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5 things to know about Trump's TPP withdrawal

U.S. President Donald Trump

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a trade agreement among eleven of the Pacific Rim countries—notably not including China. The finalized proposal was signed on 4 February 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand, concluding seven years of negotiations. It currently cannot be ratified due to U.S. withdrawal from the agreement on 23 January 2017. The former Obama administration claimed that the agreement aimed to "promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in the signatories' countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections." The TPP contains measures to lower both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism.

The TPP began as an expansion of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP or P4) signed by Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore in 2005. Beginning in 2008, additional countries joined the discussion for a broader agreement: Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, United States, and Vietnam, bringing the total number of countries participating in the negotiations to twelve. Current trade agreements between participating countries, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, will be reduced to those provisions that do not conflict with the TPP or provide greater trade liberalization than the TPP. The Obama administration considered the TPP a companion agreement to the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a broadly similar agreement between the U.S. and the European Union.

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Source: CNN (Read below)

President Donald Trump has begun carrying out his campaign pledges to undo America's trade ties -- starting Monday with executive action to pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"Great thing for the American worker, what we just did," Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office as he signed the order.

Here's what you need to know about Trump's move:

What did Trump do today?

Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- a 12-nation deal that had been negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

Nothing changes because of Trump's move. Congress had not yet approved the TPP -- its fate was bleak on Capitol Hill no matter what the White House did -- and the deal had not yet taken effect.

However, by pulling the United States out of the deal, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise.

And in doing so, he ends all hopes for a deal Obama wanted as a major part of his legacy.

The TPP -- which has also included Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei -- would have slashed tariffs for American imports and exports with those countries. In exchange, the United States had negotiated labor, environmental and intellectual property protections that major businesses sought. The deal's critics complained that it didn't directly address the issue of currency manipulation.

Now the pressure is on Trump

Trump on Sunday announced he'd start to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. On Monday, he pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

He has now taken firm control of the trade rules he long decried, and is in position to reverse decades of American presidents pushing for lower trade barriers and an interconnected global economy.

In other words: Now, the pressure is really on.

Trump's bet is that, through his negotiating prowess, force of will and willingness to walk away from the table, he can convince other countries to accept terms that previous presidents -- from George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton on NAFTA to Barack Obama on the TPP -- have not been able to achieve.

The task is difficult -- even though Trump's move to withdraw from the TPP is likely to be politically popular. Even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders -- a leading Trump critic -- praised it, saying he is "glad the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead and gone."

"Now is the time to develop a new trade policy that helps working families, not just multi-national corporations," Sanders said in a statement. "If President Trump is serious about a new policy to help American workers then I would be delighted to work with him."

What this means for globalization

Until Trump negotiates his own bargains, he's betting he can reverse the decades-long trend of globalization.

He faces a lot of skeptics. Big businesses are howling that Trump is undercutting their ability to sell to the vast majority of the world's consumers -- a particularly damaging move if manufacturing jobs that have already left the United States are gone for good.

Republicans have long supported free trade -- and now find themselves torn between a protectionist President and a business community that sees Trump's position as detached from the reality that new technology, rising wages and an increasingly interconnected world mean that many manufacturing and low-skill jobs won't return to the United States; that goods are sold cheaper in the United States because they are made overseas; and that American companies also benefit from trade deals, making trillions of dollars selling their own products oversees.

Those GOP principles were on display in the reaction to Trump's move.

"I don't see any benefit in trying to crawl back into our shell as a country," Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told CNN.

"It's clear that those of us who believe trade is good for American families have done a terrible job defending trade's historic successes and celebrating its future potential. We have to make the arguments and we have to start now," Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said in a statement.

How will this affect Americans?

Because the TPP hadn't taken effect, there will be no immediate impact.

Quantifying what it means the United States is foregoing by turning down what would have been a deal including countries that make up 40% of the global economy -- both in terms of jobs retained and business lost -- is difficult, and numbers offered by both critics and advocates of the deal are disputed.

But labor groups -- some of which are scheduled to meet Trump Monday at the White House -- are sure to celebrate the move. They've long argued it would continue a trend of shifting American manufacturing jobs overseas to nations with lower wages and fewer labor protections.

Businesses will also lose access to potential new markets, though. US automakers hoped to see tariffs slashed in Asia. Farmers were set to see the removal of trade taxes that currently prevent them from selling products, particularly poultry, overseas. Pharmaceutical drug-makers had received years of patent protection that would have lessened the competition from generics in Asia. And tech companies, from Google to cell phone providers, sought to lessen regulations and gain entry into some of the countries involved in the deal.

"This decision will forfeit the opportunity to promote American exports, reduce trade barriers, open new markets, and protect American invention and innovation," Arizona Sen. John McCain said in a statement critical of Trump's executive action.

