WordPress

Author: Ummul Idris

  • Israeli war cabinet minister resigns, calls for new elections

    Israeli war cabinet minister resigns, calls for new elections
    Minister
    Jerusalem, June 10, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  Israel’s centrist War Cabinet Minister, Benny Gantz, announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency government and called for new elections.
    In response, Netanyahu released a statement saying that “Israel is in an existential war on several fronts.
    “Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign.”
    In a televised press conference, Gantz accused Netanyahu of prioritising his political survival over a ceasefire deal that would secure the release of about 100 hostages held in Gaza.
    “Unfortunately, Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward the real victory,” said Gantz.
    “Strategic decisions are met with hesitation due to political considerations.”
    Echoing increasing public protest against Netanyahu’s government, Gantz called for a new round of elections in the fall.
    He urged Netanyahu to set an agreed date to hold them.
    “Don’t let our people to be torn apart,” he said.
    Gantz’s decision to withdraw his centrist party from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition left it with extremist ministers, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who advocate for reoccupying the Gaza Strip and expanding Israeli settlements there.
    Gantz’s resignation followed a May ultimatum he issued to the right-wing prime minister, demanding that Netanyahu develop a clear post-conflict strategy for Gaza, where Israel has been conducting a fatal assault, and agree to a hostage-ceasefire agreement. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/HA
    =========
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

  • Iraqi court sentences 7 drug dealers to death

    Iraqi court sentences 7 drug dealers to death
    Sentence
    Baghdad, June 10, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) An Iraqi court has issued death sentences to seven drug dealers, including a foreigner.
    “The Central Criminal Court issued a verdict to execute seven drug dealers, including a foreigner, who were convicted of trafficking narcotic substances,” the Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement, without specifying the nationality of the foreigner.
    The council noted that the convicts were sentenced to death for importing and exporting narcotic substances from neighboring countries.
    The chaos and conflicts that have engulfed Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003 impeded Iraqi governments from effectively addressing the threat of drugs.
    In May 2023, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani underlined the importance of waging “a war on drugs.
    He said that drug dealing remains one of the main ways of financing terrorism, and the circulation of drugs flourishes in the shadow of terrorism. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/SH
    ========
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • Libya seeks to increase daily oil production

    Libya seeks to increase daily oil production
    Oil
    Tripoli, June 10, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah has emphasised the importance of consolidating the efforts of all government institutions to enhance oil production.
    The prime minister made the remarks in a meeting with Farhat Bengdara, chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), according to a statement by the Libyan government.
    To bolster oil production, Dbeibah also issued instructions to support the Libyan private oil sector and to “increase the efficiency of Libyan workers,” the statement added.
    During the meeting, Bengdara confirmed that NOC has set a goal to increase production to two million barrels per day by the end of next year.
    As of Sunday, its daily oil production stands at 1,250,775 barrels, according to the company.
    Oil and gas exports are the primary source of income for Libya.
    However, the sector has faced setbacks over the past years due to domestic conflicts and political instability.  (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng )
    UMD/SH
    ========
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • Emmanuel Macron announces dissolution of National Assembly

    Emmanuel Macron announces dissolution of National Assembly
    Dissolution
    Parìs, June 10, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the dissolution of the National Assembly, following defeat of his party in 2024 European Parliament (EP) elections, according to local media report.
    “I have decided to give you back the choice of your parliamentary future through the vote. I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly,” Macron said in a short speech.
    “This is a serious, weighty decision. But it is above all an act of trust,” he added.
    He added that the elections to the National Assembly are to take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7.
    Macron’s Renaissance party gained 15.2 per cent of the votes in 2024 European Parliament elections, far behind far-right National Rally who received 31.8 per cent.
    “The unprecedented gap between the presidential majority and the leading opposition party reflects a stinging disavowal and rejection of the policies led by Emmanuel Macron,” RN President Jordan Bardella said after the EP elections results were unveiled, quoted by local media.
    “We’re ready for it. I call on French people to join us in forming around the RN a majority in the service of the only cause that guides our steps: France.” parliamentary party leader of RN, Marine Le Pen, said Sunday evening on social media platform X.
    The EP elections were held from June 6 to June 9, with voters of the 27 EU member states selecting 720 lawmakers to the 10th EP.(Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannes.ng)
    UMD/SH
    =======
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Sadiya Hamza

  • Danish prime minister ‘safe but shaken’ after assault

    Danish prime minister ‘safe but shaken’ after assault
    Assault
    Copenhagen, June 8, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was taken to the hospital with a minor whiplash injury after a man hit her in central Copenhagen, her office said.
    Frederiksen is “safe but shaken” by the incident, the office said, adding that her scheduled engagements on Saturday were cancelled.
    Eyewitnesses told Danish media that the 46-year-old prime minister was assaulted on Kultorvet square in the capital’s historic centre on Friday but had been able to walk away from the scene.
    Police quickly arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with the incident.
    According to local media, the suspect later appeared in a pre-trial custody hearing in a Copenhagen district court.
    The man denied that he had anything against Frederiksen, saying she was “a really good prime minister” and that he had been surprised to run into her on the street.
    Police investigating the assault do not believe that the attack was politically motivated.
    Local media reported that the man was drunk and under the influence of other drugs at the time and that he was a Polish citizen who had been resident in Denmark for a long time.
    Condemnation poured in from across Europe.
    “Shocked to hear about the violence against my friend Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of our ally Denmark.
    “I strongly condemn all violence against our political leaders,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on the social media platform X.
    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe.”
    “French President Emmanuel Macron denounced it as “unacceptable” and wished the leader a quick recovery.
    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted a get-well message on X.
    “Dear Mette, I wish you a speedy recovery,” he said.
    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted on X: “Democracies must be free from intimidation and threats.”
    “I strongly condemn any form of violence against democratically elected leaders in our free societies,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said.
    “An attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy,” wrote Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on X.
    The incident comes as the EU’s 27 countries elect more than 700 members of the European Parliament during four days of voting that began on Thursday.
    Voters in Denmark would go to the polls on Sunday.
    There have been at least two attacks on politicians in Germany in the immediate run-up to the elections.
    Earlier, on May 15, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and seriously injured. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/ETS
    =========
    Edited by Ummul Idris

  • Indonesian woman swallowed by giant python

    Indonesian woman swallowed by giant python

    Woman

    Jakarta, June 8, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A 45-year-old woman was killed by a five-metre python while returning from her garden in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province, local media reported on Saturday.

