Azerbaijan and Armenia trade barbs following Yerevan's receipt of additional weapons from France.

James Colemam | 20th June, 2024.

After thirty years of warfare, Yerevan and Armenia traded fresh insults on Wednesday in an effort to progress towards a peace deal. This came after France promised to arm Yerevan with more weaponry.

In the course of their recent efforts to negotiate a treaty, the two South Caucasus countries agreed that Armenia would cede four disputed border villages to Azerbaijan.

We believe that France's strategy in the South Caucasus is ineffective. The main foreign policy advisor of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev, President Ilham Aliyev, forewarned the Azerbaijani media of the policy's detrimental effects.

"This is a blow to regulating relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia."

Armenia's foreign ministry responded by declaring that it was "the sovereign right of every state" to keep combat-capable armed forces equipped with modern military equipment.

As a result, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry stated that Armenia's activities were "illegitimate and represent a threat to Azerbaijan".

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars, with Azerbaijan regaining significant portions of territory in 2020.

Last year, its soldiers seized control of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the focal point of the protracted battle. Most of the region's ethnic Armenians emigrated to Armenia.

One of Yerevan's most reliable European allies, France is also home to a substantial Armenian diaspora.

Despite having formal ties to Russia, Armenia has distanced itself from Moscow in recent years, citing insufficient protection. Armenia has been advised by Russia not to play around with the West, and they disagree with the criticism.

A surge of recent demonstrations against Armenia's territorial concessions and the loss of Karabakh has forced Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign.

The state of Louisiana in the United States requires all classrooms to have a display of the Ten Commandments.

By Timmy Mabs | 20th June, 2024.

Louisiana has become the first state in US to mandate that a poster of the Ten Commandments be shown in all public school classrooms, up to university level.

The commandments were referred to as "the foundational documents of our state and national government" in the Republican-backed legislation that Governor Jeff Landry signed into law on Wednesday.

Civil rights organizations anticipate contesting the bill on the grounds that it violates the Establishment Clause, which is the first amendment of the US Constitution that guarantees the separation of church and state.

It states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

According to state law, the commandments must be "the central focus" of the exhibition and the sacred text must be included in a "large, easily readable font" on a poster that measures 11 by 14 inches (28 by 35.5 cm).

A "context statement" consisting of four paragraphs that explains how the commandments "were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries" will also be displayed with it.

By 2025, all classrooms that receive state financing must have the posters up in their displays; however, the posters themselves are not being funded by the state.

Other Republican-led states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah have lately proposed legislation along similar lines.
The Ten Commandments' exhibition in public spaces like courtrooms, police stations, and schools has given rise to countless legal disputes.

A related Kentucky statute mandating that the document be shown in elementary and high schools was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 1980.

The Ten Commandments posting requirement "had no secular legislative purpose" and was "plainly religious in nature," the Supreme Court declared in a 5-4 vote.

The court pointed out that the Ten Commandments mentioned worshiping God, which included keeping the Sabbath day, in addition to crimes like killing and stealing.

 

Two US men jailed for conspiracy to sell Iranian oil to China.

Timmy Mabs | 12th June, 2024.

Two Texas men, Zhenyu Wang and Daniel Ray Lane, have been sentenced to 45 months in prison for attempting to sell Iranian petroleum in violation of US sanctions and conspiring to commit money laundering.

According to the Justice Department, the pair schemed to evade US economic sanctions against Iran from July 2019 to February 2020. They facilitated the purchase of sanctioned oil from Iran, masked its origins, and sold it to a refinery in China.

Lane, the president of Stack Royalties, a Texas-based company, claimed that the case was an example of government overreach. His attorney, Paul Hetznecker, stated that undercover government agents offered Lane "millions of dollars in profits" to participate in the scheme, which he initially rebuffed.

The pair were charged alongside three others in 2020 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. At least two co-conspirators have since pleaded guilty, according to court records. The sentencing highlights the ongoing enforcement of US sanctions against Iran's petroleum exports, which China continues to import despite the sanctions.

BREAKING: Tinubu names Abuja expressway after Wole Soyinka.

Timmy Mabs | 4th June, 2024.

The Nigerian government has named a major arterial road in Abuja, the capital city, after Wole Soyinka.

The road, previously known as the N20, stretches from Northern Parkway to the Outer Northern Expressway (also known as the Murtala Mohammed Expressway). The naming was announced by the President during the road's inauguration on June 4.

The President praised Soyinka as a foremost playwright who has brought international recognition to Nigeria.

Mr. Nyesom Wike the FCT Minister, was appreciated for recommending the naming of the road after Soyinka.

This recognition is a testament to Soyinka's enduring impact on Nigerian literature and his legacy as a cultural icon.

