Paris judges decided on Monday that Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, was guilty of misappropriation of public funds. This was a crucial moment for Le Pen that could determine her political future. Eight National Rally MEPs and their twelve assistants have also been found guilty. Le Pen and 24 other National Rally members have been accused of embezzling money intended for European Parliament aides to pay staff who worked for the party over a four-year period. Their full sentences will be read out individually by the court in the next few hours. Le Pen, sitting in…
Author: Alade Adisa
The Nigerian military has vowed that the people that killed 16 Northern hunters in Edo State, last week would be fished out and prosecuted. Condemning Sunday’s barbaric act, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. This comes as the state government said, that Governor Monday Okpehbolo had reached out to the victims’ families, the Hausa community leaders in the state, and the northern governors over the incident. Also, it was gathered on Sunday that about 14 suspects have been arrested by the police in connection with the tragic incident.…
President Bola Tinubu and seven others have been summoned by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over the imposition of state of emergency in Rivers State. Named as defendants in the suit are the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; the National Assembly; and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi. The newly-appointed Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Revenue and Fiscal Mobilization Commission, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), are also joined in the suit. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the case, filed…
The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz stated on Sunday that Europe desires cooperation with the United States, but emphasised that the EU is prepared to respond collectively if Washington forces their hand by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium. The German leader spoke at the opening of the Hanover Industrial Trade Fair, which this year featured Canada as its partner country. Scholz also emphasised Canada’s independent status in reaction to US President Donald Trump who had speculated about annexing Canada and referred to it as the 51st US state. “We stand by your side. Canada is not a state that…
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that the Islamic Republic rejected direct negotiations with the United States in response to a letter President Trump sent earlier this month over the country’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. It was Tehran’s first official response to Trump’s letter. “Although the possibility of direct negotiations between the two sides has been rejected in this response, it has been emphasized that the path for indirect negotiations remains open,” Pezeshkian said, adding Iran’s response was delivered via the sultanate of Oman. President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian Presidency Office via AP It’s unclear, however, whether Trump would accept indirect…
The future of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen – and France’s political landscape – will be decided on Monday when a court hands down its verdict on charges she and party officials embezzled money from the European parliament. If convicted, the three-time presidential candidate of the National Rally (RN) could be barred from standing to succeed Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 presidential election. Public prosecutors have demanded Le Pen be given a €300,000 (£250,000) fine, a prison sentence and that she be prevented from holding or seeking to hold a political position or five years. On Friday, in a…
Manchester City came from behind to reach the FA Cup semi-finals for a record seventh consecutive season with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday, but victory came at a cost as Erling Haaland hobbled off injured. Haaland had seen a first-half penalty saved before Evanilson put the Cherries in front. The Norwegian made amends by equalising four minutes into the second period before being forced off with an ankle injury. His replacement, Omar Marmoush, took just two minutes to score the winner from a second assist by the impressive Nico O’Reilly as City booked a semi-final clash against Nottingham…
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has given the federal and Edo State governments a 14-day ultimatum to prosecute those responsible for the killing of 16 northern hunters in the state. NEF spokesperson, Abubakar Jiddere, demanded that the perpetrators be publicly punished to serve as a deterrent against future acts of violence in a statement on Saturday. Jiddere also called for the immediate retrieval of the victims’ bodies for “honourable burials in line with their faiths.” “The north has tolerated numerous such animalistic and cannibalistic acts of recklessness from some southern parts of Nigeria in the past,” Jiddere said. “This must…
US President Donald Trump said he was “p—ed off” with Vladimir Putin and threatened new sanctions against Russia as attempts to negotiate a Ukraine ceasefire stalled. The US president voiced his frustration on Sunday during an interview in which he also threatened to bomb Iran if Tehran did not reach a nuclear deal with Washington. Trump’s remarks came as he prepared to accelerate his global trade war on Wednesday – “Liberation Day” – when he will implement sweeping tariffs on imports. Sir Keir Starmer has drawn up retaliatory tariffs, according to The Telegraph. Trump is growing frustrated with efforts to…
President Bola Tinubu has explained why his administration removed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA). The president, who spoke in Abuja while receiving FCT residents at the Presidential Villa for Sallah homage on Sunday said the move was done to expedite development and enhance resident participation in governance. President Tinubu also said the bureaucracy associated with the TSA was hampering infrastructure growth in the capital city and had to be reviewed for impact and progress. The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, led the residents during the homage. President Tinubu highlighted that freeing the FCT from TSA…
