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Trump says he ‘will not allow’ Netanyahu to annex West Bank

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Donald Trump has said he will not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The US president told White House reporters ahead of Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly on Friday: “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank… It’s not going to happen.”

Trump, who will meet Netanyahu on Monday, also said a ceasefire deal over the war in Gaza was “pretty close”.

Israel is facing increasing global pressure to end the conflict and occupation of the West Bank, as a wave of Western states formally recognise an independent Palestinian state. Far-right Israelis view annexation as a means of preventing a Palestinian state being created.

Ultranationalists in Netanyahu’s governing coalition have repeated calls for Israel to annex the West Bank – part of the Palestinian territories – outright.

The UK and Germany say they have warned Israel against annexation, while UN Secretary General António Guterres said such a move would be “morally, legally and politically intolerable”.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he had spoken to Netanyahu as well as other Middle Eastern leaders.

“We’re getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza, and maybe even peace,” Trump said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly via video link the same day that he was ready to work with world leaders to implement a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians that was announced by France on Monday.

The 89-year-old was barred from travelling to New York, where the UN headquarters are, by the US.

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Abbas thanked countries which had recently recognised a Palestinian state in a wave of declarations that began with Canada, Australia, the UK and Portugal on Sunday, and was followed by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Denmark.

The US is currently opposed to recognising Palestine, saying such a move would be a reward for Hamas.

“Hamas will not have a role to play in governance,” Abbas said in his speech. He also called for a Palestinian state to assume “full responsibilities” for the Gaza Strip following an Israeli withdrawal and connect it with the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

At the UN on Tuesday, Trump met the leaders of key Arab and Muslim nations, who warned him of consequences if Israel moved ahead with annexation.

“I think the president of the US understands very well the risks and dangers of annexation in the West Bank,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters afterwards.

On Wednesday morning, Israel closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and neighbouring Jordan, preventing more than two million Palestinians from accessing the outside world.

The closure came days after two Israeli military personnel were shot dead near the crossing by a Jordanian gunman who was killed at the scene.

In Gaza, more than 80 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City, local hospitals said.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

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At least 65,419 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hama-run health ministry, including more than 18,000 children.

In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed body, said that more than half a million people across Gaza were facing “catastrophic” conditions characterised by “starvation, destitution and death”. Netanyahu has repeatedly denied starvation is taking place in Gaza.

A United Nations commission of inquiry found Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a report Israel’s foreign ministry categorically rejected as “distorted and false”.

Israel is under increasing pressure to end the war and occupation.

In addition to more countries recognising a Palestinian state, the European Commission has unveiled plans to restrict trade with Israel and impose sanctions on extremist ministers in its government, which – if adopted – would be the EU’s toughest response to the war in Gaza.

This week, Microsoft cut off some services to a unit of Israel’s Ministry of Defence after an investigation found its technology had been used to conduct mass surveillance on people in Gaza.

But Netanyahu has called for Israel to embrace increased self-sufficiency.

Source: BBC News

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Veteran Yoruba broadcaster and comic actor, Timothy Agboola, widely known as Ereke Ni Shop, has died

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Veteran Yoruba broadcaster and comic actor, Timothy Agboola, widely known as Ereke Ni Shop, has died after battling an illness.

It was reports that the entertainer passed away on Wednesday at a private hospital in Lagos after reportedly being sick for a long time.

Agboola built a strong reputation in Yoruba broadcasting and comedy.

Over the years, he became popular for programmes that mixed humour with storytelling while also promoting Yoruba culture and traditions.

Many listeners saw him as someone who loved his heritage and proudly represented Ijesa culture through his work.

Following the announcement of his death, many colleagues, friends and fans began sharing messages of condolence on social media.

One of his associates, Idris Shogbola, was among those who first shared the sad news online while mourning the loss of the veteran broadcaster.

“May the soul of our boss rest in peace. Pa Timothy Agboola ‘Ereke ni Shop’. Baba Oloye Repete… A broadcaster, actor, comedian. May God Almighty give you eternal rest in peace. Amen. Ereke ni Shop sun re o,” he wrote.

Agboola gained wide attention through his unique storytelling style and lively comedy.

His radio shows often combined humour with social observations about daily life, which made him popular among many Yoruba listeners.

During his long career in the entertainment industry, he worked with several well-known entertainers, including Baba Alajeju.

Some of his comedy performances date back to the 1970s when he was already becoming known for his lively stage presence.

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I Don’t Leave My House Without Going Through Newspapers – Tinubu

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President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that he is always concerned about the welfare of the masses.

He disclosed that he reads about happenings in the country every morning before leaving home.

Tinubu stated this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said that he was a little bit stubborn at the beginning of his administration.

The president also stated that his administration has opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.

He said, “There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.

“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.

“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu has stated that improving Nigeria is a collective responsibility.

He asserted that the country’s development cannot be the sole responsibility of the federal government and urged the media to hold states and local governments accountable.

The President stated this on Friday when he hosted media executives and proprietors at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Tinubu cited increased financial autonomy for the lower tiers of government and urged the media to extend the same level of scrutiny they apply to his government to the local and state administrations.

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“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money. But how they use it is in your hands,” Tinubu said.

“So don’t bombard me alone; look at the local government too. Yes, we can complain it’s not enough; we can complain we are not where we should be. But we have to manage what we have to sustain today, survive tomorrow, and make progress.

“Today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay the salaries of employees,” he told the gathering.

“Yes, we can complain that it’s not enough. We can complain we are not where we should be, but we have to manage what we have to sustain today, survive tomorrow, and make progress,” he added.

The ex-Lagos State governor reiterated his commitment to doing the job with dedication.

“And I promise you, the job that I continue to do is dedication, patriotic dedication to improve Nigeria. It’s all in our hands; it’s a collective responsibility,” he said.

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US Lawmaker, Moore Alleges American University Shooter Met ISIL In Nigeria

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United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has alleged that a shooter who attacked Old Dominion University in Virginia met with members of the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Nigeria before carrying out the incident.

Moore made the allegation on his 𝕏 account on Saturday, in response to the attack.

It was understands that the attacker, Bailor Jalloh, a former Virginia National Guard member and convicted supporter of ISIS, entered a classroom filled with Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students and opened fire.

According to the FBI, the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar”, Arabic for “God is greater”, before shooting at students inside Constant Hall.

The classroom quickly descended into chaos as terrified students scrambled for safety.

However, several ROTC students bravely confronted the gunman and ultimately subdued him, preventing what authorities believe could have been a far deadlier massacre.

Reacting to the development, the lawmaker claimed that the suspect was earlier imprisoned but was released before the attack despite alleged ties to the terrorist group.

“The radical Islamic terrorist who attacked Old Dominion yesterday was let out of prison early despite meeting with ISIL in Nigeria and seeking to aide and abet ISIL in carrying out an attack on our homeland,” Moore said.

The congressman criticised the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release, describing the development as alarming and unacceptable.

“This is insane, and it MUST END! That’s why I’m introducing a bill to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who seeks to commit a terrorist attack or aids and abets terrorism against the American people,” he said.

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