The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Russia, Ukraine edge closer to first talks in seven weeks

    Russia, Ukraine edge closer to first talks in seven weeks

    Russia and Ukraine appear close to agreeing to hold a new round of peace talks in Turkey this week, although the Kremlin said yesterday that the two sides held “diametrically opposed” positions on how to end the war.

    Two days after Ukraine called for new talks in Istanbul this week, Russian state news agency TASS quoted an unidentified source as saying that negotiators – who have not sat down together for seven weeks – may meet there on Thursday and Friday.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a gathering of his diplomats in Kyiv: “We need greater momentum in negotiations to end the war.”

    He added: “The agenda from our side is clear: the return of prisoners of war, the return of children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders’ meeting.”

    Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is under increasing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to show progress towards ending the conflict, turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person.

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    Putin has repeatedly said he does not see Zelenskiy as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when his five-year mandate expired last year.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that as soon as there was a definitive understanding of the date for the next round of talks, then Moscow would announce it.

    “There is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far,” Peskov said.

    Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war.

    Trump said last week he would impose new sanctions in 50 days on Russia and countries that buy its exports if there is no deal before then to end the conflict.

  • 19 killed, scores injured as Bangladesh air force jet crashes into college

    19 killed, scores injured as Bangladesh air force jet crashes into college

    No fewer than 19 people were killed and 164 injured as a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital Dhaka  yesterday after experiencing a technical problem shortly after take-off, a military spokesperson said.

    The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06 p.m. (0706 GMT) from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury.

    “The pilot … made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft … crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College,” he said.

    The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause.

    The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane’s Information Group. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011 and deliveries were completed by 2013.

    The Chengdu F-7 is the licence-built version of the Soviet MiG-21.

    Read Also: Kemi Badenoch lied about Nigeria’s citizenship laws-Presidency

    Videos of the aftermath of the crash showed a big fire near a lawn emitting a thick plume of smoke into the sky, as crowds watched from a distance.

    Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, footage filmed by Reuters showed.

    “A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.

    Images from the scene also showed people screaming and crying as others tried to comfort them.

    “When I was picking (up) my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind … I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke,” said Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school.

    The incident comes a little over a month after an Air India plane crashed on top of a medical college hostel in neighbouring India’s Ahmedabad city, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, marking the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.

  • UK, France, 23 other nations condemn Israel over ‘inhumane killing’ of civilians

    UK, France, 23 other nations condemn Israel over ‘inhumane killing’ of civilians

    A group of 25 Western countries, including Britain, France, and Canada, said yesterday Israel must immediately end its war in Gaza and criticised what they called the “inhumane killing” of Palestinians, including hundreds near food distribution sites.

    The countries in a joint statement condemned what they called the “drip feeding of aid” to Palestinians in Gaza and said it was “horrifying” that more than 800 civilians had been killed while seeking aid.

    The majority of those killed were in the vicinity of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, which the United States and Israel backed to take over aid distribution in Gaza from a network led by the United Nations.

    “The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the countries’ foreign ministers said in a joint statement. “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.”

    Israel’s foreign ministry said the statement was “disconnected from reality” and it would send the wrong message to Hamas.

    “The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas’s role and responsibility for the situation,” the Israeli statement said.

    Much of Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland during more than 21 months of the war that began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

    Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, with the latest deaths reported  yesterday as Israel began a new incursion in central Gaza.

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    The call by about 20 European countries as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand for an end to the war in Gaza and the delivery of aid comes from many countries which are allied with Israel and its most important backer, the United States.

    The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing the U.N.-led system that Israel alleges has let Hamas-led militants loot aid shipments intended for civilians. Hamas denies the accusation.

    The U.N. has called the GHF’s model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards, which the GHF denies.

    The countries behind the statement said Israel was denying essential humanitarian assistance and called on the country to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

    They urged Israel to immediately lift restrictions to allow the flow of aid and to enable humanitarian organisations and the United Nations to operate safely and effectively.

    They added they were “prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace” for Israelis and Palestinians.

  • FATF invites Nigeria to join consultative process on global financial integrity standards

    FATF invites Nigeria to join consultative process on global financial integrity standards

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog on money laundering and terrorist financing, has formally invited Nigeria to participate in its consultative processes for one year under the FATF-Style Regional Bodies (FSRB) jurisdictions guest initiative.

    The invitation was conveyed in a letter from the FATF President, Elisa de Anda Madrazo, to the Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hafsat Abubakar Bakari. 

