Heavy gunfire echoed through South Sudan’s capital Thursday evening as security forces attempted to arrest the former head of the national intelligence service, marking the latest episode of political tension in the fragile East African nation.
The shooting began around 7 p.m. local time and continued sporadically for more than an hour in Juba, according to Reuters reporters in the city. A United Nations security alert to staff members, seen by Reuters, confirmed the gunfire was related to efforts to arrest the former National Security Service (NSS) chief and advised personnel to shelter in place.
The incident follows President Salva Kiir’s dismissal of Akol Koor Kuc in early October, removing the man who had led the intelligence service since South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011. Analysts view Kuc’s removal as evidence of a power struggle within the highest levels of government, coming shortly after the transitional government announced a second postponement of elections originally scheduled for December.
The unrest occurs against a backdrop of delicate political balance between President Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, whose rival factions fought a devastating civil war from 2013 to 2018 that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. While the two have shared power in a transitional government since 2018, maintaining relative peace, periodic clashes continue between opposing forces and various armed groups in rural areas.
Military officials reached by telephone said they were working to establish details of the situation.
The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Gazprombank and dozens of other Russian financial institutions in its most aggressive move yet to disrupt Moscow’s ability to fund its military operations in Ukraine.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the sweeping measures targeting more than 50 internationally connected Russian banks, including Gazprombank, which had been the largest Russian bank to avoid U.S. sanctions until now. “This sweeping action will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade U.S. sanctions and fund and equip its military,” Yellen said in a statement.
The Treasury Department accused Gazprombank of playing a crucial role in Russia’s military financing, facilitating combat bonus payments to soldiers and enabling purchases of military equipment for the Ukraine war. The sanctions package also encompasses over 40 Russian securities registrars and 15 finance officials.
The move aligns U.S. policy with several allies, as Gazprombank had previously faced sanctions from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The Treasury Department said it would issue licenses allowing U.S. entities to wind down their transactions with the bank in an orderly manner.
Ifeanyi Ozoh, a 54-year-old Nigerian national residing in the United States, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his involvement in a $6 million bribery scheme targeting Medicaid, the U.S. health insurance program. U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane imposed the sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release.
The sentencing, announced by U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani, comes after Ozoh was convicted on February 14 for conspiring to pay healthcare kickbacks. He was also ordered to pay $4.9 million in restitution to Medicaid.
Ozoh, who worked at Floss Family Dentalcare Centre in Houston, orchestrated a scheme in which he bribed marketers and parents to bring Medicaid-insured children to a non-existent dental clinic for treatment. Claims filed with Medicaid totaled over $6 million, with the clinic receiving more than $4 million in payments based on these fraudulent charges.
During the three-day trial, testimonies revealed that Ozoh paid marketers between $20 and $100 for each child referred to the clinic, often conducting the transactions covertly. One marketer reported receiving cash payments hidden on top of a vending machine outside the clinic.
Evidence presented at trial indicated that Ozoh had paid out over $163,000 in kickbacks and had been warned by clinic personnel about the illegality of his actions. The scheme operated from 2020 to 2021, resulting in inflated billing to Medicaid based on services that were not actually rendered.
Despite the guilty verdict and subsequent sentencing, Ozoh has been allowed to remain on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
Brazil’s federal police indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others Thursday for allegedly attempting to orchestrate a coup following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election, marking the most serious legal challenge yet for the former leader.
The indictment will be presented to Brazil’s Supreme Court for review by Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who must decide whether to proceed with formal charges and put the former president on trial. Bolsonaro has consistently denied allegations that he attempted to retain power after losing to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The development comes amid mounting legal pressure on the former right-wing president, who already faces separate investigations into alleged diamond jewelry smuggling and COVID-19 vaccination record falsification, charges he also denies.
The indictment follows Tuesday’s arrest of five individuals, including four military officers and a federal police officer, accused of plotting to overthrow the government and allegedly planning to assassinate President Lula and other high-ranking officials in the wake of the 2022 election.
Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general Thursday, marking the first significant setback for the incoming administration’s cabinet selections amid growing concerns about the former congressman’s confirmability due to a federal sex trafficking investigation.
The Florida Republican’s decision came just one day after meeting with senators in an attempt to secure support for his nomination to lead the Department of Justice. The withdrawal represents a notable stumble in Trump’s efforts to install loyal allies in key administration positions.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”
The sudden withdrawal suggests potential resistance from within Republican ranks to Trump’s cabinet selections, marking the first indication that the president-elect could face challenges from his own party in staffing his administration.
The Illinois Supreme Court overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction Thursday for staging a fake hate crime, ruling that prosecutors violated his due process rights by pursuing charges after a previous plea agreement, in a decision that referenced the Bill Cosby case as precedent.
