Foreign Tit Bits
Compiled by Yadnom Awu/Asaba
Britain
British Royals To Dump Train Service
The British Royals are set to dump their exclusive train transportation module .
And it could happen in about two years, insiders have said.
Sources said that King Charles has resolved to discard the train service for operational reasons.
The exclusive train service for the British royalty was introduced by Queen Victoria and had been largely used since then for the inland transportation of the royals.
But now, that is about to change, according to British royalty sources, who said King Charles had taken the decision in order to cut down on the cost of running the royal family.
The plan means that the royals would now depend on helicopters for much of their inland travels.
The development comes amid reports that the recent visit to Canada by King Charles cost around 400,000 Pound Sterling ( about N 83m).
America
Fate of Transgender Servicemen Hangs In Balance As Trump Ban Kicks In
The fate of an estimated 4,000 transgender servicemen in the American military establishment hangs in the balance as the ban on them by the Donald Trump’ administration takes effect.
More than 4,000 persons are likely to be affected and their imminent discharge marks the first in the 250 years of the American military that the transgender servicemen would be excised from duty.
In introducing the policy, Trump, as the Commander-In- Chief of the American Armed Forces, had said that the notion of transgender ran contrary to the operational essences of the military.
Of particular interest to protagonists of the policy is the medical treatment of transgender personnel, since such treatment is designed for gender- specific men and women, not for those who share both the male and female genders.
Critics, however, say the discharge policy is discriminatory and could be challenged in court.
Israel
Israeli PM Meets Trump Monday, July 7
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit the President of America, Donald Trump.
The visit would be the second for Netanyahu during the second term of Trump.
The Israeli leader was the first foreign leader to visit Trump shortly after he was inaugurated into office some seven months ago.
The visit comes amid speculations of the imminence of a ceasefire in the nearly two- year war between the Jewish state and the Palestinian group, Hamas.
It is also coming against the backdrop of the recent ceasefire desk between Israel and Iran which ended their 12- day war.
Israel launched the war in an attempt to destroy the nuclear facilities of Iran,but appeared to have made limited success, as a result of which it had to seek the military intervention of America.
Washington obliged the request and launched a historic sortie with 125 aircraft, including the giant B-2 Bombers in the attack on Iran’ s nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow, the last of which is 300 feet under a rocky mountain.
No agenda has been released for the visit which comes amid greater clamour for a ceasefire and an end to the ongoing Israeli military campaign on the and the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu himself had hinted, quite recently, of the prospects of peace in the region, but stopped short of referencing Gaza.
The Israeli war in Gaza has led to the death of more than 50,000 , mainly women and children, and the injury to more than 100 ,000 others, according to the Hamas- run Ministry of Health.
Israel, on its part, has lost some 440 soldiers in the war, while more than 4,000 others have been wounded.
Israel, which is also battling Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank, has imposed a crippling humanitarian blockade on Gaza, which the United Nations said has triggered an avoidable famine in the land of 2 million people.
America
BBB: Musk Issues Fresh Threat Against Republicans
Icon of the Make America Great Again( MAGA) and the world’ richest man, Elon Musk, has threatened to form a new political party or back candidates contesting against Republicans in the upcoming mid term polls.
He said that his plan was in protest at the tax reform bill of the Donald Trump presidency.
Musk, maiden head of the novel Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, resigned a day to the expiry of his 130 -day term office, allegedly in protest at the bill which Trump had elegantly called the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB).
The bill, which got adopted by the narrowest of margins in the Republican- dominated Senate and Congress, is currently being debated on the floor of both Houses, and it seeks to review the country ‘s entire tax system, with a view to raising more funds to support the military, among others.
Trump and his supporters have largely hailed the bill and its essence.
However, critics, including Republicans and even MAGA members, have roundly carpeted it,saying it could significantly increase America ‘s public debt by more than $3trillion dollars over the next decade.
Trump has fixed July 4 as the deadline for the passage of the bill which is more than 900 pages in size.
But reacting to the development, Musk, who reportedly spent $250m ( about N40trillion) on the presidential election of Trump, describe the bill as ” insane.”
Musk said once the bill was passed by the Senate and Congress, he would form a new political party as early as the next day, or, in his words, fund candidates vying against Republican in next year’s mid term polls.
He said that the plan to form a new party was to give ordinary Americans a voice in public affairs, especially policies.
