Slamming foreign presence
The Iranian president says the presence of foreigners in West Asia does not help solve regional people’s problems, but adds to their maladies. Ebrahim Raeisi made the remark in an address to a large group of people in an eastern Iranian city. He added that 20 years of US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan had no other outcome but war, bloodletting and plundering of their wealth. Raeisi noted that Iran's presence in any place across the region bolsters security, while foreign presence causes insecurity and terror. The Iranian president stressed that it is time for foreign countries to leave the region and let regional countries take control. He said withdrawal of foreigners is the best solution to the existing problems in the region.
US arming Ukraine
The U-S says it is sending depleted uranium ammunitions to Kiev, defying global concerns about high cancer rates and birth defects in areas where they have been used before. Washington says the controversial ammunitions are part of a new security assistance package worth up to 175-million dollars. The package also includes anti-tank missiles, artillery and mortar rounds, tactical air navigation systems, and additional ammunitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. The new military assistance is part of more than one billion dollars in overall aid announced for Ukraine during US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s Wednesday visit to Kiev. The US aid also includes over 665 million dollars in new military and civilian security assistance and millions of dollars in support for Ukraine's air defenses and other areas.
Nigeria presidential vote
Nigeria's presidential election tribunal has dismissed the opposition’s demand to overturn president Bola Tinubu’s win in February's disputed vote. The court rejected petitions from two main opposition parties, including charges of fraud, lawbreaking by electoral authorities and allegations that Tinubu was not eligible to run. The court described petitions as unmeritorious, saying they were dismissed due to lack of credible evidence to back them. The challenges came after Tinubu won 37 percent of the vote, beating the candidates of Peoples Democratic Party and Labor Party to secure another term in office. Opposition parties now have 60 days to appeal to the country's Supreme Court to strike down the ruling. Tinubu is currently in India to attend the G-20 summit.