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Haiti Names New Prime Minister as Crisis Deepens-Reuters

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Haiti’s transitional presidential council appointed entrepreneur Alix Didier Fils-Aime as the country’s new prime minister Monday, replacing Garry Conille in the latest leadership change for the violence-plagued Caribbean nation.

The appointment, published in Haiti’s official gazette, comes as armed gangs control most of the capital Port-au-Prince and have expanded into neighboring regions, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis amid lagging international support.

Didier Fils-Aime, son of prominent Haitian activist Alix Fils-Aime who was imprisoned under Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s dictatorship, takes over from Conille, who served just six months after his May appointment. The outgoing prime minister recently sought security assistance during trips to the United Arab Emirates and Kenya following gang attacks that killed at least 70 people.

In a letter circulated Sunday on social media, Conille challenged the council’s authority to dismiss him, arguing it only had power to appoint, not remove, a prime minister. “This resolution, taken outside any legal and constitutional framework, raises serious concerns about its legitimacy and its impact on the future of our country,” he wrote.

The transition council, established in April to exercise certain presidential powers until conditions allow for elections, has faced internal divisions while struggling to address Haiti’s mounting security crisis. Neighboring nations continue deporting Haitian migrants back to the troubled country despite deteriorating conditions.

The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the leadership change.

Russia Masses Troops in Kursk to Counter Ukrainian Gains, Commander Says

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Russia has assembled tens of thousands of troops in its western Kursk region in an effort to push back Ukrainian forces that advanced there this summer, Ukraine’s top military commander said Monday, as Moscow maintains pressure on multiple fronts.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported Russian forces are “trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control,” following a New York Times report that Moscow had positioned 50,000 troops in the border region, including North Korean soldiers.

While Syrskyi did not address claims of North Korean military presence, Western countries, South Korea, and Ukraine have all reported North Korean troops operating in Russia. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied these reports, though President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense treaty with Pyongyang on Saturday.

The Russian buildup comes as Moscow continues its methodical advance across eastern Ukraine, capturing villages in its campaign to control the industrial Donbas region. Syrskyi maintained that the Ukrainian operation in Kursk, launched in August, successfully diverts Russian forces that could otherwise reinforce the eastern front.

“These tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian shock units would have stormed our positions in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhiv or Toretsk directions, which would have significantly worsened the situation at the front,” Syrskyi wrote on Telegram.

U.S. assessments cited by the New York Times indicate Russia assembled the Kursk force without withdrawing troops from its eastern offensive operations.

REUTERS

Kremlin Denies Reported Trump-Putin Call on Ukraine War

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The Kremlin on Monday forcefully denied reports that President-elect Donald Trump recently spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine, creating confusion over alleged diplomatic outreach ahead of Trump’s return to the White House.

“This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, calling the reports “the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications.”

A source familiar with the alleged conversation had told Reuters that Trump, who has criticized extensive U.S. support for Kyiv, advised Putin against escalating the Ukraine war. The Washington Post first reported the purported call, citing unnamed sources. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, declined to comment on “private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”

The disputed communication surfaces as the Biden administration prepares for transition. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Biden will use his remaining 70 days to convince Congress and Trump’s incoming administration “that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.”

Trump’s approach to the conflict has worried Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who spoke with Trump last Wednesday, said Thursday he was unaware of Trump’s plan to quickly end the war, expressing concern that rapid peace would require major Ukrainian concessions.

The United States has provided over $174 billion in aid to Ukraine under Biden, according to the Government Accountability Office. This support faces uncertain prospects under Trump, with Republicans set to control the Senate with 52 seats and potentially the House, where they currently hold 213 seats of the 218 needed for majority.

Senator Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally and potential secretary of state candidate, reflected growing Republican skepticism toward Ukraine funding: “The American people want sovereignty protected here in America before we spend our funds and resources protecting the sovereignty of another nation.”

Trump has previously claimed Putin would not have invaded Ukraine had he been president, while suggesting Ukraine might need to cede territory for peace, a position Kyiv rejects and Biden has never entertained.

Paris Bolsters Security for France-Israel Match After Amsterdam Violence

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French authorities will deploy 4,000 police officers and 1,600 stadium staff for Thursday’s UEFA Nations League match between France and Israel, implementing extraordinary security measures following recent attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam.

Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez announced Sunday that 2,500 officers will surround the Stade de France, with an additional 1,500 patrolling the capital and public transportation. “There’s a context, tensions that make that match a high-risk event for us,” Nuñez told BFM TV. “We won’t tolerate any violence.”

French President Emmanuel Macron plans to attend the match, his office confirmed, aiming to send “a message of fraternity and solidarity following the intolerable antisemitic acts that followed the match in Amsterdam,” according to an Elysee Palace official speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The enhanced security follows incidents in Amsterdam where Israeli fans were attacked after a game, resulting in five hospitalizations and dozens of arrests. Israel’s National Security Council warned citizens Sunday to avoid sports and cultural events abroad, specifically citing the Paris match, citing risks of violence “under the pretense of demonstrations.”

