Foreign Tit Bits
Russia
Ukraine Pounds Russia With Drones
Ukraine , overnight, pounded parts of Russia with drones in a major attack on its bigger and more powerful neighbour.
The attacks caused significant damage, especially in Noronezh Region where 16 persons were hurt and several buildings damaged.
Russia did not give the actual tally of the drones involved and the ones it downed, but the development came against the backdrop of the approval for the official resumption of the shipment of military hardware to Ukraine by America.
American President, Donald Trump, who gave the approval on Monday, said the shipment would be funnelled through the European Union (EU) which must pay for all the supplies.
America
Trump Hands Russia 50- day deadline for Ukraine Peace Deal
President Donald Trump has announced the formal resumption of shipment of top grade military weapons to its ally, Ukraine.
By the same token, he gave Russia a 50- period of grace to reach a deal with Ukraine or face a 100 per cent trade tariffs.
Trump said the hardware would be delivered to Ukraine through the European Union (EU) which must fully pay for them.
Ukraine, outnumbered and outgunned by invading Russian forces , had been on the back foot at the battleground and said it urgently needed high calibre weapons to ward off the Russians who had been slowly eating up its territory.
A major part of the military stock pile Ukraine said it badly needed is the Patriot Missile, the only technology capable of downjng incoming Russian cruise and ballistic missiles.
Syria
Syrian Troops Enter Suwayda
Syrian Troops have entered the centre of Suwayda, a settlement at the heart of the recent ethnic clashes that left many dead and scores of others injured.
Estimates say more than 70 persons were killed in the clashes between the mainly minority Christian Druze community and elements of the Bedouin tribes.
Israel ,which backs the Druze, reportedly bombed many targets, including Syrian military tanks, during the clashes.
The weekend clashes were the single largest to affect the country since the toppling of the iron- fist Assad regime less than a year ago,and analysts say it is a sad reflection of the fragile polity of the country , now an unwilling host to many foreign security interests,including Russia, America, Israel and Turkiye.
The troops were deployed by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior, and their presence has helped douse tension which escalated of recent and birthed the fatal clashes.
Syria, which has walked into global diplomatic warmth since the violent overthrow of the Assad regime, has, however, faced emerging security challenges as foreign interests, including America, Turkiye, Israel and Russia, which has a big naval base and an outpost in the country, are each angling for a bigger political and security presence in the country.
The capital of Syria, Damascus, is the oldest inhabited city on Earth.
Palestine
Coalition of Clerics,Diplomats Wants Accountability Over Israeli Settler Attacks
A coalition of diplomats and clerics from more than 20 countries on Monday called for accountability regarding the increasingly violent attacks by illegal Israeli settlers in Palestinian land.
They made the call during their visit to Taybeh in the occupied Palestinian land of West Bank.
The visit came after some settlers violently attacked the indigenous Palestinian community and setting fire to a fifth century church.
Taybeh is the only major remaining Christian community in the West Bank which has about 50,000 Christians.
The attacks on Taybeh is a continuation of the syndrome among the settlers who had significantly enhanced the scale and intensity of their attacks on Palestinians since Israel began its ongoing military campaign on Gaza.
The United Nations( UN) and other credible transnsnational humanitarian and other organizations have said that the settlers, backed by 1,500 Israeli troops, who, most times, either encourage the attackers or even get directly involved themselves, have killed more than 600 Palestinians since the Israeli war in Gaza began..
America
Arizona
The Governor of the American state of Arizona , Katie Hobbs, has called for a thorough probe of the wildfires that have razed much of the Grand Canyon in the area.
The Canyon,a prime tourist attraction, has been engulfed in multiple wild fires that have severely damaged its iconic Lodge.
The handling of the fires by the Fire Services has drawn vitriolic public comments, and now Hobbs, the outspoken female Governor has called for a probe into what she called the mishandling of the fires.
There was no immediate direct response from the Federal Government, but the Fire Services had said that its response to the outbreak, which is thought to have been caused by lightning, had been adequate.
The Canyon and its Lodge were first built in 1932 but were rebuilt in 1937 after they were razed by fire.
America
Texas Flash Floods Death Toll Reaches 132
Search and Rescue operations are due to resume later today along the flash flood plains of the Guadalupe River in Texas, after an initial suspension of action on Sunday .
The resumption of works followed a subsisting interval of clear weather following the Sunday deluge that disrupted operations.
Emergency Services said that the element weather, projected to be brief, would enable them resume the combing of the area for the missing, now presumed dead, after the Penultimate Friday floods that swept the area.
Some 170 persons are still missing/ unaccounted for after the floods which mangled Kerr County,the most impacted area, which arose from the overflow of the Guadalupe River.
Some of the dead and the missing are children attending a Christian training programme at Camp Mystic site in the area, and one of their counsellors.
China
Visiting Australian PM Wants Greater Collaboration With China
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, has sought greater collaboration and cooperation with his host country, China.
Albanese said during talks on Monday that both countries would benefit more by cooperating not only on trade but also on strategic military initiatives.
He gave no details,but his comments are seen as an indirect diplomatic presentation of his country’ s odd eeling towards its bigger and more advanced neighbour.
Both countries are big trading partners and enjoy relatively good diplomatic relations.
However, Australia,just as many Asian countries are scared stiff of China’s military activities near its borders.
China, with the largest military in the world, and a strong economic and diplomatic credentials , is a global source power and one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Other permanent members of the council are France, Russia, America and Britain.
All five permanent members of the council are nuclear weapon states.
Other weapon states are Pakistan, India, North Korea and Israel, the last two of which are considered rogue nuclear state.
