The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Trump injured in “possible assassination” at rally

    Trump injured in “possible assassination” at rally

    By Precious Igbonwelundu, New York 

    Former President Donald Trump Saturday evening sustained injuries following a possible assassination attempt on him at his rally in Pennsylvania, United States of America.

    Trump was whisked off the rally stage by secret service operatives with blood coming from his right ear and on his face after sounds of gunshot interrupted his speech at the Butler County event.

    Already, the District Attorney of Butler County, Richard Goldinger confirmed to ABC News that the shooter was dead and a bystander killed.

    Early footage from the scene showed hundreds of Trump supporters at the rally ground in panic following the gunshots and how secret service swamped the Republican Presidential candidate before whisking him off the stage to an unnamed medical facility.

    Trump began his speech at about 6pm in the event that was televised live and was only shortly into his speech when a disturbance caused the Secret Service to swarm the former president. 

    It was anticipated that Trump might name his running mate at the campaign as supporters trooped in from neighbouring states to cheer the former president.

    In a statement released after the shooting, a spokesperson from Trump said: “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.”

    “An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” the Secret Service said in a statement. 

    “The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”

    The White House said in a statement, “The President has received an initial briefing on the incident at Former President Trump’s rally.”

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he has also been briefed.

    “Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States,” he said in a statement.

    He said state police are on the scene in Butler County and working with our federal and local authorities.

  • Nigerian-born UK council boss resigns after drink-driving, drug charges

    Nigerian-born UK council boss resigns after drink-driving, drug charges

    Nigerian-Born Bayo Dosunmu, Lambeth Council’s chief executive, has quit after being charged with drink-driving and drug possession offences.

    Dosunmu is accused of fleeing the scene of a car crash in Westminster at the end of June.

    The 46-year-old from Hammersmith was arrested on suspicion of failing to stop, being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, possession of Class A drugs, and driving without insurance.

    Following the arrest, Lambeth Council stated that Mr. Dosunmu would be taking some time “away from work.”

    On Wednesday, a town hall spokesman confirmed that he will officially leave the £185,000-a-year post from next week.

    “Bayo Dosunmu has stepped down as chief executive of Lambeth Council with effect from Monday, July 15, 2024,” a spokesman said.

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    “Fiona Connolly is currently acting chief executive, and the council will shortly begin the process to recruit a permanent chief executive.”

    A Met Police spokesman said: “Bayo Dosunmu, 46, of Hammersmith, was arrested on Sunday, June 23, in the Westminster area.

    “He was charged on Monday, June 24. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 1.”

    Dosunmu received a salary of around £185,000 a year as boss of the Labour-run local authority, plus extra payments for acting as the borough’s returning officer during elections.

    He was appointed Lambeth’s chief executive in 2022, having previously served as the borough’s deputy chief and strategic director for resident services.

    Before that, he was an executive director at Homes England and assistant chief executive at the Homes and Communities Agency.

    He also served at a senior level in a range of civil service roles, including for the Welsh Government and the Olympic Delivery Authority.

  • 71 killed, 300 injured in Israeli strike on Hamas leaders

    71 killed, 300 injured in Israeli strike on Hamas leaders

    Israel Defense Forces targeted Hamas leaders in an airstrike in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza that the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said killed 71 and injured 300.

    Health Ministry officials did not say how many casualties are civilians or members of the military wing of Hamas, which the United States designated a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.

    IDF officials said they targeted Mohammed Deif, who leads the Hamas military’s Qassam Brigades and is accused of planning the Oct. 7 attacks that killed about 1,200 Israeli civilians and resulted in the kidnapping of 250.

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    The IDF also targeted Rafe Salama, who is the Hamas leader of the Khan Younis brigade. Ignoring international pressure to end its war on Hamas before achieving previously stated goals of eliminating those responsible for coordinating the Oct. 7 attack enabled the airstrike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told media yesterday.

    “At the beginning of the war, I set a principle; The Hamas murderers are dead men,” Netanyahu said. “From the first to the last, we will bring them to justice.” Eliminating the Hamas leaders is one of the Israel’s goals in the conflict, he said.

  • Hungary’s Orbán meets Trump for ‘peace mission’ talks in Florida

    Hungary’s Orbán meets Trump for ‘peace mission’ talks in Florida

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with former U.S. president Donald Trump on Thursday, shortly after attending a NATO summit in Washington.

    Orbán shared a picture of their meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on social media plaform X, writing: “peace mission 5.0.

    “We discussed ways to make #peace. The good news of the day, he’s going to solve it’’.

    Orbán has maintained good relations with Trump since the former U.S. president’s election victory in 2016.

    The two men last met in March, after which Orbán referred to Trump as the “president of peace,’’ while Trump called Orbán a fantastic leader.

    Trump aims to reclaim the White House for the Republican Party after the U.S. presidential elections in November, seeking to replace President Joe Biden who is expected to run for the Democrats again.

