International

Economic wars: U.S. envoy meets Tinubu in Paris

Published

11 months ago

April 11, 2025

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The United States has opened discussions with President Bola Tinubu on expanding economic cooperation across Africa as part of efforts to deepen trade, investment, and development ties on the continent.

This was disclosed following a meeting on Thursday between President Tinubu and U.S. State Department Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, in Paris, where the Nigerian leader is currently on a short working visit.

According to a statement posted Friday on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, and shared by President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the talks also touched on key security concerns in the region.

“State Department Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos met with President Tinubu on Thursday to discuss regional security, including working together with partners to build a durable peace in eastern DRC,” the U.S. Mission stated.

“They also discussed expanding opportunities for economic cooperation throughout Africa,” it added.

The meeting comes at a time when Nigeria is working to reposition itself as a hub for investment and economic growth on the continent.

President Tinubu has consistently called for stronger global partnerships to drive industrialization, job creation, and infrastructure development in Africa.

Though specific details of the economic discussions were not disclosed, analysts say the meeting reflects growing American interest in engaging with African leaders on development-focused diplomacy, with Nigeria seen as a critical anchor in West Africa.

President Tinubu has been in Paris since Wednesday, April 2, undertaking a short working visit aimed at reviewing his administration’s midterm performance and setting strategic priorities for the next phase of his tenure.

While abroad, the President has remained actively engaged in state matters, and Thursday’s high-level engagement with the U.S. State Department underscores Nigeria’s central role in regional affairs and global economic conversations.

Tinubu is expected to return to the country shortly, with public attention focused on the outcome of his consultations and the anticipated direction of new policies in the coming months.

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International

Trump says he thinks Putin is helping Iran

“I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?”

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

OCHEFA

33 Views

President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel.

According to CNBC, Trump’s comment came in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, and a week after the president lashed out at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for asking him at the White House about reports that Russia was aiding Iran.

Kilmeade asked Trump on Friday: “You think Putin is helping them?”

Trump replied, “I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump continued.

“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump said, referring to Ukraine, which has been at war against Russia since being invaded in early 2022.

“So he [Putin] says that, and China would say the same thing, you know,” Trump told Kilmeade.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness,’ ” Trump said. “They do it, and we do it.”

International

IEA agrees to release record 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruptions

The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market

Published

3 days ago

March 11, 2026

OCHEFA

68 Views

Merchant ship on fire hits by Iran in Strait of Hormuz.

The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to address the supply disruption triggered by the Iran war, the largest such action in the organization’s history.

The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market.

It said that the reserves would be released over a time frame that is appropriate to the circumstances of each of its 32 member countries.

IEA members are primarily advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. The organization is tasked with maintaining global energy security.

It was founded in 1974 in response to the oil embargo imposed by Arab producers over U.S. support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

(CNBC)

International

Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships

The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into ‌Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.

Published

3 days ago

March 11, 2026

OCHEFA

65 Views

(REUTERS): Iran said the world should be ready for oil at $200 a barrel as its forces hit merchant ships on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency recommended a massive release of strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s.

Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran also fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, demonstrating it can still fight back.

On Wednesday, three vessels were reported to have been hit in Gulf waters as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had fired on ships in the Gulf that had disobeyed their orders.

While Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation “will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we achieve all objectives and win the campaign,” Trump suggested the campaign would not last much longer.