International
Netherlands returns over 100 Benin Bronzes looted from Nigeria
Nigeria has taken delivery from the Netherlands of 119 pieces of priceless “Benin Bronze” artefacts looted more than 120 years ago, the country’s museum commission and the Dutch embassy said June 18.
It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.
“On this historic occasion it gives us great joy to finally welcome the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands,” said Mr Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
“This represents the largest physical return to Nigeria and the people of Benin since the looting of the Benin Royal Palace by the British in 1897,” he said in a statement jointly issued with the Dutch embassy in Nigeria.
“The symbolism of this occasion cannot be overemphasised and what it means for the pride and dignity of not just the Benin people, but the whole of Nigeria,” added Mr Holloway.
The story of the Benin Bronzes is one of violence and tragedy. It began when nine British officers were killed on a trade mission to the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.
The British reaction was fierce. London deployed a military expedition to avenge its officers.
The troops killed several thousand locals and torched Benin’s capital city. They looted the royal palace, stealing hundreds of artworks, including the Benin Bronzes.
Most of the ornate bronzes were then sold to finance the expedition, auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States.
This was in 1897, and 128 years later, Nigeria is still negotiating the return of the bronzes around the world – with mixed results.
Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation Dewi van de Weerd hailed Nigeria for persistently campaigning for the return of the cultural artefacts.
“We hope that this restitution is not the final chapter, but the foundation for further cooperation between Dutch and Nigerian museums,” said Ms van de Weerd in the joint statement.
Of the 119 objects, 113 were part of the Dutch State Collection, while the Rotterdam municipality returned the other six. The pieces will be officially handed over on June 21.
International
Trump says he thinks Putin is helping Iran
“I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?”
President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel.
According to CNBC, Trump’s comment came in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, and a week after the president lashed out at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for asking him at the White House about reports that Russia was aiding Iran.
Kilmeade asked Trump on Friday: “You think Putin is helping them?”
Trump replied, “I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump continued.
“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump said, referring to Ukraine, which has been at war against Russia since being invaded in early 2022.
“So he [Putin] says that, and China would say the same thing, you know,” Trump told Kilmeade.
“It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness,’ ” Trump said. “They do it, and we do it.”
International
IEA agrees to release record 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruptions
The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market
Merchant ship on fire hits by Iran in Strait of Hormuz.
The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to address the supply disruption triggered by the Iran war, the largest such action in the organization’s history.
The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market.
It said that the reserves would be released over a time frame that is appropriate to the circumstances of each of its 32 member countries.
IEA members are primarily advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. The organization is tasked with maintaining global energy security.
It was founded in 1974 in response to the oil embargo imposed by Arab producers over U.S. support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
(CNBC)
International
Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships
The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.
(REUTERS): Iran said the world should be ready for oil at $200 a barrel as its forces hit merchant ships on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency recommended a massive release of strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s.
The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.
Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran also fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, demonstrating it can still fight back.
On Wednesday, three vessels were reported to have been hit in Gulf waters as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had fired on ships in the Gulf that had disobeyed their orders.
While Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation “will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we achieve all objectives and win the campaign,” Trump suggested the campaign would not last much longer.
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