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A NEW York appeals court judge on Tuesday rejected US President-elect Donald Trump’s request to delay this week’s sentencing in his hush-money case. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday after being convicted by a New York jury in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer rejected arguments by Trump’s attorneys that the sentencing should be postponed while the president-elect appeals his conviction. Trump’s lawyers also claimed that the immunity from prosecution granted to a president should be extended to a president-elect…

SENEGAL and Chad have reacted strongly to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron about African countries being ungrateful over France’s role in helping fight militant jihadist insurgencies. On Monday, Macron said that Sahel states “forgot” to thank France for its role, amid the continuing withdrawal of French troops from West African countries. He said no Sahelian nation would be a sovereign nation without France’s intervention that prevented them from falling under the control of militants. In response, Chad’s Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said Macron comments had revealed his contempt for Africa. “Chad expresses its deep concern following the remarks made…

PORT authorities in Ivory Coast have dismissed safety fears about a moored boat loaded with 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which is the same compound that caused a catastrophic blast in Lebanon four years ago. Ammonium nitrate is commonly used as an agricultural fertiliser, but is also potentially explosive. Its presence in the waters off the busy city of Abidjan – home to more than six million people – has caused alarm among some residents. Part of this same cargo, which began its journey in Russia, ended up being dumped off the coast of England last year after it became…

FORMER Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, says the cabals around President Bola Tinubu are more dangerous than the clique around former President Muhammadu Buhari. The former minister was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday monitored by News Point Nigeria. Dalung, who was a minister during Buhari’s administration, said Buhari was a stranger in his government as members of the cabals took over the running of the administration. The ex-minister said while members of the cabals around Buhari were not too educated, the powerbrokers around Tinubu are sophisticated, ambitious, and educated, with sound knowledge of power…

THE Republic of Ghana has decided to suspend diplomatic relations with the so-called “sadr”. This decision was communicated in an official document from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana, addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Republic of Ghana “has decided to immediately inform, through diplomatic channels, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, the African Union and the United Nations, of this position.” In the same official document, the Republic of Ghana expressed its support for the “good-faith efforts made by…

OUSMANE Dembele’s stoppage-time goal settled the French Champions Trophy on Sunday, giving Paris Saint-Germain a 1-0 win over Monaco in a fixture played in Doha. PSG’s troubles in front of goal this season have often cost them in the Champions League, and they were thwarted throughout this game by a combination of poor finishing and some fine saves by Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Koehn. However, it was ultimately a deserved victory for Luis Enrique’s team in Qatar, as PSG won the trophy — the French equivalent of a Super Cup or England’s Community Shield — for the 11th time in the…

THE Israeli military will withdraw completely from south Lebanon, United States envoy Amos Hochstein has said, despite recent reports that Israel is planning to maintain a permanent presence in the country. Hochstein’s statement on Monday came as Israel was withdrawing its forces from Naqoura in the western sector of the border, with the Lebanese army deploying in the area. “The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqoura, most of the western sector and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line,” Hochstein told reporters in Beirut, referring to the unofficial border between the two countries. “These withdrawals will…

CANADA’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, saying he will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader after months of slumping polls and internal division. “I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader,” Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, told reporters in Ottawa following a protracted political crisis that saw top Liberal allies urge him to quit. It was not immediately clear how long Trudeau will remain in office as a caretaker premier. He said the Liberal leadership race will…

THREE Chinese nationals have been arrested with 12 gold bars and $800,000 (£650,000) in cash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say. The gold and money was hidden under the seats of the vehicle they were travelling in, according to Jean Jacques Purusi, the governor of South Kivu province. He said the operation to arrest the men had been kept secret after the recent release of another group of Chinese nationals accused of running an illegal gold mine in the area. Eastern DR Congo has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds and the minerals used to make batteries for mobile…

FIVE young Kenyan men – including a popular cartoonist – who went missing just before the Christmas holidays have been found alive, family members and rights groups say. Kenya has been gripped by a wave of disappearances, with the state-funded rights group saying that over 80 people have been abducted in the last six months. The abductions generally target government critics and are widely believed to be the work of security agents, although the authorities have not admitted responsibility. They began in June last year during nationwide anti-tax protests, but increased in December, when AI-generated photos of the president in…

BRUNO Fernandes said if Manchester United can perform at Anfield they must “do it everywhere” after the crisis-hit side secured a 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Cody Gakpo cancelled out Lisandro Martinez’s shock opener for United before Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot, but Amad Diallo scored a late equaliser. The point for Liverpool takes them six clear of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand. United are way down in 13th place but at least they have ended their three-game losing run in the league. “We have been criticised, and fairly,” United…

