International News
G7 Rallies Behind Ukraine After Abrupt Trump Exit
Group of Seven leaders, holding talks Tuesday at a summit in Canada, promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fresh support as Russia stepped up attacks on its neighbor.
US President Donald Trump, who has had a volatile relationship with Zelensky, had been due to meet him but left the summit early to return to Washington over the Israel-Iran conflict.
Zelensky arrived at the remote resort venue in the Canadian Rockies after Russia hit Kyiv with one of the worst bombardments since it invaded in February 2022, killing at least 10 people in the capital.
Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Zelensky and announced Can$2 billion ($1.47bn) of military support, including drones and helicopters, for Ukraine.
“This underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine,” Carney told him, calling for “maximum pressure against Russia.”
Carney also joined Britain in tightening sanctions on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of ships used to circumvent international sanctions on its oil sales.
Britain said it wanted to ramp up economic pressure to show Russian President Vladimir Putin it was in his interest to end the war.
“These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin’s war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.
US Holding Out
US lawmakers have also drafted a package of new sanctions on Russia but Trump has been hesitant to give his support, saying he wants to preserve relations with Putin, whom he spoke to by telephone on the eve of the G7 summit.
Trump infamously berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, saying he was ungrateful for US aid, but has since voiced disappointment that Putin has rebuffed a US proposal for at least a temporary ceasefire.
Zelensky, his voice choked with emotion, told Carney that the latest Russian attack was a “big tragedy” for Ukrainian families and it showed the need for allies’ support — and made clear that he still backed Trump-led calls for negotiations.
“It’s important for our soldiers to be strong in the battlefield, to stay strong until Russia will be ready for the peace negotiations,” Zelensky said.
“We are ready for the peace negotiation — unconditional ceasefire. For this we need pressure.”
French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Russian counterpart of exploiting global focus on the Middle East to carry out the deadly attack on Kyiv.
“It shows the complete cynicism of President Putin,” Macron told reporters at the summit.
Tough Trade Talks
The G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — was holding its first summit since the return to power of Trump, who openly questions longstanding US alliances.
Trump appeared in relatively good spirits before pulling out early.
“Obviously with Trump gone the discussions might be a bit smoother, but they also have less impact with the most powerful nation not there,” a diplomat from a G7 nation said on condition of anonymity.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained to represent the United States at the summit, where discussions have also concentrated on Trump’s attempts to radically overhaul the world’s trading system.
Trump has vowed to slap sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike on July 9, although he has postponed once.
The US president, speaking to reporters on his way back from the summit, complained that the European Union was not yet offering a “fair deal” on trade.
“We’re either going to make a good deal or they’ll just pay whatever we say they will pay,” he said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she still hoped for a negotiated solution and that talks were “intense and demanding.”
Trump’s negotiators have already sealed a deal with Britain and, outside of the G7, reached an agreement to lower tariffs with rival China.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he had “frank” discussions with Trump on Monday but made clear the importance of automobile exports to the world’s second-largest developed economy.
“We have not reached an agreement on the package as a whole,” Ishiba told reporters.
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
-
Health & Wellness12 months agoPresident Tinubu Directs Cut in Dialysis Cost from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000
-
News1 year agoPICTURE: In Lagos Couple Sentenced to 22½ Years for Cannabis Trafficking
-
Trending News12 months agoNELFUND Disburses ₦86bn To 449,000 Beneficiaries
-
Business5 months agoDangote Refinery Reduces Petrol Gantry Price To ₦1,200 Per Litre
-
International News4 months agoIndian Police Arrest Nigerian Over ₦290m Drug Haul
-
Business2 years agoHeritage Bank Customers’ Path to Securing ₦5m Insured Funds: A Step-By-Step Guide by NDIC”
-
Business5 months agoAfter Plea Bargain, Court Discharges Stella Oduah of ₦2.5bn Fraud
-
Business2 years ago
Dangote; We Did Not Fix ₦600/Litre Petrol Price