Foreign Tit Bits
By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
Doha
Talks between the Palestinian group, Hamas, and Israeli officials are at the threshold of collapse, diplomats have said
The development is a significant departure from the note of optimism that had dogged the talks since Sunday.
Holding in Doha, Qatar, the talks had been held out as a precedent action for a breakthrough in the impasse in the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict.
Both Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his main ally and American President ,Donald Trump, had publicly expressed optimism of the talks thawing the frost in Israeli/ Palestinian negotiations, with the American leader even alluding that a breakthrough could happen this week.
However, all allusions of optimism have evaporated going by feelers from the indirect talks.
Sources confirmed today that the talks had stalled following the unwillingness of the parties to make the necessary concessions.
Israel is insistent on its troops remaining in Gaza, contrary to the demand of Hamas that they withdraw.
Besides, the Jewish state is demanding the disarmament of Hamas, but the resistance group is thumbing it down, saying it would not disarm until Israel’s illegal occupation and annexation of Palestinian land ends.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)and the International Criminal Court (ICC)both in The Hague, Netherlands, have ruled that the Israeli occupation and annexation of parts of Palestine remain illegal.
America
Again,Trump Threatens EU, Mexico With Huge Tariffs
American President, Donald Trump, has threatened the European Union( EU) and Mexico with stiff sanctions.
In letters to the EU and Mexico, the American leader said the EU and Mexico would face a 30 per cent trade tariff hike if ongoing trade talks between American and EU officials did not run full cycle before August 1 when the tariff regime is to kick in.
Trump had said the tariffs would kick in by this month but adjusted its effective date to August 1, to enable the ongoing talks conclude.
But, rather than the 20 per cent he had threatened earlier, the EU states would now face a new tariff regime of 30 per cent, according to him.
The American leader equally threatened to sanction neighbouring Mexico for failing to do enough to curtail the illegal trafficking of hard drugs into America.
His threat against Mexico and the EU came just a day after he issued a similar threat to Canada, its northern neighbour.
Trump had threatened to annex Canada as the 51st state of America.
India
India Issues Prelim Report on Jetliner Crash
India today released a preliminary report of its probe of the recent crash of its dream liner.
The jet, a Being 887 A crashed recently just 48 seconds after take off from the Airport, en route London.
It was bound for Gatwick Airport bug never made it.
Just shy of a minute after take off, it went down, crashing into a hostel for medical doctors who were having lunch at the time.
Following the crash, questions were asked as to what could have been responsible for the poor fate of the giant aircraft.
Now, the Indian government has presented an interim report which indicates that the aircraft fuel supply switches were put off.
A play back of the cockpit voice recorder had allegedly shown that one of the pilots could be overheard asking his co- pilot why he switched off the fuel supply lines, following which they were immediately switched back on.
But it would appear that the damage had been done before the supply switches were switched back on, according to the report.
The Indian Minister of Aviation, Ram Naidu, however, cautioned the public against reaching conclusion on the basis of the report, which he described as inconclusive.
He claimed that the Indian government had a robust remuneration regime for its aviation sector workers, including pilots.
More than 260 persons perished in the crash.
