Rubio sharpens attacks after latest Trump win in White House race

Source: REUTERS

Marco Rubio emerged from a razor-thin second-place finish in South Carolina's presidential primary on Sunday with the Republican field narrowed and his target clear: Donald Trump.
Rubio squeaked by rival and U.S. Senate colleague Ted Cruz in a vote on Saturday that cemented the appeal of firebrand outsider Trump as well as the failure of a candidate from one of America's political dynasties: Jeb Bush.
The five remaining Republican candidates are now scrambling for voters in 12 states that hold nominating contests on March 1, also known as Super Tuesday, the next milestone on the road to the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Naira: A Currency Under Pressure

Source: THISDAY LIVE

With the value of the Naira, particularly, measured against the Dollar, currently falling  at a geometric rate, there is no doubt that the national currency, more than ever before, needs more urgent attention of the monetary authorities, write Kunle Aderinokun and Olaseni Durojaiye

A

rguably the trending topic in the Nigeria’s economic space today is naira devaluation and it has put those for and against in a fierce debate with either side marshaling strong points why their opinion should carry the day. The issue has arose largely due to the wide gap between the demand for foreign exchange forex) particularly the United States Dollar and what the economy is able to supply.  Many trace the decrease in the supply side of the greenback to fall in oil price in the global market arguing that this is expected as oil and gas exports account for not less than 80 per cent of the country’s export.

Current Issues in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and the Challenge of Image Perception

Source: THISDAY LIVE

Nigeria’s international image is currently shaped by perceptions predicated on neglected factors of misjudgments. The misjudgments are largely a resultant of some on-going critical issues in Nigeria’s foreign policy which vary from the economic and social to the political and military all of which have the potential of giving a bad name to the Government and people of Nigeria. The most critical issues are insecurity (Boko Haramism, with its deepening associated problems of internally displaced peoples and Biafranisation, with its associated threats of disintegration); economic (depreciating and devaluation of the Naira, declining foreign reserves, and declining crude oil price); social and health (outbreak of killer diseases such as lassa fever).

The most critical observation from the public is the perception that President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) is not sitting down to address domestic questions and that even when he travels out he uses the occasion to run down the country of which he is the first ambassador by blaming Nigerians and asking them to return home. This observation is unfortunate as little or no attention is paid to the complexity of political governance and the need for PMB to seek international understanding and assistance in the quest for solutions to Nigeria’s problems.

6 Times Patriarch Kirill Entertained the RuNet This Week

Source: THE MOSCOW TIMES

1. This week saw an historic meeting between the heads of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
2. Then, Patriarch Kirill went to visit some penguins.
3. Both events were adequately recognized by social media users, inspiring photoshopped images and memes galore. So, to kickstart your weekend, here's a little collection of all the ways Kirill made the RuNet a better — or at least a more entertaining — place.

We want to partner ASEAN countries that represent best of moderate Islam, says Obama

US President Barack Obama speaking to Channel NewsAsia in an exclusive interview at Sunnylands, California on Feb 16, 2016.

 

RANCHO MIRAGE, California: The United States wants to partner Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei that “represent the best of moderate Islam” to combat the rise of extremist groups such as Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS), said President Barack Obama.
“Their voice, I think, is absolutely critical in us winning the larger ideological battle that ISIS has mounted to try to recruit young people in Muslim countries,” he told Channel NewsAsia in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the US-ASEAN Summit in Sunnylands, California on Tuesday (Feb 16).

 

South Korea's shrinking Feb exports a worrying sign of global slowdown

Source: CNBC

South Korean exports shrank by one-sixth for the first 20 days of this month from a year earlier despite longer working days, data showed on Sunday, adding to concerns that the global economy was losing momentum.
South Korean exports during the Feb. 1-20 period totaled $22.16 billion, down 17.3 percent from the comparable period of 2015, while imports fell 17.4 percent to $20.19 billion, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.
Adjusting for the longer working days that the country had this year than last year, exports and imports during the first 20 days of this month would be about 20 percent each less than a year earlier, Thomson Reuters calculations show.

Michigan shootings: Gunman on loose in US city

Source: ALJAZEERA

US police have launched a manhunt for a shooter who is reportedly driving around the Michigan city of Kalamazoo and randomly shooting people.
At least six people have been reported killed and several others have been injured in the shootings late on Saturday night.
"We had several shootings tonight in the county and in the city of Kalamazoo. They all appear to be related. We have multiple people dead," Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told a local news station.
"We seem to be dealing with a worst-case scenario, someone driving around shooting," Matyas told NBC News.