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Former Soccer Star Tapped as Georgia’s Presidential Candidate Amid Political Crisis

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Former Soccer Star Tapped as Georgia’s Presidential Candidate Amid Political Crisis

Georgia’s governing Georgian Dream party nominated former national soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili, 53, as its presidential candidate Wednesday, following a contentious parliamentary election that has deepened the country’s political divisions.

Kavelashvili, a former Premier League striker who played for Manchester City and Swiss clubs, is expected to win the December 14 electoral college vote, which is controlled by the ruling party. The nomination comes amid ongoing protests over October’s disputed parliamentary election, widely viewed as a referendum on Georgia’s European Union aspirations.

The opposition has boycotted parliament and alleged Russian interference in the October 26 vote, which kept Georgian Dream in power. European election observers reported a “divisive” atmosphere marked by bribery, double voting, and physical violence.

Current President Salome Zourabichvili, whose term expires next month, refused to attend parliament’s opening session Monday, joining the opposition in rejecting the legislature’s legitimacy. While Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote, recent constitutional changes replaced direct presidential elections with a 300-seat electoral college system comprising parliamentarians and regional representatives.

Party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, presented Kavelashvili’s candidacy, praising his “significant contribution to protecting Georgia’s national interests and strengthening the country’s sovereignty.” Kavelashvili, elected to parliament in 2016, co-founded the People’s Power political movement in 2022, known for its anti-Western stance.

Critics accuse Georgian Dream of increasing authoritarianism and Moscow alignment. The party recently passed legislation similar to Russian laws restricting free speech and LGBTQ+ rights. The EU indefinitely suspended Georgia’s membership application in June after parliament approved a law requiring organizations receiving significant foreign funding to register as foreign agents.

Kavelashvili, who helped author the controversial foreign agents law, addressed parliament claiming “radicalization and polarization” in Georgia was foreign-driven, while promising to “restore the presidency to its constitutional framework.”

Mali Detains Leading Politician for Criticizing Neighboring Military Regime

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Mali Detains Leading Politician for Criticizing Neighboring Military Regime

Malian authorities arrested prominent politician Issa Kaou N’Djim Wednesday for criticizing the military rulers of neighboring Burkina Faso, marking another crackdown on political dissent in the West African nation.

N’Djim, a former supporter of Mali’s military leader Col. Assimi Goita, faces charges of insulting a foreign head of state after claiming on Joliba TV News that Burkina Faso’s military rulers fabricated evidence of a November coup attempt, according to a judiciary source speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization.

“He knows he is being arrested because of his political struggle,” said his son, Ousmane N’djim, as authorities transferred the politician to Bamako’s main prison. The TV station’s director has also been summoned for questioning.

The arrest highlights growing tensions in the Sahel region, where Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) under military governments that seized power through coups. Mali and Burkina Faso’s juntas took control in 2020 and 2022 respectively, citing popular discontent with elected governments’ handling of security issues.

N’Djim previously served as vice president of Mali’s National Transitional Council, the junta’s legislative body, before advocating for a return to electoral democracy. He received a six-month prison sentence in 2021 for criticizing the military regime on social media.

The security situation has deteriorated across the three AES countries, with analysts reporting record numbers of Islamic extremist attacks. Government forces face accusations of killing civilian suspects while suppressing political opposition and media freedom. In June, Malian authorities arrested eleven opposition politicians and several activists.

Amnesty International has called for N’Djim’s immediate release.

Philippine Vice President Faces Criminal Complaints Amid Political Crisis

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Philippine Vice President Faces Criminal Complaints Amid Political Crisis

Philippine police officials filed criminal complaints Wednesday against Vice President Sara Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders during a recent Congress altercation, marking a significant escalation in the conflict between the country’s two most powerful political families.

The charges come amid separate concerns over Duterte’s public threats to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and the House Speaker assassinated if she were killed in an unspecified plot. Presidential adviser Larry Gadon filed a Supreme Court petition Wednesday to disbar Duterte, citing these threats as “illegal, immoral and condemnable.”

Speaking at a news conference, Duterte broadly denied the allegations while claiming the actions aimed to remove her from office, freeze her assets, and prevent international travel. “This is really oppression and harassment for remarks taken out of logical context,” she said, adding that reconciliation with Marcos appears impossible. “I really believe that we have reached a point of no return.”

The criminal complaints stem from a weekend incident at the House of Representatives involving Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, who was temporarily detained during an inquiry into alleged misuse of confidential funds. The situation escalated when authorities attempted to transfer Lopez to a women’s prison, prompting intervention from Duterte and her staff.

