NIGER COUP GENERALS VOW TO PROSECUTE OUSTED PRESIDENT FOR TREASON.

Niger’s military regime has vowed to prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason” and slammed West African leaders for imposing sanctions on the country.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on Niger in response to the coup and has not ruled out using force against the army officers who toppled the democratically elected Bazoum on July 26.

The West African bloc has approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger as soon as possible but remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Niger’s military leaders said they would prosecute Bazoum “for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger”, according to a statement read out by Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane on national television.

Bazoum, 63, and his family have been held at the president’s official Niamey residence since the coup, with international concern mounting over his conditions in detention.

The comments came just hours after religious mediators met with coup leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, who indicated his regime was open to a diplomatic breakthrough.

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FIGHTING IN NIGER KILLS SIX SOLDIERS, TEN SUSPECTED JIHADISTS.

Six Niger soldiers and 10 “terrorists” have been killed during fighting in the west of the country.

According to a statement issued by the National Guard High Command, Suspected jihadists on motorbikes ambushed the troops near the western town of Sanam.

Sanam is in the Tillaberi tri-border area where Niger meets Mali and Burkina Faso, a region where jihadist attacks are common.

On August 9, five soldiers were killed in an attack in the same area, according to the military regime that has been in power since the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

Coup leader General Abdourahamane Tiani has justified the overthrow of Bazoum by referring to the “deteriorating security situation” in the country.

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INSECURITY FORCES UNITED NATIONS MISSION’S EARLY EXIT FROM MALI TOWN.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (Minusma) has said it “brought forward” its withdrawal from the northern town of Ber due to deteriorating security conditions.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, it urged all concerned parties to refrain from any actions that could further complicate the operation.

But it later said its withdrawing convoy had been attacked twice, with three injured people evacuated to Timbuktu for treatment.

The UN further noted that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

It came after the Malian Armed Forces (FaMa) said at least seven of its soldiers had been killed and eight others injured in clashes with former rebels under the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA).

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ETHIOPIA RIGHT GROUP EXPRESSES GRAVE CONCER OVER AMHARA VIOLENCE.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has expressed “grave concern” over the “deadly hostilities between the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the Fano armed group in the Amhara Regional State”.

In recent weeks the national army and Fano have been involved in heavy clashes in Amhara.

This has led to drastic action, such as the Israeli government evacuating its citizens and Jewish people from the area last week.

The EHCR has called on “conflicting parties to immediately end” all alleged violations of human rights laws.

It added that it “continues to monitor” the situation.

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ISRAELIS SEEK OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD.

As tens of thousands of Israelis continue to join weekly protests over the government’s highly controversial plans to change the justice system, as many as one in three citizens is thinking of leaving the country.

Professor Chen Hofmann is one of them. Together with his wife and their children, they start the Jewish Sabbath with a meal together. Nowadays they end it at a huge anti-government rally.

“It’s not our ritual to go and protest in the streets but we’re forced to because we’re losing our country, that’s how we feel,” says the doctor, while attending the weekly Saturday night demonstration in central Tel Aviv.

The leading Israeli radiologist is now in the process of moving to a hospital in the UK. Moreover, he is trying to persuade other members of his family, who all have European passports, to consider leaving too.

“I’m going to London for a sabbatical, and this will be my laboratory to see if I can live outside Israel,” he explains. “If the situation will be so bad – and it’s worsening every day – we’ll find a new place to live.”

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BEIJING CALLS TAIWAN VICE PRESIDENT A TROUBLEMAKER FOR UNITED STATES VISIT.

China has called Taiwan’s vice president William Lai a “troublemaker” for his ongoing visit to the US.

Lai, a frontrunner in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, visited the US on his way to Paraguay.

Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, has increasingly voiced its disapproval of meetings between US and Taiwanese lawmakers.

China on Sunday accused Washington of engaging Taiwan in political activities under the guise of a stopover.

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INDIAN TEMPLE COLLAPSE KILLS NINE, DOZENS TRAPPED.

Nine people have died and dozens more are feared trapped after an ancient Hindu temple collapsed in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains.

Rescue operations are underway after the temple in the popular tourist town of Shimla was hit by a landslide.

Himachal Pradesh has received heavy rain over the past few days, triggering floods and landslides.

Twenty-one people have died in the past 24 hours in rain-related incidents.

The state’s chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who is at the site of the landslide, told reporters that around 20-25 people may be trapped under the debris.

Thousands of tourists visit the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, especially its capital Shimla, around the year to enjoy its cool weather and picturesque scenery.

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HAWAII FIRE DEATH RISES TO ABOVE ONE HUNDRED.

The death toll in Hawaii from the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century was expected to cross the 100-mark Sunday, fueling criticism that an inadequate official response contributed to the heavy loss of life.

Officials updated the toll to 93 late Saturday, but warned the figure was likely to rise as recovery crews with cadaver dogs continued the grim task of searching burned out homes and vehicles in the epicenter of Lahaina.

The historic coastal town on the island of Maui was almost completely destroyed by the fast-moving inferno early Wednesday morning, with survivors saying there had been no warnings.

When asked Sunday why none of the island’s sirens had been activated, Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono said she would wait for the results of an investigation announced by the state’s attorney general.

More than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed as the fire tore through Lahaina, according to official estimates, wreaking $5.5 billion in damage and leaving thousands homeless.