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,” the court stated in its ruling, determining that Smollett’s second prosecution violated constitutional principles after he had fulfilled terms of an initial 2019 agreement.
The reversal marks a stunning turn in a case that began January 29, 2019, when Smollett, 42, reported to Chicago police that two men had attacked him outside his apartment building, using racial and homophobic slurs while placing a noose around his neck and declaring “This is MAGA country.” Investigators later concluded he had paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to stage the assault to advance his career.
While initially charged with filing false police reports in February 2019, Smollett reached a deal with prosecutors to forfeit his $10,000 bond and complete 16 hours of community service. Questions about favoritism in that agreement prompted Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx to appoint a special investigator, leading to new charges and Smollett’s eventual conviction on five felony counts in December 2021.
The state’s highest court drew parallels to Bill Cosby’s case in Pennsylvania, where that state’s supreme court overturned his sexual assault conviction based on an earlier non-prosecution agreement. “It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes,” the Illinois court wrote. “It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated.”
Smollett, who starred in the television series “Empire,” served just six days of his 150-day jail sentence in 2022 before being released pending appeal. The original charges stemmed from a police investigation that determined he had fabricated the attack claim, allegedly to boost his public profile.
The Illinois Supreme Court overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction Thursday for staging a fake hate crime, ruling that prosecutors violated his due process rights by pursuing charges after a previous plea agreement, in a decision that referenced the Bill Cosby case as precedent.
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,” the court stated in its ruling, determining that Smollett’s second prosecution violated constitutional principles after he had fulfilled terms of an initial 2019 agreement.
The reversal marks a stunning turn in a case that began January 29, 2019, when Smollett, 42, reported to Chicago police that two men had attacked him outside his apartment building, using racial and homophobic slurs while placing a noose around his neck and declaring “This is MAGA country.” Investigators later concluded he had paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to stage the assault to advance his career.
While initially charged with filing false police reports in February 2019, Smollett reached a deal with prosecutors to forfeit his $10,000 bond and complete 16 hours of community service. Questions about favoritism in that agreement prompted Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx to appoint a special investigator, leading to new charges and Smollett’s eventual conviction on five felony counts in December 2021.
The state’s highest court drew parallels to Bill Cosby’s case in Pennsylvania, where that state’s supreme court overturned his sexual assault conviction based on an earlier non-prosecution agreement. “It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes,” the Illinois court wrote. “It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated.”
Smollett, who starred in the television series “Empire,” served just six days of his 150-day jail sentence in 2022 before being released pending appeal. The original charges stemmed from a police investigation that determined he had fabricated the attack claim, allegedly to boost his public profile.
The Islamic State’s Somali affiliate has more than doubled in size to approximately 700 fighters, bolstered by an influx of foreign militants from the Middle East and Africa, according to a new United Nations report that signals growing concerns about the terror group’s expanding influence in East Africa.
The U.N. Sanctions Monitoring Team for Somalia reported this week that fighters from Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Morocco, and Tanzania have significantly enhanced IS-Somalia’s operational capabilities, particularly in Puntland’s Cal Miskaad mountains. Intelligence sources characterized the group’s territorial gains against al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab as a “drastic change” directly attributed to the foreign reinforcements.
“Foreign fighters arrive in Puntland using both maritime and overland routes,” the report stated, citing intelligence from U.N. member states. Captured militants have reported working with trainers from various Middle Eastern locations, highlighting the group’s international connections.
The expansion coincides with IS-Somalia’s growing global prominence within the Islamic State network. Since 2022, Somalia has hosted al-Karrar, one of nine regional Islamic State offices established to maintain the terror group’s worldwide operations. Despite leadership losses, the office has become more powerful and decentralized, complicating efforts to disrupt its activities.
Former IS-Somalia leader Abdulqadir Mumin, who survived a U.S. airstrike in June, now heads the Islamic State’s general directorate of provinces, overseeing all African affiliates. His former deputy, Abdirahman Fahiye Isse, has assumed leadership of IS-Somalia, with Abdiwali Waran-Walac managing finances.
“This reporting on an influx of foreign terrorist fighters in Africa is concerning,” said Austin Doctor, director of counterterrorism research initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center. He predicted the trend would continue, citing regional factors that appeal to extremist recruits.
While the number of foreign fighters entering Somalia remains far below the tens of thousands who joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq during its caliphate period, the U.N. report indicates the group maintains robust financial health. “Given the relatively small size of IS-Somalia, the group can sustain itself and generate additional revenue for other IS affiliates through the al-Karrar office,” the report concluded.
