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Trump Back On Trial For Defamation In Sexual Assault Case

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Donald Trump is expected to be back in court Tuesday in New York for a civil case in which he has already been found liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.

A jury in May of last year concluded that Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a New York department store in 1996.

It awarded her around $2 million for the assault and $3 million for defamation over Trump’s remark in 2022, calling her claim “a complete con job.”

Tuesday’s trial will address how much Trump should be forced to pay for separate remarks he made about Carroll in 2019, as president. She is seeking $10 million in damages.

The second trial opens with jury selection just a day after Trump’s big win in the Iowa caucuses — the opening of the Republican presidential nomination process — and ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

Trump, the runaway favorite for the Republican nomination, said last week he planned to attend the proceedings in person and face Carroll, now 80. He did not do this in the first trial.

US media reported he will attend the opening session on Tuesday, before heading to a campaign rally in New Hampshire.

According to a document filed in the case, Trump, 77, requested a postponement to attend the funeral of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, Thursday in Florida.

But Judge Lewis Kaplan refused, pointing out that Trump was still planning to meet with supporters in New Hampshire.

Last week the former president continued to insist of Carroll that “I never saw this woman in my life.”

“I have no idea who this woman is,” said Trump, who variously has called her a liar, “a wack job” and “not my type.”

Counting Tuesday’s trial, Trump is ensnared in at least six civil and criminal trials, including two stemming from his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Trump claims he is being politically persecuted and has made speeches full of invective, targeting judges and prosecutors who he says are trying to deny him a second term in the White House.

With tensions high around Trump’s trials — court officials in his civil fraud case whom he has criticized by name have received death threats — the judge ordered that the jurors’ names be kept secret.

He also warned that the only issue at stake will be the harm caused to Carroll by Trump’s comments, which Kaplan already said he considered “defamatory,” “false” and “malicious.”

Trump cannot introduce any evidence to argue he did not sexually assault her and that he did not defame her, the judge has said.

AFP

International

BREAKING: US bombs nuclear sites in Iran

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The United States President, Donald Trump, has announced that the US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three major nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Trump said, “All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace.”

Trump made this known via his social media platform, Truth Social.

According to the US President, “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.

There is no other military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

This is the first time the United States Army will use the bunker bombs in its military history.

A bunker buster is a type of munition that is designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground, such as Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, buried deep inside the mountains, believed to be around 300 feet deep.

As of the time of filing this report, Iran has yet to react to the US military action, but the State media told journalists that the three sites bombed by the US have all been evacuated some time ago before the strike.

This attack is coming as a surprise to many who believed that diplomacy, rather than military action, should be engaged after US President Trump gave a two-week window for negotiation with Iran.

It was earlier reported that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khemenei, vowed to retaliate if the United States strikes nuclear targets in Iran, threatening to attack US military bases in the Middle East if Trump entered the conflict with Israel.

Ayatollah had earlier yesterday named three successors after several assassination threats from Israel and the United States.

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Netherlands returns over 100 Benin Bronzes looted from Nigeria

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Nigeria has taken delivery from the Netherlands of 119 pieces of priceless “Benin Bronze” artefacts looted more than 120 years ago, the country’s museum commission and the Dutch embassy said June 18.

It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.

“On this historic occasion it gives us great joy to finally welcome the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands,” said Mr Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

“This represents the largest physical return to Nigeria and the people of Benin since the looting of the Benin Royal Palace by the British in 1897,” he said in a statement jointly issued with the Dutch embassy in Nigeria.

“The symbolism of this occasion cannot be overemphasised and what it means for the pride and dignity of not just the Benin people, but the whole of Nigeria,” added Mr Holloway.

The story of the Benin Bronzes is one of violence and tragedy. It began when nine British officers were killed on a trade mission to the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.

The British reaction was fierce. London deployed a military expedition to avenge its officers.

The troops killed several thousand locals and torched Benin’s capital city. They looted the royal palace, stealing hundreds of artworks, including the Benin Bronzes.

Most of the ornate bronzes were then sold to finance the expedition, auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States.

This was in 1897, and 128 years later, Nigeria is still negotiating the return of the bronzes around the world – with mixed results.

Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation Dewi van de Weerd hailed Nigeria for persistently campaigning for the return of the cultural artefacts.

“We hope that this restitution is not the final chapter, but the foundation for further cooperation between Dutch and Nigerian museums,” said Ms van de Weerd in the joint statement.

Of the 119 objects, 113 were part of the Dutch State Collection, while the Rotterdam municipality returned the other six. The pieces will be officially handed over on June 21.

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Israeli Forces Bomb Iranian State TV During Live Broadcast (Video)

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The Israeli missiles has reportedly struck Iran’s state television headquarters on Monday while a live news broadcast was underway.

The development sent shockwaves through the studio and caused the immediate stoppage of the broadcast.

A viral video circulating on social media and reposted by Daily Iran Military shows the moment chaos erupted during a live transmission.

A visibly shaken female anchor was delivering the news when a thunderous explosion rattled the studio.Thick smoke and falling debris forced her to flee her desk mid-broadcast.

It was earlier reported that at least eight people were killed on Saturday night when Iranian aerial strikes on Israel.

The deceased included four children, with more than 200 others injured, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The barrage came in retaliation for Israel’s surprise strike early Friday on Iran’s nuclear programme.

According to Israeli officials, that operation killed several nuclear scientists and high-ranking military leaders.

Meanwhile, a fresh report by SBM Intelligence has warned that the conflict between Israel and Iran could lead to an increase in fuel prices in Nigeria.

The report attributed this to the fact that Nigeria still relies heavily on importing fuel to meet local demand.

Click the link below to watch the video:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BfVW6i2gC

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