors to ban open grazing is in line with section 1 of the Land Use Act which has vested the entire land in every state in the governors on behalf of the people. Accordingly, any person or corporate body that wishes to use land in any state is required to apply for a certificate of occupancy issued by the governor.

In the same vein, the power to approve the physical planning of the land in every state is the exclusive responsibility of state governments.  Furthermore,   forest reserves owned by state governments are equally regulated by laws enacted by the Houses of Assembly. Under such laws it is stipulated that it is a criminal offence to occupy any part of such reserve without authorization of the state government.

By the combined effect of the Land Use Act, Regional Planning laws and Forest Laws applicable in all the states of the federation. Thus,   pursuant to such laws the Federal Government has directed state governments to take charge of all the forests in all states. It is, therefore, grossly misleading to argue that herders have unquestionable power to graze their cattle on any land without the authorization of the appropriate authorities.

As I had repeatedly maintained, the worsening insecurity in the country, including the violent clashes between herders and farmers, can only be seriously addressed if policy makers are prepared to abandon primitive ideas and embrace scientific solutions. As far back as 2016, the Buhari administration had adopted ranching in place of open grazing on farmlands without the authorization of the owners. Unfortunately, due to pressure from some selfish interest groups the Federal Government abandoned the policy of ranching.

However,   the increasing wave of insecurity in recent times has compelled the Federal Government and all the state governments to make ranching as the cornerstone of the National   Livestock   Transformation   Plan. From the information at our disposal, not fewer  than 24 state governments have applied for the special grant earmarked for the establishment of ranches by the Federal Government.

No doubt, every citizen is entitled to the fundamental right to freedom of movement and right to own and acquire land in any part of Nigeria by virtue of sections 41 and   43 of the Nigerian Constitution, respectively. To that extent, herders, like other citizens, are at liberty to acquire land for cattle business under the Land Use Act. But it is grossly misleading on the part of Professor Usman to say that governors are required to secure the permission of herders before banning the dangerous practice of open, night and underage grazing.

Those who are encouraging herders to reject modern animal husbandry are advised to learn from Botswana, South Africa,   Mozambique, Kenya and Ethiopia that have effectively adopted ranching to end clashes between herders and farmers. In those countries, farmers live in the ranches with family members, including their children and wards who attend schools in the neighbourhood.

*Femi Falana, SAN, is Interim Chair, Alliance on Surviving COVID – 19 and Beyond, ASCAB.

2022 Mercedes MAYBACH S V12 in Beautiful Details

CC™ MOTORWORLD

Elon Musk warns his Starlink satellite in Ukraine may be targeted by Putin

 CC™ Global News

SpaceX chief Elon Musk warned that there is a high chance that its Starlink satellite broadband service could be "targeted" in Ukraine, which has been hit by Russian invasion.

"Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution," Musk tweeted.

2023: Age and certificate forger Bola Tinubu says he is the 'quality' Nigeria is looking for

CC™ Politico News

All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, has disclosed that if given the support to become Nigeria’s president, he will unite the country’s different ethnic groups.

Speaking at Ataoja’s palace in Osogbo of Friday, as part of his consultation tour of the country, he said Nigeria needs a man that can harness the nation’s diversity for prosperity.

The former Lagos State Governor said managing resources is his specialty, adding that the urge to serve made him apply for nation’s presidency and will not let Nigerians down.

He adds, “I am the quality Nigeria is looking for to make the country a very great, prosperous and united, not only in Africa but worldwide.

“Having reviewed the Constitution, I ask myself who is better than me, this prompted me to come out, consult, and be ready to serve the country.

“I have been going round the country, I offer myself the opportunity to become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have informed Buhari of this, I told him that I want to step in his shoe and not break a toe. I told him that I want to serve my country to the best of my ability”.

Tinubu added that he will rejig Nigeria such that quality education and job opportunities would be available for Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic nationalities or religion.

“We need a lot of jobs, solid education for our children, we need progress for our country.

“We want somebody that can bring that… what we have in our old national anthem that “Though tribe and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand”.

“We must be solid in that belief. We must know that it is the same blood that is running in our veins irrespective of tribe and faith.

“We must have a good attitude for progress and prosperity.

“You must find courage, determination, perseverance, you must find that fellow who will love you, respect you and prioritize national development,” he said.