“The rule of law is fundamental to our democratic system. No one, regardless of their position, should be above accountability,” national police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said. “Resistance and disobedience to a person in authority not only violates the law but also undermines public trust.”

The Department of Justice is additionally investigating potentially seditious remarks by former President Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president’s father, who suggested only the military could correct what he called “fractured governance” under Marcos.

The conflict highlights a dramatic collapse of the alliance that saw Marcos and Sara Duterte win landslide victories in 2022 on a unity platform. Their subsequent falling out centers on differences over China policy in the South China Sea and approaches to the elder Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign.

Duterte resigned from Marcos’s Cabinet in June as education secretary and anti-insurgency body head, becoming a vocal critic of the president, his wife Liza, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin who leads a Congress dominated by administration allies.

Marcos, in a televised address, characterized the vice president’s threats as a criminal plot and promised to uphold the rule of law. The situation underscores the challenges of the Philippines’ system where presidents and vice presidents are elected separately, sometimes placing political rivals in the nation’s top positions.

Brazil Police Report Details Bolsonaro’s Alleged Leadership of Coup Plot

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Brazil Police Report Details Bolsonaro’s Alleged Leadership of Coup Plot

Brazil’s federal police submitted evidence to the Supreme Court Tuesday revealing former President Jair Bolsonaro’s alleged direct involvement in plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss, detailed in an unsealed 884-page report.

The document, culminating a two-year investigation, presents evidence from search warrants, wiretaps, financial records, and plea bargain testimony pointing to a criminal conspiracy led by Bolsonaro. “Bolsonaro effectively planned, directed and executed, in coordination with other officials since at least 2019, concrete acts that aimed at the abolition of the democratic rule of law, with him remaining as president,” the report states.

Investigators found Bolsonaro had “full knowledge” of plans to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his running mate, based on intercepted conversations and presidential residence meetings. The evidence includes a December 2022 meeting where Bolsonaro allegedly presented top military commanders with a coup proposal, receiving support from Navy commander Admiral Almir Garnier Santos while Army and Air Force leaders refused.

Former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto allegedly encouraged social media attacks on military commanders who rejected the plot and hosted a meeting where Lula’s assassination was discussed. “It was never a coup, much less a plan to murder someone,” Braga Netto responded on social media following last week’s accusations.

Police formally accused 37 people, including Bolsonaro, of involvement in the planned coup. The former president, who never recognized his defeat by Lula, faces charges of attempted coup, violent abolition of democratic rule, and criminal organization. He denied discussing any coup plans when speaking to journalists Monday in Brasilia.

The investigation delivers another blow to Bolsonaro’s 2026 presidential ambitions, alongside separate probes into alleged COVID-19 vaccination card tampering and embezzlement of Saudi-gifted jewelry. Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet will decide on charges against Bolsonaro and alleged co-conspirators, with sources indicating plans to combine three investigations into a single comprehensive indictment expected next year.

ICC Moves to Arrest Myanmar Leader for Rohingya Persecution

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ICC Moves to Arrest Myanmar Leader for Rohingya Persecution

The International Criminal Court prosecutor announced Wednesday he would seek an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against humanity in the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The move follows a nearly five-year investigation into the 2017 military offensive that forced a million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. United Nations investigators described the campaign as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, documenting how soldiers, police, and Buddhist residents razed hundreds of villages in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, conducting mass killings, torture, and gang-rapes.

“He [Min Aung Hlaing] is responsible for orchestrating the genocide against the innocent Rohingya people,” said Mohammed Zubair, a Rohingya researcher living in a Bangladesh refugee camp. “Under his command, the military killed thousands of Rohingya and subjected countless women and girls to horrific acts of sexual violence.”

Myanmar has denied the allegations, claiming security forces conducted legitimate operations against militants who attacked police posts. Most Rohingya refugees now live in Bangladesh camps.

Nicholas Koumjian, head of the U.N. Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, which assisted the ICC investigation, said seeking a warrant for Myanmar’s highest military official “sends a strong message to perpetrators that no one stands above the law.”

The ICC investigation faced significant challenges, including lack of access to Myanmar and the country’s political turmoil following the 2021 military coup. Investigators relied on witness testimonies, including insider accounts, along with documentary evidence and authenticated scientific, photographic, and video materials.

“The ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek a warrant against Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing comes amid renewed atrocities against Rohingya civilians that echo those suffered seven years ago,” said Maria Elena Vignoli, senior international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch.

