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Diane A. Wade

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Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.

Vladimir Putin wins a fifth term as Russian president by a landslide of 87%, according to Russian exit polls.

Putin faced no credible opposition candidate as the Kremlin tightly controls Russia’s political system, media and elections.

Germany called it a “pseudo-election”, while the US said the vote was “obviously not free nor fair”.

Image source Wikimedia

Ukraine’s President Zelensky said Putin was “drunk with power and is doing everything to rule forever”.

In a post-election news conference, Valdimir Putin vowed to press on with the invasion of Ukraine.

He also said Russian democracy was more legitimate than in the US, where “with mail-in voting… you can buy a vote for $10”.

Voting took place in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. Overall, turnout was 77%.

The House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.

The bill would give the social media giant’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or the app will be blocked in the US.

While the bill passed overwhelmingly in a bipartisan vote, it still needs to clear the Senate and be signed by the president to become law.

Lawmakers have long held concerns about China’s influence over TikTok.

TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which is subject to a national security law requiring it to share data with Chinese officials.

Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who co-authored the bill, said the US could not “take the risk of having a dominant news platform in America controlled or owned by a company that is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party”.

TikTok has tried to reassure regulators that it has taken steps to ensure the data of its 150 million users in the US has been walled off from ByteDance employees in China.

However, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal in January found the system was still “porous”, with data being unofficially shared between TikTok in the US and ByteDance in China. High-profile cases, including one incident where ByteDance employees in China accessed a journalist’s data to track down their sources, have stoked concerns.

After the vote on March 13, a spokesperson for the company accused lawmakers of jamming through a “ban” following what they called a “secret” process.

Image by krittiyanee thumjaikul from Pixabay

Speaking ahead of the vote, Hakeem Jeffries – the top Democrat in the House – welcomed the bill, saying it would decrease “the likelihood that TikTok user data is exploited and privacy undermined by a hostile foreign adversary”.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber would now review the legislation.

Its prospects in the upper chamber of Congress are unclear in the wake of Republican White House candidate Donald Trump speaking out against the bill.

Donald Trump, who tried to ban the app during his term in office, changed his position after a recent meeting with Republican donor Jeff Yass, who reportedly owns a minor stake in ByteDance.

Trump’s opposition was echoed by some House members on March 13. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on social media that the bill could allow Congress to force the sale of other corporations by claiming to be protecting US data from foreign adversaries.

Some Democrats are also opposed to a ban, fearing it could alienate the app’s youthful userbase as the party struggles to retain its hold over younger voters.

Judge Scott McAfee, who oversaw an election interference case against Donald Trump in Georgia, has thrown out some criminal charges, but left most in place.

The judge found six counts in the 41-count indictment against Donald Trump and some of his co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, lacked detail.

But he said the charges can be refiled at a later date.

Donald Trump was among 19 people charged with a conspiracy to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.

“The lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned’s opinion, fatal,” Judge McAfee wrote in his order on March 13.

He said the charges do not provide the accused with enough information to prepare their legal defences “intelligently”, adding that “this does not mean the entire indictment is dismissed”.

Judge McAfee was randomly assigned the Trump case in 2023, just six months after being appointed as a judge by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican.

He previously worked as a prosecutor, including for the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who led the investigation into the former president.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Judge McAfee’s ruling affects three of the 13 charges against Donald Trump.

They relate to a call Donald Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he told him: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.”

One of the charges accused the former president of soliciting public officials to break the law by violating their oath of office.

However, Judge McAfee said the indictment was not specific enough about exactly what Donald Trump wanted the officials to do.

The other dismissed charges apply to some of his most prominent co-defendants: Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows.

In his order, Judge McAfee said the charges “contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission, i.e., the underlying felony solicited”.

It comes as a win for Donald Trump and his co-defendants, who had filed to dismiss the charge. Prosecutors could now choose to refile the charges with more information in their allegation, or let the ruling stand and focus on the other charges.

The group had initially faced 41 total charges. Donald Trump is facing up to 20 years in prison in Georgia if convicted of the most severe charge of racketeering.

In a statement, Donald Trump’s lawyer in the Georgia case, Steve Sadow, called the ruling “a correct application of the law, as the prosecution failed to make specific allegations of any alleged wrongdoing on those counts”.

Donald Trump, who is running for president against Joe Biden in November, has slammed the case as politically motivated.

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Thousands of Russians have defied fear to turn out to bid farewell to Alexei Navalny.

Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, died in jail on February 16.

Authorities had warned any protest would be illegal. But police – deployed in numbers – stood by as the crowd chanted Navalny’s name, or their opposition to the Russian president.

Supporters and relatives, as well as many foreign leaders, have blamed Vladimir Putin for his death.

Alexei Navalny
Image source Wikimedia

Russian authorities deny any such accusation, saying Alexei Navalny died of natural causes. He had been serving a long sentence on trumped-up charges in a penal colony in the Arctic.

It was feared that the authorities would crack down on March 1 funeral proceedings.

A heavy police presence was visible in Maryino, the area of Moscow where the funeral was held – and where Navalny lived with his family for many years.

At one point, Navalny’s team estimated that the line of people stretched well over 0.6 miles, despite the grey winter’s day in which temperatures hovered at just above freezing.

Yet none of the policemen – many of whom were in full riot gear – intervened when expressions of support for Navalny became overtly political.

Thousands chanted out “no to war”, “Russia without Putin” and “Russia will be free” – slogans that have previously landed many Russians in jail.

The memorial service began just after 14:00 Moscow time at the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrows.

It followed much uncertainty and complaints by Navalny’s team that the authorities had been making the arrangements difficult – even finding a hearse was an issue.

However, hundreds started to arrive hours before proceedings were meant to begin. They were later joined by foreign dignitaries, including the US, German and French ambassadors.