Speaking on his ability to deliver, Tinubu said, “I am not applying for the job of grave digging, race running, or horse riding. I am not applying for a job of bricklaying.

“I went to school to study accountancy and management. I am applying for a job that demands using my brain, intelligent thinking. I am ready to do things right.

“The job I want to do for Nigeria is for the country to be greater and be proud of our sons and daughter. We want to leave a legacy of unlimited success”.

Responding, Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olaonipekun said having seen that Tinubu is outstandingly fit, stressed the need for Yoruba nations to stand by him for quality service delivery.

“I have personally seen that you are fit to run the country contrary to insinuation peddled around, you are good product for Nigeria’s prosperity and your vision to rule Nigeria shall come to pass.

“You have nurtured quality men, you gave us one in Osun in 2018 and I know you will not let Nigerians down. Osogbo is with you on this project”, he said.

Panic in Russia as NATO deploys troops; West imposes ‘severe’ sanctions

CC™ Global News

NATO shifted some of its troops on Friday in order to be able to respond swiftly if needed, as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued unrelentingly and Western countries and alliances imposed tougher sanctions on Moscow.

NATO is deploying units of the rapid reaction NATO Response Force (NRF) on land, at sea, and in the air to respond quickly to any contingency, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, as Russian continued its attack on Ukraine.

He did not initially state where the troops would be deployed, in comments that followed a video conference with NATO leaders, but sources learned that ground troops could be sent to Romania.

Meanwhile, NRF units are due to head to Norway, for an exercise, in the first deployment of parts of the NRF in the course of deterrence and defense of the alliance area, Stoltenberg said.

The NATO members said the measures were “preventive, proportionate, and non-escalatory” in a statement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the emergency summit that the eastern members of the alliance needed more troops following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

As he spoke, the first British soldiers and trucks carrying additional equipment reached Estonia to reinforce the NATO battalion there.

A convoy with six battle tanks and other military vehicles reached the Tapa military base, the Estonian army said.

London is set to send 850 soldiers and equipment to Estonia, roughly doubling the British contingent there.

Other NATO members also announced new deployments to strengthen the Western military alliance.

Italy said it was making around 3,400 additional soldiers available on the alliance’s eastern flank, while Denmark announced it was ready to contribute 20 more F-16 fighter jets to help secure NATO airspace.

Also on Friday, Russia banned British aircraft from using its airspace, in a tit-for-tat response a day after London barred Russia’s Aeroflot airline from flying to Britain.

Poland and the Czech Republic followed up later by saying they would also close airspace to Russian planes.

Friday also saw Western countries impose tougher sanctions amid Moscow’s unrelenting attacks.

Washington was the latest to announce sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on Friday after penalties imposed on the two earlier by Britain and the European Union in response to Moscow’s invasion.

Russia responded by criticizing the sanctions on Putin and Lavrov, slamming these as a sign of weak foreign policy.

In further efforts to cease hostilities, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) formally ended Russia’s accession negotiations, it said in a statement.

The organization said it would continue to reconsider its co-operation with Russia in the days and weeks ahead, while also weighing how to better support the Ukrainian government.

The move came after the 47-country Council of Europe, Europe’s human rights watchdog, suspended Russia with immediate effect.

Individual countries also adopted their own measures, with the Spanish government withdrawing the country’s ambassador to Ukraine.

The pro-Russian president of Serbia, Alexander Vucic, has been critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We consider it a grave mistake to violate the territorial integrity of a country like Ukraine,” Vucic said in Belgrade on Friday evening.

At the same time, he said that his country would not be imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Ambassador Silvia Cortés will be taken to Poland in a convoy of vehicles together with around 100 other Spanish citizens, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Spanish media on Friday.

The invasion has opened the eyes of many EU states, according to Latvia’s prime minister Krisjanis Karins, who said a period of naivety had come to an end, in comments to Latvian news agency Leta.

“Many European countries have lived under the illusion that everything can be negotiated if they find the right words to say to Putin and if they are patient,” Karins said, referring to the Baltic states’ long-standing admonitions to its EU and NATO partners.

But with a “brutal war” unfolding in Ukraine, Karins said, the same countries now understand that these were only empty hopes.

“For a long time, the world did not want to accept the obvious. Now everything has changed.

“Putin has lost all trust and support within the democratic world,” Karins said.

