Two Opposition Leaders Join Forces

According to a report, two of Nigeria’s main opposition leaders have joined the same party, the african democratic congress, in order to challenge president Bola Tinubu who won the 2023 election with 37% of the vote. Reportedly, Atiku Abubakar formerly of the labour party who won 29% of the vote and Peter Obi, formerly of the people’s democratic Party who won 25% of the vote had a series of talks that culminated in their decision to join forces for Nigeria’s next general election in 2027.

According to the report, the decision was described by the african democratic congress interim chairman as an attempt to save the country’s democracy and to stop Nigeria from becoming a one party state. Reportedly, both the people’s democratic Party and the labour party are struggling with crises which some believe have been instigated by external forces.

Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday

According to reports, it is the Dalai lamas 90th birthday on July 6 and representatives from hinduism, christianity, islam, baha’i, judaism and janism were guests at the celebrations held in 3 seperate locations in India and China.

China has governed Tibet since its annexation in 1950 and it is now considered a part of China. According to a report, under 18s must now attend Chinese state run schools and learn mandarin. Reportedly, they are not allowed to study buddhism until they are 18 years old and must be patriotic to China. According to the report, a Tibet scholar said that China wants to turn the lion of tibetan culture into a poodle.

Reportedly, the Dalai lama who is the spiritual leader of tibetan buddhism and historically the political leader of Tibet has lived in exile in India since 1959. According to the report, he handed over political authority to a democratically elected government in exile in 2011 who had talks this year with China about succession plans. Reportedly, the Dalai lama has suggested that his predecessor would be from the free world, but experts say that China is expected to name their own Dalai lama. According to the report, Beijing who are described as having a propaganda apparatus in place say that the process of succession should be handled in accordance with national law. Reportedly, they have been sending teams to offices, schools and villages to teach people about the new regulations for choosing a Dalai lama.

U.s. President’s Tax and Spending Bill

According to reports, the u.s. senate passed the president’s tax and spending bill on Tuesday but it will still need final approval. Reportedly, the bill offers $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, extending the president’s 2017 tax cuts and making them permanent, it also increases government funding on defence and border security and is partly funded by cutting healthcare and food programmes.

According to the report, the independent congressional budget office estimates that the bill will increase the u.s. debt by $3.3 trillion over the next ten years. The u.s. owes $36.21 trillion, and as a percentage of gross domestic product is the eighth highest globally. Followed by France and Canada.

Fordo Nuclear Site Seriously and Heavily Damaged Said Iranian Foreign Minister

In his first western interview since the u.s. airstrikes Iran’s foreign minister spoke to cbs news, saying no-one exactly knows what has transpired in the Fordo nuclear site but what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged. Reportedly, it isn’t clear whether the atomic energy agency in Iran are able to access Fordo and Iran are waiting for an assessment in order to gage whether or not Fordo will be able to relaunch.

According to the report, he said that Iran’s nuclear programme was peaceful and will remain peaceful, and he doubts that nuclear talks with the u.s. will resume quickly though he isn’t ruling out diplomacy.

Gaza

According to a report, on Wednesday morning it was outlined that 6 people were killed when israeli forces opened fire at crowds waiting near an aid distribution centre in central Gaza, and 3 near an aid distribution centre in Rafah, but details are provided by hamas, and the israeli military said they were not aware of any incidents with casualties in those areas.

Reportedly, Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid at the beginning of March which they eased after 11 weeks when Israel and the u.s. backed the establishment of a new aid distribution authority, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which bypasses the u.n. as the main supplier of aid in Gaza. According to the report, the ghf which uses private security contractors and has delivered 44 million meals since they began operating was established to prevent aid being stolen by hamas.

Reportedly, palestinians in Gaza differed about what the conflict between Israel and Iran meant for the territory. According to the report, some palestinians viewed the assault on Iran as a positive for achieving peace in Gaza (as Iran is a backer of hamas) forcing the group to ease their demands.

Assessing the Damage

According to a report, a u.s. democratic member of the house foreign affairs committee said it is unclear what the strike on iranian nuclear facilities had accomplished. Reportedly, he said that the administration hadn’t said whether the strikes destroyed Iran’s ability to weaponise their uranium, their uranium enriching centrifuges or depleted their stockpile, which he said was enough to create 9 nuclear weapons. According to the report, satellite images reveal little of what really happened underground (they do not suggest massive subsidence) though the centrifuge machines are sensitive which means the strike has probably sent them spinning off their axis.

Reportedly, the site of Fordo has been under intense scrutiny since western intelligence first said it was home to a secret nuclear facility in 2009. According to the report, developing a clearer picture of any damage at Fordo may be possible from intercepted communications and/or sensors such as lidar (light detection and ranging) which can provide 3d maps using laser pulses from aircraft or drones to try and look inside the mountain.

Reportedly, the president of the institute of science and national security and an expert on secret nuclear weapons development said it will take significant time, investment and energy for Iran to restore their nuclear programme. According to the report, in a post on X he wrote, Iran is under intense scrutiny and observation from the u.s. and Israel, Reportedly, they risk further attacks if they try to rebuild.

Differing Assessments Regarding Damage to Iranian Nuclear Sites

According to a report, following Saturday’s bombing an early u.s. defense department intelligence assessment into the extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear sites in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan reported that Iran’s nuclear programme was not destroyed but only set back by months. Reportedly, anonymous sources familiar with the defence intelligence agency evaluation told cbs news that Iran’s centrifuges (devices that enrich uranium) are largely intact, that the impact was limited to above ground structures and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. According to the report, the Whitehouse said the wrong assessment was leaked by a loser in the intelligence community.

Reportedly, it is unclear from satellite images how much damage the three sites sustained below the surface, and sources said that enriched uranium had been moved and the sites had been evacuated prior to the attack.

According to the report, the u.s. has 18 intelligence agencies which sometimes have conflicting reports (and the differences of opinion may sometimes be political), for instance, the u.s. intelligence community are still not in agreement about the origins of covid 19.

Iran and Israel accuse each other of breaking ceasefire

According to reports, both Israel and Iran have accused the other of violating the u.s./Qatar brokered ceasefire. Reportedly, Israel said they agreed to the ceasefire at 6.00 am on Tuesday (09.00 in Israel, 09.30 in Iran), but Israel accused Iran of launching further attacks hours later.

According to the report, Iran’s Islamic revolutionary guard corps (irgc) said they had struck military and logistical centres in Israel in the final moments before the ceasefire came into effect. Reportedly, an irgc affiliated news agency reported that Israel had launched a military strike after the ceasefire.

U.s. President Announces Ceasefire

According to reports, on Monday evening the u.s. president announced a total ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Truth Social, a social media platform owned by him. Reportedly, the ceasefire which took effect from 4 am Tuesday morning Tehran time followed an exchange of fire on Monday night with 4 people killed in southern Israel.

Iran Targets Airbase in Qatar

According to a report, Iran has targeted the u.s.’s largest airbase in the middle east, al Udeid, south west of Doha, but air defences intercepted the six short and medium range ballistic missiles and there were no injuries reported. Reportedly, al Udeid houses 10,000 u.s. airforce personnel, as well as the Qatari airforce the british royal airforce and other foreign forces. According to reports, the u.s. was given a prior warning via two diplomatic channels, if so there is a chance that the situation will not escalate.

Reportedly, several u.s. bases in the middle east are on high alert, and the Ain al Asad base in Iraq activated their air defence system out of concern for a potential attack.