The ceremony inside the church was brief – an image on social media showed the open coffin that is commonplace in Russia, with mourners paying respects. Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila, and his father, Anatoly, were seen sitting alongside.

As the church bell tolled and Navalny’s coffin was brought outside, people tossed roses and carnations onto the hearse and cried: “We won’t forget you!”

Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia, his children Daria, 23, and Zakhar, 15, and his brother Oleg – are all thought to be living abroad and were not present.

Yulia has recently declared she is going to continue his political work – meaning it is possibly unsafe for her to return to Russia, where Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation has been declared an extremist organisation.

She shared a poignant tribute on social media while the funeral was under way, thanking Navalny for “26 years of absolute happiness”.

“I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to do it so you – up there – can be happy and proud of me,” she said.

Their daughter Darya also posted a message online, describing Navalny as her “hero”.

“You have always been and forever will be my example,” she wrote.

In the absence of an independent Russian media, Navalny’s team at the Anti-Corruption Foundation took it upon themselves to provide a live stream of the funeral ceremonies.

The YouTube channel from which Navalny regularly addressed his supporters broadcast scenes from his funeral. More than a quarter of a million people tuned in throughout the day.

The burial finally took place at Borisovskoye cemetery around 16:00.

Alexei Navalny’s coffin was lowered into the ground to the sound of Frank Sinatra’s My Way and to an orchestral rendition of the Terminator 2 theme song.

“Navalny thought The Terminator 2 was the best film in the whole world,” his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on social media.

Alexei Navalny’s team has confirmed the death of the Russian political activist and called for his body to be “immediately” returned to his family

Alexei Navalny, 47, who was serving a lengthy sentence inside a Siberian prison, died at 14:17 local time on February 16, according to a document given to his mother, Lyudmila.

His team has said his body is not in the morgue where officials said he was.

Kira Yarmysh, a spokesperson for the Russian activist, said Alexei Navalny’s mother and lawyer had arrived at the morgue, in Salekhard, a town near the prison he had been serving in, but it was closed.

In an update on X, formerly Twitter, Yarmysh said both of them had been “assured” his body was there by the penal colony.

But Yarmysh goes on to say: “The lawyer called the phone number which was on the door. He was told he was the seventh caller today. Alexei’s body is not in the morgue.”

Alexei Navalny
Image source Wikimedia

Protests and vigils have been held near Russian embassies in many countries following the death of the outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin.

More than 100 street protesters were detained in Russian cities, reports say, as people were warned not to rally.

Police have been detaining people across Russia as they tried to lay flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny at monuments to Stalinist political repression.

The numbers are small so far, but likely to grow.

In Novosibisrk, in Siberia, the authorities cordoned off the monument where people were heading to pay their respects. They claimed there were bomb threats. Mourners stuck their flowers into snowdrifts instead, nearby.

In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the right to public protest has been gradually, but firmly, squeezed – until it’s almost non-existent. It is illegal even to stand with a protest sign in the street without permission. The punishment is a fine or a short spell in police custody.

But if that sign expresses support for Alexei Navalny, there’s a real risk of criminal charges – for extremism.

Alexei Navalny’s entire political organisation – including all its offices across Russia – has been declared “extremist” on a par with terrorist groups like Isis or Al-Qaeda. It means anyone with any links to Navalny – or showing support for him and his team – is taking a major risk.

Alexei Navalny had been in a Russian jail since 2021 on politically-motivated charges.

President Joe Biden has said Vladimir Putin is “responsible” for Navalny’s death.

Tributes have been pouring in from global figures, with former US President Barack Obama describing Navalny as a “fearless advocate for his beliefs” who “inspired millions”.

The G7 held a minute’s silence to pay their respects to Navalny at the Munich Security Conference today.

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King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and began treatment, the Buckingham Palace announced on February 5.

The Palace says the cancer was identified during the King’s recent hospital treatment for a benign enlarged prostate.

“A separate issue of concern was noted,” the Palace says, and “subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer”.

Buckingham Palace statement in full:

“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.

“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

“His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

The Palace has not said what type of cancer the King has been diagnosed with.

King Charles, 75, has been advised to postpone public duties, but will “undertake state duties” and continue to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weekly.

He is being treated as an out-patient, and is at home in London, the Palace says.

Sarah Ferguson Diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma Just Six Months After Breast Cancer Operation

The King’s cancer diagnosis comes after more than two weeks of reports over his health. Here’s a timeline of what’s been happening:

  • 17 January: Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles will attend hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate the following week
  • 26 January: The King receives his treatment for an enlarged prostate, after being admitted to the London Clinic in the morning. Queen Camilla says of her husband: “He’s doing well”
  • 29 January: King Charles leaves hospital after three nights. The Palace says he will have to postpone his public engagements “to allow for a period of private recuperation”
  • 31 January: The Queen says her husband is “doing his best” after hospital treatment
  • 4 February: The King and Queen attend church in Sandringham, with Charles waving at well-wishers, in his first public outing since treatment
  • 5 February: The Palace announces that King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer discovered during his recent treatment and he has started “regular treatments”
Image source: Getty Images

Prince Harry has spoken to his father and will travel to the UK from the US in the coming days.

He will be travelling alone, with his wife Meghan remaining in the US with their two children.

It’s no secret that the relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royal family is strained.

Prince Harry’s last appearance at a royal occasion took place in May, during the King’s Coronation.

While Prince Harry and King Charles have had their differences, they have continued to have a relationship with the duke calling his father on his 75th birthday last year. The King also contacted Prince Harry to tell him of his diagnosis personally.

It is understood that suitable arrangements will be made if the King’s doctors advise him to minimise in-person contact.

The King is also expected to remain available for state duties, including for meetings of the Privy Council, the body of ministers and advisers that keep him up-to-date on the workings of the government.

He will continue to receive and review official red boxes of government paperwork.

Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, a writer he was found to have defamed by denying her allegation of sexual assault, a New York jury has ruled.

In 2023, E. Jean Carroll won another civil case in which a separate jury found Donald Trump legally responsible for sexually abusing and defaming her, and awarded her $5 million in damages.

The outcome in the first case did nothing to deter the former president in denying E. Jean Carroll’s story, personally attacking the writer and claiming he had never met her.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

After January 26 hefty legal bill, Donald Trump notably did not denigrate the former Elle columnist in his reaction online, instead calling the case a “Biden Directed Witch Hunt”.

Donald Trump – who is currently facing four criminal indictments and could soon have to dish out millions more dollars in a New York civil trial relating to business fraud – has often claimed the cases against him are politically motivated.

Recent polling has shown Donald Trump locked in a tight race with President Joe Biden, and even edging ahead in some cases, in a prospective rematch of their 2020 race.

Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll pointed out throughout the trial that Donald Trump was still defaming her both in and out of court.

In closing arguments, they asked the jurors – seven men and two women – to deliver the kind of penalty that will “make him stop”.

Of the $83.3 million awarded to E Jean Carroll, $65 million of it is punitive damages.

It is extremely unlikely that the Supreme Court would grant an appeal, because the justices rarely ever review cases involving such civil trials.

Former federal prosecutor Mitch Epner said Donald Trump has avoided having to pay E. Jean Carroll any money so far by transmitting a deposit to the court while the appeals process plays out.

Mitch Epner expects Donald Trump will do the same with these much higher damages – stumping up either cash or an appeal bond as a deposit.

Without that, he added, E Jean Carroll could start seizing the former president’s personal assets around the country, even putting liens on his real estate.

After Donald Trump’s commanding victories in the first two Republican primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, there is no sign that January 26 verdict will slow his march to the party’s presidential nomination.

Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump.

The surprise video announcement came ahead of this week’s New Hampshire Republican primary, where the Florida governor was polling in the single digits.

Once considered a strong contender for the nomination, Ron DeSantis said he did not “have a clear path to victory”.

In response, Nikki Haley said she was now the “only one” able to beat President Joe Biden.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Ron DeSantis said his campaign “left it all out on the field” in a nearly five-minute long video announcement on X, formerly Twitter.

“If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome – more campaign stops, more interviews – I would do it,” the governor said, as he ended his seven-month campaign.

Ron DeSantis added that he was endorsing the former president because it had “become clear” that “a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance”.

While Ron DeSantis acknowledged “disagreements” with Donald Trump, he said he is “superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden”.

Speaking to voters in New Hampshire, Donald Trump said his campaign had “got some word that one of our opponents, a very capable person, is dropping out”.

“In doing so, [Ron DeSantis] endorsed us,” the former president added, to loud cheers in the room.

He went on to say that he believed “most of” Ron DeSantis’ votes, “or certainly many of them”, would go to his campaign – but added “we don’t need them”.

After Ron DeSantis’ announcement, Trump’s campaign called “for all Republicans to rally behind President Trump” and slammed Nikki Haley as “the candidate of the globalists and Democrats who will do everything to stop the America First movement”.

Ron DeSantis also took a swipe at Ms Haley, calling her a member of “the old Republican guard of yesteryear – a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism”.

Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, responded by insisting she is the conservative – the “only one” – who can beat President Joe Biden.

Ron DeSantis narrowly finished ahead of Nikki Haley in last week’s Iowa caucus with 21% of the vote, compared to her 19%. Donald Trump received 51% of the vote.

Voters begin to arrive at caucus locations – schools, churches and small event spaces – ahead of a 19:00 local start time (20:00 ET).

Voters are braving temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) after winter storms blanketed the state in snow and ice.

Iowa is the first major state-wide vote to decide who will be the Republican. presidential candidate for the 2024 election.

There will be over 1,600 caucus sites across Iowa’s 99 counties, and all will be reporting the results of their vote to the state’s Republican Party officials as quickly as possible.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump has consistently posted big leads over his nearest rivals in Iowa.

The most recent poll of Iowans who were likely to caucus had Trump at 48%, ahead of Nikki Haley with 20% and Ron DeSantis with 16%.

The candidates have been urging their supporters to brave the weather, with Donald Trump saying: “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”

The Haley campaign says it expects a “strong” result in Iowa, while Ron DeSantis claims sturdy support among “bed-rock” conservatives.

The Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis campaigns and their political action committees (which raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates) have altogether spent nearly $90 million on ads in Iowa.

Of these, Haley’s campaign and the pro-Haley Stand 4 America Fund PAC have spent the most, totalling about $36 million. The DeSantis campaign and various affiliated PACs follow closely behind with about $35 million spent.

Donald Trump – the distant front-runner in the race – his campaign and the MAGA Inc PAC have spent far less, totalling about $18 million.

Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson also remain in the contest, but are not expected to garner significant support.

The Iowa Republican Party has created a results website, and you’re welcome to join us in obsessively refreshing it all night.

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been released from hospital and will perform his duties remotely as he continues to recover from treatment for prostate cancer, the Pentagon has announced.

Lloyd Austin’s delay in telling colleagues and the White House about his illness sparked criticism and three investigations.

He was admitted to an intensive care unit on January 1st due to complications from surgery in December.

The 70-year old is expected to make a full recovery, his doctors said in a statement.

“Secretary Austin progressed well throughout his stay and his strength is rebounding,” said Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Image source: Wikimedia Commmons

Lloyd Austin’s prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and “his prognosis is excellent”, they said, adding that he has no further treatment planned.