    The woman, a resident of Sidenreng Rappang district, had told her husband on Thursday she was going to sell chilies to a collector.

    When she failed to return, her husband and relatives initiated a search, village head Suardi Rosi said.

    The next morning, a python was discovered near the woman’s abandoned belongings, Rosi said.

    Villagers, accustomed to the presence of these formidable predators, killed the snake and cut it open, revealing the woman’s body inside, the village head said. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    UMD/AMM

    =========

    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

  • Al-Shabaab raids on army bases in Somalia kill 25 people

    Al-Shabaab raids on army bases in Somalia kill 25 people

    Army

    Mogadishu, June 8, 2024 (dpa/NAN) At least 25 people were killed during Islamist terrorist attacks on four army bases in central Somalia on Saturday, officials confirmed.

    Somali army spokesman Abukar Mohamed Hassan said that the Al-Shabaab group carried out “a massive assault” from different directions, in the Eldheer district, with suicide bombers and heavily armed militants.

    “Our national armed forces and local armed militias fought hard to deny the militants from taking over the district, killing more than 20 terrorists,” he said.

    Hassan said that the country’s international partners were supporting the army in the air.

    Although he did not name which foreign powers were involved in Saturday’s airstrikes, Turkey and the U.S. routinely provide military support to the Somali army.

    He added that at least two Somali soldiers and three local clan militias fighting alongside the army were killed in today’s attack.

    Al-Shabaab said on its Radio Andalus that its fighters had captured four army bases around Eldheer, killing dozens of soldiers.

    These claims could not be immediately verified.

    Muhyadiin Arabow, a local elder man said that the fighting lasted about four hours, forcing a number of residents to flee their homes.

    He said Al-Shabaab rammed explosive-laden vehicles into the army posts in the area, which had destroyed civilian homes.

    “I saw eight civilians with gun wounds. Both sides used heavy weapons and explosions which made the situation very stressful,” he added.

    Al-Shabaab, a terrorist militia linked to Al-Qaeda, has been carrying out repeated attacks in the country of 18 million inhabitants in the Horn of Africa for years. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    UMD/AMM

    ========

    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • At least 60 killed in Congo terrorist attacks

    At least 60 killed in Congo terrorist attacks
    Attack
    Kinshasa, June 8, 2024 (dpa/NAN) About 60 people have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during several attacks by an affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group, authorities said on Saturday.
    The attacks took place in Béni, a territory in the province of North Kivu.
    “This week alone, they killed 29 civilians on Tuesday in Mamove and then yesterday, Friday, executed 28 other civilians near Masau,” said Kambale Gerve, a civil society leader in Beni said.
    A Red Cross source in Kinshasa said that “around 60 bodies have been taken in, while others are lying on the ground in areas that are still unsafe.”
    From its propaganda channels, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) claimed the death of more than 60 “Christians.”
    The Islamists released shocking videos and photos of bound bodies of victims floating on the Loulo River in Béni territory.
    Gerve said the attacks were carried out by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.
    The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019.  (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/AMM
    ===========
    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

  • Germany’s Scholz sees ‘sign of hope’ from Israeli hostage rescue

    Germany’s Scholz sees ‘sign of hope’ from Israeli hostage rescue
    Hostages
    Berlin, June 8, 2024 (dpa/NAN) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has described the release of four Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip on Saturday as an “important sign of hope.”
    Writing on X, he said this was “especially true for the many families in Israel who continue to fear for their loved ones.
    “Four hostages are now free. Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end,” he said.
    Earlier in the day, Israeli special forces rescued four hostages in broad daylight from two locations in the centre of the Gaza Strip. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/AMM
    ==========
    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

  • Israeli forces rescue 4 hostages from  Gaza after 246 days

    Israeli forces rescue 4 hostages from  Gaza after 246 days
    Rescue
    Jerusalem, June 8, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  Israeli forces on Saturday rescued four Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas into the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 2023 while 94 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in the same area.
    The hostages, 25-year-old Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, 40, Almog Meir Jan, 21, and Andrey Kozlov, 27, were abducted while attending the Nova festival, an outdoor music event in a rural area near the Gaza-Israel fence.
    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari, stated that the four were located in proper medical condition in two buildings at the heart of Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.
    The IDF said the operation, which has been planned for weeks, was jointly carried out with the police’s elite National Counter Terror Unit and the Israel Security Agency.
    One fighter was seriously injured during the operation.
    In videos released by the government, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Argamani on the phone.
    Following the rescue of the four, 120 Israeli hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, with 43 of them considered by Israel as dead.
    “We will do everything to get them back as well,” Hagari said.
    Meanwhile, local medical sources said that 94 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured on Saturday in Israeli airstrikes on the Nuseirat camp and some other areas in the central Gaza Strip.
    Palestinian security sources said deadly clashes broke out on the ground between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops raiding the Nuseirat camp under the cover of artillery and aerial bombardment. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/AMM
    ==========
    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru