Presence of Russian troops in US military base in Niger heightens tensions between the superpowers
The US and its allies have been forced to move troops out of a number of African countries following coups that brought to power groups eager to distance themselves from Western governments. In addition to the impending departure from Niger, US troops have also left Chad in recent days, while French forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso.
US Methodist Church unbans homosexuality, now defines marriage as between ‘two people of faith’ not man and woman
Also approved was a measure that forbids district superintendents – or regional administrators – from penalising clergy for either performing a same-sex wedding or for refraining from performing one. It also prohibits superintendents from forbidding a church from hosting a same-sex wedding or requiring it to.
Hours after $9,000 fine for contempt, Trump calls judge ‘crooked’ but risks no time in jail
Trump insists he is merely exercising his free speech rights, but the offending posts from his Truth Social account and campaign website were taken down. Merchan is weighing other alleged gag-order violations and will hear arguments on Thursday.
Pot ‘crackers’ in US celebrate reclassification of marijuana but move won’t get drug pushers out of jail
Biden, a Democrat, supports legalising medical marijuana for use “where appropriate, consistent with medical and scientific evidence,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on April 25, 2024. “That is why it is important for this independent review to go through.”
New era for US drugs regulation as Biden administration reclassifies cannabis but pot businesses still can’t find a bank
Most Americans live in states where marijuana is legally available in some form. But there’s a continuing problem when it comes to banks: Many financial institutions don’t want anything to do with money from the cannabis industry for fear it could expose them to legal trouble from the federal government, which still lists marijuana as illegal.
Biden’s lead over Trump narrows to one per cent in opinion polls six months to US election
Some 28 per cent of registered voters in the poll said they had not picked a candidate, were leaning toward third-party options or might not vote at all. The poll found 8 per cent of respondents would pick Robert Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaccine activist running as an independent, if he were on the ballot with Trump and Biden.
US warns countries supplying weapons to Sudan it is ‘on the precipice of a large-scale massacre’
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after an emergency closed meeting of the UN Security Council that El Fasher, the only capital in Darfur not held by paramilitary forces, is “on the precipice of a large-scale massacre.”
Republican candidate Trump fined $8,000 for violating gag order in New York hush money trial
Trump, the Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, is charged with falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006.
Chad and Niger question US counterterrorism role in Africa as Washington influence recedes
Called status-of-forces agreements, these deals allow the US to conduct critical counterterrorism operations within both countries’ borders and have supported military partner training. The reversals have prompted concern that US influence in Africa is losing ground to overtures from Russia and China.
Biden signs into law Congress bill that bans TikTok use in America as its Chinese owners vow to go to court
TikTok also has come under fire for its negative influence on children and teenagers, including data collection and other privacy issues. However, the bill’s language appears to leave room for the US government to do more than just target TikTok and its parent company or address concerns over what content children are exposed to or about their privacy.