The defense secretary is just below the president in the chain of command for the US military, and is regarded as one of the most important members of the Cabinet.

Lloyd Austin had a “minimally invasive” surgery to treat prostate cancer in late December. He was readmitted to hospital on New Year’s Day due to complications related to the procedure.

Senior defense officials and the White House did not learn that Lloyd Austin was seriously ill until three days after his re-admission.

That secrecy prompted security and transparency concerns and three investigations have since been launched into the handling of his health crisis.

President Joe Biden has said he remains confident in his secretary’s leadership but that it was “sub-optimal” that he had not disclosed the seriousness of his illness.

Lloyd Austin has since apologised for not keeping the public “appropriately informed”.

In statement on January 155, he thanked his medical team for the care he received.

“Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I’m eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon,” he said.

The Pentagon said Lloyd Austin has “full access to required secure communications capabilities” as he works remotely.

A group of gunmen have broken into a live television studio in Ecuador and threatened staff, footage shows.

A live broadcast by station TC in the city of Guayaquil was interrupted on January 9 by the armed men, who were wearing hoods and carrying guns.

Staff were forced to on to the floor, before the live feed cut out.

A 60-day state of emergency began in Ecuador on January 8 after a convicted gang leader vanished from his prison cell.

The hooded men were seen leaving the TC studios, with police seen entering the set about 30 minutes after the gunmen first appeared.

Image source: TC

National police units in the country’s capital Quito and Guayaquil have been deployed to the scene.

Ecuador’s national police force said in an update on X, formerly Twitter, that staff had been evacuated from the studio.

It later said several suspects had been arrested.

Following the incident, President Daniel Noboa signed an executive order declaring an internal armed conflict and listed several organised crime groups as “terrorist organisations” and “non-state actors”.

The University of Guayaquil said all academic and administrative activities had been suspended given the social unrest nationwide.

At least seven police officers have been kidnapped by gang members since the state of emergency was declared.

The measures were introduced by President Noboa after the boss of the Los Choneros gang disappeared from a maximum security jail on January 7.

Officials said Fito, whose real name is Adolfo Macías Villamar, was not in his cell on Sunday morning when police arrived to move him to a different jail within the same compound.

He is thought to have absconded just hours before his planned transfer. Two prison guards have been detained on suspicion of helping Fito escape.

Los Choneros is a powerful prison gang which is thought to be behind many of the deadly riots and prison fights which have erupted in Ecuador’s jails over recent years.

It is not clear at this stage whether the storming of the television station is linked to the prison escape, but it is an example of the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Nearly 40 other inmates, including another convicted drug lord, broke out from another prison in the city of Riobamba on January 9.

Fito’s escape is also a blow to the government of President Daniel Noboa, who was sworn in in November after winning an election tarnished by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Fernando Villavicencio had reported receiving death threats from Fito just days before he was shot dead while leaving a campaign rally in the capital Quito.

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The Pacific nation of Kiribati was the first to welcome in 2024.

Auckland in New Zealand has just greeted in 2024 with its annual vibrant fireworks display at the city’s iconic Sky Tower.

New Zealand’s two main islands – North Island and South Island – are both in the same time zone.

The Chatham Islands, which lie to the east, have a different time zone 45 minutes in advance.

Huge crowds are gathering in Sydney in Australia for one of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s fireworks displays.

Happy New Year

Just before midnight there -eight tonnes of pyrotechnics will be launched from two of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks – the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Sydney is about to see in the New Year, and although the weather symbols suggest it will be dry and cloudy, there are showers very close by. However, with temperatures at 21C, it’s not likely to dampen the celebrations too much.

On the other side of the world, New York can get very cold at this time of year. Thankfully there’ll be none of that bitter cold tonight – the city that never sleeps will ring in the New Year with temperatures of 5C and a very light breeze.

Revellers in Hong Kong shouldn’t expect any issues seeing tonight’s fireworks extravaganza as the city is set for clear skies with a moderate breeze.

The last place will be Baker Island – only 650 miles away from Kiribati, but 26 hours behind, due to a time zones quirk.

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Ukrainian Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas on December 25 for the first time this year.

Ukraine has traditionally used the Julian calendar, also used by Russia, where Christmas falls on January 7.

In a further shift from Russia, it is now marking Christmas according to the Western – or Gregorian – calendar, which it uses in everyday life.

President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law in July, saying it allowed Ukrainians to “abandon the Russian heritage” of celebrating Christmas in January.

Photo by Karyna Panchenko

In a Christmas message issued on December 24, Volodymyr Zelensky said all Ukrainians were now together.

“We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country.”

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a newly created independent church that held its first service in 2019, has also changed its Christmas date to December 25.

It formally broke away from the Russian Orthodox church over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

People prayed and lit candles across the country on December 24.

In the western city of Lviv, which has been little damaged by the war, children in traditional costumes sang carols and took part in festive processions on the streets.

In recent years many worshippers have joined the OCU but millions still follow the historically Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), and so will continue to celebrate Christmas on January 7.

The UOC says that in 2022 it split from Moscow because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine although many people remain sceptical.

There are expected to be quite a few Ukrainians who will be celebrating twice – the more the merrier.

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The gunman who shot dead 14 people at a Prague university on December 21 killed himself after being surrounded by the authorities, Czech police said.

The attack, which happened at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University, is the worst mass shooting in Czech history.

According to authorities, evidence suggests the shooter also killed a man and his young daughter in a forest near Prague last week.

However, this is still unconfirmed.

Image source: Reuters

Officials told a news conference on December 22 that students barricaded themselves into rooms of the university building during the attack and that police had to go floor-by-floor to get them out.

They showed bodycam footage of officers as they hunted for the attacker, who died on the roof of the building.

Police said people had been asked to come out with their hands up because police were unsure if the attacker had accomplices.