At the close of the day, U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated Washington’s support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I commended the brave actions of the Ukrainian people who were fighting to defend their country,” Biden said in a statement following their call.

“I also conveyed ongoing economic, humanitarian, and security support being provided by the United States as well as our continued efforts to rally other countries to provide similar assistance,” U.S. President Joe Biden assured Zelensky.

Washington also dismissed Russian offers of talks with Ukraine.

“Diplomacy by the barrel of a gun, coercive diplomacy, is not something that we are going to take part in,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, adding this would not aid peace efforts in a real, genuine and sustainable way.

Diplomacy cannot succeed in a context where “you rain down bombs, mortar shells” and “your tanks advance towards a capital of 2.9 million people,” he said.

Meanwhile, people worldwide took to the streets to show their solidarity with Ukraine.

Buildings and monuments were lit up in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, including starting Friday evening the Eiffel Tower.

In Germany, rallies were announced for the weekend in cities including Berlin.

In Stockholm, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg showed her support during Friday’s climate protest.

Along with others, the 19-year-old stood in front of the Russian embassy.

She held a small sign in the blue and yellow national colors with the inscription “Stand with Ukraine” in her hand.

2023: Nigerians in Diaspora mobilise against career politicians

CC™ Politico News

By Clifford Ndujihe

To halt what they deemed the downward slide of Nigeria into socio-economic and development abyss, some Nigerians in the Diaspora have vowed to ensure that a career politician did not succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

According to them, it is time for career politicians to take a back seat, and entrepreneurs must be supported to take over in the new era of “politics of the unusual.”

Meeting on the banner of Nigerian Patriotic Quest, NPQ, the concerned Nigerians across the world took the decision at a physical/online meeting held in Washington DC, United States of America on February 18.

In a communique by their Coordinator, Mr. Ahmed Ja’Usman Tijani, they said their desire is to “change the negative trajectory of Nigeria’s politics. There could be no better time to address these issues than now, as the nation gradually enters another season of politicking and horse-trading for the 2023 elections.

“The 247 participants at this inaugural meeting were drawn from various advocacy groups across the united states, the UK, Continental Europe, and Nigeria.

The participants were fervent in their conviction that Nigeria can no longer afford to continue on the path of political decadence that have blighted the promises of this nation in the past decades.

“The participants, also unanimously declared, that as stakeholders in the destiny of this nation they can no longer stand aloof, while some unsavoury characters continue to decimate and destroy the glory and prospects of this nation.

“A number of participants in diaspora stated that they were forced to flee Nigeria because of the inanities and destructive politics which have brutally dimmed the potentials of both Nigeria and Nigerians.

“We believe that working together, with all Nigerians, we can begin the arduous, but not insurmountable task of pulling this nation back from the path of self-destruction. There is no more time, this task must start with the forthcoming general elections in 2023.”

Going forward, they noted that leadership failure caused by the stranglehold on the reins of power by the old class of career politicians was the reason for Nigeria’s stunted growth.

“This set of leaders have failed to use the instruments of power to build the nation, but are only interested in acquiring power for the sake of power. This has been the bane of Nigeria and it is disheartening that such characters are already parading the national space, with the intention of attaining power at various levels come 2023 in order to continue their destructive politics of self-aggrandizement.

“Nigeria cannot afford to tow this path again. It is time for a new leadership to emerge. Until we retire the career politicians, who have created and used ethnic and religious divisions to attain and perpetuate themselves in power we will continue to wallow in poverty and underdevelopment.”

Consequently, they said: “it is time to build a new vanguard of leadership which is totally anchored on competence and track record of verifiable achievements.

“It was agreed generally, that in this nation they are personalities that have created massive values through dint of hard work, managerial acumen, and unbridled spirit of entrepreneurship.

“These men who have created something out of nothing deserve to be pushed forward at this time in order to rescue Nigeria from the edge of the precipice. “

AGENCY

Crypto is the next step toward a cashless society

CC™ Financial News

Julian Hosp

It will take some time for consumers to warm up to crypto, but education is the key to its mass adoption. 

From QR code payments to mobile banking apps, consumers worldwide are increasingly reliant on digital payment solutions, especially as mobile technology becomes more ubiquitous. Government-led efforts in driving cashless economies have been a key factor, with countries such as Singapore or the Philippines seeing their central banks driving the adoption of contactless payments during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, usage rates for digital payments platforms have recorded promising growth, even as high as 5,000% in the Philippines alone.