“I think that for a symbolic reason we must not yield, we must not give up,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Friday, confirming the match would proceed as planned. He referenced this year’s Paris Olympics as an example of sports bringing people together to celebrate “universal values.”

Security measures will include an anti-terrorist perimeter around the stadium with reinforced checks, systematic pat-downs, and bag searches. French organizers have coordinated with Israeli authorities to prepare for the event.

The Amsterdam violence, condemned across Europe as antisemitic, occurred despite police escort of Israeli supporters, some of whom were filmed chanting anti-Arab slogans en route to the stadium. Dutch authorities blamed social media calls targeting Jewish people for inciting the subsequent attacks.

Gunmen Kill 10 in Attack on Central Mexican Bar, Rattling Peaceful City

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Armed attackers stormed a bar in downtown Queretaro late Saturday, killing 10 people and wounding at least seven others in a rare outbreak of violence for a city typically spared from Mexico’s drug-related bloodshed.

Security footage showed gunmen leaping from a pickup truck and rushing into Los Cantaritos bar as patrons fled or dove for cover. “Emergency services arrived at the scene and confirmed that at least four people armed with long weapons had arrived on board a pickup truck,” city security chief Juan Luis Ferrusca said in a social media video.

Three women were among the dead, according to the state prosecutor’s office. Authorities later found the attackers’ vehicle abandoned and burned, with one suspect in custody.

“The entire security system of Queretaro is mobilized to find the criminals,” state governor Mauricio Kuri posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Those responsible for this brutal act will be punished. We will continue to shield our borders and maintain the security of our state.”

The attack marks an alarming expansion of violence into Queretaro, a colonial city 200 kilometers northwest of Mexico City known more for its historic architecture than crime. The incident comes as newly inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first woman president, faces mounting pressure to address nationwide violence that has claimed more than 450,000 lives since 2006.

Sheinbaum has rejected declaring “war” on drug cartels, instead pledging to continue her predecessor’s strategy of addressing crime’s root causes through social programs while enhancing intelligence operations.

The bloodshed extends beyond Queretaro, with recent surges in violence in the cartel stronghold of Sinaloa following drug lord Ismael Zambada’s July arrest, and in southern Guerrero state, where authorities Thursday discovered 11 bodies, including two minors, in an abandoned truck. The victims were among 17 traveling merchants reported missing last month.

Dutch Police Detain Protesters Defying Amsterdam Demonstration Ban

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Police detained dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Amsterdam Sunday after hundreds gathered in Dam Square, defying a temporary ban on public protests imposed following attacks on Israeli football fans earlier in the week.

The protest ban, announced Friday by Mayor Femke Halsema, came after what authorities described as antisemitic “hit-and-run” attacks Thursday night that left five people hospitalized following a match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The violence, which resulted in 62 arrests, drew condemnation from European, U.S., and Israeli leaders, particularly as it occurred on the eve of Kristallnacht commemorations.

“This protest has nothing to do with antisemitism,” demonstrator Alexander van Stokkum told AFP. “It is against Israeli hooligans who were destroying our city.” Other protesters told Reuters they “refuse to let the charge of antisemitism be weaponised to suppress Palestinian resistance.”

Activist Frank van der Linde’s urgent request for a protest permit was rejected by Amsterdam’s district court, which upheld the mayor’s authority to declare the city a “high-risk security area” through the weekend. De Telegraaf reported van der Linde was among those arrested.

Police Chief Peter Holla noted there had been incidents “on both sides” before Thursday’s match, including Israeli supporters burning a Palestinian flag and attacking a taxi. The violence has prompted Israel’s National Security Council to warn citizens abroad to avoid public demonstrations and conceal “anything that could identify you as Israeli/Jewish.”

The incidents carry particular weight in the Netherlands, where three-quarters of Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust. The Israeli embassy warned its citizens to avoid Dam Square Sunday, citing risks of “significant violent incidents.”

French authorities have pledged 4,000 officers for security at Thursday’s Nations League match between France and Israel in Paris, as similar concerns spread across European capitals.

bbc.com

Argentine Football Gang Leader, Andrés “Pillín” Bracamonte, Shot Dead Near Stadium

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Andrés “Pillín” Bracamonte, leader of Rosario Central’s notorious football hooligan gang for over two decades, was shot dead Saturday by a motorcyclist just blocks from the club’s stadium, marking the latest episode of violence in Argentine football.

Bracamonte, 52, and his deputy Daniel “Rana” Atardo were gunned down four blocks from the Gigante de Arroyito stadium following a league match that Bracamonte could not attend due to a ban over previous incidents. Both men were rushed to Centenario Hospital but did not survive.