What does China have to do with it?

Best-case scenario for the United States: Nothing at all, since China wasn't involved in the TPP.

But already, Chinese leaders are angling to take the United States' place and expand the country's influence in the region.

"We must remain committed to promoting free trade and investment through opening up and say no to protectionism," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week.

Obama had pitched the TPP as a way to counter China's growing influence by imposing US-backed labor, environmental and patent protections. China is unlikely to seek or support such protections in its own trade negotiations -- allowing those countries to produce cheaper goods, but with fewer worker protections.

The 11 remaining TPP nations are now set to regroup. Trade ministers from those nations say they intend to press forward with the deal -- but the United States' withdrawal could mean a major rewrite, or an opening for another global superpower to pursue an alternative agreement.

Watch video here

Inspiration for the Day

Two young ladies arrived a Meeting wearing clothes that were quite revealing their body
parts.

Here is what the Chairman told them:

He took a good look at them and made them sit.

Then he said something that, they might never forget in their life. He looked at them straight in the eyes and said;

"ladies, everything that God made valuable in this world is well covered and hardly to see, find or get."

 

1. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected.

 

2. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell.

 

3. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers of rock and to get them, you have to work hard & dig deep down to get them.

He looked at them with serious eyes and said;

"Your body is sacred & unique. You are far more precious than gold, diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too."

So he added that,

if you keep your treasured mineral just like gold, diamond and pearls, deeply covered up, a reputable mining organization with the requisite machinery will fly down and conduct years of extensive exploration.

First, they will contact your government (family), sign professional contracts (wedding) and mine you professionally( legal marriage).But if you leave
your precious minerals uncovered on the surface of the earth, you always attract a lot of illegal miners to come and mine you illegally.Everybody will just pick up their crude instruments and just have a dig on you just freely like that. Keep your
bodies deeply covered so that it invite professional miners to chase you.

Let us all encourage our wives, friends and daughters to dress well and decent!

Is this a sign of MMM Nigeria crashing?...READ THE LATEST DETAILS HERE

When some people want something, they want it now, they do not have time to wait or listen to stories. That is the case with some MMM participants at the moment. They just want the money they invested into the Ponzi scheme back.

When the money doubling scheme resumed on Friday, January 13, there was so much jubilation among members as they expected to get help (GH) immediately. But, their expectations were cut short as it was announced that they would be getting their money in batches.

Some members are running out of patience and are in panic mode as they do not understand what is going on. They have been complaining about not getting paid. Apparently, the scheme has set a maximum withdrawal limit of N31000 for participants, but it is still finding it difficult to pay participants.

One participant, Daniels C Rays, took to the group’s Facebook page to complain about the changes he noticed when he logged into the site.

According to him, his “pending withdrawal” has changed to “confirmed” but he has not received any money.

Meanwhile, in the early hours of Tuesday, January 17, 2017, the Get Help (GH) access of some of the participants was removed.

The GH orders were said to have been removed because of an ongoing upgrade and also because some participants had formed the habit of cancelling and re-ordering their GH for the benefit of interest.

Adaugo Chijioke wrote: “My brother when next you want to post news, please use the exact and correct terms. GH orders were not cancelled but rather HIDDEN probably to avoid participants from cancelling and re-ordering for the benefit of interest. However, this action may as well be because of any technical works on ground. If GH orders were cancelled, your money will return to your mavro without (any pending withdrawal). Please do not become another media agent especially in this group that stop at nothing but creating unnecessary panic or spreading rumour. Take Note.“

The hardest people to convince are the ignorant ones. No matter how hard you try, no matter the signs they see, everything still seem right to them, and they remain adamant UNTIL when affected. 

INVEST WISELY!!!

Made in Nigeria store opens for vendor registration...APPLY NOW!

Tembe.ng is a digital marketplace dedicated to the sale of made in Nigeria products. The platform is set to launch its full operations at the end of the month with nationwide and international product delivery.


The platform does a lot more for Nigerian producers than just allow them to register and upload their product images and details, we promote the products on our platform to end users, retailers and even wholesalers, we handle payment processing, product delivery and a number programs and trainings to help Nigerian entrepreneurs compete better with their western counterparts.

If you sell made in Nigerian products, please register and upload your products today, as the vendors who sign up prior to our full launch will earn pioneer vendor status.

Visit www.tembe.ng to register. For partnerships and collaborations, call 09052556265 or email info@tembe.ng

Tembe.ng is an Aiivon project

Source: LIB

Bomb blast at the University of Maiduguri mosque earlier today! (Graphic Photos)

A bomb explosion was confirmed to have occured in a mosque at the University of Maiduguri Borno earlier this morning while students and staff of the university were observing prayer at 6:30 am. According to Sahara reporters, eyewitnesses said that an explosion rocked the university this morning and that security forces were mobilized to the scene of the incident.