Prague’s police director, Petr Matejcek, added that there were “piles of ammunition in the corridors” and said he believed the quick arrival of police prevented more bloodshed.

All of those killed in December 21 attack have now been identified, but only one person so far has been named officially. Lenka Hlavkova was head of the Institute of Musicology at Charles University.

A further 25 people were injured in the attack – including one Dutch citizen and two people from the United Arab Emirates.

The killer, named locally as 24-year-old David Kozak, is also thought to have killed his father at a separate location.

Before the shooting, police had received a report that the suspect was believed to be heading to Prague from a nearby town with the intention of killing himself.

The authorities say they are now on alert for people who may be inspired by the attack and are focused on imminent threats – including on social media.

They are also waiting for ballistic evidence to confirm that the gunman was linked to the December 15 murders of a man and his two-month-old daughter in the Klanovicky forest.

The head of Prague Police’s murder department said that the university shooter had been a suspect in the earlier killings and that police had done their best to catch the person responsible.

In a statement, Czech PM Petr Fiala said the country had been shocked by this “horrendous act”.

“It is hard to find the words to express condemnation on the one hand and, on the other, the pain and sorrow that our entire society is feeling in these days before Christmas.”

He said December 23 would be a day of mourning, adding that flags would be flown at half-mast on all public buildings and that a minute’s silence would be observed at midday. Many sports and cultural events have been called off.

NYPD said in a news conference on December 3 that seven people were stabbed in Queens, New York. Four people are now dead after the stabbing, including a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. The perpetrator stabbed two police officers with a kitchen steak knife before being shot and killed by a veteran officer on the scene. Police identified the perpetrator as 39-year-old Courtney Gordon, killing four of his family members before stabbing two officers. Officers received a 911 calls from a girl show said her cousin was killing her family members shortly after 5 a.m. on December 3.

Police called to the Far Rockaway neighbourhood in the early hours of December 3 found the victims in a home that had been set on fire.

The male suspect stabbed two police officers before being shot by one of the injured officers.

The suspect was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

In a press briefing at Jamaica Hospital, police confirmed that they received a 911 call at 05:10 local time, when a “young female caller stated that her cousin is killing her family members”.

Two officers were sent to the address on Beach 22nd Street where they saw a male walking out with luggage.

When the officers tried to talk to the male he pulled a knife out, stabbing one officer in the neck and chest area, and a second officer in the head.

One of the officers was able to take out his firearm and shot the suspect.

When more officers were dispatched to the scene, they found an 11-year-old girl at the front of the house. She was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.

After the New York Fire Department arrived at the scene, emergency services found the bodies of three other people inside the house: a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old female, and a male in his 30s.

A 61-year-old female was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with multiple stab wounds.

Police believe all victims died as a result of stab wounds and a kitchen steak knife was recovered from the scene.

Courtney Gordon had one prior arrest for domestic violence in the Bronx.

He was visiting his family members in Queens at the time of the attack.

Police said that the investigation was ongoing, but that the person who made the 911 call was being interviewed at the police station.

A German tourist has been killed and two others injured in a knife and hammer attack on a street in central Paris.

The attack occurred on Quai de Grenelle, near the Eiffel Tower, shortly before 21:00 local time on December 2.

The attacker, a 26-year-old French national known to security services, has been arrested and anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation.

Officials confirmed that the man killed was a German national.

France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the victim, born in 1997, was with his wife when he was attacked and fatally stabbed.

Darmanin said the wife’s life was saved by the intervention of a taxi driver and that the suspect fled across a nearby bridge spanning the River Seine.

The man then attacked two more people, hitting one in the eye with a hammer, the minister said.

The suspect was then Tasered by police and arrested on suspicion of assassination – defined in French law as pre-meditated murder – and attempted assassination in relation to a terrorist enterprise.

The two people injured – a Frenchman aged around 60 and a foreign tourist – were treated by emergency services, with neither found to be in a life-threatening condition.

A police operation was initiated around the Bir-Hakeim metro station on Saturday night, and authorities urged people to avoid the area.

Darmanin said the alleged attacker was heard shouting “Allahu Akbar”, Arabic for “God is greatest”, and told police he was upset because “so many Muslims are dying in Afghanistan and in Palestine”.

He said the suspect served four years in jail after being convicted for planning another attack in 2016 and was on the French security services watchlist.

The man was also known to have suffered psychiatric disorders, Darmanin said.

Photo AFP

On December 2, a video was posted on social media in which the suspect criticised the French government and discussed what he described as the murder of innocent Muslims, AFP news agency reports.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron sent his thoughts to all those affected by the “terrorist attack” and thanked the emergency services for their response.

“The national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office will now be responsible for shedding light on this affair so that justice can be done in the name of the French people,” the president said.

The attack comes less than two months after a teacher was killed in a knife attack at a high school in the northern city of Arras, prompting the French government to put the country on its highest level of national security alert.

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David DePape, the man who attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been found guilty by a jury in San Francisco.

The assailant was convicted of assault and attempted kidnapping of a federal official.

The attack left Paul Pelosi, 83, in hospital for six days with a fractured skull and other injuries.

David DePape, who tearfully apologised for the attack in his testimony, now faces up to 50 years in prison.

He was convicted on November 16 after a week-long trial at the Phillip Burton Federal Courthouse in downtown San Francisco.

Video evidence shows the attacker, a Canadian citizen who has lived in the US for 20 years, breaking into the Pelosi home in San Francisco with a hammer on October 28 last year.

Once inside, he asked for Nancy Pelosi, who was not home at the time.

Officers responding to a 911 call from Paul Pelosi found both men gripping a hammer.

When asked to drop the weapon, DePape abruptly swung the hammer at Paul Pelosi before being subdued by officers.

The entire encounter was caught on body camera footage which was played in court.

One of the witnesses, an FBI special agent, testified that the footage showed the attacker striking Paul Pelosi three times.

Nancy Pelosi
Image source Wikimedia

In his own testimony, Paul Pelosi told the court that during the attack, David DePape said his intention was to “take out” Nancy Pelosi, referring to her as “the leader of the pack”.

In addition to a fractured skull, Paul Pelosi suffered injuries to his arm and hand.

David DePape’s court-appointed lawyer Jodi Linker argued that, while her client did attack Paul Pelosi, he did so because he believed in right-wing conspiracy theories with “every ounce of his being”.

Jodi Linker said DePape blamed what he saw as America’s demise on corrupt elites using their status to spread lies, including facilitating the sexual abuse of children.

She argued that David DePape was motivated by these conspiracies instead of Nancy Pelosi’s government position.

Prosecutors, however, argued that DePape was looking for Nancy Pelosi as part of a “plan of violence”.

When he was arrested, he had zip ties and duct tape in his possession.

He also told investigators after the incident that he had a “target list” and planned to hold Nancy Pelosi captive and break “her kneecaps” if she did not reveal “the truth”

At the time of the attack, Nancy Pelosi was the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one of the most powerful politicians in the US.

David DePape now faces up to 20 years in prison for the attempted kidnapping charge, as well as an additional 30 years for assault on a federal official’s family member.

He is also facing separate state charges stemming from the incident, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and residential burglary.

He could face life in prison if convicted of the more serious state charges.

David DePape has pleaded not guilty.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race, saying “this is not my time”.

Mike Pence made the announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on October 28.

“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” he wrote in a statement.

Mike Pence, 64, is the first major Republican candidate to suspend his campaign in a race led by former President Donald Trump.

He had languished in recent polls and had struggled to gain the support of Republican voters.

The former vice president’s campaign had also racked up large amounts of debt, with Mike Pence ending September owing $621,000 and having only US$1.2 million in the bank – significantly less than other Republican rivals.

“I am leaving this campaign, but I will never leave the fight for conservative values,” he wrote in a statement addressed to his supporters.

Photo Getty Images

Mike Pence lost the support of many Republican voters when he publicly broke with Donald Trump over the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021, and when he presided over the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election results in Congress.

Donald Trump admonished Mike Pence for lacking “courage” when he refused to overturn the Democratic leader’s election victory.

Some rioters were heard chanting “hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the halls of Congress in 2021, and since then many Trump loyalists have viewed him as a traitor.

The former vice-president said in March that Donald Trump’s encouragement of the rioters had “endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day”.

In his resignation, Mike Pence did not endorse any other Republican candidates for the presidential election.

But he called on Americans to choose a leader that “will ‘appeal to the better angels of our nature’ and not only lead us to victory but also lead our nation with civility and back to those time-honoured principles that have always made America strong, prosperous and free.”

Mike Pence’s decision to withdraw from the Republican presidential campaign came shortly before the third presidential debate on November 8.

As many as 20,000 people are feared to have died after a powerful stom triggered devastating flooding in eastern Libya, according to a local official.

The storm sweeping across Libya’s Mediterranean coast dumped 400mm (16 inches) of rain on some areas in less than 24 hours, compared to the 1.5mm the country normally experiences in the whole of September.

This extraordinary deluge of water overwhelmed two key dams on the Wadi Derna river running through the city, destroying several key bridges as well.

Image source: AP

In Derna, a city of around 100,000 people, two dams collapsed due to heavy rain, leading to a huge tsunami-like torrent sweeping through the city

Residents of the city, who had been ordered by the local authorities to stay in their homes, reported hearing a loud blast before the city was engulfed in water and said floods reached nearly 10ft in places.

The flooding was trigged by Storm Daniel which hit the north African nation on September 10 and brought heavy rain.

Libyan rescue teams are now being helped by international crews in the Derna area

Libya’s rival governmentshave requested international aid and are liaising with each other

The mayor of port city Derna told Saudi TV News station Al Arabiya he estimated 18,000 to 20,000 died when two dams burst, releasing a tsunami of water as people slept.

His figures are based on the number of communities destroyed by the flood water, he told the channel.

Unrecovered bodies remain under rubble or in the sea, increasing the risk of disease.

The UN has warned of the danger of disease from contaminated water in Libya.

The organization currently has people on the ground in Derna and is directing its existing stockpiles of food in the country to the area.

Libya has been split between rival governments in the east and west for around a decade.

The country was under foreign control for centuries until it gained independence in 1951 and came under the control of dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 1969.

He ruled autocratically until he was toppled and killed in 2011 – in a rebellion assisted by Western military intervention.

In 2014, renewed fighting broke out, with Libya split between two administrations – one based in the east, and one in the west in the capital Tripoli. The two sides signed a ceasefire in 2020 but political rivalries continue.

In 2021, a Government of National Unity was formed in Tripoli with Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as the internationally-recognised prime minister, but the following year the eastern-based parliament formed a rival – and rather similarly named – Government of National Stability.

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Former President Donald Trump has surrendered in Georgia on charges of plotting to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.

His arrest at Fulton County Jail showed the first ever mugshot of a former US president.

Donald Trump had to pay a bail bond of $200,000 to be released from the Atlanta jail while he awaits trial.

Afterwards, he described the case as “a travesty of justice”.

It was his fourth arrest in five months in a criminal case, but this was his first police booking photo.

Donald Trump later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the first time since January 2021. He shared the address of his website and the mugshot with an all-capital letters caption: “Election interference. Never surrender!”

He joins the ranks of American public figures who have had arrest booking photos, including Frank Sinatra, Al Capone and Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Image source: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office

Donald Trump argues the cases against him are politically motivated because he is leading the Republican race to challenge President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in next year’s presidential election.