The court, which has 124 member nations but lacks its own police force, faces significant challenges in securing Min Aung Hlaing’s arrest, particularly as he rarely travels internationally. Major powers including the United States, Russia, China, and India have not joined the ICC, though it maintains support from the European Union, Britain, Japan, and numerous African and Latin American nations.

The ICC has previously issued arrest warrants for other serving national leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir. Only Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta has appeared before the court while serving as head of state, in a case that was later dropped.

The prosecutor’s office emphasized the warrant request followed extensive, independent investigations, promising additional arrest warrant applications related to Myanmar would follow.

Indian Parliament Halted as Opposition Demands Adani Discussion

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Indian Parliament Halted as Opposition Demands Adani Discussion

India’s lower house of parliament suspended proceedings Wednesday for a second consecutive day amid opposition demands to discuss U.S. allegations against billionaire Gautam Adani, even as his conglomerate’s stocks rebounded from recent losses.

U.S. authorities last week accused Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and Adani Green managing director Vneet S. Jaain of orchestrating $265 million in bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts and misleading American investors. The ports-to-power conglomerate has denied these charges as “baseless” and promised legal action.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party called for Adani’s arrest, telling reporters outside parliament, “The gentleman has been indicted in the United States … and the government is protecting him.” The opposition accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of shielding Adani and blocking Indian investigations, claims the government denies.

BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal maintained Tuesday the party had no reason to defend Adani, saying, “Let him defend himself,” while adding that the law would take its course if wrongdoing occurred.

Adani Green clarified Wednesday that while Gautam Adani faces potential fines for alleged securities law violations, he has not been charged under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The company’s stock exchange filing noted the Securities and Exchange Commission seeks civil monetary penalties but hasn’t specified amounts.

The conglomerate’s listed companies recovered approximately $9 billion in market value Wednesday, after losing up to $34 billion following the indictments. Adani Green, which suffered the heaviest losses, jumped 9% but remains down about $8 billion in value.

The controversy has prompted French oil major TotalEnergies, which holds a 20% stake in Adani Green, to halt further investments in the group. Kenya has also cancelled a $2 billion procurement process that would have given the Adani Group control of its main airport.

REUTERS

Lebanon Civilians Begin Return as Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Holds

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Lebanon Civilians Begin Return as Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Holds

The U.S. and French-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect Wednesday, with Lebanese civilians starting their cautious return to southern regions despite military warnings, marking a rare diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East’s year-long turmoil.

Lebanon’s army, charged with maintaining the truce, prepared to deploy throughout the south while urging residents of border villages to delay their return until Israeli forces, which had advanced about 6 kilometers into Lebanese territory, complete their withdrawal.

Early Wednesday, Israel reported firing on Hezbollah operatives approaching the border but the incident appeared unlikely to derail the agreement. The ceasefire represents a significant diplomatic achievement for President Joe Biden’s administration in its final year.

Cars loaded with mattresses, suitcases, and furniture streamed through the port city of Tyre, heading south despite extensive bombing damage in the region. “The Israelis haven’t withdrawn in full, they’re still on the edge. So we decided to wait until the army announces that we can go in. Then we’ll turn the cars on immediately and go to the village,” said Hussam Arrout, a father of four from Mays al-Jabal.

Under the agreement, Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over 60 days while Lebanon’s army assumes control of border territories to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure. The deal aims to end a conflict that has killed thousands since it erupted alongside the Gaza war last year.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged Israel to “withdraw from all the regions and positions it occupied,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed significant victories against Hezbollah, including the elimination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah and destruction of most of their rockets and missiles.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for similar diplomatic progress in Gaza: “Force must give way to dialogue and negotiation. This has now been achieved in Lebanon, and it must happen as soon as possible in the Gaza Strip.”

The agreement allows Israel to focus on its conflict with Hamas in Gaza while enabling about 60,000 displaced Israeli civilians to return to their northern border communities. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri expressed support for Lebanon’s right to reach an agreement protecting its people.

Qatar, Egypt, and Iran welcomed the ceasefire, with Qatar’s foreign ministry expressing hope it could lead to a similar agreement ending the Gaza war. Hezbollah senior official Hassan Fadlallah, while not formally commenting on the ceasefire, told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV the group would emerge stronger from the conflict.

Famed Nollywood  Actress Sharon Stone  Attacks ‘Uneducated’ Americans Without Passports

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Famed Nollywood  Actress Sharon Stone  Attacks ‘Uneducated’ Americans Without Passports

Hollywood millionaire Sharon Stone launched a blistering critique of American voters at the Torino Film Festival, characterizing them as “uneducated” and “ignorant” while citing low passport ownership rates among her criticisms.

