Susan Smith made pleas on national television, asking for the safe return of her sons, Michael and Alexander, before she confessed to their murder

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for protection of civilians in both the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory’s population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault

E Jean Carroll praised her legal team after a judge dismissed former President Donald Trump’s counter-lawsuit against writer E Jean Carroll. Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote in an order made public on Monday that Mr Trump hadn’t proven that Ms Carroll’s statements on CNN the day after a civil trial jury found that the ex-president had sexually abused Ms Carroll and subsequently defamed her were false or “not at least substantially true”. Mr Trump sued Ms Carroll in June following her CNN appearance the previous month. Ms Carroll was asked about the verdict – the jury found that while Mr Trump sexually abused her, they didn’t state that Mr Trump had raped her under New York state law, to which Ms Carroll said, “Oh, yes he did”. Judge Kaplan wrote: “Indeed, the jury’s verdict in Carroll II establishes, as against Mr Trump, the fact that Mr Trump ‘raped her’, albeit digitally rather than with his penis. Thus, it establishes against him the substantial truth of Ms Carroll’s ‘rape’ accusations.” “In consequence, there is no merit to Mr Trump’s argument that the jury’s finding on Penal Law ‘rape’ question established that Ms Carroll’s statements were false even if her statements reasonably could be construed as referring to ‘rape’ in that specialized Penal Law sense, a subject on which this Court now expresses no view,” he added. Ms Carroll praised her attorney, writing on her Substack on Monday that “while the world was fixated on a certain bloke’s latest indictments, Robbie Kaplan was making moves”. “We rely upon the law to bring us justice. As I type these words my heart swells with gratitude for my attorneys,” she added. “I refer, of course, to that famous fly-fishing maven Robbie Kaplan,” Ms Carroll, 79, wrote on Monday. She went on to share her appreciation for “the unreasonably hot Shawn Crowley, the swashbucklingly smart Mike Ferrara, the omnipotently shrewd Joshua Matz, the ingeniously even-tempered Matt Craig” as well as “the consummately quick Trevor Morrison, the eternally elegant Helen Andrews, the affectionately ferocious Emmy DeCourcy, the deliciously crafty Donya Khadem, and the paralyzingly penetrating Kate Harris”. She concluded with “a special salute to Ms. Rachel Tuckman who is enjoying a hellaciously HOT mom summer!” Judge Kaplan had already rejected Mr Trump’s request for a new trial, CNN notes. Mr Trump is set to go on trial against Ms Carroll again in January on a separate defamation lawsuit filed by the writer in 2019 for statements Mr Trump made while occupying the White House. The case has been delayed by the legal battle that ensued. The lawsuit brought under the New York Adult Survivors Act, known as Carroll II, went to trial in May of this year, leading to the writer being awarded $5m. Mr Trump had appealed that verdict as well as other “adverse” rulings. Ms Carroll’s legal team have claimed that the only issue that the jury should settle in January is how much Mr Trump should pay the writer. The ex-president’s lawyers have said that there should be a limit to the amount of damages he can owe to avoid doubling up from the jury’s verdict in Carroll II. Ms Kaplan said in a statement: “We are pleased that the Court dismissed Donald Trump’s counterclaim. That means that the January 15th jury trial will be limited to a narrow set of issues and shouldn’t take very long to complete. Mr Trump is set to face his challengers in the Republican primary in the Iowa caucuses on the same day. Ms Kaplan added: “E. Jean Carroll looks forward to obtaining additional compensatory and punitive damages based on the original defamatory statements Donald Trump made in 2019.” Trump lawyer Alina Habba told CNN: “We strongly disagree with the flawed decision and will be filing an appeal shortly.” Read More How Donald Trump finally met his match in Jack Smith Bill Barr says ‘of course’ he’ll testfy against trump in Jan 6 case if asked Trump lawyer says Jack Smith is ‘afraid’ and playing ‘victim’ over protective order Judge tosses Trump's defamation suit against writer who won sexual abuse lawsuit against him Rudy Giuliani selling $6.5m NYC apartment as legal woes pile up Trump insists he isn’t a ‘scared puppy’ in defiant attack on Nancy Pelosi

Being a head of state is a busy job and family life sometimes takes a back seat. Luckily there are other heads of state on hand to remind you when...