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    In the days leading up to the NATO summit held in Washington this week, Orbán made headlines with surprise visits to Russia, Ukraine and China, a trip he labelled his “peace mission.’’

    The trip to Moscow in particular, which came as Hungary took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union in July, sparked ire from Orbán’s EU and NATO allies.

    Several EU officials, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, later stressed that the Hungarian leader had no official EU mandate for negotiations with Russia.

    At the end of the NATO summit in Washington, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, representing Orbán who had left early for Florida.

    It’s caused a stir by accusing NATO partners of double standards and failure in dealing with Russia’s war against Ukraine.

    (dpa/NAN) 

  • Sudanese police order all foreigners to leave Khartoum

    Sudanese police order all foreigners to leave Khartoum

    Sudanese security authorities have ordered all foreigners to leave the capital Khartoum and the surrounding region.

    They have two weeks to do so, according to a statement from the section of the police dealing with foreigners.

    Foreigners should leave for their own safety amid the fighting still raging between government troops and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, the police said.

    According to media reports, hostility towards foreigners, especially those from other African countries, has been on the rise following reports of foreign mercenaries in the RSF ranks.

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    Just a few days ago, more than 150 foreigners who did not have valid residence papers were detained.

    A bloody power struggle has been raging in Sudan for more than a year between de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.

    According to the UN, the conflict has caused almost 10 million people to flee their homes, and risks a famine in the country.

    International aid organisation staff and diplomats still in the country left Khartoum after the outbreak of fighting and are now working from Port Sudan, where the situation is comparatively stable. (dpa/NAN) 

  • Trump’s ‘going to solve’ Russia-Ukraine war, says Orbán

    Trump’s ‘going to solve’ Russia-Ukraine war, says Orbán

    Former U.S. President Donald Trump is “going to solve” Russia’s war in Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday morning.

    “It was an honor to visit President Trump today. We discussed ways to make peace. The good news of the day: he’s going to solve it!” Orbán said after a meeting with Trump at the 2024 Republican candidate’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

    Trump agreed with Orbán. “There must be peace, and quickly. Too many people have died in a war that should have never started!” he said in a post on his platform Truth Social.

    The Hungarian leader’s self-declared Ukraine peace crusade has now taken hi to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Palm Beach and included meetings with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese ruler Xi Jinping and now Trump.

    But Ukraine has not asked Orbán for assistance, looking instead to its own peace plan and punishment for Russia for its full-scale invasion which has now dragged on for nearly two and a half years.

    “With all due respect to all countries, big and small, we have to say that not all leaders can negotiate. You need to have certain powers and strength for this,” Zelenskyy said while commenting on the Hungarian leader’s peace mission during a press conference Thursday.

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    Orbán, for his part, has echoed Russian narratives about the war, while pushing for other peace initiatives, like the Chinese plan which would freeze the conflict, and no financial aid to Ukraine.

    Since Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union at the start of July, Orbán announced he is using the presidency to take steps toward peace in Russia’s war against Ukraine — despite the fact taht Budapest’s role affords him no special diplomatic status.

    After meeting with Putin and Xi, Orbán proceeded to Washington where he convened with fellow NATO leaders at a summit marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary.

    Trump, who leads incumbent President Joe Biden in polling in several critical swing states for November’s election, has also said several times that he would end the war quickly — even before he takes over the presidency.

  • ‘I will keep NATO strong,’ says Biden 

    ‘I will keep NATO strong,’ says Biden 

    U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday closed a three-day NATO summit in Washington by promising to “keep NATO strong,” in a press conference that focused heavily on U.S. politics and concerns about his mental fitness.

    The 81-year-old U.S. leader is facing calls to let another candidate from his Democratic Party replace him in this year’s presidential race due to fears that he is suffering a mental decline.

    The opposing Republican Party is expected to nominate former president Donald Trump, 78, at its convention, which begins on Monday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

    “My predecessor has made it clear he has no commitment to NATO,” Biden said.

    “He’s made it clear that he would feel no obligation to honour Article 5″ of the NATO treaty, which commits all allies to respond if one is attacked.

    “But I made it clear a strong NATO is essential to American security. And I believe the obligation of Article 5 is sacred,” Biden contrasted.

    “I will not bow down to Putin. I will not walk away from Ukraine. I will keep NATO strong,” the U.S. leader continued.

    Biden’s speech followed a three-day summit in which NATO leaders announced further military support for Ukraine’s efforts to repel the Russian invasion, including air-defence systems and a pledge to spend 40 billion euro (or 43 billion dollars) in the next year.

    They also declared Ukraine’s future path to NATO membership “irreversible.”

    The United States and Germany also announced on Wednesday that the former would station long-range cruise missiles in “episodic deployments” in Germany to strengthen NATO’s deterrence in Europe.

    But Biden’s closing press conference was dominated by the forthcoming presidential election in his country, and whether he should persist in running for re-election.

    When asked whether he’d still be able to “deal with” Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping three years from now, Biden said he would not talk to Putin until the Russian leader changed course.