President-elect Donald Trump unveiled his latest branded merchandise Wednesday: a line of high-end guitars featuring patriotic imagery and his campaign slogans, with prices ranging from $1,250 to $10,000.
Trump announced the venture on Truth Social, showcasing a “Limited Edition ’45’ Guitar” adorned with an American flag, eagle motif, and his “Make America Great Again” slogan inlaid on the neck. The collection includes acoustic models at $1,250, electric versions at $1,500, and premium “Signature Edition” instruments featuring Trump’s autograph at $10,000.
The guitar launch follows a series of recent Trump-branded products introduced amid his 2024 presidential campaign and in the wake of a $489 million civil fraud judgment. These ventures include $100,000 luxury watches through CIC Ventures LLC, Trump’s company reported in his 2023 financial disclosure, $59.99 “God Bless the USA Bibles,” and designer sneakers unveiled at “Sneaker Con.”
Unlike other Trump merchandise websites that clearly state licensing arrangements, GetTrumpGuitars.com provides limited information about the business structure or Trump’s financial involvement. The site’s only identifying information is a suburban Nashville address linked to a couple who attended Trump’s recent Florida election-night event. Messages to the site’s listed branding agency, 16 Creative, and Trump’s transition team went unanswered.
Trump’s merchandising empire has recently expanded into digital assets, with the former president reporting earnings between $100,000 and $1 million from NFT trading cards depicting him in various fictional scenarios. His business model typically employs paid licensing agreements, a strategy that proved profitable before his political career with products ranging from vodka to steaks.
A newly released police report reveals detailed allegations that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 after blocking her exit from a California hotel room and taking her phone, contradicting his claims of a consensual encounter.
The 22-page investigative document, made public Wednesday, provides the first comprehensive account of allegations against the Fox News personality stemming from an October 2017 incident following his speech at a Republican women’s event in Monterey. The report includes interviews with the alleged victim, medical personnel, hotel staff, and Hegseth himself.
According to police records, investigators were first alerted by a nurse after a patient requested a sexual assault examination five days after the alleged incident. The woman reported memory gaps and suggested something may have been added to her drink before the assault occurred. Police collected her unwashed clothing from that night as evidence.
The alleged victim, whose name is being withheld by The Associated Press in accordance with its policy on sexual assault cases, told investigators she had confronted Hegseth earlier that evening about his “inappropriate” behavior, including what she observed as unwanted touching of multiple women’s thighs. Text messages cited in the report show she had described Hegseth as giving off a “creeper” vibe to a friend.
The woman recounted to police that after moving from an afterparty to the hotel bar, where her memory became “fuzzy,” she found herself in a hotel room with Hegseth, 44, who allegedly blocked the door and took her phone. She reported “saying ‘no’ a lot” and next remembered him shirtless above her, his military dog tags visible.
Hegseth, a former National Guard major, provided investigators a contrasting account, claiming the encounter was consensual and initiated by the woman. He acknowledged being “buzzed” but not intoxicated, saying he explicitly sought consent multiple times.
The nominee’s attorney revealed that Hegseth later made a confidential payment to the woman to prevent a potential lawsuit he feared could jeopardize his Fox News position. The amount remains undisclosed.
A Trump transition team spokeswoman claimed Thursday the report “corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false.” However, the report does not make this conclusion, instead noting that investigators recommended forwarding the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Court records indicate the incident occurred while Hegseth was divorcing his second wife following his affair with a Fox News producer, whom he later married. His first marriage also ended in 2009 amid infidelity allegations.
Seven members of Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence Corps disappeared following a major ambush by Boko Haram militants in north-central Nigeria, marking another escalation in the group’s campaign to destabilize the country’s infrastructure.
The attack occurred Monday when approximately 200 Boko Haram fighters ambushed a convoy of 80 security operatives patrolling power infrastructure in Shiroro, Niger state. Agency spokesperson Babawale Afolabi reported Tuesday that security forces killed at least 50 insurgents in the engagement.
The incident follows a pattern of infrastructure attacks by the militant group, which recently caused a weeklong power outage across northern Nigeria after damaging critical equipment, according to the state-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria.
While Boko Haram traditionally operates in northeastern Nigeria, government officials confirm the group has established cells in the predominantly Muslim Niger state, where it has conducted multiple attacks against both military and civilian targets.
The militant organization, which launched its insurgency in 2009 to oppose Western education and enforce strict Islamic law, has evolved into Africa’s longest-running militant conflict. United Nations data shows the violence has claimed 35,000 civilian lives and displaced more than two million people in northeastern Nigeria alone.
The group gained international notoriety in 2014 with the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok village in Borno state. Violence continues unabated, with at least 100 villagers killed in September when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked a market, worshippers, and homes in northeastern Nigeria.
