International
Tinubu inaugurates 6th ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja
Tinubu inaugurates 6th ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday inaugurated the sixth Legislature of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament in Abuja.
The ECOWAS Parliament is one of the institutions of ECOWAS established by the ECOWAS Treaty of May 28, 1975, signed in Lagos, Nigeria.
The treaty was revised in July 1993 and signed in Abidjan and it is what is currently in use.
In inaugurating the parliament, President Tinubu performed this duty as the current chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Governments.
The inauguration at the International Conference Centre Abuja was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President.
Other are Senator Barau Jibrin, representatives of parliamentarians of other ECOWAS countries, diplomats and top government officials.
Deputy Senate President Barau and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP- Kogi Central) were among legislators from the West African sub-region that took their oaths of office as members of the sixth legislature of the ECOWAS parliament during the opening session.
Akpabio transmitted the list of the Nigerian delegation to the President of the ECOWAS Commission and the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.
The leader of the Nigerian delegation to the 6th ECOWAS Parliament is the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin.
ECOWAS Parliament comprises 115 members, drawn from the 15-member states of which Nigeria is one.
Nigeria has been allotted 35 slots (17 senators and 18 honourable members), followed by Ghana with eight seats. Côte d’Ivoire is has seven seats, while Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal have six seats each.
The tenure of office for members is four years beginning from the date of inauguration.
International
US announces new $725m arms package for Ukraine
US announces new $725m arms package for Ukraine
The United States on Monday announced a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine that features a second tranche of landmines as well as anti-air and anti-armor weapons.
US President Joe Biden’s administration is working against the clock to provide billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, after which future assistance for Ukraine will be in doubt.
Less than two months before Trump is set to be sworn in, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the package was part of efforts “to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression.”
It includes anti-personnel landmines, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, counter-drone systems, anti-armor weapons and artillery ammunition, Blinken said in a statement.
The United States announced a first shipment of landmines to Ukraine last month — a major policy shift slammed by rights groups.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the decision was necessitated by Russian forces leading with dismounted infantry units instead of vehicles.
The Ukrainians “have a need for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians,” Austin told journalists last month.
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The outgoing US administration is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump — who has repeatedly criticized US assistance for Kyiv, claiming he could secure a ceasefire within hours — takes over the presidency.
– ‘Spend every dollar’ –
Trump’s comments have triggered fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of US aid, and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of further American support.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country needed security guarantees from NATO and more weapons to defend itself before any talks with Russia.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Monday that all remaining US funding for Kyiv would be used.
US announces new $725m arms package for Ukraine
International
US welcomes Israel lifeline for Palestinian banking
US welcomes Israel lifeline for Palestinian banking
The United States on Monday welcomed Israel’s one-year extension of a lifeline to Palestinian banks, after threats by the far-right finance minister to sever the connection amid the Gaza war.
The United States had pressed Israel to maintain the waiver which allows Israeli banks to work with Palestinian ones, fearing otherwise that the comparatively stable West Bank would descend into economic havoc.
The State and Treasury Departments in a joint statement said they welcomed the decision taken Thursday at a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet.
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“Economic stability in the West Bank is essential for Israeli and Palestinian security, and correspondent banking is a key pillar of that economic stability,” the statement said.
“The United States appreciates the ongoing engagement with the Government of Israel and the Palestine Monetary Authority on this matter.”
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement and advocates for the full annexation of the territory occupied by Israel since 1967, earlier threatened to end the waiver in retaliation for three European countries’ recognition of a Palestinian state.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that cutting off Palestinian banks “would create a humanitarian crisis” and voiced disappointment in October when Israel approved only a 30-day extension.
US welcomes Israel lifeline for Palestinian banking
International
Biden pardons son weeks to his exit as US president
Biden pardons son weeks to his exit as US president
The United States President, Joe Biden, on Sunday granted an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases.
Biden’s pardon came amid assurances that he would not intervene in his son’s legal troubles.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said in a statement.
The pardon is expected to bring about fresh scrutiny over the independence of the US judicial system, especially at a time when incoming president, Donald Trump, has moved to appoint loyalists to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Justice Department himself.
Hunter was convicted earlier this year for lying about his drug use when he bought a gun — a felony — and has also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial, but had not faced sentencing.
Biden, who is in the final weeks of his presidency before Trump takes office on January 20, had repeatedly said he would not pardon his son.
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“I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.
“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice,” the president noted.
The pardon comes as criminal cases against president-elect Trump have stalled after a ruling on presidential immunity by the Supreme Court — all but ensuring Biden’s Republican rival will likely never see a jail cell, even after his landmark conviction for falsifying business records in May.
US presidents have previously used pardons to help family members and other political allies.
Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for old cocaine charges and Trump pardoned the father of his son-in-law for tax evasion, though in both cases those men had already served their prison terms.
Biden pardons son weeks to his exit as US president
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