Foreign News
India ‘very Special, Important Country’–Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday said India is a “very special and important country” for the company, as millions of people there use their products.
Zuckerberg made the remarks during an event with Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman and Managing Director of India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).
The event was tagged, ‘Facebook Fuel for India 2020.
’Stressing the importance of the Indian market, Zuckerberg said that the company usually tested some of their new features in India first, before rolling them out globally.
“India is a very special and important country for us. Millions of people here use our products every day to stay in touch with friends and family, whether it’s a WhatsApp message or a Facebook post or photos on Instagram.
“Millions of small businesses across the country use WhatsApp business and Messenger to reach customers, manage orders and grow their businesses.
“And in fact, we actually test some of our new features here first, before rolling them out globally,” Zuckerberg said.
“We launched WhatsApp Pay in India last month. This was possible because of the UPI system and 140 banks, which made it easy,” Zuckerberg told Ambani. a
India, he noted, was the first country to do anything like that.
Further talking about the Indian market, he said, “So, at Facebook, we like to say that we are in the business of serving small businesses. And nowhere is this more true than in India.
“This is especially important because small businesses here will be a key part of the global recovery going forward.
“And we are focused on making sure we build the best tools for them,” he noted.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India Vision, Zuckerberg said the campaign had opened up opportunities for the industry to partner with the government to accelerate growth and development through technology.
“And India is building local capabilities and tech capacity, to power innovative new business models and provide Indian citizens access to digital and financial inclusion.
“So, decisions that are made here, shape the global discussion about how technology can drive more economic opportunity and better outcomes for people,” Zuckerberg further said.
Talking about India’s business culture, Zuckerberg said, “Whether it’s in social, commerce, or education or financial services, there is a lot of innovation that happens here.
“We are proud to partner with some of the teams that are working on these important challenges.
“There’s a very entrepreneurial culture here, that’s quite remarkable,” he concluded. (ANI/NAN)
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation on Wednesday evening banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States.The countries affected are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Nationals from these countries will be “fully” restricted from entering the U. S., according to the proclamation. Similarly, the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted.The proclamation is effective on June 9, 2025 at 12:01 am EDT (5:01am Nigerian time).Trump said the move was needed to protect the U.S. against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” Trump said in a video posted on X.The U.S. President said the list could be revised and new countries could be added.He said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbour a “large-scale presence of terrorists”.He alleged others failed to cooperate on visa security and had an inability to verify travellers’ identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the U.S..“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump said.Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security”.Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to detect national security threats.That order directed several cabinet members to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”During his first term in office, Trump had announced a ban on travellers from seven countries, a policy that generated so much controversies before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.However, former President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.” (NAN)
“Do not threaten Israel with sanctions” as it will continue to build a “Jewish state” on the ground,” Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned on Friday.He also rebuffed a call by French President Emmanuel Macron for establishing a Palestinian State.In open defiance of international law, Katz claimed that world powers may recognize a Palestinian state “on paper.
”Katz made the remarks during a visit to Sa-Nur, an illegal outpost in the northern West Bank that the Tel Aviv government recently decided to officially designate as a settlement for illegal Israeli settlers. In a direct message, Defense Minister Israel Katz targets French President Macron and European allies.He also dismissed the potential international consequences.He said: “They will recognise a Palestinian state on paper, while we will build the Jewish Israeli state on the ground.“Don’t threaten us with sanctions. You will not make us bow.“The State of Israel will not kneel before threats.”His comments came hours after President Macron stated that recognising the State of Palestine was a “moral duty”.Macron also reiterated that France may move toward official recognition during an upcoming international conference focused on the two-state solution.Earlier this week, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli Security Cabinet had secretly approved the establishment of 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.In response, the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now issued a statement Thursday, revealing that 12 of the newly approved settlements were previously unauthorised outposts and farming sites established in recent years.According to Peace Now, there are currently 156 illegal settlements and 224 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with over 736,000 illegal Israeli settlers living on occupied Palestinian land.The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law.The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.(AA/NAN)
British comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault.
The 49-year-old appeared in the dock at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday flanked by two officers, where he stood stock-still and looked straight ahead as he delivered his pleas.
He is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet.
Brand is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker’s face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks.
The final charge alleges the actor indecently assaulted another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet.
The allegations against Brand are said to have taken place against four women between 1999 and 2005.
The defendant, of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who faces one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, is due to stand trial on June 3 next year at the same court.
As Friday’s hearing finished, the comedian replaced his sunglasses before exiting the dock and calmly walked past reporters.
He was charged following an investigation by Channel 4 and the Sunday Times newspaper in which several women made allegations against him.
Brand previously told his 11.2 million followers on X that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.(dpa/NAN)
Wike Seeks Support for Tinubu-led FG
ShareThe Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has called on Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu-led...
Court Convicts 9 Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos
Share A Federal High Court in Lagos State, on Thursday, convicted and sentenced nine Chinese nationals to one year imprisonment each,...
Shettima Mourns Jubril Aminu
ShareVice-President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday, led mourners at the funeral prayers for the late elder statesman, former Minister of Education...
Federal High Court Mourns ex-Chief Judge
ShareThe Federal High Court (FHC) on Thursday, extends condolences to the family, friends, and associates of its former Chief Judge,...
Man Jailed 9 years for Sexually Assaulting 13-year-old neighbor’s son
ShareAn Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday sentenced a man, Francis Onwuzulike, to nine years six months...
Only Tinubu Can Lead Us to Nigeria of Our Dreams – Wike
Share The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says the country needs leaders like President Bola Tinubu...
Fire Service Retrieve Corpse of Man Inside Well in Kano
Share Men of the Kano State Fire Service have retrieve the remains of a 33-year-old man, Muhammed Sagir, from inside a...
Kwara Govt. Urges residents to Prioritize Oral Hygiene
ShareThe Kwara State Government has urged residents to prioritize oral hygiene by maintaining the health of the teeth, gums, and...
NDA Announces Screening Test of Shortlisted Applicants for June 14
ShareThe Nigerian Defence Academy(NDA), on Thursday fixed the screening test of shortlisted applicants for June 14. The Academy Spokesman, Maj....
NYSC Extends Service of 2 Katsina Corps Members
ShareThe National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) says it has extended the service of two corps members in the 2024 Batch...
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish