iNTERNATIONAL Archives - Page 2 of 15

Alleged Corruption: Ex-Bank of China Chairman sentenced to death

November 29, 2024November 29, 2024 Aminu Imam

Former Bank of China Chairman, Liu Liange has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting significant bribes and issuing illegal loans. The Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in Shandong Province delivered the verdict on November 26, 2024. Liu was found guilty of taking bribes amounting to 121 million yuan (approximately $16.7 million) and approving illegal loans worth 3.32 billion yuan, leading to losses exceeding 190 million yuan. His sentence includes the confiscation of all personal assets and a lifetime deprivation of political rights. The court’s ruling includes the…

ICC Ruling: Israeli PM, Netanyahu faces arrest, as UK pledges to fulfill its �legal obligations�

November 23, 2024November 23, 2024 Aminu Imam

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu risks arrest in the United Kingdom (UK) after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him on Thursday for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Downing Street has indicated that the UK would fulfil its �legal obligations� under international law if Netanyahu were to travel to the country. The warrant, which also names Israel�s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, stems from accusations of war crimes during the ongoing Gaza conflict. According to the ICC Act 2001, member States, including the UK, are obligated…

Tinubu, in S’Arabia, backs 2-State solution in Gaza; demands end to Israeli aggression

November 12, 2024November 12, 2024 Aminu Imam

President Bola Tinubu has called for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza. Tinubu, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, warned that �empty condemnations� are not enough to end the conflict in Palestine, which, he said, �has persisted for far too long.� The Nigerian leader made this argument at the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit, convened to address the current situation in the Middle-East. The one-day summit was a follow-up to the Riyadh summit of 2023 and was attended by Heads of State and Government from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, (OIC), and the…

“No Nigerian life lost in Lebanon” – FG

October 6, 2024October 6, 2024 Aminu Imam

�Set to begin evacuation The Federal Government has said that no Nigerian life has been lost in Lebanon, amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. As Israel increases strikes in Lebanon, the Nigerian government said it has commenced preparation for the evacuation of Nigerians in Lebanon. In an issued statement yesterday, signed by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, the Government said that the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon has been actively working to protect its nationals. �The Federal Government has begun preparations to evacuate…

Middle-East conflict:�Iran launches about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel

October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 Aminu Imam

Iran fired several waves of ballistic missiles at Israel yesterday evening, in a sudden assault that raised the likelihood of a direct all-out war between two of the most powerful militaries in the Middle-East. The attack from Iran was the culmination of a dizzying sequence of events over less than 24 hours, which began with Israel launching a ground invasion into Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese militia. Israel pounded Lebanon from the air throughout yesterday, as its troops advanced on the ground and Hezbollah fired rockets deep into…

“Hezbollah chief�s killing will lead to Israel�s destruction”� – Iran’s VP

September 29, 2024September 29, 2024 Aminu Imam

Iran�s First Vice-President, Mohammad Reza Aref, has vowed that the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike in the Lebanese capital will bring about Israel�s �destruction�. Iran�s ISNA news agency yesterday, quoted Aref as saying, �We warn the leaders of the occupying regime that the unjust bloodshed� especially of Hezbollah�s secretary general, martyr Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, will bring about their destruction�. Lebanon�s Hezbollah group, armed and financed by Iran, confirmed yesterday that Nasrallah had been killed, after Israel said it had �eliminated� him in an air strike…

Japa: Sweden to pay immigrants $34,000 (N55m) to return home

September 13, 2024September 13, 2024 Aminu Imam

Sweden�s government says it would drastically increase grants for immigrants who choose to leave the country. The right-wing government, which is propped up by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, made these known in a statement yesterday. As of 2026, immigrants who voluntarily return to their home countries would be eligible to receive up to 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000). This is up from the current 10,000 kronor. The amount, $34,000, is N55,930,000, using the recent exchange rate of N1,645/$. The move is to encourage more migrants to make the choice. Currently, immigrants…

Turkey raises departure fee for citizens by 233%

August 12, 2024August 12, 2024 Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

T�rkiye said on Monday that it had increased departure fee for Turkish citizens flying to international destinations by 233 per cent to enhance tax revenue. According to the Turkish Revenue Administration, citizens traveling abroad on international flights are now to pay 500 Turkish liras (14.89 U.S. dollars) for the exit tax stamp starting at midnight. To prevent potential inconveniences at border crossings, the administration has allowed travelers to make the fee payments in advance and introduced an online option. The tax package, which includes raising the departure fee from 150…

More than 47,000 die of heat in Europe in 2023 – Study

August 12, 2024August 12, 2024 Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Experts estimate that more than 47,000 people died as a result of high temperatures in Europe in 2023, the world�s warmest year since records began. The figure is revealed in a modeling study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Monday. However, the international research group also reports that society appears to have adapted to the heat. The team used mortality data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) on 96 million deaths to estimate the heat-related mortality burden in 2023 for 823…

Israel: War cabinet minister vows to quit if there is no post-war plan for Gaza

May 20, 2024May 20, 2024 Aminu Imam

Israeli war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, has threatened to resign unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets out a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip. Gantz set an June 8 deadline for a plan to achieve six ‘strategic goals’, including the end of Hamas rule in Gaza and the establishment of a multi-national civilian administration for the territory. Gantz was speaking just days after another war cabinet member, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, urged Netanyahu to state publicly that Israel had no plans to take over civilian and military rule in Gaza.…