This unprecedented rise in cashless payments is also paving the way for the broader adoption of crypto, with the number of crypto users worldwide hitting around 106 million in January. While this marks an impressive 15% month-on-month growth, it is still just a drop in the ocean when compared to the 4.7 billion people who have access to the internet.

But as crypto continues to command headlines, what will it take for mass adoption to happen?

A new model of financial accessibility

Today, billions of people worldwide are unable to access even the most basic financial services via traditional means, and thus are unable to save or manage their money securely. In times of economic devastation, such as this past year in which global economies have been staggered by the impact of COVID-19, the vast gap between rich and poor has become abundantly clear. The global pandemic has only perpetuated the absence of inclusive financial infrastructure, which has led to approximately one-third of the global population having no financial safety net to fall back on.

With crypto wallets, however, anyone can transfer their crypto internationally without needing to maintain a minimum balance in their account, as long as they have an internet connection. As crypto applications are built on decentralized blockchains, transactions are performed on a peer-to-peer basis in the absence of traditional intermediaries such as bankers or brokerage houses. This results in significant savings in transaction costs, as traditional cross-border remittance fees for small amounts can be as high as 7% after taking into account intermediaries’ fees on both the sender and recipient side. Meanwhile, the same fees for cryptocurrencies are often less than 1 percent — regardless of transaction amount.

Furthermore, highly decentralized platforms are permissionless, meaning that anyone with a crypto wallet and internet connection can lend, remit or trade their crypto without validation by a central authority or intermediary. Instead, transactions are executed by smart contracts, which automate them as long as pre-encoded conditions are met. Beyond the cost savings, consider the time savings as well. Remittance transactions can take several days to be processed, whereas cryptocurrencies can be transferred in mere minutes.

However, most crypto platforms still ask for some form of formal identification as part of their identity verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) process. This can range from a phone number to photo ID to proof of residential address. Some platforms adopt a multi-tier approach in which the more information that users provide, the more services they can access. While necessary for KYC and Anti-Money Laundering compliance, this poses barriers to users who do not own any formal identification documents.

Having said that, some decentralized exchanges, or DEXs, still honour the principles of anonymity and trustless working by not enforcing KYC on their users. The elimination of account verification and waiting time for approval has drawn many towards these types of DEXs — such as PancakeSwap, Uniswap and DeFiChain’s DEX — and has made finance truly accessible and inclusive for all.

Beyond simple transactions, recent innovations in the crypto space promise a much more equitable financial system where the unbanked and underbanked can access more means to build wealth. While DeFi products, such as token holding and staking on a DEX, might be a little too advanced for this group of users at the moment, simplified centralized decentralized finance (CeDeFi) services and improvements in financial literacy over time will help to open the door to these inclusive wealth creation opportunities.

Education is key to crypto adoption at scale

Widespread adoption of digital payment technologies, such as QR codes and biometrics, is definitely a promising sign that consumers have become more digitally savvy than ever before. In the Asia Pacific, more than 90% of surveyed respondents said they would consider at least one new payment method in the next year.

In addition to new payment technologies, the proliferation of retail investing has led to a paradigm shift in the investment landscape, with trading activities doubling over the past year. User-friendly platforms such as Robinhood and their well-known crypto counterparts — such as Coinbase — have made investing much more accessible to non-institutional investors.

This historic rise in cashless payments and retail investing saw the public gain more exposure to different asset types. However, in the United States, a staggering 84% of adults are either uninterested in cryptocurrencies or have never heard of them. While this could be attributable to the seemingly intimidating technicalities involved, we are now in a good place to gradually transition towards a more crypto-forward society.

For now, there’s much more to be done to help mainstream consumers gain a better understanding of crypto. Crypto projects, for one, would do well to invest more resources towards creating educational content to bridge the knowledge gap — whether through guides or detailed explainers. Meanwhile, taking on a more transparency-focused approach that looks to debunk misconceptions and ensure that users are aware of the risks associated with crypto, will enable those users to navigate their entry into the space with greater ease and confidence.

