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Israel bars U.N. secretary-general from entering country

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FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo © Thomson Reuters
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not “unequivocally” condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday amid an escalation in fighting between its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Many were intercepted mid-air but some penetrated missile defences. No casualties were reported.

Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement referencing only the “latest attacks in the Middle East” and condemning the conflict “with escalation after escalation”. Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent troops into south Lebanon.

Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz, said Guterres’ failure to call out Iran made him persona non grata in Israel.

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” Katz said.

“Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres.”

(Reporting by Ari RabinovitchEditing by Peter Graff and Angus MacSwan)

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Elon Musk Contributes Nearly $75 Million To Boost Trump’s Presidential Campaign

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According to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Billionaire Elon Musk has contributed almost $75 million to a political action committee (PAC) he established to back Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

The donation underscores Musk’s growing involvement in Trump’s bid for the White House.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has become increasingly active in the Republican campaign.

He joined Trump on stage at a Pennsylvania rally and regularly criticizes his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, on social media.

Trump has praised Musk at campaign events and promised to appoint him to a committee to reduce government bureaucracy if re-elected.

Musk’s America PAC raised $74.95 million between July and September, focusing on grassroots efforts to boost voter turnout in key battleground states like Pennsylvania.

The PAC’s website offers volunteers $30 per hour to help increase voter participation, with performance bonuses available.

In contrast, Kamala Harris’s Harris Victory Fund PAC raised $633 million during the same period.

Harris, who entered the presidential race after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, has energized the Democratic base with a strong campaign focused on swing states.

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Orji Uzor Kalu reveals amount he earns monthly as senator

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The lawmaker representing Abia North in the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, has disclosed that he earns a total of N14 million every month as a Senator.

The Senator, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, dismissed the belief among some Nigerians that lawmakers are living in affluence while the masses live in poverty.

“I earn N14 million for everything in a month. That is everything encompassing, the overhead, the worker’s salary, everybody,” Uzor-Kalu said.

Uzor Kalu, who is a former governor of Abia State, argued that the N14 million is not enough to buy petrol to travel to his constituency, maintain the constituency office among other things.

No official vehicles for lawmakers
One of the most controversial issues that have always been raised against the national assembly is the luxury cars given to lawmakers as their official vehicles.

However, Senator Uzor Kalu denied that lawmakers are given official personal vehicles, saying that the only the various committees in the national assembly that are given vehicles.

“I am in the Senate and a lot of things are said about the Senators and I sit there quietly and watch, and most of these things are not true. All I know is that committees get vehicles, no lawmaker is given any vehicle,” the Senator said.

On the economic hardship in Nigeria, Senator Uzor Kalu said it is not peculiar to Nigeria as the impact of COVID-19 is still affecting economies globally. He said the only reason some countries are no longer feeling the COVID-19 impact the way Nigeria is feeling it is because they have built a robust economy for a very long period.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu is aware of the country’s unstable economy and is taking steps to address the challenges facing Nigeria.

“The president himself knows that Nigerians are suffering and hungry. He is a street person; he knows the street very well.

“The president some nights uses his car to go around and know what is happening in Abuja here,” he said.

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NATO opens its doors: Putin is furious

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NATO opens its doors: Putin is furious © Pixabay
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NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte , said on Thursday that Ukraine would be a NATO member state in the future.

He also acknowledged that he was unable to say exactly when the country would join the transatlantic organization.

Arriving at the meeting of the Atlantic Alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels from today to Friday, Rutte said that at the moment, it seemed that Ukraine would become the 33rd ally, with NATO currently having 32 members, while admitting that another country could join the transatlantic organization before Kiev. A demonstration of NATO’s determination to thwart Moscow’s plans.

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