    The move marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s engagement with the international financial standards-setting body, allowing the country to engage under its own national identity in deliberations and discussions at FATF events.

    Prior to this development, Nigeria had only participated in FATF meetings as part of the delegation of the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), a regional body under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). 

    Now, through the FSRB guest initiative, Nigeria will attend as a guest jurisdiction, representing its national views and contributing regional perspectives to FATF consultations.

    While the FATF’s rules do not permit guest jurisdictions or observers to take part in its decision-making processes, participating countries can still engage meaningfully by offering input and observations during discussions. 

    The initiative is part of the FATF President’s ongoing efforts to enhance inclusiveness and ensure broader global representation in the setting of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) standards.

    The guest initiative also aims to deepen participating countries’ understanding of FATF processes and allow them to play stronger roles in supporting the global financial system’s integrity.

    Responding to the invitation, the Director/CEO of the NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, welcomed what she described as recognition of Nigeria’s growing contribution to the global fight against illicit financial flows. 

    She stated that the country’s ongoing reforms in the AML/CFT space are aligned with broader national objectives to strengthen the economy and bolster investor confidence.

    “The positive reforms of Nigeria’s AML/CFT framework are a vital part of the administration’s efforts to boost economic growth and development,” Bakari said. “This invitation by the FATF is a signal that we are on the right track and will reinforce our commitment to ensuring these standards are fully entrenched not just in Nigeria but across the wider region.”

    Read Also: FATF praises Nigeria for progress on anti-money laundering, terror financing reforms

    Nigeria’s inclusion in the FATF consultative platform is seen as a critical step forward in its broader bid to exit the FATF grey list. The country was placed on the list in February 2023 and is currently implementing an action plan to address identified strategic deficiencies. 

    With a final deadline of May 2025 to meet its commitments, the invitation is expected to enhance Nigeria’s institutional capacity to align with FATF standards and contribute to regional compliance efforts.

    FATF, headquartered in Paris, is an intergovernmental body that develops policies to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. 

    Its membership and observer processes are central to ensuring countries are compliant with global norms that promote transparency and safeguard financial systems from criminal abuse.

  • Pope Leo renews call for ceasefire after Israeli attack on Gaza church

    Pope Leo renews call for ceasefire after Israeli attack on Gaza church

    • Starvation massacres reveal brutal genocidal pattern, says Euro-Med

    Pope Leo XIV renewed his call yesterday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

    “I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” the pontiff said at the end of his yesterday Angelus prayer from his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

    Leo also expressed his “deep sorrow” for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest.

    “I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,” the pope added.

    The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating.

    “We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,” the pope said earlier yesterday, after presiding over Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano.

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    “The world no longer tolerates war,” Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral.

    Asked about his phone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leo said, “We insisted on the need to protect the sacred places of all religions.”

    The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) yesterday said that the Israeli occupation forces committed one of the most horrific massacres against starving civilians waiting for aid in the northern Gaza Strip, firing directly at them without posing any threat, killing 67 people and wounding dozens.

    It indicated in a statement yesterday that it had documented Israeli occupation soldiers opening fire on civilians as they approached an aid distribution point, in a deliberate killing that cannot be justified by any military consideration.

    It noted that this reflects an unprecedented level of brutality within the genocidal crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza.

    Euro-Med explained that these developments, which coincide with the peak of starvation in the Gaza Strip, with documented deaths due to malnutrition and dozens being hospitalised due to exhaustion and food shortages, confirm that the Israeli occupation is using aid and its distribution points as death traps to deliberately lure starving crowds into them, as part of an integrated system of deliberate killing, systematic deprivation, and collective humiliation, in an unprecedented violation of international law.

  • Badenoch: my children can’t get Nigerian citizenship because I’m a woman

    Badenoch: my children can’t get Nigerian citizenship because I’m a woman

    Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has declared that she cannot pass her right of Nigerian citizenship to her children because of her gender.

    Badenoch spoke yesterday in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria while trying to contrast the immigration policies of Nigeria and Britain.

    She told CNN that immigrants often exploit the British system, leaving the UK vulnerable to threats.

    When asked if she would permit a Nigerian immigrant to create a “mini-Nigeria” in the UK for cultural integration, her response was a swift “no”.

    “That is not right. Nigerians would not tolerate that. That’s not something that many countries would accept,” she added.

    “There are many people who come to our country, to the UK, who do things that would not be acceptable in their countries.”

    Badenoch cited her children’s “inability” to become Nigerians to stress her point.

    “It’s virtually impossible, for example, to get Nigerian citizenship. 
I have that citizenship by virtue of my parents, I can’t give it to my children because I’m a woman,” she said.

