Headlines
Trump Finally Loses Bid to Halt Hush Money Sentencing
The US Supreme Court, on Thursday, denied a last-minute bid by President-elect Donald Trump to halt sentencing after his conviction in the hush-money case.
The top court, which includes three justices appointed by Trump, rejected his emergency application seeking to block Friday’s sentencing by a 5-4 vote.
The court, in a brief unsigned order, said the “burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial” and noted that Trump will be allowed to attend virtually.
The court also noted that Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the hush money case, has already said he plans to impose a sentence of “unconditional discharge,” which does not carry any jail time, fine or probation.
Trump is to be sentenced in Manhattan at 9:30 am (1430 GMT) 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.
The 78-year-old Trump, who is to be inaugurated on January 20, is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and will be the first convicted felon to serve in the White House.
In a post on Truth Social following the Supreme Court decision, Trump thanked the court for “trying to remedy the great injustice done to me” and lashed out at Merchan, calling him a “highly political and corrupt judge.”
“I am innocent of all of the Judge’s made-up, fake charges,” he said, adding that he will continue to pursue appeals of the guilty verdict in the hush money case.
Trump filed an emergency application with the nine-member Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to block his sentencing.
Four conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — were in favour of granting Trump’s request.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, also conservatives, joined the court’s three liberal justices in rejecting the president-elect’s effort.
Barrett, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh were appointed by Trump.
Grave injustice
Trump’s lawyers made several legal maneuvers in an effort to fend off sentencing, arguing that it would be a “grave injustice” and harm “the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government.”
Trump’s attorneys also claimed that the immunity from prosecution granted to a sitting president should be extended to a president-elect.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg rejected their arguments in his response on Thursday, saying Trump was a private citizen when he was “charged, tried, and convicted.”
“Defendant makes the unprecedented claim that the temporary presidential immunity he will possess in the future fully immunizes him now, weeks before he even takes the oath of office,” he said.
Bragg also said the Supreme Court “lacks jurisdiction over a state court’s management of an ongoing criminal trial” and preventing sentencing would be an “extraordinary step” by the top court.
In the order allowing sentencing to go ahead, the Supreme Court said Trump can still appeal his conviction through the New York state courts.
Merchan said last week that he was leaning towards giving Trump an unconditional discharge that would not carry jail time. He also agreed to allow the president-elect to attend Friday’s sentencing virtually instead of in person.
Trump potentially faced up to four years in prison, but legal experts — even before he won the November presidential election — did not expect Merchan to incarcerate him.
Trump was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election on Monday, four years after his supporters rioted at the US Capitol as he sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
President Bola Tinubu has said Nigeria is ready to work with other nations to build a resilient, equitable, and sustainable world for all.
Tinubu spoke in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the second day of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The president spoke on the topic, “From Climate Imperatives into Economic Prosperity: Bridging Africa with the Global Energy Future.”
He declared that no single nation could walk the road to sustainability alone, stressing that global interconnectedness demand collective action, knowledge sharing, and mutual support.
According to Tinubu, “The fight against climate change is not merely an environmental necessity but a global economic opportunity to reshape the trajectory of our continent and the global energy landscape.
“As leaders, stakeholders and citizens of our planet, we stand at a critical juncture in human history. To succeed, we must innovate, collaborate and act decisively as one global community.”
Reiterating his administration’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, Tinubu assured the audience that the Nigerian government had developed actionable programmes in line with global expectations, bearing in mind Nigeria’s economic and political expectations.
He said, “We have embraced a vision of sustainability that aligns with global aspirations while addressing local realities. Our efforts are anchored on three pillars: Energy Transition, Climate Resilience, and Sustainable Development.
“My administration recognises the importance of reducing carbon emissions and a just transition to clean and renewable energy, promoting environmental sustainability and economic growth.
