Category: LATEST NEWS

Four more hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 were declared dead by the Israeli military — including three older adults seen in a Hamas video begging to be released. Monday’s announcement heightens pressure on the Israeli government to agree to a U.S. cease-fire proposal that could secure the return of the hostages still held in Gaza and end the eight-month war.

About 80 hostages in Gaza are believed to be alive, alongside the remains of 43 others. In the days since the Biden administration announced the cease-fire proposal Friday, Israel has seen some of its largest protests calling on the government to bring them home. Israeli leadership has appeared to brush aside the President Joe Biden’s proposal, vowing to keep conducting military operations against Hamas until the militant group is destroyed.

All four of the men declared dead Monday night — Nadav Popplewell, Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger and Haim Peri — were kidnapped and taken into Gaza still alive, according to the Hostages Forum, a grassroots group representing the families of the hostages.

“It is time to end this cycle of sacrifice and neglect,” the group wrote in a statement following the announcement. “Their murder in captivity is a mark of disgrace and a sad reflection on the significance of delaying previous deals.” The group called on the government to immediately approve the new cease-fire plan.

About 100 captives were released during a week long exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in November. Three of the men declared dead Monday had female relatives who were released during the exchange.

Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the four hostages were killed while they were together, during the army’s operation in Khan Younis in central Gaza. He said the four were killed months ago, but that recent operations allowed the military to gather enough intelligence to pronounce them dead. Their bodies are still being held by Hamas.

“We are checking all of the options. There are a lot of questions,” he said.

The military said Monday that the decision to pronounce the men dead was based on intelligence and confirmed by health officials and Israel’s chief rabbi.

The U.S. Embassy in Congo said Monday that Congolese authorities have not shared details or provided access to the Americans who were arrested following a coup attempt last month, following pleas for help from one family trying to confirm whether their son is alive.

Congo’s army has released the names of three Americans accused of having a role in the attack led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga on May 19. The State Department says one of its highest priorities is providing consular assistance to Americans detained abroad, including regular visits to ensure medical care and assisting with finding an English-speaking lawyer.

“We have requested DRC authorities grant consular access to any U.S. citizens who may have been detained and have not received it to date,” U.S. embassy spokesperson Greg Porter said in an email to The Associated Press.

Congolese authorities did not immediately respond. They have declined to say whether the Americans will appear in court. An army spokesman has said more details will come later.

Malanga, who in the past declared himself Congo’s president in exile, live-streamed the attempt to overthrow the government with his Utah-born son, Marcel Malanga, as they threatened President Felix Tshisekedi from inside the presidential palace. Malanga was shot dead for resisting arrest, the Congolese army said. In all, six people were killed and dozens arrested.

The fate of the Americans is unclear. A video on social media showed a bound and bloodied Marcel as he was taken into custody. He appeared in the video with a second American, 21-year-old Tyler Thompson Jr. His family said they had played high school football together.

Thompson flew to Africa with Marcel for what his family believed was a vacation, with all expenses paid by Malanga. Other teammates alleged that Marcel had offered up to $100,000 to join him on a “security job” in Congo. Last week, Thompson’s family told our source they didn’t know if he was still alive.

Thompson’s family maintains he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s intentions and no plans for political activism and didn’t even plan to enter Congo. They were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, said.

Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said her son is innocent and had simply followed his father.

Africa’s most populous country ground to a halt on Monday, with electricity cut and major airports closed, as Nigeria’s largest labour unions began striking to demand a salary increase amid the worst cost of living crisis in decades.

President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms — including ending fuel subsidies — have resulted in surging inflation that is at a 28-year record high.

In this latest strike, workers shut down the national electricity grid and drove away operators at a key transmission station, the Transmission Company of Nigeria said, adding that other workers sent to restore power were blocked.

Elsewhere, government workers either failed to show up or shut down entrances to offices, including at airports in the capital of Abuja and the economic hub of Lagos. All aviation workers should stay away “until further notice,” their association said.

“We demand a living wage,” the Nigerian Labour Congress said on X, describing what they currently earn as “starvation wage.” It and the Trade Union Congress represent hundreds of thousands of government workers across key sectors.

The unions want the current minimum monthly wage of 30,000 naira ($20) to be increased to nearly 500,000 naira ($336). The government offers 60,000 naira ($40).

