Foreign Tit Bits
By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
Texas Authorities Warn of Imminent Flooding
Authorities of the American state of Texas have warned of imminent flooding as meteorological experts warn of heavy deluge in the area in the coming days.
The experts point to upcoming rains which they fear may raise the water level of the nearby Guadalupe River which overflowed recently to cause flash floods that killed more than 120 persons, mainly children attending a Christian training programme at Camp Mystic.
More than 170 others, including 10 attendees of the programme, remain missing and search and rescue operations have been suspended as hopes of finding any new survivors, especially the most impacted Kerr County, faded.
Douala
Camerounian Leader, Biya, 92, To vie for 8th term
Cameronian President, Paul Biya, has expressed his intention to vie for the presidential poll in October.
He posted in the social media that ” the best is yet to come”.
Biya, who took over from Ahmadu Ahidjo, has been in power for 42 years.
At 92, he is the oldest serving President / Head of State in the contemporary world, but is now eyeing the eighth consecutive term of office.
Biya is thought to have serious health issues ,but the health of the leader is classified as a security matter legally ousted from public discussion.
Scientists Begin Excavation of Mass Graves at Disused Irish Babies Home
Scientists have started excavating the mass grave at a former home for babies and unmarried mothers Tuam, Ireland.
The probe began after the death certificates of almost 800 children were accidentally found at the site which is also believed to house hundreds of corpses of children stuffed in a disused water tank.
The shock find was made after the site of the home was acquired and turned into a housing estate.
The home was run by an Order of Nun of the Catholic Church between 1925 and 1961
The Irish government had publicly apologised over the incident in 2021, but rights activists say there was the need for accountability and justice.
America
Trump To Announce Fresh Support For Ukraine
American President, Donald Trump, is due to formally announce a range of fresh policies in favour of Ukraine.
The move is to strengthen Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Diplomats say that the policies may include the shipment of military hardware , particularly the Patriot Missiles, to Ukraine through the agency of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.
But the shipments would be paid for by NATO, which has been at the arrowhead of the support for Ukraine.
Trump, ahead of the announcement, is to meet with officials of NATO at the White House.
Trump ‘s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is currently on a visit to Ukraine .
The move by Washington came at a time the American Senate is set to put in motion, its 500 percent tariff on any country that buys oil, gas, and Uranium from Russia.
Faced with stringent sanctions by the West, Russia has resorted to China, India and Pakistan for the purchase of its raw materials and products in order to refllate its economy and whittle the harsh effects of the sanctions.
Gaza..
Palestinian Fighters Ambush Israeli Troops in Gaza.
Israeli security forces have been ambushed in Gaza.
Sources which broke the news, said Palestinian fighters successfully ambushed a convoy of Israeli troops .
The sources hinted at several fatalities at the site.
The fighters reportedly crippled an Israeli Main Battle Tank with an Anti- tank Missile and then assaulted the trapped troops with heavy gunfire .
Israel has a strict policy of censorship on the media coverage of its military and security engagements.
But it recently admitted that it had lost 890 troops in its war against Hamas since October 7,2023.
Of the figure of fatalities, it said that more than 440 of the soldiers died in the course of its war on Gaza .
Hamas and its affiliates in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have recently resorted to ambushing Israeli troops.
More than 155, 000 casualties, including 55,000 fatalities, have been recorded by Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Elsewhere in Gaza, at least two Gazans have been killed today at aid distribution centres in the enclave run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, GHF.
More than 830 Gazans have reportedly been killed by Israeli troops since the controversial GHF began operations in Gaza on May 27 this year.
Israel
Israeli opposition carpet Netanyahu ‘s planned Humanitarian City
Core Israeli opposition stakeholders have publicly condemned the plan by the Israeli government ‘s plan for a Humanitarian City for Palestinians in the enclave of Gaza in Rafah.
Former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert and formal opposition leader, Yair Lapid, have publicly criticised the plan.
Both publicly opposed the move, saying it was not only illegal but also could greatly harm Israel in the medium and long terms.
Their condemnation came strongly on the heels of the publication of similar views by a coalition of Israeli legal experts, who said the plan, if implemented, could expose Israel and its leaders to credible charges of genocide.