The inauguration of the Wole Soyinka Way is one of the multiple projects commissioned by President Bola Tinubu to mark his administration's first year in office. Some of the other projects include;

Southern Parkway: renamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way

Abuja Rail Mass Transit: also known as the Metro Rail

Outer Southern Parkway: renamed the Mahamadou Issoufou Way

These projects highlight the administration's focus on infrastructure development and honor notable figures like Wole Soyinka.

US urges Hamas and Israel to agree to the proposed Gaza truce.

Timmy Mabs | 3rd June, 2024.

Rafah was attached by Isreal in May.
(Photo credit: AFP)

Israel resumed its airstrikes on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, on Sunday night. Over half of Gaza's population is seeking sanctuary in Rafah, where there has been an Israeli military operation for the past three weeks.

Mediators are pushing Israel and Hamas to accept the cease-fire and hostage-release plan that US President Joe Biden put up on Friday; Hamas has welcomed the proposal. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasised that Israel will fight on until Hamas is defeated and the hostages that were captured during their October 7 raid are freed.

Netanyahu's coalition partners are putting pressure on him to sign a ceasefire agreement, or else his government would fall apart. However, since Biden had earlier said that a significant Israeli offensive on Rafah would be a red line, continuing with the attack carries the risk of publicly alienating Israel. The government must embrace Biden's proposal for a truce, according to demonstrators who have voiced their support for the quick release of hostages and who assembled in Tel Aviv on Saturday. 

The Mercy Corps received a donation of NT$16.21 million (US$500,000) on May 9 from Taiwan for humanitarian aid, along with supplies for medical care and communications, to Palestine. Foreign Ministry officials have not yet commented on this particular deal.

Abba Kyari welcome by family members after 27-months in detention.

Timmy Mabs | 1st June, 2024.

On February 14, 2022, Kyari was taken into custody by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on suspicion of having ties to a global drug trafficking organisation.

On March 7, 2022, Kyari was arraigned alongside Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu, the other four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team.

After being held for 27 months in detention, Kyari was released from the Federal Capital Territory's Kuje Custodial Centre.

Kyari was welcome by his family and well wishers.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah fighters destroy an Israeli drone and launch rockets towards an Israeli base.

Timmy Mabs | 1st June, 2024.

Hours after Israeli drone attacks left at least one person dead and numerous others injured, the militant Hezbollah organisation claimed to have shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon and fired rockets at an Israeli military camp on Saturday.

Hours after Israeli drone attacks left at least one person dead and numerous others injured, the militant Hezbollah organisation claimed to have shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon and fired rockets at an Israeli military camp on Saturday. 

In a statement, Hezbollah claimed that its fighters had taken out the Hermes 900 Kochav drone, claiming that the aircraft had been targeting both civilian residences and militants. The recent military assault by Israel on Rafah, the southern metropolis of Gaza, has resulted in an increase in the gunfight along the Israel-Lebanon border.

The drone was operating in Lebanese airspace when a surface-to-air missile was fired towards it, according to the Israeli military. The drone was struck and landed within Lebanese territory. The military declared that "the incident is under review."

With a long endurance and medium altitude, the Hermes 900 Kochav drone is capable of transporting four guided anti-tank missiles.

 In the border town of Kiryat Shmona, Hezbollah announced on Saturday that its militants had also used Burkan rockets to assault an Israeli army base, "scoring direct hits, igniting a fire and destroying part of it." A warhead for a Burkan missile can weigh anything from 300 kg (661 lbs) to 500 kg (1,100 lbs). Without providing specifics, the Israeli army acknowledged that a rocket had struck a military base in Kiryat Shmona.

The missile strike on Kiryat Shmona was reported by Israeli media, which also made available photos of the infrastructure damage. There were no confirmed casualties. 

The state-run National News Agency said earlier on Saturday that two persons were injured in an Israeli drone attack on a motorbike close to the southern Lebanese village of Khirbet Selm. Another drone strike was reported by the agency on Saturday afternoon in a village close to Nabatiyeh, a city in southern Iran.

A woman was murdered and other others were injured on Friday night in the coastal village of Adloun by an Israeli bombardment, according to the agency. 

The day following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Hezbollah started bombing Israeli military positions along the Lebanon-Israel border. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been displaced since then. 

In Lebanon over the last seven months, over 400 individuals have died, most of them fighters, but over 70 civilians and non-combatants have also died. Since October, Israel has seen 15 military deaths and 10 civilian deaths.

In The Hush Money Case, Trump Is Convicted On All Charges.

Timmy Mabs | 31st May, 2024.

