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Israel Says Troops Encircle Gaza City As Blinken Visits

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Israeli ground troops encircled Gaza City on Friday in their war against Hamas, as top US diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Israel for a trip focused on “concrete steps” to minimise Palestinian civilian casualties.

Ahead of Blinken’s arrival, Israel’s military said on Thursday it had “completed the encirclement” of the narrow Palestinian territory’s largest city — signalling a new phase in the nearly month-long conflict.

Fighting was triggered by Hamas’ bloody raids on October 7 that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people.

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The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 9,000 people have died in Israeli bombardments, mostly women and children.

Fresh Israeli strikes rocked the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, an AFP correspondent said, and the Gaza health ministry reported at least 15 deaths in Gaza City’s Zeitun neighbourhood and seven in Jabalia refugee camp.

The Hamas government has said 195 people were killed in Israeli bombardments on Jabalia earlier this week, with hundreds more missing and wounded, figures AFP could not independently verify.

Before his departure, Blinken said he would seek to ensure that harm to Palestinian civilians is reduced, in a visible shift of tone for the United States which has promised full support and ramped-up military aid to Israel.

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We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimise harm to men, women and children in Gaza,” Blinken said.

READ ALSO: Internet, Phones ‘Completely’ Shut Off In Gaza

This is something that the United States is committed to.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had already had some “very impressive successes” with troops “more than on the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing,” he said late Thursday at a base near Tel Aviv.

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Israel’s military describes Gaza City as “the centre of the Hamas terror organisation”.

Although many of the city’s half-a-million residents fled south following Israel’s warning to leave the north ahead of a ground operation, those who stayed behind have endured weeks of withering aerial bombardments, dwindling supplies and daily carnage.

– ‘Terrified’ –

Outside Gaza City’s Al-Quds hospital, displaced residents seeking shelter from Israeli strikes told AFP on Thursday that civilians would not withstand the barrage much longer.

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“This is not a life. We need a safe place for our kids,” said 50-year-old Hiyam Shamlakh. “Everybody is terrified, children, women and the elderly.”

But yet more carnage seems to lie ahead, as the conflict turns to urban and underground warfare — with Hamas fighting from a tunnel complex believed to span hundreds of kilometres (miles).

READ ALSO: How To Apply, Benefit In Canada 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, insisted Israeli soldiers would go home “in black bags”.

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“Gaza will be the curse of history for Israel,” spokesman Abu Obeida said.

Israel’s allies have backed its right to self-defence, but there is growing global concern and anger at how Israel has chosen to prosecute the war.

A group of UN-mandated human rights experts warned Thursday that “time is running out to prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.

We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” the experts, who do not speak for the United Nations, said in a joint statement.

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They called for “a humanitarian ceasefire” and the immediate release of all civilians being held captive since the Hamas attack.

“The situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic tipping point,” the experts said, warning of the “dire need” for food, water, medicine, fuel and essential supplies and the risk of looming health hazards.

READ ALSO: How To Apply, Benefit In Canada 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan

Israel’s Geneva embassy denounced the report as Hamas “propaganda” in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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Both Israel and the United States have ruled out a blanket ceasefire, which they say would allow Hamas to regroup and resupply.

US President Joe Biden has backed “temporary, localised” pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian work to be done.

– Escape to safety –

Countries around the world recalled their ambassadors from Israel in protest at the strikes. Bolivia severed diplomatic ties.

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Israel has sought to show Jabalia was a legitimate target, saying it killed a senior Hamas commander in a tunnel complex below the camp.

On Thursday some 400 more foreigners and dual nationals managed to escape the war to Egypt, along with 60 wounded Palestinians.

READ ALSO: Bodies Pile Up In Central Gaza As Israel Steps Up Strikes

Egypt has said it would help evacuate 7,000 foreigners through Rafah, which was to open again on Friday, a source at the crossing told AFP.

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The UN said more than 100 trucks with aid crossed into Gaza on Thursday, a significant increase from previous days.

A total of 374 trucks have entered since a US-brokered deal was enacted on October 21, far short of what aid agencies say is needed.

Meanwhile, in Israel’s north, Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it attacked 19 Israeli positions along the border simultaneously.

Some 71 people have been killed in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, nine people have died.

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Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is on Friday expected to break weeks of silence and deliver a speech that could have a profound impact on the region.

Some analysts believe Hezbollah has little interest in becoming fully embroiled in a conflict that Israeli officials have threatened could destroy Lebanon.

Others say the decision lies with Iran, which leads the regional “axis of resistance” against Israel — backing Hamas, Hezbollah and a rollcall of armed groups from Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

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Money Laundering: More Trouble For Binance As Canada Fines Crypto Giant $4.38m

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Cryptocurrency exchange giant, Binance, facing charges for alleged $35.4million money laundering and tax evasion in Nigeria, has been fined about C$ 6 million ($4.38million) by Canada’s anti-money laundering agency for violating the country’s money laundering and terrorist financing laws.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada on Thursday said Binance had failed to register as a foreign money services business with the intelligence body despite several deadlines.

