ECOWAS LASHES AT THREAT TO PROSECUTE OUSTED NIGER PRESIDENT.

The West African bloc ECOWAS has lashed threats by Niger’s military rulers to prosecute ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, saying this contradicted the regime’s declared willingness to resolve the crisis peacefully.

The coup leaders who toppled Bazoum said late Sunday they had gathered evidence enabling them to prosecute Bazoum for “high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”

This, it said, was based on “contacts” Bazoum had had with “nationals… foreign heads of state… (and) officials in international organisations.”

In a statement on Monday, ECOWAS said it had learned of the threats “with stupefaction”.

“It represents yet another form of provocation and contradicts the reported willingness of the military authorities in the Republic of Niger to restore constitutional order through peaceful means,” the bloc said.

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

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NIGER JUNTA SAYS OUSTED PRESIDENT BAZOUM TO BE CHARGED WITH HIGH TREASON.

Niger’s military junta has announced plans to prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for high treason and undermining national security.

This is the latest sign that the junta intends to resist international pressure to return power to Bazoum.

The West African regional bloc Ecowas said it was shocked to learn that the junta wanted to prosecute him.

He has been held in the basement of his palace since the military staged a coup about three weeks ago.

Bazoum was in “good spirits” despite being held in “difficult” conditions, his doctor said after a visit.

Saturday’s visit was approved amid growing international demands for Mr Bazoum’s release.

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PROF AKINYEMI SAYS ECOWAS NOT DOING FRANCE’S BIDDING.

A former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has dismissed claims that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is doing the bidding of France and other Western countries in its efforts to resolve the political instability in Niger.

The West African bloc is currently working to restore political stability in Niger after the military toppled and detained President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26th.

The regional body has imposed several sanctions on Niger and has threatened military action if the coup leaders fail to return power to Bazoum, with many accusing them of acting on France’s directives.

But Akinyemi said though he does not support French activities in Africa, ECOWAS is only trying to stop the spread of coups in the sub-region and not protecting French interests.

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AFRICAN UNION HOSTS NIGER TALKS AS REGIME SENDS MIXED SIGNALS.

The African Union, AU, held talks on the Niger crisis as the country’s post-coup rulers sounded defiance yet also pointed to diplomacy for a potential solution.

But talks at the AU’s headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa coincided with a flareup over threats by the regime to prosecute Niger’s deposed president.

“AU’s Peace & Security Council meets to receive an update on the evolution of the situation in Niger and the efforts to address it.

The pan-African body said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It said those attending included AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat as well as representatives from Niger and the West African bloc ECOWAS.

President Mohamed Bazoum, whose election in 2021 was a landmark in the country’s troubled history, was toppled on July 26 by members of his presidential guard.

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NIGER SCRAPS JAIL SENTENCE FOR HEAD OF GROUP SUPPORTING MILITARY.

A Niamey court has scrapped a nine-month jail sentence handed to Abdoulaye Seydou, head of a leading activist group that supports the ruling military.

Members of Niger’s presidential guard seized power in a coup late last month.

Seydou, head of the M62 group, had been behind bars for seven months in a case involving an army air strike on suspected jihadists in the south of the country.

“The Niamey Court of Appeal has cancelled the decision of the High Court… which had sentenced our comrade Abdoulaye Seydou to nine months in prison”, said M62 secretary general Sanoussi Mahaman.

“We have always said that Abdoulaye Seydou’s detention is an arbitrary decision… orchestrated from start to finish”.

The M62 movement, set up a year ago, is a coalition of around 10 groups and NGOs opposed to the presence of French military forces in Niger.

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MIGRANT BOAT SINKS OFF TUNISIA KILLING FIVE, SEVEN MISSING.

At least five people died and seven others are missing after their Europe-bound migrant boat sank off Tunisia’s coast.

Sfax has emerged as a major hub for migrants from Tunisia and other parts of Africa attempting perilous voyages across the Mediterranean, often in rickety boats in hopes of a better life.

Court spokesman Faouzi Masmoudi said “35 people, most of them Tunisians” including women and children were on board the boat that went down “shortly after departing from the coast of Sidi Mansour” near Sfax.

The deaths include at least one child and two women, Masmoudi said, adding that “23 people have been rescued”.

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TRUMP, EIGHTEEN OTHERS CHARGED IN GEORGIA ELECTION INQUIRY.

Former United States President Donald Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia.

A grand jury voted to charge Trump and eighteen others with counts that include racketeering.

There are 41 charges, with 13 against Trump. It is the fourth time he has been criminally charged this year.

He has denied all charges. His campaign said the US had become “a Marxist Third World dictatorship”.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched an investigation in February 2021 into allegations of election meddling against Trump and his associates.

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SOUTHERN RUSSIA PETROL STATION INFERNO KILLS THIRTY.

At least thirty people have been killed in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Dagestan in southern Russia.

The blast occurred in the regional capital Makhachkala, which sits on the coast of the Caspian Sea.

Dozens of other people were injured in the incident, the exact cause of which is not yet clear.

Pictures showed a large fire lighting up the night sky and a number of fire engines at the scene.

Some 260 emergency workers have been deployed, as has an aircraft to evacuate the seriously injured to Moscow, the emergencies ministry said.

Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted doctors as saying three children were among the dead.

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GOVERNOR SAYS CREWS MAY FIND TEN TO TWENTY HAWAII WILDFIRE VICTIM.

Recovery crews combing through charred homes and vehicles in Hawaii are likely to find 10 to 20 more victims per day.

The death toll from the fire now stands at 99, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.

Governor Josh Green told CBS News it could take up to 10 days to learn the full death toll.

The number of missing now stands at around 1,300, he said.

He later told a press conference that 25% of the area affected by the fire had been searched for bodies.

Nearly the entire town of Lahaina was destroyed in the fire.

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CHINA HALTS YOUTH JOBLESS DATA AS ECONOMY FALTERS.

China has stopped releasing youth unemployment figures, which were seen by some as a key indication of the country’s slowdown.

The decision is due to changes in the world’s second largest economy and its society, a government spokesman said.

In June, China’s jobless rate for 16 to 24 year olds in urban areas hit a record high of more than 20%.

The country’s central bank also cut the cost of borrowing on Tuesday in an attempt to help boost growth.

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JAPAN ECONOMY GETS MAJOR BOOST FROM WEAK CURRENCY.

Japan’s economy grew much faster than expected in the three months to the end of June as the country’s weak currency boosted exports.

The world’s third largest economy saw its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rise by an annualised 6% in the period.

It is about twice the rate of growth forecast by economists and marks the biggest rise in almost three years.

The fall in the value of the yen helped exporters as Japanese-made goods became cheaper for consumers around the world.

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