Trump might get a term that varies from four years in prison to community service.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

On Thursday night, a jury in New York found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of fabricating business records as part of a plot to rig the 2016 election by paying a porn star in secret in order to conceal a sex scandal that would have a negative political impact. The first American president to be found guilty of a felony is Trump.

Trump declared himself a "very innocent man" and described the conviction as a "disgrace" as he left the courthouse, saying that "the real verdict is going to be Nov. 5, by the people." Trump's campaign used the phrases "JUSTICE IS DEAD IN AMERICA!" and "political prisoner" in fundraising mailings.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg of Manhattan stated, "The jury's voice is the only voice that matters, and the jury has spoken."

As to The New York Times, Trump's conviction "marks the beginning of a new chapter in presidential politics." He’ll "carry the stain of the verdict during his third run for the White House as voters now choose between an unpopular incumbent and a convicted criminal."

Four days before to the Republican National Convention, on July 11, Judge Juan Merchan will sentence Trump. According to the Times, until then, "Trump will have the same experience as anyone else convicted of a felony" in New York, which includes an interview with the city probation department prior to it recommending a sentence that could range from four years in jail to community service. The attorneys for Trump intend to file an appeal.

 

Turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight to Dublin causes 12 injuries, according to the airport

Timmy Mabs | 27th May, 2024.

Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type.

Photo credit: Illustration: Alphonsus Chern

A Qatar Airways flight en route from Doha to Ireland witnessed turbulence that left an incredible twelve passengers injured, reports Dublin Airport May 26, and the plan landed safely.

Flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, arrived just before 1 o’clock in the afternoon Dublin time, the airport stated.

Holding the injured, airport staff and emergency services such as airport police/ fire and rescue service were waiting for the plane upon arrival,” Dublin Airport said in a statement following the incident adding, “The six passengers and six crew members on board said they were involve in an injury after the plane experience turbulences mid-air while flying over Turkey.

The unnamed airline suffered what was termed as a near-miss recently as noted by Irish broadcaster RTE, where the confrontation was said to have ensued among passengers arriving at Dublin Airport during a food and drinks service period, with the event lasting approximately 20 seconds.

She therefore spoke to the radio about the incident saying that; ‘the turbulence occurred when the seat belt light was switches off’. This could be when his dinner fell off his laps and this caused his shorts to get ripped.

Another passenger, Conor, he also said, he felt that plane moved downwards for approximately five seconds, and from what he saw a flight attendant floated off the ceiling and immediately fell on the ground.

His companion Emma stated that these were some of the observations; she saw flight attendants with scratch marks on their face and the look of panic on everybody.

A small number of passengers and crew members have been affected by the turbulence resulting in minor injury and are being treated,” it said.

The airline did not specify the occurrence of turbulence, but commented that it is an internal matter under review.

This happened only five days after a Singapore Airlines flight flying from London to Singapore had to crash land in Bangkok resulting in turbulence that caused the death of a 73 years old Briton and sending twenty other passengers to the intensive care unit.

The following are the most common types of airline accidents: Turbulence-related accidents, which constituted 26% of most global accidents in a study conducted by the US National Transportation Safety Board in 2021.

In the case of turbulence occurrences reported by the US agency from 2009 to 2018, the agency discovered that above half of reported airline accidents, and most of them mainly cause one or more serious injuries to passengers but no damage to the aircraft.

Israel disputes Hamas' claim that Israeli soldiers had been captured in Gaza.

Timmy Mabs|24th May, 2024.

During an operation in the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the military arm of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, reported on Sunday that they had captured an undetermined number of Israeli soldiers.

Although it hasn't been officially confirmed, a video clip that Hamas posted appeared to show someone being taken down a tunnel, allegedly an Israeli soldier.

Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee responded to the news by saying, "There is no incident of kidnapping a soldier in Gaza."

Iran President Dies In Chopper Crash.

Timmy Mabs | 20th May, 2024.

About half an hour into the journey, the helicopter carrying President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials lost communication.

Iranian media said that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in the region of East Azerbaijan on Sunday. It further stated that June 28 will see the holding of elections to choose the next President

The helicopter carrying Iran's President Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian vanished.

Iran's national media reported that there was "no sign" of life among the occupants of the helicopter. "Upon finding the helicopter, there was no sign of the helicopter passengers being alive as of yet," according to state television. 

After a period of increased tensions in the region, especially because of the Gaza conflict and Iran's recent escalation with Israel, this incident occurred. Having taken office in 2021, President Raisi has repeatedly reaffirmed Iran's unwavering support for Palestine in his recent speech to inaugurate a dam. 

Videos of the leader inside the helicopter were released on Sunday by Iran's official media. The footage shows the Iranian leader staring out of an aeroplane window while other high-ranking officials, such as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, are seated across from him.