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Israeli Leader Meets With Biden As Mideast Tensions Grow

Published

3 years ago

August 26, 2021

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s meeting with President Joe Biden comes in the midst of heightened tensions with its regional archenemy, Iran, and as Israel grapples with a gradual resurgence of hostilities on its southern border with the Gaza Strip.

Bennett, in his first state visit overseas since taking office, met separately Wednesday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

At the start of his meeting with Blinken, Bennett said he planned to speak with Biden and administration officials primarily about “how do we fend off and curtail Iran’s … race to a nuclear weapon.”

The U.S. and Israel were also expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and economic matters.

Bennett has spoken out against the possibility of a new nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, and says that any agreement must also put the brakes on Iran’s regional aggression. Recent months have seen a string of attacks on Israeli-connected shipping, believed to have been carried out by Iran.

Earlier this week, Bennett told his Cabinet that he would tell the American president “that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing” and not re-enter “a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.”

Friction between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers has been building in the three months since an 11-day war with Islamist militant group left least 265 dead in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

Indirect negotiations between the two sides to reach an arrangement for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip have broken down in the past week. Hamas has launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel and staged violent demonstrations on the border, raising the specter of renewed violence.

“There’s a new government in the U.S. and a new government in Israel, and I bring with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of cooperation, and this rests on the special and long relationship between the two countries,” Bennett said before take-off.

Bennett took office two months ago after cobbling together a ruling coalition of eight disparate political parties — ranging from Jewish ultranationalists to a small Islamist faction — ousting longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu from office following the country’s fourth consecutive parliamentary election in two years.

(AP)

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Edo 2024: EPIA Calls For Establishment Of Ministry Of Edo Indigenous Affairs

Published

24 mins ago

April 24, 2024

Editor

Ahead of the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Edo indigenes under the auspices of Edo Progressive Indigenous Association (EPIA), a.k.a. Edo Indigenous Movement Worldwide, has called on the candidates of various political parties to include in their manifestos the establishment of Edo Indigenous Commission or Ministry of Edo Indigenous Affairs in order to gain Edo indigenes’ support worldwide.

This call was contained in a press release signed by President of EPIA, Dr. Omogiade Enoyiogiere Edokpolo.

According to the release, “this will help to prioritize the interest of Edo indigenes in the areas of employments, contracts, empowerment, and promotion of Edo heritage.

“This will also help in eliminating marginalisation of Edo indigenes in Edo lands by the State government and foreign investors in the State. It will also go a long way in promoting promoting the local content Act of Nigeria.

“So, we are calling on all political candidates of various political parties to take seriously, issues concerning the empowerment of Edo indigenes, thereby prioritizing Edo indigenes in their portfolio through setting up of the above Ministry or Commission.

“This is the only way that Edo indigenes will support them in the forthcoming governorship election, considering the fact that Edo Indigenous people for decades, have suffered so many set back in terms of marginalization of its Indigenes and has also been less prioritised in the areas of contracts, employments, bursary, medical aids, and order benefits entitled to them, just to mention a few, both in government space and the various multi-billion foreign companies and investments in the State.

The said ministry will help to monitor and serve the interest of Edo Indigenes at large.

The press release also added that Edo indigenes need a technocrat that has promising track records and global exposure, above all, that have excelled in his chosen career to take over from Gov. Godwin Obaseki.

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JUST IN: EFCC Hands Over Recovered Assets To Enugu Gov

Published

1 hour ago

April 24, 2024

Editor

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, on Wednesday, handed over 14 recovered assets to Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State.

During the handing over ceremony held at the EFCC Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, Olukoyede revealed that the assets recovered by the commission was forfeited to the Federal Government.

He added that the EFCC began an investigation into the development since 2007, and had achieved the conviction of persons in relation to the matter.

He also noted that the President, Bola Tinubu, ordered the handover of the assets which includes – real estate, radio and television transmission equipment, and medical facility, amongst others, to the Enugu State Government, following a request by the EFCC.

Details later…

News

Multichoice Hikes DStv, GOtv Prices

Published

2 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Editor

Broadcasting company Multichoice has jacked up the prices of its offerings in Nigeria four months after its last increment.

The company reviewed prices in its packages across the board. The new prices will take effect from May 1, 2024.

With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased from N29,500 to N37,000. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ gone up N19,800 to N25,000 while the Compact package increased from N12,500 to N15,700.

The Comfam package moved from N7,400 to N9,300. Yanga package moved up from 4,200 to N5,100 while Padi package increased from N2,950 to N3,600. HDPVR was increased from N4,000 to N5,000, the Access Fees package from N4,000 to N5,000, and XtraView moved from N4,000 to N5,000.

Meanwhile, the Gotv Supa+ package moved from N12,500 to N15,700, Supa package from N7,600 to N9,600, and Max package from N5,700 to N7,200.

While the Jolli package was jacked up from N3,950 to N4,850, the Jinja package moved from N2,700 to N3,300, and Smallie package from N1,300 to N1,575.

The company implemented an upward review of prices in December 2023, days after announcing a $72m loss in its financial statement for the third quarter of the year.

Checks on the company’s reviewed price list then showed a 20 per cent per cent hike in the company’s packages across the board.