By Yadnom Awu/Asaba
Russia
Ukrainian Attack Sets Alight Russia’s Orenburg Gas Plant
Ukraine has attacked the strategic Orenburg Gas Plant in Russia, setting it alight.
The overnight attack , details of which were unavailable at press time this morning, caused a massive inferno to which the fire services were responding .
The development comes as Russia struck its smaller neighbour in overnight attacks that struck yet -to -be- specified targets.
The Ukrainian strike also comes against the backdrop of Russian battle front gains in Donetsk and Zaporitzhia, site of the largest nuclear powerful plant in Europe.
The Ukrainian strike on Orenburg, the single largest gas processing plant in the world, is seen as part of the efforts of Kiev to cripple the oil and gas sector of the Russian economy, and hence its efforts to sustain the war in which its ( Ukrainian) troops are out-gunned and out-numbered.
The President of Ukraine , last week, met his American counterpart, Donald Trump, but failed to achieve his main goal of American approval to access and use the dreaded Tomahawk Missiles for deeper strikes in Russia.
Russia has partial or full control of four regions of Ukraine.
China
Leaders of Communist Party Begin Fourth Plenum
Behind closed doors, leaders of China ‘s ruling Communist Party today begin a five- day meeting to strategically place the country on a more competitive keel over the next five years.
They are to dwell mainly on how to significantly improve the economy of the country and its technological advancement.
The meeting is equally expected to effect significant personnel changes in the leadership of President Xi Jinping.
The session comes at a time of intense trade dispute between China and America.
It also comes against the backdrop of slower- than- expected growth in the country ‘s economy as depicted by lower outcomes on the Third Quarter performance index.
China, a growing political power and second single largest economy in the world, has been embroiled in a mutual trade and tariff war triggered by the administration of President Donald Trump’s unilateral imposition of stiff tariffs on Chinese exports to America.
China retaliated by imposing similar tariffs, and also froze the export of rare minerals required in the up- end high technology industry, to America.
China is also at the heart of the search for a new, more equitable world away from the hegemony of America and its Western allies.
The search has been typified by the creation of the BRICS, which has Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as the founding members, but now includes many other mainly non- aligned southern hemisphere nations.
China also recently mounted a high profile military parade in which it displayed novel military kits and equipment at the event which attracted 26 world leaders to Beijing, its capital.
Israel
Israel Says Return To Ceasefire After Sunday Gaza Attacks
After a day of resumed military assault on Gaza and Rafah, Israel says it is returning to the ceasefire it reached last week with Hamas.
The return means that aid supplies, which it had threatened to stop , would now be trucked into the embattled enclave.
But it remained unclear on what scale the resumed supplies would be since Israel had earlier halved the daily 600 trucks delivery to just 300, allegedly in reaction to the inability of Hamas to release all of the deceased hostages it had held.
Hamas had explained that in spite of its desire and student honest efforts, it was having severe difficulties retrieving the bodies from under the huge pile of rubble created by the demolition caused by Israel’ s massive bombing of the strip.
Experts from Egypt and Turkiye, armed with heavy equipment, are offering to help in the recovery efforts.
Both America and the United Nations (UN) had said that the retrieval exercise would take time because of the rubble under which the bodies, just like those of thousands of missing Palestinians, are trapped.
Hamas has released 12 bodies through the Red Cross to Israel, which has in turn, returned 135 bodies of Palestinians to Gaza.
Israel, on Sunday, launched air strikes on several targets in Gaza and Rafah, after it said two of its soldiers had been killed in Rafah allegedly by Hamas fighters.
However, Hamas has debunked the allegation by Israel, saying it was not aware of any such incident, and was not involved in the incident.
It stressed that Israel was in control of Rafah where the incident allegedly took place, and was in the best position to tell the world what happened.
Aside from the dead, Israel said that three of its soldiers were wounded in the incident.
Hong Kong
Cargo Aircraft Crashlands Into Sea
A cargo plane has crash landed Into the sea after skidfng off the tarmac and ploughing a nearby car .
The plane had left Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and was attempting to land when it skidded off the runway, ploughed a car, the two occupants of who were killed, before being submerged in the shallow parts of the sea.
All crew members were rescued by local officials, some of whom wondered why the giant Boeing 747 had difficulty landing successfully in fair weather.
A local official at the airport which is the world ‘s single largest cargo handler, Steven Yiu, said the Northern runway on which the incident occurred , had been closed, while an investigation would be launched into the accident.
Morocco
Euphoria As Morocco Win Cadet Soccer World Cup
The streets of Rabat, Casablanca and other cities of Morocco turned from venues of protests to celebratory dances last night after the country won the FIFA – Under 20 ( U-20) world soccer championship.
The game took place in faraway Santiago, Chile, and pitched the North Africans against global soccer power House, Argentina.
Two first half goals by Mohammed Zabiri, gave the junior Atlas Eagles the victory against Argentina who were aiming to earn a double for their country.
Argentina had won this year’s FIFA soccer World Cup in the under -17 category.
Morocco’s victory is the second by an African team at that tier, after Ghana set the pace in 2008.
It was the first such feat by a North African country.
Nigeria, one of the World’ s power houses in cadet soccer, has won the FIFA cadet competition at the Under -17 level a record five times.
The success of Morocco came amid youth – led protests against the government for what they termed excess investment in sports , as against other needy areas and sectors of the economy.
Morocco is currently hosting the world women’s soccer championship, and is due to host the AFCON , 2025, later this year.
It is also the host of the 2031 FIFA soccer world Cup.
France
Manhunt In Louvre Heist Underway
The Prime Minister of France, Emmanuel Macron, says no effort would be spared in tracking down those behind the Sunday heist at the fortress of the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Major items of inestimable value, including the iconic Napoleonic jewel, were stolen during the daring broad day heist.
The jewel was given by the former French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, to his wife and queen.
It had been stored in the museum for posterity.
The crown, which was recovered around the museum premises, was suspected to have been abandoned by the burglars as they fled the scene.
The heist came a futile effort by the curators to get approval for their request for enhanced funding for security around the museum, one of the busiest in the world.
The Louvre, reservoir of much of France ‘s treasures, was last burgled in 1911 when
Mona Lisa, the invaluable art painting by Italian mystic, Sir Leonardo Da Vinci, was stolen.
Morocco
Morocco To Vote $15 billion To Education, Health In 2026 Budget
After weeks of persistent Pro- reform protests by youths, the government of Morocco says it is devoting a handsome $15 billion to fund education.
It has also promised enhanced funding of youth – related infrastructure in the 2026 budget.
A government source said that the move, which more than doubles the allocation to the sector this year, is one of the many reforms the government was planning .
The source gave no details but initial inkling is that both the monarchy and the government had heard the plea of the protesters for enhanced funding of the sectors, enhanced employment opportunities and a more strident battle against inflation and public sector corruption.
They also urged for less investment in sports in relation to other real economic sectors.
Morocco, which, last night, won the FIFA soccer World Cup at the Under 20 level, is currently hosting the FIFA soccer World Cup for women, and is due to host this year’s AFCON later this year as well as the soccer world Cup for men in 20.31