The first former or serving US president ever to be indicted, he made the round trip from New Jersey on his private jet on August 24.

Donald Trump was whisked to Fulton County Jail by a more substantial motorcade than he has used for previous court appearances this year.

He was inside the facility for around 20 minutes. Dozens of his supporters gathered outside.

Records posted on the jail’s website described Donald Trump as a white male, 6ft 3in, and weighing 215lbs, with blond or strawberry hair and blue eyes. His inmate number was P01135809.

Before heading home he told reporters at the airport that he was entitled to challenge the result of a vote.

“I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election,” said Donald Trump, who often makes unfounded claims of widespread ballot fraud in 2020.

“And I should have every right to do that.”

Donald Trump was charged last week alongside 18 co-defendants with meddling in Georgia’s election results following his loss to Mr Biden by fewer than 12,000 votes in that state.

The former president was heard in a phone call pressuring Georgia’s top election official to “find 11,780 votes” during the ballot count.

Among the 13 charges Donald Trump faces are racketeering, soliciting a public official to violate his oath of office, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery and making false statements.

He denies all the counts against him.

Half of his co-accused have already been booked at Fulton County Jail in recent days ahead of August 25 deadline. They include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

One of Donald Trump’s co-defendants, the leader of Black Voices for Trump, Harrison Floyd, is being held in custody after turning himself in on August 24 without a bail agreement, court officials say.

A Georgia judge granted a speedy trial request to another co-defendant, attorney Kenneth Chesebro. His case is now due to begin on October 23.

Just hours before turning himself in, Donald Trump replaced his leading defense lawyer, Drew Findling, with veteran Atlanta criminal defence attorney Steven Sadow.

One of the conditions of Donald Trump’s bail release is that he refrain from any comments, on social media or otherwise, that are intended to “intimidate” witnesses or co-defendants. He is also not allowed to have any communication with the other co-defendants, except through his lawyers.

Press release

Houston icon Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale threw out the first pitch at the Astros game Tuesday. On Thursday morning he will deliver comments following the latest allegations of voter suppression and possible fraud uncovered in the November Harris County election.

Mattress Mack will be joined by attorneys for County Judge candidate Alexandra Mealer and several judicial candidates at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 6th, on the steps of the State Capitol building in Austin.

The speakers will unveil the latest allegations in the growing evidence that the November election was horribly mismanaged.

“I’m doing this for the future of Harris County, for my children, for your children,” McIngvale said.

“Now more than ever, I am convinced it was a botched election. We need everyone to stand up and fight.”

Image source: Wikipedia

James Franklin McIngvale, also known as “Mattress Mack”, is an American businessman. He is known for owning and operating the Gallery Furniture retail chain, based in Houston, Texas.

Jim McIngvale was born on February 11, 1951, in Starkville, Mississippi. He graduated from Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas and attended North Texas State University, now University of North Texas, in Denton where he played football.

On February 3, 2022, Jim McIngvale placed a $4.5 million wager on the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI. It officially set the record for the largest mobile wager in sports betting history.

As a result of the Houston Astros claiming the 2022 World Series championship, Mattress Mack was awarded $75 million in total sports betting payouts, the highest total in sports betting history.

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France has seen a fifth night of unrest, with heavy clashes between police and rioters in the southern city of Marseille.

Some 719 people were arrested overnight, down from well over a thousand the previous night.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has hailed a “calmer” night and praised the 45,000 police officers deployed.

Rioters in a southern Parisian suburb rammed the local mayor’s home and fired rockets at his wife and small children, police say.

The riots began after police fatally shot a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, Nahel M, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on June 27.

Prosecutors have begun piecing together what happened before the fatal shooting of Nahel M by a police officer.

The officer has been charged with homicide and remains in custody.

In their outline of events after questioning eyewitnesses and reviewing CCTV footage, prosecutors say the teenage driver had already ignored a police demand to stop, when officers caught up with the car and drew their weapons.

Meanwhile an account has been posted online by one of the passengers, which French media say they have verified.

In this account the passenger, also a teenager, says the officers hit Nahel M with the butts of their guns three times, causing him to take his foot off the brake of the car.

Prosecutors are due to talk to this witness on July 3.

Image source: Twitter

Around 08:00 on June 27, two policemen on motorcycles spotted a Mercedes with a Polish number plate driving fast in a bus lane, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache told journalists.

Turning on their siren, the officers caught up with the car at a traffic light. Three young men were inside.

The officers told the driver to stop but the vehicle pulled away, ignoring the red light. The officers gave chase and notified their unit by radio.

At 08:16, the Mercedes stopped in heavy traffic. Both officers got off their motorcycles, drew their weapons and approached the car.

They later told prosecutors that they pointed their guns at the driver to “deter him from driving away again”.

They asked the driver to turn off the ignition, but the car moved forward. One of the officers fired, fatally wounding the young man in the chest.

After the car ran into a roadside barrier, one of the passengers was arrested and the other fled on foot.

The passenger says the three friends were driving around Nanterre when the car strayed into the bus lane and was chased by two policemen on motorcycles.

After Nahel stopped the car, the young man says in his video and in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper, one of the officers hit the teenage driver with the butt of his gun.

He alleges that the second policeman also struck Nahel before the first officer again hit him.

He told Le Parisien that the blows left Nahel M “a little stunned”.

The third blow, according to this account, caused Nahel to take his foot off the brake and the vehicle to move forward. After the officer fired, Nahel M slumped forward and his foot pressed on the accelerator, the passenger said.

When the car came a standstill, the passenger said, he decided to flee because he was afraid he would be shot too.

Questions have been asked about the car, a Mercedes A class AMG. Officials describe it as a rented vehicle.

