Foreign Tit Bits Today
By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
United Kingdom
Trump Arrives Chequers On Visit To PM, Starmer
American President, Donald Trump, has arrived at Chequers , the official resort of the British Prime Minister. .
Trump arrived at the eerie resort by 10.51 am Nigerian time, aboard the official presidential helicopter called Marine One.
He later rode in his official automobile called The Beast to the residence of Prime Minister Keith Starmer, within the resort.
He was immediately received by Starmer and his wife, Victoria.
Both leaders are expected to discuss myriad issues, including the raging wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as trade and diplomatic relations between them
Trump arrived in London on Wednesday to the warm reception of the British monarch, King Charles , and his wife, Carmela who hosted him at Windsor Castle.
He is due to complete his two -day state visit, his second to Britain this year, today.
Palestine
More Gazans Flee As Israel Intensifies Military Attacks
More Gazans are fleeing for their lives as Israeli troops sustain their military onslaught on their city.
The attacks are getting deeper into the heart of the city and the United Nations (UN) monitors say more than 40,000 had fled Gaza in the past 48 hours.
Those fleeing are heading to Al Mawasi as they seek refuge from the relentless attacks of the Israeli troops.
The exodus continued today as more than 30 persons have been killed in the city and other parts of the enclave since dawn today.
The tally came as the Hamas -run Gaza Ministry of Health said that more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
Aside from fatalities, there are at least 120,000 others wounded so far in the course of the wat.
Israel says it has lost more than 900 troops to the war in which ,4,000 others were also wounded.
Belgium
EU Sanctions Israel Over Gaza City War
The European Commission has announced a symbolic package of sanctions on Israel for its war on Gaza City.
The head of the commission, Kaja Kallia, who made the disclosure in Brussens, Belgium, also said that the sanctions also targeted some Israeli ministers, including former Defence Minister, Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich.
The sanctions target trade deals with Israel, valued at around $6 billion.
The announcement was in reaction to the Israeli military campaign on Gaza City, which experts say could displace as many as 1 million people.
Already, the Israeli military say that more than 350,000 persons had fled the fighting for which it has deployed 20,000 troops to confront the estimated 3, 000 Hamas fighters holed up in the city centre.
The 20,000 are part of the 60,000 reservists called up by Israeli for the battle for Gaza City.
The United Nations and most of the individual countries of the world have condemned the Israeli assault on the city.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia,Pakistan Sign Defence Partnership Pact.
The Islamic King of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a defence partnership pact.
The deal was initialled today in Riyadh, the capital of the kingdom, and revolves on the mutual benefit principle of an attack on one is an attack on all.
This means that an attack on any of the two countries would be regarded as an attack on both .
This is the same reciprocity philosophy on which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, runs
Saudi Arabia, a major oil exporter and growing military power in the Middle East ,is beefing up its strategic alliances in the face of the recent Israeli attack on Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders.
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are allies of America , but the inability of America, which is also an ally of Israel, to prevent it from attacking Qatar has triggered concerns and compelled many countries to look elsewhere for enhanced security.
On its part, Pakistan has consistently accused its bigger neighbour, India, of trying to impair its national security and Sovereignty, and today’s deal with the Islamic kingdom is seen as a strategic reachout , in the event that a push turns a shove in its epileptic relations with New Delhi.
Both India and Pakistan are nuclear power states, and earlier this year, had a major border crisis that nearly snowballed into a major military conflict before American President, Donald Trump, stepped in to douse the flame.
Qatar
Survivor Recounts Israel’ s Attack On Hamas Leaders.
A survivor in penultimate Tuesday Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, has recounted his experience.
He said that he and the other leaders of Hamas were at the meeting to discuss America’s proposal for peace between the group and Israel regarding the war in Gaza.
But he said that they had hardly gone beyond an hour and -a -half at the meeting when the first rocket landed.
Ghazi Hamnad said that from experience, they knew from the sound of the first rocket as it landed and exploded, that Israel was attacking them.
Consequently, he said, they all had to take evasive action for their security.
According to him, Israel fired around 12 rockets at the building hosting the meeting within a minute.
He expressed gratitude to God for their narrow escape, but lamented that six persons, including five of the group ‘s members, died in the assault which drew the ire of the international community, including America which supported two United Nations votes condemning it.
