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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Admitted To Hospital 

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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman was admitted to the King Faisal specialist hospital for tests related to gall bladder inflammation, according to the official Saudi Press Agency
Bandar AL-JALOUD

Saudi Arabia’s 84-year-old ruler King Salman was admitted to hospital in Riyadh Monday for gall bladder inflammation, the royal court said, prompting the postponement of the Iraqi prime minister’s high-profile visit.

It is rare for Saudi Arabia to report on the health of the ageing monarch, who has ruled the top oil exporter and the Arab world’s biggest economy since 2015.

The king was “admitted today to King Faisal specialist hospital in Riyadh for some medical tests due to cholecystitis,” inflammation of the gall bladder, the royal court said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The announcement made around 4:30 am (0130 GMT) did not disclose any further details.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi’s scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia, which was due to start on Monday, has been postponed after the king’s hospitalisation, according to the Saudi foreign minister.

“In recognition of the extremely important visit and a desire to make it a success, our wise leadership in coordination with our brothers in Iraq have decided to postpone the visit” until the king leaves hospital, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan wrote on Twitter.

Hours before Kadhemi was to set off on his first trip abroad as premier, his office said they heard King Salman was suffering from “a sudden health issue”.

“It was decided to postpone the visit to the earliest possible date agreed upon by the two sides,” his office said in a statement.

Iraq’s oil, finance, electricity and planning ministers arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to begin meetings ahead of Kadhemi’s visit, Iraqi officials told AFP.

The delegation is set to return to Baghdad after the meetings wrap up on Monday afternoon.

Under the king’s rule, Saudi Arabia launched ambitious economic reforms for a post-oil era and gave more rights to women, but also adopted a more assertive foreign policy and entered a war in neighbouring Yemen.

King Salman took the throne after the death of his half-brother Abdullah, who was around 90 years old.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia dismissed reports and mounting speculation that the king was planning to abdicate in favour of his young son, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is widely seen as the de facto ruler.

“There is no possibility whatsoever that the king will abdicate,” an unnamed Saudi official told Bloomberg News, adding that Saudi kings usually remain in power even when poor health prevents them from carrying out their responsibilities.

Prince Mohammed’s meteoric rise to power has coincided with a sweeping crackdown on critics and dissenters, as well as royal family members.

Saudi Arabia has been engulfed by a series of controversies since he was named crown prince and heir to the throne in June 2017.

That includes the brutal October 2018 murder of royal insider-turned-critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

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Decimated Hezbollah says it is ready for cease-fire talks with Israel

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Hezbollah said Tuesday it is now ready to engage in cease-fire talks with Israel, after suffering serious blows to its leadership and ranks in recent months.

The terror group in Lebanon made the announcement after firing more than 100 rockets at the Jewish state hours earlier.

Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, publicly endorsed a truce with Israel, the first such time the terror group has proposed a cease-fire not conditioned on the war in Gaza.

“We support the political efforts led by [Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih] Berri under the banner of achieving a cease-fire,” Qassem said, according to a CNN translation.

“Once the cease-fire is firmly established and diplomacy can reach it, all other details will be discussed and decisions will be made collaboratively,” he added.

Qassem’s announcement came within hours of a massive barrage that sent more than 100 missiles soaring from Lebanon at Israel’s northern city of Haifa, the third-largest metropolis in the Jewish state.

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President Bola Tinubu steps aside as ECOWAS Chairman as his tenure comes to an end today (Sunday).

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The 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority is holding at the Presidential Villa in Abuja where he is expected to pass on the torch to another leader.

The Military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso rule out returning to ECOWAS even as President Bola Tinubu leads Heads of State of the 15-member bloc in a Summit in Abuja to persuade them to return.

“Westerners consider that we belong to them and our wealth also belongs to them. They think that they are the ones who must continue to tell us what is good for our states. This era is gone forever; our resources will remain for us and our populations,”
says Burkina Faso’s leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré.

“”Our people have irrevocably turned their back on ECOWAS,” Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tiani says.

“The attack on one of us will be an attack on all the other members,” insists Mali’s leader, Col. Assimi Goïta.

The trio signed a confederation treaty on Saturday, underscoring their determination to chart a joint course and exit the bloc which is urging them to return to democratic rule.

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“I Am Single; Looking For Educated Man Who Can Cook, Do Laundry, Enjoys House Chores, Loves PDA And Can Perform” — US-based Nigerian Lady Reveals

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A US-based Nigerian woman, Ogechukwu Christine Kalu, is seeking a well educated and God fearing man for marriage.

The educational consultant, in a post on Sunday, June 2, 2024, said the man should know how to cook, do laundry, enjoy other house chores, PDA and “perform.”

“Now that my DM is clogged with “I love you” let me reinstate that I am single. Looking for a cute man, well educated, God fearing, knows how to pray and intercede for the family, can cook and enjoys laundry, is homely and can fold clothes immediately after laundry. Enjoys house chores, can take care of kids and also has a good job business and/or great career prospects. Loves PDA and can perform. Loves plants. Enjoys listening to worship. Expects loyalty, respect, faithfulness because he gives and is capable of giving them long term. Listens to understand and not to respond. Knows how to pronounce “parallelogram, Otorhinolaryngologist, and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”

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