The passenger who fled said that someone had lent it to the three youths, without giving any details.

According to the French motoring website Autoplus, German sportscars with Polish number plates can be hired for €300-3,000 a day.

This type of short rental is popular with young men in French housing estates, Autoplus says.

Nahel M did not have a criminal record but was known to police.

He had previously been cited for driving without a licence – he was too young to have one – and for refusing to comply with an order to stop.

Nahel M was due to appear before a juvenile court in September.

paris-france
Photo Source: www.shoretrips.com

Thirty-seven people have been injured, four of them seriously, after a large explosion in central Paris.

The explosiontook place in a building that housed a design school and the Catholic education system headquarters in Rue Saint-Jacques, in the fifth arrondissement of the French capital.

Emergency workers are searching through the wreckage of the building, with at least two thought to be missing.

According to witnesses, there was a strong smell of gas before the blast.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said after arriving at the scene that initial checks of camera footage suggested the explosion occurred within the building, which was next to the Val de Grâce church.

However, the authorities have said the cause of the blast has not yet been determined.

The building was initially engulfed by fire, but the blaze was later brought under control, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez.

The area has been cordoned off and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has been to the scene.

He said sniffer dogs had identified where further victims might be found under the rubble.

The area where the explosion took place runs south from the Latin Quarter in Paris’s Left Bank area that is popular with tourists and known for its student population.

Italy’s ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86.

He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. In April, he was treated for a lung infection linked to leukaemia.

Silvio Brlusconi overcame various scandals to hold office four times, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in post-war Italy.

After taking political office in 1994, the billionaire media tycoon led four governments until 2011 – though not consecutively.

Last September, Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia party went into coalition under right-wing PM Giorgia Meloni.

Reacting to the news, PM Meloni remembered her predecessor as a “fighter”. In a video message, she said he remained “one of the most influential men in the history of Italy”.

Her deputy Matteo Salvini said he was “broken” and thanked Berlusconi for his “friendship”, “advice” and “generosity”.

The Italian government has declared a national day of mourning for June 14, the same day Berlusconi’s funeral is scheduled to take place at Milan Cathedral.

Another figure to pay tribute was Vladimir Putin, who called Silvio Berlusconi a “true friend”. In a statement the Russian President said he had always admired Berlusconi’s “wisdom” and “ability to make balanced, far-sighted decisions”.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent his condolences to Berlusconi’s family and the Italian people on behalf of the French people.

Silvio Berlusconi had been suffering from a rare form of blood cancer, chronic myelomonocyte leukaemia, doctors at San Raffaele revealed in April.

He had repeated health problems after contracting Covid in 2020. So far, there has been no official confirmation of the precise cause of death.

Born in 1936 in Milan, Berlusconi began his career selling vacuum cleaners, before setting up a construction company.

He went on to become one of Italy’s richest men, building a business empire that included television networks, publishing companies and advertising agencies.

On top of that, he gained international recognition as owner of legendary football club AC Milan – which he saved from bankruptcy in 1986 – before going into politics in the 1990s.

Silvio Berlusconi was a polarising politician. He was praised by supporters for his business acumen and populist verve, but reviled by critics for his disregard for the rule of law.

Throughout his political career, he faced a string of legal troubles, including charges of bribery, tax fraud, and sex with an underage prostitute. He was convicted on several occasions, but avoided jail because of his age and the expiry of statutes of limitations.

Turkey’s incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will go head to head with his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaoglu in a run-off vote, the supreme election council has confirmed.

President Erdogan led the first round with 49.51% of the vote, election council leader Ahmet Yener said.

Although the powerful president had a clear lead over his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who polled 44.88%, he needed more than half the vote to win the race outright.

A second round will go ahead on May 28, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan the clear favorite.

Shortly before the announcement by election council leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu appealed to supporters not to “fall into despair” and to stand and take on the election together.

However, it was not immediately obvious how the opposition Nation Alliance could narrow a margin of almost five points in just two weeks. Although the third candidate, ultranationalist Sinan Ogan, polled 5.17% it seemed unlikely that all his voters would switch to the centre-left-led opposition.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power in Turkey for more than 20 years, first as prime minister and then as president, extending his powers still further after a failed coup in 2016.

Many opinion polls had suggested Kemal Kilicdaroglu was on course to win the first round, and Erdogan supporters celebrated outside party headquarters in Ankara long into the night.

Addressing them from the balcony, President Erdogan told them he had won 2.6 million more votes than his chief rival.

With Kemal Kilicdaroglu as candidate, the opposition was seen as having its best chance so far at removing him from power. It drew together a broad-based alliance of parties and offered an end to soaring inflation and President Erdogan’s system of an all-powerful presidency.

Ahmet Yener said all of the ballot boxes from May 14 vote had been opened and turnout in Turkey was 88.92%. However, it was clear that a number of votes cast abroad had not yet been counted.

The international monitoring group OSCE highlighted several flaws in the election, pointing out that President Erdogan and the ruling parties had enjoyed “an unjustified advantage”.

Although the monitors praised the high turnout and political choice, they said the vote had been limited by an unlevel playing field. They singled out “biased media coverage”, as well as intimidation of the pro-Kurdish party and the jailing of its former joint leader and that of philanthropist Osman Kavala.

Another issue they highlighted was the limited help given to survivors of February’s earthquakes to take part in the election.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was widely criticised for the state’s slow response to the disaster, which left more than 50,000 people dead.

But it had little effect on election results in the eight cities seen as strongholds of his AK Party in the earthquake zone. In seven of the cities the president’s support remained above 60%. Only in Gaziantep did it slip to 59%.

The vote was not only for the presidency but for the 600 seats in parliament too. And here too the Erdogan party had a good night, heading for a majority of about 317 seats.