‘I Refuse A Cheap Death’: Israel Kills Another Palestinian Journalist In Gaza A PALESTINIAN writer, poet and journalist has been killed in an Israeli air attack in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, according to his family, taking the total number of journalists killed in the Israel-Palestine conflict since October 7, 2023 to 220. Mohammad Hijazi was among nearly 90 Palestinians slain in Israeli attacks across the besieged territory in the last 24 hours, according to a statement from the Gaza Ministry of Health on Sunday. Hundreds of people have been killed in the Jabalia camp since Israel imposed a military…

A SHOOTING at a bar in southeastern Mexico left five people dead and seven wounded, authorities said Sunday, the latest in a series of similar attacks in the violence-plagued country. A manhunt was launched for the perpetrators of the shooting on Saturday night in the city of Villahermosa, in Tabasco state, the secretariat of security and civilian protection said in a statement. “Five people lost their lives and seven were injured,” it said. “Analysis of video surveillance cameras is being carried out and elements of the state and federal authorities have deployed coordinated patrols to locate and arrest those responsible,”…

AT least eight civilians have been killed in central Mali, several sources said on Sunday, accusing the Malian army and Russia’s Wagner group of the latest attack in the troubled West African country. The country is embroiled in a political, security and economic crisis, and has since 2012 been ravaged by different groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. It also faces a separatist insurgency in the volatile desert north. “A Hilux four-by-four vehicle … was heading toward a refugee camp in Mauritania when Wagner and the Malian army fired. At least eight civilians were killed” on Thursday,…

M23 rebel fighters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have taken control of a strategic town in the east of the Central African country, local politicians say, adding to the armed group’s recent gains in the region. The group took control of Masisi, a town and local administrative centre about 80km (50 miles) from the major city of Goma, on Saturday, provincial parliament member Alexis Bahunga told the Reuters news agency on Sunday. “The government will take measures to restore state authority over the entire territory,” he said. Another parliamentary deputy, Jean-Pierre Ayobangira Safari, said Masisi had been…

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta bemoaned a penalty decision he called “bizarre” as his side’s Premier League title challenge suffered a setback at Brighton. The second-placed Gunners looked on course to claim a precious three points on the south coast following an early opener from 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. However, they had to settle for a point and a 1-1 draw after Joao Pedro equalised from the spot following a freak incident in which he was accidentally headbutted by visiting defender William Saliba. “We are really disappointed with the decision that leads to the goal because I have never seen something like…

ISRAELI forces killed at least 70 Palestinians in 30 separate attacks across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, medics and rescue workers say, with the victims including many children. This is as US President Joe Biden proposes an $8bn arms sale for Israel, just two weeks before leaving office, ignoring widespread criticism over the mounting death toll in Gaza. The State Department “has informally notified Congress of an $8 billion proposed sale of munitions to support Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The preliminary notification gives…

JOE Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 honourees on Saturday, bestowing the highest civilian honor in the United States to entertainers, sports stars, politicians, and diplomats. Among those to receive honours from the outgoing US president are singer and activist Bono, basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, longtime fashion editor Anna Wintour, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, and fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The honorees “are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world,” the White House said in a statement. Others…

THE diplomatic dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia that had led to tense regional relations has been resolved, Somalia’s foreign minister says. Ahmed Moalim Fiqi’s statement, carried by state TV, said Somalia had made no concessions. Ethiopia has not commented on the Somali claim, but said the two countries had agreed to “strengthen bilateral relations”. The two neighbours had been at loggerheads since last January when landlocked Ethiopia signed a maritime deal with the breakaway Somaliland, which Somalia considers as part of its territory. Friday’s statement follows a visit to Somalia by an Ethiopian delegation in the latest sign of détente…

DANDY Krazy, one of Zambia’s most popular musicians, has died from injuries caused by a road collision on New Year’s Eve. The 47-year-old – real name Wesley Chibambo – was travelling in Zambia’s Kapiri Mposhi region when his car collided with a truck and a second car. Three people died at the scene. Dandy Krazy passed away in the early hours of Thursday despite being transported to the University Teaching Hospital in capital city Lusaka for emergency surgery. President Hakainde Hichilema was among those who paid tribute to the musician, calling him an “extraordinary artist”. “His music and charisma touched…