    “I’m dealing with Xi right now and (I’m in) direct contact with him.

    “I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now. There’s not much that he is prepared to do in terms of accommodating any change in his behaviour.

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    “I’m not ready to talk to Putin unless Putin’s ready to change his behaviour,” he said.

    At times during the hour-long news conference, Biden struggled to express himself coherently, and in one instance appeared to confuse Trump with Vice-President Kamala Harris.

    When asked for his opinion of Harris’ ability to beat Trump, he said: “Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, did I think she was not qualified to be president” (sic).

    He went on to say, “I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president.”

    This followed an earlier gaffe in a speech after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when Biden introduced the Ukrainian leader as “President Putin.”

    “And now I hand over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination – ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said.

    Biden corrected himself a moment later, adding: “….to beat President Putin – President Zelensky!”

    In a post-summit news conference shortly before Biden’s, Britain’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Keir Starmer was repeatedly asked about Biden’s mental fitness.

    Starmer said Biden “deserves credit” for the summit’s achievements.

    “We have a bigger NATO, and more countries; we have a stronger NATO. We have a real sense of resolve,” Starmer said.

    “President Biden led through all of that,” he added.

    Earlier in the day, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters he had no concerns about Biden’s capabilities.

    “I have absolutely no concerns about the capacity of the current president of the United States to lead his country and to lead our fight for Ukraine and to lead NATO,” Stubb told reporters.

    “I’ve had the opportunity to speak to President Biden on many occasions during the past 48 hours.

    “We human beings, when we’re treated in the public eye, we’re never as good as we sometimes look, and we’re never as bad,” Stubb added.

    (dpa/NAN) 

  • Venice to charge tourist entry fees with higher rates

    Venice to charge tourist entry fees with higher rates

    Venice wanted to keep charging an entrance fee for day visitors when a trial period for the charge, the world’s first such scheme to end this weekend.

    The city had planned to take account of demand in its new pricing and double the fee from five euros (or 5.4 dollars) to up to 10 euros.

    This is when the city on Italy’s Adriatic coast is particularly busy, Michele Zuin, the city councillor responsible for finances, told a local newspaper.

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    The nearly month-long trial put more than 2 million euros (2.1 million dollars) into the city’s coffers.

    On some days, more than 25,000 paying guests were registered.

    Zuin, in a story in Il Gazzettino, said that from 2025 onwards, a base rate would apply to day visitors some of the time.

    On critical days however, visitors would need to pay a maximum rate of 10 euros.

    The city intended to take its time with an official report after the last two test days this Saturday and Sunday.

    First, the collected data would be evaluated.

    During the trial period, a 5 euros entrance fee was charged between 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) and 4 p.m.

    Visitors could acquire a QR code via the internet and download it to their mobile phones to pay.

    With an estimated 15 million guests per year, Venice was among the most visited cities in the world.

    The mass tourism brought a lot of money into the city’s treasury, but also caused considerable damage. (dpa/NAN)

  • 12 pupils killed in South Africa’s crash

    12 pupils killed in South Africa’s crash

    Twelve primary school children died in a road accident on Wednesday in South Africa as a minibus taking them to school overturned and caught fire after collision, officials said.

    The incident occurred on the N14 motorway near Merafong, about 70 kilometres west of Johannesburg, when another vehicle rammed the school bus from behind.

    Also, the driver of the minibus was found dead.

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    Moreover, the South African authorities said the victims were burnt beyond recognition. Seven other children were injured in the accident in the province of Gauteng.

    Road officials were initially unable to provide any information on the ages of the children.

    The police are currently investigating the circumstances behind the accident.

    ´´The loss of our children is a devastating blow to our community,’’ Gauteng Province Minister of Education Matome Chiloane commented.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Zelensky vows to rebuild bombed children’s hospital in Kiev

    Zelensky vows to rebuild bombed children’s hospital in Kiev

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to rebuild the children’s hospital in Kiev which was badly damaged in a Russian missile attack earlier this week.

    Some 100 million hryvnia (about 2.45 million dollars) had already been allocated to support the hospital, and a further 300 million hryvnia would follow, Zelensky said in a video message.

    He promised help to all families whose relatives were killed or injured in the attack.

    The strike on the hospital was part of a wave of missile attacks that left more than 40 people killed and well over 100 injured across the country on Monday.

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    The shelling of the children’s hospital and surrounding area, which left several people dead, provoked international outrage, including at the level of the UN Security Council.

    Moscow dismissed the Ukrainian response as kind of a Public Relations (PR) stunt.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed a stray missile from Ukraine’s own air defences for the damage to the hospital.

    Kiev was trying to exploit the tragedy to coincide with Zelensky’s participation in the NATO summit in Washington, he said.

    He noted that at the summit on Tuesday, NATO countries announced that more air defence systems would be delivered to Ukraine.

    Zelensky, who is also attending, said the air defence systems would help ward off the kind of brutal attack that hit the paediatric hospital in Kiev.

    (dpa/NAN)