Casualties were yet to be confirmed then.

Information reaching us now is that, the blast claimed the lives of 5 people including a University professor of Veterinary medicine, while 20 have been injured.

Professor Aliyu Mani (Professor of Veterinary medicine)

Exams scheduled to take place at the school has also been canceled. The bomb blast has been attributed to a Boko Haram attack. According Baba-Gana Ali, the bomb blast took place during fajr prayers (dawn prayers). He said another explosion took place at gate 5 of the school, which killed only the suicide bomber.

Other Graphic photos are below (viewers discretion is advised):

  

                    

We pray for your intervention Oh God...

Obama’s farewell speech

President Barack Obama has called on Americans to defend their democracy in his farewell speech in Chicago.

“By almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place, than it was eight years ago when he took office", he told thousands of supporters.

But he warned “democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted”.

He implored Americans of all backgrounds to consider things from each other’s point of view, saying “we have to pay attention and listen”.

The country’s first black president, now 55, was first elected in 2008 on a message of hope and change.

His successor, Donald Trump, has vowed to undo some of Mr Obama’s signature policies. He will be sworn into office on 20 January.

Raucous chants of “four more years” from the crowd were brushed aside by the president. “I can’t do that,” he said with a smile. US presidents are limited to two terms by the constitution.

“No, no, no, no no,” he said, when the crowd booed the prospect of Mr Trump replacing him.

Striking an upbeat tone, Mr Obama said that the peaceful transfer of power between presidents was a “hallmark” of American democracy.

But, he outlined three threats to American democracy – economic inequality, racial divisions and the retreat of different segments of society into “bubbles”, where opinions are not based on “some common baseline of facts”.

“If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try to talk with one in real life,” he said to laughter and applause.

In his closing remarks he said he had one final request for Americans as president: “I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours.”

Returning to Chicago, where he first declared victory in 2008, Mr Obama delivered a mostly positive message to Americans after a divisive election campaign which saw Mr Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Mr Obama said that young Americans – including those who worked on his campaigns, and who believe “in a fair, just, inclusive America” – left him feeling “even more optimistic about this country than I was when we started”.

In choosing Chicago, Mr Obama had earlier said he wanted to return to where it all started for him and First Lady Michelle Obama, instead of delivering the speech from the White House.

To watch the full speech, check here

FACTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS ABOUT BARACK OBAMA

The presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. Obama's presidency is scheduled to end with the inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was a United States Senator from Illinois at the time of his victory over Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. Obama is the first African American president, the first multiracial president, the first non-white president, and the first president to have been born in Hawaii. Obama's running mate, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, also took office as Vice President on January 20, 2009.

Obama's first-term actions addressed the global financial crisis and included a major stimulus package, a partial extension of the Bush tax cuts, legislation to reform health care, a major financial regulation reform bill, and the end of a major US military presence in Iraq. Obama also appointed Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, the latter of whom became the first Hispanic American on the Supreme Court. Democrats controlled both houses of Congress until Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections. Following the elections, Obama and Congressional Republicans engaged in a protracted stand-off over government spending levels and the debt ceiling.

Obama won election to a second term in 2012, making him the seventeenth person to win two presidential elections. In his second term, Obama took steps to combat climate change, signing a major international climate agreement and an executive order to limit carbon emissions. Obama also presided over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other legislation passed in his first term, and he negotiated rapprochements with Iran and Cuba. The number of American soldiers in Afghanistan fell dramatically during Obama's second term, though U.S. soldiers remained in Afghanistan throughout Obama's presidency. Republicans took control of the Senate after the 2014 elections, and Obama continued to grapple with Congressional Republicans over government spending, immigration, judicial nominations, and other issues.

- Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States
- He is the first African American to hold the office.
- Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review.
- On October 8, 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
- Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta.
- His first book was published in mid-1995. Known as "Dreams from My Father"...Other books are "The Audacity of Hope(2006)", "Of Thee I Sing(2010)", "Change We Can Believe In(2008)", "State Of The Union(2009)", "A More Perfect Union(2008)", "The OBAMA Education Plan(2009)" and so on.

Obama's Signature Legislature: 

This Signature is of President Barack Obama signing the historic healthcare bill at the White House. What may surprise you is the fact that Obama used not one, or two, but 22 different pens to sign this history bill. 
TIME magazine explains the rationale behind multi-pen signatures:
The pen used to sign historic legislation itself becomes a historical artifact. The more pens a President uses, the more thank-you gifts he can offer to those who helped create that piece of history. The White House often engraves the pens, which are then given as keepsakes to key proponents or supporters of the newly signed legislation.

Signature sample

Barack Obama's Signature shows Desire for Responsibility, Fluidity of thoughts, Socially prominence, Determination, and Analytical Thinking