NIGERIA’S PRESIDENT FACES BACKLASH OVER MILITARY INTERVENTION IN NIGER.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is facing a huge backlash at home over his threat to use military force to reverse the coup in next-door neighbour Niger.

Local media report there was strong opposition to military intervention at a session of the upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, despite the fact that it is controlled by Tinubu’s party.

This was especially the case among lawmakers representing states along the more than 1,500km long border with Niger, but there has also been countrywide condemnation of the possibility of war.

West African regional bloc Ecowas had set a deadline of Sunday for the junta to give up power or face possible military action.

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ECOWAS LEADERS MEETS THURSDAY OVER NIGER ULTIMATUM.

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have scheduled an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the crisis in Niger Republic.

ECOWAS made the announcement, a day after its deadline to the military junta in Niger to reinstate the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The military government is bracing for a response from ECOWAS after ignoring its deadline to reinstate Bazoum or face the threat of military intervention.

In a statement by the secretariat, the summit will be held in Abuja, the ECOWAS headquarters.

“President Bola Tinubu, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and chairman of the authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of the ECOWAS leaders, will be considering and discussing the political situation and recent developments in Niger during the summit.

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NIGER AWAITS ECOWAS RESPONSE AFTER JUNTA REJECTS ULTIMATUM.

Niger awaits a response from the West African regional bloc after coup leaders ignored a deadline to reinstate the ousted president a move the bloc warned could lead to military intervention.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said it will issue a statement on its next steps, responding to the junta’s refusal to stand down, as foreign powers said they hoped for a peaceful resolution.

The bloc has taken a hard stance on the July 26 power grab, the region’s seventh coup in three years.

Given its uranium and oil riches and its pivotal role in a war with Islamist militants, Niger holds economic and strategic importance for the United States, Europe, China and Russia.

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NIGER COUP PLOTTERS NAME FORMER ECONOMIST AS NEW PRIME MINISTER.

Nearly two weeks after the military took over power in Niger, the coup plotters have named former economy minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the country’s new prime minister.

Lamine Zeine was formerly the minister of economy and finance for several years in the cabinet of then-president Mamadou Tandja, who was ousted in 2010, and most recently worked as an economist for the African Development Bank in Chad.

At the end of July, the military ousted the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum and suspended the constitution in the country of 26 million inhabitants.

Under Bazoum, Niger had been one of the last strategic partners of the West in the fight against the advance of Islamist terrorists in the Sahel.

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GERMANY THREATENS NIGER COUP PLOTTERS WITH SANCTIONS, PROSECUTION.

German government has issued a strong warning to Niger coup plotters not to commit acts of violence against the detained President Mohamed Bazoum.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office made it clear in Berlin that they were worried about the politician.

The foreign office spokesman said sanctions and also national or international prosecution are possible steps to be taken if violence act is taken against the detained president.

Furthermore, the German government hopes that the coup plotters will respond to mediation efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

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UNITED STATES ENVOY HOLDS DIFFICULT TALKS WITH NIGER JUNTA.

A senior United States official has held face-to-face talks with Niger’s military leaders following last month’s coup.

Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said the conversations had been “extremely frank and at times quite difficult”.

Washington has said the coup can still be ended diplomatically and President Mohamed Bazoum reinstated, but has suspended aid payments in the meantime.

West African countries are set to meet on Thursday to discuss the crisis.

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UNITED NATIONS CHIEF REITERATES SUPPORT FOR ECOWAS’ OVER NIGER.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has underlined his support for ongoing mediation efforts by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in the wake of the July 26 coup in Niger.

UN Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq said this while answering questions from journalists on the ECOWAS deadline at a news conference on Monday in New York.

“The secretary-general is concerned over the continued detention of President Bazoum and the failure so far to restore constitutional order in Niger,” Haq said.

Meanwhile, UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, continues to provide good office support to regional stakeholders, and is currently in Abuja.

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CHINA’S FOREIGN TRADE SINKS ON WEAK GLOBAL DEMAND.

China’s foreign trade has taken another tumble, with July exports falling by 14.5 per cent year-on-year.

The customs authority in Beijing announced on Tuesday.

The slump follows a series of sharp declines in previous months.

Imports for the same period fell by 12.4 per cent.

Both figures were even worse than analysts had expected.

The outlook for the Chinese economy is becoming increasingly gloomy, as a strong start to the year loses momentum.

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UNITED NATIONS SAYS RUSSIAN ATTACKS CONTINUE TO AFFECT WORLD’S MOST VULNERABLE.

United Nations says attacks against Ukrainian port infrastructure are not isolated and with Russia’s termination of the Black Sea Initiative, are impacting on global food prices and affecting the most vulnerable people.

Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General Antionio Guterres, Farhan Haq, said this at a news conference in New York.

The Danube port of Izmail, in the Odesa Region, was attacked second August.

The attack damaged facilities storing thousands of tons of food grain.

The secretary-general also condemned Russia’s intensification of attacks on Ukrainian ports, calling for the immediate cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

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PORTUGAL BATTLES WILDFIRES AMID THIRD HEATWAVE OF THE YEAR.

Firefighters in Portugal are battling to contain wildfires engulfing thousands of hectares amid soaring temperatures.

Around 800 personnel attended a fire near the southern town of Odemira overnight on Monday, with more than 1,400 people having to evacuate.

At least nine firefighters have been injured tackling the fires.

Temperatures in excess of 40C (104F) are expected to hit much of the Iberian peninsula this week.

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INDIA PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION AGAINST PRIME MINISTER’S GOVERNMENT.

India’s parliament is set to debate a no-confidence motion that opposition parties have brought against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, who was reinstated as a lawmaker on Monday, will start the debate on behalf of the opposition.

Lawmakers will vote on the motion on Thursday after the debate.

Modi’s government won’t lose the vote as his Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies have a majority.

But opposition leaders say the debate will force Modi to speak on ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur state.

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INDIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS RETURNS TO GOVERNMENT AS MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has returned to parliament for the first time since he was convicted in a criminal defamation case.

The Congress party leader had lost his lawmaker status in March after he was sentenced to two years in jail.

He was reinstated as MP on Monday, two days after the Supreme Court suspended his conviction.

Congress leaders celebrated his return by shouting slogans and distributing sweets outside parliament.

Leaders of other opposition parties also expressed their joy over Gandhi’s return to parliament.