Crypto is the MVP in the cashless drive

As conversations on cryptocurrencies evolve, governments are taking note. While cash will not be eliminated any time soon, as many as 86% of central banks around the world are looking into central bank digital currencies in their quest to go cashless. The world’s first central bank digital currency (CBDC) — the Sand Dollar — was announced by the Central Bank of the Bahamas way back in 2018 and officially launched in October last year. The technology team behind this project was led by U-Zyn Chua, who went on to co-found DeFiChain.

Although CBDCs will be regulated by a central authority, their adoption will send a profound message to market participants on the legitimacy of digital currencies. The introduction of CBDCs is thus a much-needed springboard to catalyze large-scale crypto adoption.

In the short term, crypto is not going to replace the existing financial system, but will instead carve out its own ecosystem that is fit for a new generation of digital-first, financially savvy users. While it will take some time for consumers to warm up to crypto, the nascent technology will prove its worth in due time by offering cheaper, safer and more inclusive financial services for all.

Julian Hosp is the CEO and a co-founder of Cake DeFi, a platform dedicated to providing access to decentralized financial services and applications. He is also the chairman of DeFiChain, a DeFi platform built on the Bitcoin network. Julian is an active speaker for the Washington Speakers Bureau and an adviser for the EU’s blockchain groups. Julian graduated from Medizinische Universitat Innsbruck with a Doctor of Medicine in human medicine.

COINTELEGRAPH

Sheikh Gumi: President Buhari’s Ally In Funding Terrorism

CC™ Opinion Piece

The actions of self-appointed terror mediator, Sheikh Gumi has further exposed President Muhammadu Buhari and his Government as terror lovers. The tacit endorsement of the activities of terrorists in the country by the current Government and its key players is no longer news. No Government in the history of Nigeria has given moral, financial, and religious support to the terrorists like Buhari’s Government. Nigerians have repeatedly seen Buhari agree to the demands of terrorists. As envisioned, his intimate relationship with terrorists has further weakened his government and weakened the country’s democratic values making the war against terrorism almost ‘unwinnable’.

Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi as many Nigerians know is an Islamic cleric, scholar, and current chief judge of the Shariah Court of Appeal in Northern Nigeria. He is as well the current mufti and mufassir at the Kaduna central mosque Sultan Bello. How he silently transfigured himself to assume the scary position of Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO) for bandits in Nigeria has left many lovers of peace in Nigeria into acute depression.

When he assumed the self-appointed position, many Nigerians appeared unconcerned not until his provocative statements in support of the terrorists who Government for obvious reasons prefer to call ‘bandits’ began to make headlines. To hoodwink innocent Nigerians, Gumi roams around as a peacemaker and flies the flag of a mediator yet at every turn, Gumi takes any available opportunity to put in a word for the terrorists, heaping the blame for their criminal ways on everyone but the deadly terrorists.

Many Nigerians would recall how Sheik Gumi, who rose to the rank of a captain as a doctor in the medical corps of the Nigerian Army, had a few months back accused Christians in the military’s counter-insurgency/banditry campaign of being responsible for the killing of bandits. A careful perusal of the remark would show that the aim was clear; to set off a sectarian war in the military, connecting the dots would simply show why Buhari refused to visit the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) in the aftermath of the attack in Kaduna, yes, many Nigerians do not know that only Christians were targeted and killed by the bandits in arguably the most secured vicinity in the country. To put it in terse terms, Buhari’s government is Gumi’s biggest ally.

How can Buhari pay blind eyes to the fact that over the last two years, Gumi has been very vociferous in his defense of the terrorists’ in bandits uniforms? Can he? In attacks on schools, Gumi has always made it a point of duty to hold the students culpable for the crime committed against them by the army of outlaws that have now overtaken the North. Gumi goes on the media to offer a rather romantic and generally sympathetic account and justification of the activities of the criminals. Gumi has successfully spun the narrative to paint bandits as victims and not as criminals. How can all this happen in a country that has laws if not for the common mission he shares with the Government of the day? By merely listening to Gumi, these beastly terrorists who have murdered hundreds of Nigerians in cold blood and received ransoms running into hundreds of millions of naira from both the State and traumatized relations of kidnap victims could be mistaken for evangelists yet, Buhari and his Government have continued to look the other way.