    “Yet loads of Nigerians come to the UK and stay for a relatively free period of time, acquire British citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”

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    Badenoch has three children with her husband.

    Contrary to Badenoch’s claim, section 25(1)(c) of the Nigerian Constitution states that a person born outside the country is a citizen of Nigeria if either of their parents is Nigerian.

    This means having just one Nigerian parent is sufficient for citizenship by birth.

    Born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents, Olukemi Adegoke spent much of her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK at age 16.

    She later married Hamish Badenoch, a Scottish banker, and adopted his surname, becoming Kemi Badenoch.

    Before becoming the Conservative leader, she previously worked in the cabinet for prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak from 2022 to 2024.

    Badenoch’s popularity has been hinged on her hardline views on immigration.

    In her  yesterday interview, she said she would ensure that it would be “a lot harder” for immigrants to get British citizenship under her leadership.

  • Syria’s armed Bedouins withdraw from Sweida after week of clashes

    Syria’s armed Bedouins withdraw from Sweida after week of clashes

    Syria’s Bedouin tribes said they withdrew from the Druze-majority city of Sweida yesterday, following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire declaration announced a day prior.

    Their withdrawal comes after days of clashes that began last yesterday between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Sweida, which had been sparked by a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings.

    Government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins’ side against the Druze.

    On Thursday, the military forces largely withdrew from the southern province of Sweida, a day after Israel launched several strikes on Damascus, citing a need to protect the Druze community.

    However, shortly after, state media reported that Druze militants had launched retaliatory attacks on the Bedouin communities, resulting in the redeployment of government forces on Saturday to halt the renewed fighting.

    In his second televised address since the fighting started, al-Sharaa blamed the conflict’s escalation between “lawless groups on one side and Bedouin communities on the other, leading to an unprecedented deterioration of the situation,” and urged all parties to “fully commit” to the ceasefire.

    Al-Sharaa, who was more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias. He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they “cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country’s affairs and restoring security.”

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    Shortly after the announcement, Syria’s interior ministry said the fighting had stopped and that Sweida had been cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters, although several clashes reportedly still took place on Saturday evening.

    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights report at least 940 people have been killed since clashes erupted yesterday. Meanwhile, the UN estimated that roughly 80,000 people have been displaced.

    The Bedouins’ withdrawal brought a cautious calm to the area, with humanitarian convoys reportedly on their way. The Syrian Red Crescent said yesterday they are sending 32 trucks to Sweida loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages. Syrian state media SANA said that the Health Ministry is also sending a convoy of trucks.

  • ECOWAS experts adopt training policy for standby force to tackle terrorism

    ECOWAS experts adopt training policy for standby force to tackle terrorism

    Experts from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have adopted a new training policy for the region’s Standby Force to enhance its preparedness in combating terrorism and insecurity across the sub-region.

    The policy, which outlines the structure, nature, and scope of training for the Standby Force, was endorsed over the weekend during a two-day government experts’ validation meeting focused on peace support operations.

    The move comes as the West African region continues to grapple with terrorist threats, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel regions. In response to the worsening security situation, ECOWAS has activated its Standby Force, a regional military contingent expected to consist of 5,000 troops. The force is a key component of a broader strategy to address terrorism, violent extremism, and transnational crimes.

    In addition, the regional body has operationalised its logistics depot to support the deployment of troops for peacekeeping missions.

    Speaking at the closing session of the meeting, Dr. Sani Adamu, Acting Director of Peacekeeping and Regional Security at ECOWAS, confirmed the adoption of the policy. He noted that the new framework marks a significant milestone in strengthening the region’s capacity for coordinated military response to emerging security threats.

    Adamu said, “The ECOWAS Commission, as you know, is systematically putting in place processes and procedures to be able to accompany our member states and to also have peace and security in our region to continue to thrive.

    “It’s within this context that the ECOWAS Standby force training Policy for Peace Support Operations was elaborated, and the document now before the governmental experts were reviewed, the document was fully reviewed, evaluated, and eventually adopted by all of you. 

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    “What that symbolises is that from today henceforth, we have a standing document, a standard document for training of officers that are going for peace support operations. 

    “As you are all aware, the ECOWAS Commission is at the threshold of actually activating the ECOWAS Standby Force in its kinetic form to be able to fight, you know, against terrorism.

    “It’s a scourge that is affecting our member states today, and the last meeting of the authority of Heads of State directed the Commission to actually deploy the ECOWAS Standby Force in its kinetic form to be able to fight this fight.”

