World

NEW YORK — The Republican Party quickly and forcefully rallied behind Donald Trump in the hours after federal agents seized classified documents from his Florida estate this summer. Four months later, that sense of intensity and urgency was missing — at least for now — after the Jan. 6 House committee voted to recommend the Justice Department bring criminal charges against him. Leading Republicans …

WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee is wrapping up its investigation of the violent 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection, with lawmakers expected to cap one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes in memory with an extraordinary recommendation: The Justice Department should consider criminal charges against former President Donald Trump. At a final meeting on Monday, the panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans are …

Pragmatic, wealthy and ambitious Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected leader of South Africa’s ruling party, African National Congress, on Monday, despite being badly damaged by a cash-heist scandal that had dogged him for months. Ascendancy to the helm of the ANC in power for almost three decades is a stepping stone to a second term as head of state.But the 70-year-old is …

• Seeks Congress’ permission to lend $21b to IMF for Africa• U.S. commits to $55b spending in Africa U.S. President, Joe Biden, yesterday, said he would support African Union (AU) joining the G20 group of large economies as a permanent member. He said this is part of Washington’s efforts to reinvigorate ties with the region. He added that over the …

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned Thursday that if the United States confirms reports that it plans to deliver sophisticated air defense missiles to Ukraine, it would be “another provocative move by the U.S.” that could prompt a response from Moscow. Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing that the U.S. had “effectively become a party” to …

•Afreximbank, US Eximbank sign $500m MoU to boost US-Africa trade  •Africa is confronted with internal, external trade barriers, says Elumelu President Joe Biden of the United States of America has announced the commitment of $350 million to facilitate digital transformation in Africa. According to Biden, such intervention would help to make sure more people across Africa participate in the digital …

KEITHVILLE, La.— A storm system that spawned dozens of reported tornadoes from Texas to the Florida Panhandle was all but done with the South on Thursday after killing at least three people and uprooting families across Louisiana, where some homes were blown into pieces. Elsewhere, heavy snow and high winds meant more blizzards in the northern Midwest from the Dakotas …

WASHINGTON — A celebratory crowd of thousands bundled up on a chilly Tuesday afternoon to watch President Joe Biden sign gay marriage legislation into law, a joyful ceremony that was tempered by the backdrop of an ongoing conservative backlash over gender issues. “This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms,” Biden said on the …

Elon Musk’s Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations that the company formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform. The council had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives Monday night. But Twitter informed the group …

Several schools across the United Kingdom have been forced to shut down for a second consecutive day following a snow and ice chaos. Thousands of classrooms were reportedly closed Monday as an Arctic freeze engulfed Britain, according to a report by Daily Mail. Pupils were set to work remotely owing to the closure. Hundreds of schools remained shut on Tuesday, with others …