Gumi’s role as a bandit sympathizer has continued to endanger the collective security of Nigerians, upending the security setup in ways that should be repugnant to all supporters of order and justice, this can only happen with the active connivance with State actors, Buhari who is constitutionally mandated to protect Nigerians sees absolutely nothing wrong in the deliberate symbiotic relationship of Gumi and the deadly terrorist organizations wrecking mayhem in Nigeria. Gumi himself has severally and openly confessed that highly placed people in the Buhari Government are fully aware of his engagements with terrorists. Gumi as a matter of fact even gets State protection at will. This is the sad reality facing Nigerians.

Sometime early this year, when Gumi took what looked like an extremely dangerous journey to the forest to meet the terrorists, his justification was that the entire process needed an impartial arbiter, not the State who he claimed that had serially violated previous agreements with the terrorists. A curious thinker may wonder what kind of agreements this was, however, it shouldn’t be surprising to know that these were generous offers of appeasement money that were directed at getting the terrorists to drop their arms. So which government was Gumi referring to if not Buhari and his cohorts? In fact, take away the agreements which the government of the day has continued to downplay, those comments by Gumi were both a cheap surrender and admission of State failure.

Gumi and his likes are the reason why Buhari has continued to capture and release terrorists under the guise that they are now ‘repented’ ignoring the fact many of the terrorists rehabilitated under these arrangements returned to the forests before or as soon as they had exhausted their monetary largesse or as soon as they got tired of the charade. Many Nigerians do not know that the move which started as a peaceful approach to getting the terror under control was actually a big-time money-making business for the terrorists and some of those employed to check them in the security units. No wonder Gumi had to even openly advocate that agency or ministry be created for bandits using billions of taxpayers’ money.

More disgustful is the fact that Gumi has even gone as far as comparing the terrorists, who he claims lack a voice, to coup plotters while demanding State pardons for them. This is the sad rhetoric of appeasement, Gumi now tries to propagate. The terror-loving Islamic Sheikh has even gone on to describe the devastating onslaught of the terrorists on farming communities and the attendant conflict as ethnic wars. More worrisome is the fact that in his desperate appeasement game, Gumi, a few months ago made the outstanding claim that the northern terrorists learned their art from Niger-Delta militants. Just as he demanded that an amnesty programme in the manner of the one President Umar Yar'Adua emplaced for Niger-Delta militias should be instituted for the terror-bandits of the north. What manner of man is this terrorist? What are bandits fighting for? What does Gumi want?

What has Gumi not asked on behalf of his so-called beloved voiceless bandits? Just like many northern advocates as well as elements in the Buhari government, he has demanded that Bandits be recruited into the military or assigned the task of guarding the forests against terrorists like themselves! Where would this saccharine love of criminals, end? When would Buhari stop colluding with terrorists and shout enough of the bloodshed? Where was Gumi’s humanity when he urged parents of the abducted Greenfield University students to pay about ₦200 million in addition to procuring motorbikes for the bandits that abducted them in exchange for the return of the remainder of the students that escaped summary execution? He wants them pampered with amnesty and cash. Otherwise more school children would be abducted.

However, there are some things that are certain. Terrorists and terrorism require a structure to operate since money is their jugular vein. Arms, food supply, and logistics are all dependent on funds, as we’ve seen (and read). These terrorists, unbelievably, keep these variables in flux, along with their level of knowledge and strategies for eluding security officials (most times at least). How else could they survive despite billions of naira spent fighting them? They constantly seem to be one step ahead of any apparent progress made by security authorities to eliminate them. Buhari’s culpability is certain. A man that can shield Pantami is capable of doing just anything.

Why has Buhari allowed Gumi the leverage to continue to fan insurrection and disunity? How can a man who has unfettered access to bandits be allowed to threaten the government by saying the govt cannot protect all schools? How can a Government that believes that popular Nollywood actor, Chinwetalu Agu should be in jail on the account of a cloth he was putting on look the other way when Gumi is systematically breeding terrorism? Too many questions indeed, but then, the answer is simple, they are in the same business of propagating terrorism. And yes, Nigerians who have always been perplexed as to why Buhari has refused to designate the bandits as terrorists now have a clue. This is the painful reality.