    Adamu also disclosed that the a meeting of ministers of finance will soon be converging in Abuja to discuss the ways and means of mobilising resources for the Standby Force. 

    He said, “I want to also disclose to you that the Commission is putting in place processes so as to have the Ministers of Finance as well as Ministers of Peace and Security of the region to converge in Abuja to be able to discuss the modalities, the ways and means of mobilising the technical and financial resources that will allow for the activation of this Standby Force to actually be in place. 

    “So in the coming weeks, everything will take place, and the internal resources that will be directed that we should mobilise will actually be in place so that we’ll be able to have the Standby Force fully activated and fully, you know, resourced.”

    He also added, “It’s also important to say that other processes are in place to see that a robust Standby Force that is capable and also able to confront the menace in the region is the vision of the authority. It’s within that context that this meeting is also taking place to be able to allow for an effective and efficient operational readiness of the Standby Force. All the contributing countries, have made pledges.”

    He stressed, “Already the pledges that we needed, you know, for the activation of the Standby Force in its genitive form were already done. For instance, we have initial numbers, 1,650 were already pledged by our member states, and progressively, you know, the figure will increase to 5,000. So in all of this, ECOWAS is strongly and, you know, standing ready to continue to accompany our member states in this direction.”

  • JUST IN: New U.S. Consul General arrives Lagos

    JUST IN: New U.S. Consul General arrives Lagos

    The United States (US) Mission has announced the arrival of its new Consul General, Rick Swart.

    He arrived in Lagos on July 16.

    In a statement, the mission said, “As Consul General in Lagos, Swart is the senior U.S. Government representative to the Nigerian people throughout the 17 states in southern Nigeria.

    “He is responsible for leading and overseeing U.S. government activities that deepen trade and investment ties, expand people-to-people connections, and advance the full range of priorities in the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship across the region.

    “I am honored to serve in Nigeria. I am excited about the opportunity to travel across the region, meet the people, experience the culture, while advancing the shared goals of making our two countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

    Swart takes over from JoEllen Gorg who led the Consulate General in an interim capacity over the last seven months.

    The immediate past Consul General, Will Stevens, completed his tour of duty in November 2024.

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    “I thank JoEllen for her remarkable leadership and for the outstanding work she has done to promote our close partnership with the Nigerian people in the region,” Consul General Swart added. 

    “I look forward to working closely with Ambassador Mills and the team at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, to further advance the shared objectives between Nigeria and the United States.”

    Consul General Rick Swart, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, has held diverse diplomatic roles across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, most recently as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Chad.

    His diplomatic assignments include serving as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., in the Republics of Chad, Congo, and Burundi; Deputy Consul General in Baghdad, Iraq; and Humanitarian Assistance Officer for Africa at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. 

    Other assignments include overseas tours in London, Manila, and Dubai; as well as domestic postings in Washington, D.C., serving as the focal point for several cross-cutting sub-Saharan Africa issues.

    Before joining the State Department in 2002, he worked in the private sector on architectural and design projects in Asia and Africa. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali.

  • APC UK caucus backs Oyebanji for second term

    APC UK caucus backs Oyebanji for second term

    The Ekiti State caucus of the All Progressives Congress in the United Kingdom (APC) has endorsed Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) for a second term.

    Director General of the diaspora group, under the aegis of Diaspora for BAO, Olumuyiwa Adesua, said in a statement yesterday that the group’s decision was based on his unwavering commitment to the transformation of key sectors across Ekiti State.

    Adesua stated that the governor has made a tremendous impact in education, healthcare, road infrastructure, and economic development.

    “Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji was first elected in June 2022, and he has since proved to be a leader of remarkable vision and action.

    “Through his wealth of experiences and unwavering commitment, he has transformed key sectors across the state, including education, healthcare, road infrastructure, and economic development.

    “It is no surprise that he has become the choice of Ekiti people, both at home and in the diaspora.

    “Governor Oyebanji is not just a leader, he steers the affairs of the state with wisdom, humility, and integrity.

    “His inclusive style of governance and relentless work ethic have earned him the confidence and admiration of the people, who now yearn for his continued leadership.

    “As we set the stage for the 2026 election in Ekiti State, our group, the Diaspora for BAO will be on ground to campaign from door to door and stand firm in support of our amiable governor.

    “We will mobilise, advocate, and vote with conviction in the coming election in Ekiti, and our votes will count for continuity, for progress, and for the betterment of Ekiti State,” Adesua stated.