According to Reuters, the Canadian anti-money laundering agency added that Binance, which ceased operations in Canada last year, had not reported receiving virtual currency worth C$10,000 or more on 5,902 separate occasions between June 1, 2021, and July 19, 2023.

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Binance did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

Meanwhile, senior authorities within the Federal Government have accused the Chief Executive Officer of Binance, Richard Teng, of blackmail, over a claim that some unknown individuals in Nigeria, demanded a $ 150 million crypto currency bribe from the company’s embattled representatives.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Court Remands Binance Executive In Abuja Prison

Top Federal Government sources who were not authorised to speak, told our correspondent in confidence in separate interviews on Tuesday.

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Senior executives in the Office of the National Security Adviser noted that the Finance CEO’s claim was unfounded.

One of the sources said, “Did he (Binance CEO) mention a name? Since he didn’t mention a name, why should anyone be worried? Why should anyone waste their time if somebody made an unfounded allegation but could not mmentionany name?”

Another source noted, “If someone would say something like this, he should be able to mention the people. It’s not worth our time, anybody can say anything but as long as they can’t substantiate it, it’s a waste of time.

“He should mention names, if not, all that he’s saying is rubbish.”

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Meanwhile, two other Federal Government sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused the Binance CEO of blackmailing the Nigerian government.

READ ALSO: Detained Binance Chief’s Wife Drags Nigeria Before US Parliament

They noted that Teng’s claim was frivolous, adding that the Binance CEO’s action was the modus operandi of foreign personalities and corporations facing legal charges in Nigeria and other African countries.

One of the sources noted, “It is not only the EFCC that is prosecuting or investigating Binance over its atrocities against Nigeria. There are allegations of money laundering, and tax evasion, amongst others against the company, and several federal government agencies are probing the company’s activities in the country.

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“But the latest comment about alleged request for bribery by the Binance CEO is a blackmail against the federal government. That is the modus operandi of international corporations and individuals facing charges in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa.”

Another source said, “It is the tradition of these international players to blackmail the country whenever they’re caught. What is the correlation between the alleged request for a bribe and the allegations brought against Binance?

“The facts are there – they evaded tax, their platform is being used to launder money, so why are they not facing the facts? The claim is frivolous and a mere blackmail against the government.”

The PUNCH reported last Tuesday that the founder and former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao had been sentenced to four months in prison in the United States.

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READ ALSO: JUST IN: Fleeing Binance Executive Arrested

Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to a money laundering charge.

A United States District Judge Richard Jones said in court last Tuesday that Zhao has also satisfied the requirement of him to pay $50 million in fines.

The 47-year-old admitted to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by willfully failing to set up an effective anti-money laundering system at Binance.

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Zhoa founded and ran the cryptocurrency exchange as CEO from July 2017 to November 2023.

In March, The PUNCH reported that a U.S. district court ordered that Zhao surrender his Canadian passport and notify the court before travelling within the country.
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Porn Star Testifies Against Trump At Hush Money Trial

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The porn star at the heart of Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, Stormy Daniels, testified on Tuesday about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the former president in a hotel penthouse suite.

Trump, 77, is accused of falsifying business records to reimburse his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels on the eve of his 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, when the lurid story of marital infidelity could have sunk his campaign.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger announced “The people call Stormy Daniels,” as Trump, who is seeking to recapture the White House in November, sat at the defense table in the Manhattan courtroom flanked by his lawyers, AFP reports.

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What followed was detailed testimony about the sexual encounter Daniels said she had with Trump – his pajamas, his boxer shorts, the sexual position, that he did not wear a condom – all while the former president, sitting just feet away, stared on in silence, stony-faced.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, and his defense team sought, unsuccessfully, to have a mistrial declared.

READ ALSO: Biden Calls Trump Main Threat To US Democracy

The extraordinary courtroom face-off comes six months before election day when Trump will try to defeat Democratic President Joe Biden.

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Daniels walked prosecutors through her difficult childhood in Louisiana, a stint as a stripper and her eventually joining the adult film industry.

The 45-year-old, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe where she was employed as a greeter by X-rated movie company Wicked Entertainment.

Daniels said she was 27 at the time and Trump was “probably older than my father.”

She said a member of Trump’s security detail told her the real estate tycoon wanted to have dinner with her. She was reluctant but agreed after discussing it with her publicist.

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When she arrived at the penthouse where Trump was staying he emerged wearing “silk or satin pajamas which I immediately made fun of,” Daniels told the jury.

READ ALSO: Trump Urges Republicans To Kill Ukraine Aid Bill

“I said ‘Does Mr Hefner know you stole his pajamas?’” she said in a reference to the outfit favored by the late Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner.

Trump changed clothes and they began talking about adult movies.

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“He was very interested in a lot of the business stuff,” Daniels said.