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK 

SAMSUNG SMARTPHONES WILL LEAVE ANDROID BEHIND

By Marco Lancaster

According to a recent report, Samsung may be preparing itself for a future where its smartphones will no longer run Android OS. Instead, it will run a new operating system that’s been in development in Google’s laboratories for a few years. If you’ve been following, then you probably know… yes, we’re talking about Fuchsia. Earlier this year, it came to light that Samsung has contributed to Fuchsia’s development. Now, a new report suggests that Samsung may have gone a few steps forward and decided to leave Android behind. The company will work to make Fuchsia its alternative over Android, but that may be still a few years away. 

As reported by the folks at SamMobile, this will not happen from a single night to a new day. The source specifics that it will take a few years before Samsung adopts this new open-source OS from Google. This will probably coincide with other companies as well. In the past, reports have suggested that Fuchsia was announced to become Google’s alternative for Android. For now, it’s too soon to say if Fuchsia OS will come with One UI or another proprietary skin from Samsung. The Open Source nature of the OS means that the Korean firm could easily apply its skin and features over Fuchsia.

The transition is not a mere coincidence. As aforementioned, it’s all a part of Google’s master plan to switch to a new platform. Unlike Android OS, Fuchsia will not use the Linux kernel code but a new code called Zircon. The search giant is developing Fuchsia to run on a wide variety of smart products, from wearables to smartphones, tablets, computers, and IoT. It was already used for the Nest hub as a pilot run.

So, as aforementioned, Samsung may not be the only company leaving Android. If Google makes Fucshia a viable alternative over Android, it will put it on the forefront with its Pixel smartphones,  being shipped with the new OS. As a result, we may see other companies jumping in the boat. Just like Thanos, moving to what Google offers will be inevitable.

One time that Samsung already has some insight of Fucshia’s development, then the company may have a certain advantage over its competitors. The Korean firm will familiarize itself with the new OS early on, and this early start may be a key for the company to keep the leadership in a new era without Android.

It’s interesting to see that Samsung is still going for Google rather than trying to build its own Operating System from scratch. In the past, the company tried to develop Tizen OS for its smartphones, but it proved to be a failure. In fact, companies that tried to ship their own OS didn’t achieve much success.

Source/VIA :

SamMobile

Buhari's Killing Fields: Dozens killed in ‘barbaric, senseless’ violence in Nigeria

CC™ Global News

Nigeria’s presidency says dozens of people have been killed in violence between farmers and herders in the country’s central Nasarawa state.

In a statement released by the office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the government said at least 45 farmers were killed in the violence that erupted between Fulani herders and farmers, with dozens more also reportedly wounded. 

Buhari “expressed grief over the heart-wrenching” killings and said his government would “leave no stone unturned in fishing out the perpetrators of this senseless and barbaric incident, and bring them to justice”.

Local police said the violence broke out when armed Fulani herders attacked villagers from the Tiv ethnic group over the killing of a kinsman that they blamed on Tiv farmers. The unrest continued unabated.

The police initially gave a death toll of eight. Nasarawa state police spokesman Ramhan Nansel earlier said military and police teams had deployed in the area to restore calm and arrest the perpetrators.

“We received a complaint on the killing of a Fulani herdsman but while the investigation was ongoing, a reprisal attack was carried out in Hangara village and neighbouring Kwayero village,” Ramhan Nansel,

“Eight people were killed in the attacks and their bodies were recovered by the police and taken to hospital.”

But Peter Ahemba of the Tiv Development Association said the death toll was higher.

“We recovered more than 20 corpses of our people killed in the attacks in 12 villages across Lafia, Obi and Awe districts where around 5,000 were displaced,” he said, adding that many people were still missing.

Deadly clashes between nomadic cattle herders and local farmers over grazing and water rights are common in central Nigeria.

The internecine conflict has taken on an ethnic and religious dimension in recent years. The Fulani herders are Muslim, and the farmers are primarily Christian.

The friction, which has roots dating back more than a century, was caused by droughts, population growth, the expansion of sedentary farming into communal areas as well as poor governance.

Violence by criminal gangs of cattle thieves among the herders, who raid villages, killing and burning homes after looting them, has compounded the situation.

The Governor of Nasarawa State,  Abdullahi Sule, has promised to go after killers of Fulani herders and Tiv farmers.

“There was needless loss of lives of our citizens. Such act of violence is most unfortunate, condemnable, and unacceptable and will not be condoned by this administration,” he was quoted as saying by the Sahara Reporters news site.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES