Politics
Trump unveils USD 175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence plan for US
Washington DC [US], May 21 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) announced new details about his administration’s USD 175 billion large-scale missile defence initiative, the “Golden Dome“, noting that it would be fully operational in under three years, as reported by The Hill.
According to The Hill, Trump, while speaking from the Oval Office, said that the US had finalised the system’s architecture, which will be overseen by Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein.
Trump claimed the defence shield would integrate seamlessly with existing capabilities and be completed before the end of his second term.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defence capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term. So we’ll have it done in about three years,” Trumpsaid, as quoted by The Hill.
“Once fully constructed, Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built,” he added.
Trump also noted that Canada has shown interest in joining the initiative and expressed openness to collaboration.
During the announcement, Trump was joined by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and GOPSenators Dan Sullivan, Jim Banks, and Kevin Cramer. They were flanked by posters showing a golden shield over the US and a quote, “This is a Very Dangerous World,” as reported by The Hill.
As per The Hill, the Golden Dome, initially announced in January, will receive a preliminary USD 25 billion allocation under a GOP-backed reconciliation bill. However, funding remains uncertain amid resistance from both conservative and moderate Republicans who are pushing for changes to the legislation.
Though Trump claimed the total cost would be USD 175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, due to its technological complexity, the full system could exceed USD 500 billion over the next two decades.
The system is expected to counter intercontinental threats from nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Democrats have raised ethical concerns about the potential involvement of Elon Musk‘s SpaceX, citing his advisory role in the Trump administration and possible conflicts of interest, The Hill reported.
Trump mentioned several states that are likely to participate in the programme, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia, and Indiana, each with defence or space infrastructure. Potential contractors could include Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and L3Harris Technologies.
Insisting the project would be entirely made in the US, Trump said it would be modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome, though scaled up to counter long-range threats.
While critics argue that the US already has strong missile defences, such as interceptors in Alaska and air defence systems like Terminal High Altitude Area Defence and NASAMS, Trumpmaintained that the Golden Dome would add a critical new layer of protection.
Trump also noted that the “Golden Dome” initiative was something that Ronald Reagan, the 40th US President and a Republican, would want. He further reiterated his campaign promise to the American people to build such a missile defence shield to protect against foreign threats.
“Ronald Reagan (40th US President) wanted it many years ago, but they didn’t have the technology. But it’s something we’re going to have. We’re going to have it at the highest level…In the campaign, I promised the American people that I would build a cutting-edge missile defence shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack. And that’s what we’re doing today,” Trump stated. (ANI)
President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of the Nigerian side of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group as part of steps to deepen collaboration in tackling security challenges in the country.
The composition of the Joint Working Group was part of the agreement reached during the recent trip to Washington, DC, by a high-level Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Ribadu is to lead the Nigerian side of the Joint Working Group, supported by a multi-stakeholder team comprising senior officials from relevant government establishments.
Members of the Joint Working Group include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Bernard M. Doro, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed and the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr Kayode Egbetokun.
Ms Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Mr Paul Alabi of the Embassy of Nigeria in the US will serve as the secretariat.
President Tinubu has urged members of the Joint Working Group to work assiduously with their US counterparts to ensure smooth operationalisation of all agreements across sectors.
Politics
AU, ECOWAS, and WAEF Condemn Guinea-Bissau Military Takeover, Demand Restoration of Democratic Order
Election-observation missions from the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) have jointly condemned the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, calling it a direct assault on the country’s democratic process.
In a strongly worded statement, the observer groups denounced the suspension of the presidential and legislative elections, which had been conducted peacefully on 23 November. They praised the citizens of Guinea-Bissau for their orderly participation and commended electoral officials and security personnel for maintaining professionalism throughout the vote.
The missions described the military intervention as a “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process,” noting that the takeover occurred while the nation awaited the official announcement of election results. With both leading presidential candidates having pledged to respect the final outcome, observers said the coup threatened to erode confidence in the country’s democratic institutions.
The joint statement also expressed deep concern over the detention of government and electoral officials by the military, urging their immediate release and the swift restoration of constitutional rule. The observers warned that halting the electoral process could reverse years of regional efforts to strengthen political stability and democratic norms in Guinea-Bissau.
Regional and international bodies are now intensifying calls for the reinstatement of civilian authority and the continuation of the electoral process, emphasising the need to safeguard the will of the people at a critical moment in the country’s political trajectory.
Politics
Nnamdi Kanu is in the prison, we should not get angry and it is not issue to use knives, gun or fighting ourselves in order to solve it- Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, has urged the South-East people to use dialogue and peaceful means to address the recent imprisonment of Nnamdi Kanu
She added that the people of the South-East should emulate other zones and learn to solve their challenges “through dialogue and peaceful ways.”
Bianca Ojukwu made the remarks at the 14th edition of the Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Memorial Day Celebration held at the Ojukwu Memorial Library, Owerri, Imo State, on Wednesday
She noted that although the court of first instance had sentenced Kanu to imprisonment, “all hope are not lost,” adding that through dialogue and peaceful methods, Nnamdi Kanu could be released from the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
The Ojukwu’s annual memorial day was instituted by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, the founder of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASOB
The event is usually attended by Igbo people from the five South-East states and beyond.
During her address, Mrs. Ojukwu called for a minute of silence for the late BBC journalist, Mr. Frederick Forsyth, “who resigned her job to cover all things that happened during the 1967 to 1970 Biafra and Nigeria civil war.”
She said, “Nnamdi Kanu is in the prison, we should not get angry and it is not issue to use knives, gun or fighting ourselves in order to solve it”
“This coming Christmas, all of us should endeavour to meet with our National Assembly members and our governors, ask them the way forward to ensure that Kanu is freed from the prison”
“Also, all of us should come together, plan ourselves on how to use peaceful means to settle this matter, we should plan how to meet with President Bola Tinubu and amicably resolve this matter.”
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