Trump, who was married at the time to his current wife, Melania, suggested Daniels be on his hit reality television show, “The Apprentice,” she said.

Daniels said she went to the bathroom at one point and when she emerged Trump was on the bed in boxer shorts and a T-shirt.

“It startled me,” she said. “The intention was pretty clear.”

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“I was not threatened verbally or physically,” Daniels said, although there was an “imbalance of power.”

She said they had brief sex on the bed “in missionary position” and Trump did not wear a condom.

I felt ashamed I didn’t stop it, didn’t say no,” Daniels said.

READ ALSO: Trump Indicted For Attempts To Overturn US 2020 Elections

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Daniels said she met with Trump again on several occasions but cut off contact when it became clear she would not appear on “The Apprentice.”

After Trump announced his candidacy for president, Daniels said her publicist suggested she could sell her story and put her in touch with Keith Davidson, a Hollywood lawyer who testified previously at the trial.

My motivation wasn’t money, it was to get the story out,” Daniels said.

She said she entered into a non-disclosure agreement in October 2016 on the eve of the presidential election negotiated by Davidson and Cohen for which she was paid $130,000.

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“I couldn’t tell my story, he couldn’t tell the story,” she said.

After a lunch break, Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche asked Judge Juan Merchan to declare a mistrial, objecting to some of Daniels’ testimony, particularly her claim that she was threatened in 2011 by a man in a Las Vegas parking garage who allegedly warned her not to talk about Trump.

“It’s extremely prejudicial to insert safety concerns into a trial about business records,” Blanche said.

Merchan denied the motion, saying “I don’t think we have reached a point where a mistrial is in order.”

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Trump is under a partial gag order prohibiting him from publicly attacking witnesses, the jury or court staff.

Merchan has already fined him $10,000 for breaching the gag order and warned Trump he may face jail time for future violations.

 

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Naira Abuse: Trouble Looms As Group Petitions EFCC, Wants Edo APC Candidate Prosecuted

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The All Progressives Congress candidate in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, is at risk of being sentenced to six- months imprisonment in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria Act of 2007 as a coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria accused him of abusing the Nigerian currency, the naira.

The group lodged the complaint with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against Okpebholo in a petition dated May 2, 2024, and addressed to the chairman of the EFCC.

The petition was signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Victor Kalu, and National Secretary, Ali Abacha.

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The coalition claimed the senator is guilty of the offence of naira abuse and mutilation, citing the CBN Act of 2007, which declares such actions as punishable offences.

READ ALSO: Suspended Edo Lawmaker, Iyamu Breaks Silence, Says All Issues Will Be Resolved

The coalition said it is “disappointment that prominent individuals, including lawmakers, have violated this provision of the CBN Act.”

Meanwhile, they commended the EFCC for its “swift response in arresting and charging individuals who have been caught on viral videos abusing and defacing the Naira at social events such as the cases of Mr Okuneye Idris Olarewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky, and Mr Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, who have faced legal consequences for their actions.”

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While praising the EFCC for its actions, the coalition demanded that all individuals captured in viral videos abusing the Naira should be promptly arrested and brought to justice, as no one is above the law.

They called on the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies to investigate the “viral video involving Senator Monday Okpebholo, who is seen engaging in Naira abuse and mutilation.”

They added that Okpebholo should be held accountable for his actions as a representative of the people.

READ ALSO: [ICYMI]Rivers: Siblings Flog Teacher, Lock Up Admin Officer For Flogging Brother

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They, however, warned that failure to address the viral video involving Okpebholo would result in the coalition taking further actions.

They threatened to mobilise their members, supporters, and democracy advocates for a peaceful protest against the EFCC, citing selective action and bias if the EFCC failed to address the viral video involving Okpebholo.

In his response, the senator refuted the allegation, saying it was false.

Okpebholo, in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, described the allegation as a hatchet job targeted at smearing his image ahead of the September governorship election.

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He blamed his detractors and the opposition camp as being the brain behind the campaign of calumny.

READ ALSO: Naira Abuse: EFCC, Cubana Chief Priest To Settle Out Of Court

While stressing that he has never been arrested by the police for any civil or criminal offence, the lawmaker insisted the man in the video circulating on social media was not him.

He said, “As a private and public person, I have never sprayed or mutilated the naira in my over 50 years on earth. It baffles me why these agents will fabricate fake news to tarnish my image ahead of the election. I therefore called on the IGP to investigate the faces behind the petition and prosecute them accordingly.

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“They are scouting for fake news and non-existent things to blackmail me and lie to Edo people. Unfortunately, we know what they are up to. They are smelling the defeat already. Edo people have already decided, and no amount of State-sponsored intimidation will work.

“In Edo State, President Bola Tinubu-led APC administration is working. The federal government is reconstructing federal roads in Edo Central, Edo North, and Edo South. That is why Edo people must take sides with the APC and vote for me as the next governor of Edo State.

“We will bring the Federal Government closer to the Edo people. We have been isolated for too long, and it is time to end that alienation.”
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