The attack, widely reported in Argentine media as a settling of scores, occurred amid ongoing investigations into Bracamonte’s alleged connections to the Los Monos drug cartel and accusations of money laundering and extortion. The shooting follows an August attempt on Bracamonte’s life when he was grazed by a bullet while with his partner, who was also injured.

Bracamonte had led the Rosario Central supporters’ group through decades of violent conflicts with rival gangs while accumulating a lengthy criminal record, according to local media reports. At the time of his death, he was under investigation by Argentine authorities for various criminal activities.

Chelsea, Arsenal Share Points in Tense London Derby’s 1-1 Draw

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Arsenal’s winless run extended to four Premier League matches Sunday as Pedro Neto’s spectacular strike earned Chelsea a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, leaving both London rivals nine points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock after 60 minutes, side-footing past Robert Sanchez at the near post from Martin Odegaard’s clever cross. Chelsea responded within ten minutes through Neto, who collected Enzo Fernandez’s pass before firing an exquisite low shot beyond David Raya.

The match maintained its intensity from the opening minutes, when fit-again Cole Palmer forced Raya into a fingertip save from 25 yards. Arsenal, bolstered by the returns of Odegaard and Declan Rice to their starting lineup, controlled early proceedings amid a thunderous atmosphere.

Both sides spurned first-half opportunities, with Malo Gusto heading over from close range and Martinelli drawing a save from Sanchez. Former Chelsea striker Kai Havertz thought he had given Arsenal the lead in the 32nd minute, but his finish from Rice’s quick free kick was ruled out for a marginal offside after VAR review.

“We showed character to respond after falling behind,” Neto, named player of the match, told reporters. “It was important to get something from this game.”

The draw leaves both teams looking up at Liverpool, though Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta found positives in ending his side’s two-game losing streak. “We controlled large periods but couldn’t find that winning goal,” he said. “Still, it’s a point at a difficult ground.”

Leandro Trossard missed a golden opportunity to win it for Arsenal with the game’s final kick, but both teams appeared content with the share of points after an engaging London derby.

Weah, Leao Star as Juventus Wins Derby, Milan Draws at Cagliari

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Timothy Weah scored his third goal in four Serie A matches Saturday, helping Juventus secure a 2-0 derby victory over Torino while Rafael Leao netted twice in AC Milan’s thrilling 3-3 draw at Cagliari.

Weah, watched by his father and former Ballon d’Or winner George Weah from the stands, converted a rebound from Andrea Cambiaso’s shot before having another potential goal disallowed for handball. Kenan Yildiz sealed Juventus’s victory with a late diving header, moving the club level on points with second-placed Inter Milan ahead of the latter’s Sunday clash with league leaders Napoli.

In Sardinia, Leao justified his return to Milan’s starting lineup with a decisive performance, scoring twice and contributing to a third goal despite his team’s defensive struggles against relegation-threatened Cagliari. The Portuguese winger’s first-half brace — a clever lob from Tijjani Reijnders’ assist followed by a skilled dribble around the goalkeeper — came after Nadir Zortea’s second-minute opener for the hosts.

Gabriele Zappa equalized for Cagliari after halftime before substitute Tammy Abraham, replacing 16-year-old starter Francesco Camarda, put Milan ahead again by converting a rebound from Christian Pulisic’s shot in a move initiated by Leao. Zappa completed his own brace with a spectacular volley to secure the draw, leaving Milan in seventh place.

In other Serie A action, Parma ended their winless streak since August with a 2-1 comeback victory at last-placed Venezia through goals from Emanuele Valeri and Ange-Yoan Bonny. Meanwhile, Lecce dismissed manager Luca Gotti following Friday’s 1-1 draw with Empoli, marking Serie A’s second coaching change after Roma’s recent switch.

Ghana Destroys 150,000kg of Seized Drugs in Anti-Trafficking Operation

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Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) destroyed more than 150,000 kilograms of seized illicit drugs Thursday at the Bundase Military Camp, representing three years of enforcement operations targeting drug trafficking networks.

The destroyed contraband, accumulated between 2021 and 2024, included 105,700kg of codeine, 46,128kg of cannabis, 37kg of heroin, 10kg of speedball, 9kg of cocaine, and 3kg of methamphetamine and MDMA, officials said.

“Each kilogram of these illicit substances represented lives potentially destroyed, families disrupted, and communities destabilized,” NACOC Director-General Dr. Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh said at the destruction ceremony in the Ningo-Prampram District. “By removing these substances from existence, we send a clear and resolute message to all drug trafficking networks and individuals that there is no place in our society for such illicit activities.”

Adu-Amanfoh emphasized that enforcement alone cannot address drug trafficking, citing prevention, education, and rehabilitation as essential elements of Ghana’s anti-drug strategy. He highlighted the country’s progress in disrupting trafficking networks and strengthening cross-border cooperation through the NACOC Governing Board.

“Enforcement and interdiction alone are not a sole solution to addressing this complex issue,” he said, pledging continued collaboration with international, regional, and local partners in combating drug trafficking.

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