The unions’ demand would increase the government wage bill by 9.5 trillion ($6.3 billion), which is capable of “destabilizing the economy,” information minister Mohammed Idris has said.

After Nigeria’s president ended the decadeslong but costly fuel subsidies on his first day in office in May last year, the price of gas more than doubled in one of Africa’s biggest oil producers. Prices for public transport and commodities soared.

Tinubu’s government also devalued the naira currency to encourage foreign investment, which further increased prices of basic commodities in the import-dependent country of more than 210 million people.

Donald Trump has slammed the verdict which found him guilty of all 34 felony counts against him on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the courthouse, the former US president said the trial had been “rigged”.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people,” Trump said outside the courtroom.

Hush money payments

The jury in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial found the former president guilty of all 34 felony counts against him.

They delivered their verdict late Thursday afternoon after two days of deliberations that spanned 9 1/2 hours.

Prosecutors accused Trump of falsifying internal business records to cover up hush money payments tied to an alleged scheme to bury stories that might torpedo his 2016 White House bid.

At the heart of the charges were reimbursements paid to Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for not going public with her claim about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.

Prosecutors say the reimbursements were falsely logged as “legal expenses” to hide the true nature of the transactions.

Sentencing

The charges Trump faces are punishable by up to four years in prison, although those convicted of similar crimes often receive shorter sentences, fines or probation.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. If he does receive a prison sentence, this would not legally prevent him from campaigning, or even taking office if he were to win.

Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche indicated on CNN that he would appeal the verdict “as soon as we can”.

The case is the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial and is the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president.

He will be sentenced on July 11.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Tunisian counterpart in Beijing on Friday for talks to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

Xi held a welcome ceremony for Tunisian President Kais Saied at the Great Hall of the People before the two started a bilateral meeting.

Xi said the two countries always supported and helped each other no matter how the international situation changed.

“Under the new circumstances, China is willing to work with Tunisia to continue the traditional friendship, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and promote the China-Tunisia relations to a new level,” he said.

After the meeting, the two leaders joined a signing ceremony, during which officials from both sides signed an agreement on cooperation in various fields including economy, technology, health, and media.

The United States on Thursday May 30 imposed sanctions on Uganda’s parliamentary speaker, her husband and several other officials over corruption and serious abuses of human rights.

Parliament Speaker Anita Among was sanctioned “due to involvement in significant corruption tied to her leadership” of Uganda’s national assembly, the U.S. State Department said.

Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu, a former deputy chief of Uganda’s military, was sanctioned over “extrajudicial killings” committed by government troops. Three former government ministers, recently implicated in the theft of roofing sheets that were not distributed to members of an impoverished community, were also sanctioned.

Among, a senior member of Uganda’s ruling party and an ally of President Yoweri Museveni, has been under the spotlight recently over the source of her wealth as well as allegations relating to the misuse of parliamentary resources. The United Kingdom announced sanctions against her last month, citing corruption.

Probe into Undeclared UK Property

At the center of an ongoing probe ordered by the president, is whether Among owns property in the U.K. that she did not declare to authorities.

The State Department statement said those sanctioned are barred from entering the U.S.

Among’s husband and lawmaker Moses Magogo was also sanctioned. He has been president of the Ugandan soccer federation since 2013. The next men’s World Cup in 2026 is being co-hosted by the United States, with Canada and Mexico, and Magogo would have been be expected to attend the tournament.

Public Reaction and Among’s Denial

Ugandans have been stunned by the revelations about Among’s spending. She has denied the allegations and has claimed she is the victim of a political witch hunt. She says she is being targeted for her role in enacting an anti-gay bill condemned by rights watchdogs and others.

Elwelu and the other sanctioned Ugandans were not immediately available for comment. Elwelu appears to have been targeted for his role as the commander of a 2016 military attack on a tribal king’s palace in which over 100 civilians were killed.

President Museveni’s Controversial Stance on Corruption

Museveni, who has held power in Uganda since 1986, has long been accused of shielding corrupt but influential officials from criminal prosecution. After his reelection to a sixth term in 2021, he promised to crack down on corruption.

Many Ugandans are however not hopeful.

Local media outlets frequently report on corruption issues, but activists, opposition figures and others who try to organize street protests face arrest under a law that requires them to first notify police of any plans to rally.