The 66-year-old “Basic Instinct” star delivered her pointed remarks during a press event in Turin, targeting what she described as an “arrogant adolescent” America following the recent presidential election. “We are in our ignorant, arrogant adolescence,” Stone declared, specifically noting that “80 percent” of Americans don’t have passports.

“Americans who don’t travel, who 80 percent don’t have a passport, who are uneducated, are in their extraordinary naivete,” Stone said, comparing America’s relative youth to Italy’s long historical experience with political movements.

The millionaire actress, who earlier this year pledged to leave America for Europe if Donald Trump won the election, expanded her criticism to include warnings about “dangerous, violent men.” Stone had previously announced plans to purchase a house in Italy, calling it “an intelligent construct at this time” in response to political developments.

Her nearly three-minute commentary drew swift backlash on social media, with critics labeling her comments as elitist. “Hollywood elite are out of touch and have become irrelevant,” one user posted on X, formerly Twitter. Another observed that her attitude “is exactly why Americans voted for Trump – he stood up for everyday people ignored by these self-proclaimed experts.”

“I guess she hasn’t heard. We don’t give a rats a** about Hollywood anymore, esp an irrelevant has been,” another social media user added to the chorus of criticism.

Stone had previously characterized the current political climate as “one of the first times in my life that I’ve actually seen anyone running for office on a platform of hate and oppression.”

Lewandowski Gets Historic 100-Goal Mark in Barcelona’s 3-0 Win

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Lewandowski Gets Historic 100-Goal Mark in Barcelona’s 3-0 Win

Robert Lewandowski scored his 100th Champions League goal Wednesday night, leading Barcelona to a commanding 3-0 victory over Brest that lifted the Catalans to provisional second place in their group.

The 36-year-old striker became only the third player in Champions League history to reach the century mark, joining former Barcelona star Lionel Messi (129) and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo (140) in the elite club. Lewandowski achieved the milestone in his 125th appearance in the competition, spanning his time with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund.

“I am very happy, many years ago I did not think I could score more than 100 goals in the Champions League,” Lewandowski told Movistar after the match. “For me the most important thing is that we try to win every game, if I can score, then that’s the perfect solution.”

The Polish international opened scoring in the 10th minute from the penalty spot after Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot fouled him following Pedri’s cross. Dani Olmo doubled Barcelona’s lead in the 66th minute, displaying skillful footwork to evade Brendan Chardonnet before beating Bizot at the near post. Lewandowski added his second late in the match, clinically finishing for his 101st Champions League goal.

The victory marked a return to form for Barcelona after recent La Liga struggles. Coach Hansi Flick had called for his team to “eliminate” mistakes, and they responded with a dominant performance despite missing teenage sensation Lamine Yamal through injury.

Brest, previously unbeaten in the competition and fresh off a 4-0 victory over RB Salzburg, saw their best chance ruled offside when Mathias Pereira Lage’s strike was disallowed. The French side remains in contention for at least a playoff spot despite dropping down the group standings.

Under Flick’s guidance, Lewandowski has rediscovered his scoring touch this season, notching 22 goals in 19 appearances across all competitions. Barcelona now faces crucial matches against last season’s runner-up Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, and Atalanta as they aim to secure direct qualification to the last 16.

Arsenal Cruises Past Sporting CP in 5-1 Champions League Display

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Arsenal Cruises Past Sporting CP in 5-1 Champions League Display

Arsenal secured their first Champions League away victory of the season Tuesday night, overwhelming Sporting CP 5-1 in a dominant performance that saw five different Gunners find the net.

The visitors established control early when Gabriel Martinelli tapped in Jurrien Timber’s precise cross at the far post in the seventh minute. Kai Havertz doubled the lead midway through the first half, converting Bukayo Saka’s roll across the penalty area after Thomas Partey’s incisive through ball created the opportunity.

Arsenal extended their advantage before halftime when Gabriel powered home a header from Declan Rice’s far-post corner, giving the English side a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.

Sporting briefly threatened a comeback when Goncalo Inacio flicked in a near-post corner past David Raya early in the second half. However, Arsenal quickly reasserted control when Saka converted a penalty following Ousmane Diomande’s foul on Martin Odegaard with 25 minutes remaining.

Leandro Trossard completed the rout in the 82nd minute, heading home a rebound after substitute Mikel Merino’s initial shot was saved by Franco Israel.

The comprehensive victory marked a stark contrast to Sporting’s recent form, which had included a victory over Manchester City before the international break. The Portuguese side, playing their first match since manager Ruben Amorim’s departure to Manchester United, struggled to contain Arsenal’s organized pressing and clinical attack throughout the evening.

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