By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
Trump Defends Actions On Russia,Ukraine
American President, Donald Trump, has stoutly defended his recent actions on Russia and Ukraine.
He said the actions were in the best interest of all stakeholders.
Trump recently approved the resumption of the shipment of military hardware to Ukraine and for Russia to embrace peace with Ukraine within 50 days or face severe American sanctions.
The moves have drawn widespread comments in the public domain with critics saying the resumed shipment of military kits to Ukraine breached his campaign promise to keep America away from ongoing and new wars.
But addressing the media late Tuesday , Trump said America was not getting involved in the Russia / Ukraine conflict because it was not shipping directly to Kiyev but through the European Union (EU) which is fully paying for them.
On the 50 – day period he gave Russia to reach a deal with Ukraine, he said it was desirable and appropriate, adding that the deal could be struck ahead of the deadline.
He confirmed that the EU was already shipping the Patriot Missile, a core component of the kits, to Ukraine from Germany.
America, he added, would restock Germany for the shipped kits.
Syria
Fighting Continues in Suwaydan Amid faltering Ceasefire
Serious fighting continued today between militants of the Druze community and Bedouin tribes in Suwaydan, Syria.
The resurgent Syrian military, which is seeking to restore order, and Israeli military, which says it is protecting the minority Druze community, are equally involved in the fighting.
The military clashes resumed late on Tuesday, after a truce, brokered and announced earlier that day, fell apart.
Damascus redeployed its troops, with heavy military equipment, back to Suwaydan after the militants resumed their clashes which have claimed scores of lives since Friday.
While Syrian troops are trying to rein in militants from the two different communities, Israel is pounding Syrian troops in order to protect the small Druze community, which is largely Christian.
Israel, in an effort to maintain what experts call its military hegemony in the Middle East, insists the Suwaydan Region of Syria which borders it, should be completely demilitarized.
Syria has described the military actions of Israel as a breach of its sovereignty and international law, and said they were unacceptable.
Gaza
20 Die At GHF Aid Centre
No fewer than 20 Gazans have died since this morning. (Wednesday) at an aid distribution centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
But controversy is trailing the actual circumstances of the deaths.
While the GHF said the dead were trampled at the centre, Palestinian and other sources say the victims were shot by Israeli troops, and a few were trampled as they tried to scamper to safety after Israeli troops opened fire on the throng of aid seekers.
Today’ s incident adds to a growing long list of similar incidents in which aid seekers are shot, almost always at close range, by Israeli troops.
It is estimated that more than 800 starving Gazans have been killed at the aid centres run by the GHF.
Israel and America created the GHF to sidestep the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which had been in charge of humanitarian supplies in Gaza since the 1950s.
UNRWA was created by the United Nations to meet the humanitarian supplies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Israel accused it of collaboration with Hamas, but provided no evidence in support of its charge.
The GHF began operations in Gaza on May 27.
The founding Chief Executive of the GHF, Jake Woods resigned ahead of its operationalisation, citi g the opaqueness of its mandate.
America
UN Seeks Probe Of Israeli Policies in Gaza
The United Nations (UN) is calling for a decisive fresh probe of Israel’ s actions in Gaza.
Making the call on Tuesday night, an official of the UN, Thameen Al- Kheetan, said the probe should focus specifically on the the goings on at the aid distribution centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, GHF.
According to him, as of July 13, 2025, a total of 875 starving Palestinians had been killed at, or near, the GHF aid distribution centres as they made to access aid packs.
He said the situation was unacceptable and indefensible.
The UN official said that the GHF, which is run by Israel and America, should be disbanded, and resort made to the traditional way of supplying aid to Gazans through the existing channels, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA.
The GHF has four centres , three of which it hardly operates, at which it distributes humanitarian supplies to some 2 million residents of the embattled enclave.
UNRWA, which has now been sidestepped by Israel and America with the GHF, had been responsible for humanitarian services in Gaza and ran 400 centres at which it did so.
Ukraine
Again, Russia Pounds Ukraine
Ukraine says Russia sustained its escalatory aerial assaults on it.
It said that overnight, Russia launched 340 drones on several of its regions.
The President of Ukraine, Wladimyr Zelensky, said today that several regions were hit in the aerial assaults which killed three persons.
He claimed that about half of the drones were downed.
Zelensky did not disclose if Russia deployed its cruise and ballistic missiles in the attacks as it usually did.
The attacks came just hours after American President, Donald Trump, confirmed that he had approved the resumption of the shipment of military hardware, including the Patriot missiles, to Ukraine.
Trump said the shipment would be sent to Ukraine via Germany, which would be restocked by America.
America
CNN Poll Shows More American Thumb Down Trump’s Policies
A recent poll by broadcaster, the Cable News Network ( CNN) has shown that most American are thumbing down the policies of American President, Donald Trump, particularly the one on tax reforms.
The outcome of the poll was released today, and the CNN said it found that more than 60 per cent those interviewed disapproved of the tax reform bill , now an Act.
According to the broadcaster, 61 per cent of Americans interviewed disapproved of the bill.
By the same token, 39 per cent okayed it.
The bill, which Trump designated as the Big,Beautiful Bill, seeks to reduce public expenditure on social welfare engagements and raise enhanced funding for the military and related institutions.
Experts warn that full implementation of the Act could increase the budget deficit of the country by as much as $3 trillion over the next decade.