A Texas court has ruled that embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton’s long-delayed trial on securities fraud charges from 2015 will take place in Houston

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro says the network could take on a sports league as a minority partner as the network continues its transition from a cable channel to a digital company

By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel stepped up accusations of Hamas abuses at the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital on Sunday,

By Soo-hyang Choi SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday called for an overhaul of the country's

Two days after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger’s democratically elected president, it was still unclear Friday morning who was running the country and what mediation efforts were underway, as analysts warned that political chaos could set back the fight on extremist groups and increase Russia's influence in the region. On Thursday, several hundred people gathered in the capital, Niamey, and chanted support for the Russian private military group Wagner while waving Russian flags. Later, they burned cars and ransacked the headquarters of the president's political party. “We’re fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. “We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush ... Down with the French people. We’re going to collaborate with Russia now,” he said. The soldiers have not announced a leader and President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960, has not resigned. Some of the last public communications from the government included a defiant tweet by the president Thursday declaring that democracy would prevail and a call by the Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, on media outlet France 24, for Nigeriens to stand against the mutiny. Someone close to the president who is not authorized to speak about the situation, told The Associated Press that Bazoum has no intention of resigning and talks were ongoing. However, it's unclear who's involved in these dialogues, the nature of the discussions or how they're proceeding. Analysts say the coup could destabilize the country and threatens to starkly reshape the international community’s engagement with the Sahel region. Bazoum is a key ally in the West’s efforts to battle the jihadists, and the West African nation has been seen as the last major Western partner standing against extremism in a region where anti-French sentiment has paved the way for the Russian private military group Wagner. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have both ousted the French military, which previously provided aid in their fight against jihadists. Mali has contracted Wagner, and it’s believed the mercenaries will soon be in Burkina Faso. Earlier this week, The Economic Community of West African States said it was sending Benin President Patrice Talon to lead mediation efforts, but as of Friday Talon was not in the country. During their first address to the nation Wednesday night, the mutineers urged “external partners” not to interfere. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told French media Friday that President Emmanuel Macron has spoken several times to Bazoum. Colonna said France believes there are still possible exits from the crisis, and that Paris regards the attempted coup as lacking any legitimacy. On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, said the country's “substantial cooperation with the Government of Niger is contingent on Niger’s continued commitment to democratic standards". Niger could lose millions of dollars in military aid and assistance, which the United States and European countries have recently poured in an attempt to help in the fight against Islamic extremism. The United States in early 2021 said it had provided Niger with more than $500 million in military assistance and training programs since 2012, one of the largest such support programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union earlier this year launched a 27 million-euro ($30 million) military training mission in Niger. The United States has more than 1,000 service personnel in the country. France has 1,500 soldiers, which conduct joint operations with the Nigeriens. The coup has dashed hopes of collaboration between Sahelian countries and Western powers, which offered a more robust response to the jihadist insurrection when compared with the strategies to arm civilians in Burkina Faso or the responsibility given to Wagner in Mali, said Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, senior Sahel analyst for the International Crisis Group. As uncertainty lingers about who's in charge, insecurity could worsen. “The army officers will be busy positioning themselves in power struggles and abandon the fight against jihadists,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Rights groups also warn that civilians always bear the brunt of these mutinies. “During a coup, the first victims are always the same: the most vulnerable, women and children,” said Drissa Traore, secretary-general of the International Federation for Human Rights. On Thursday the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it has paused operations in Niger, where more than 370,000 people are internally displaced and more than 4 million rely on aid. ___ AP writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Stock market today: Asian shares mixed, Tokyo falls as Bank of Japan adjusts bond purchase policy India and Japan look to collaborate in building semiconductors and resilient supply chains AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Mohamed Nureldin KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Sudan's army conducted air strikes in the capital Khartoum on Monday, residents

The accused allegedly targeted young Asian girls on Instagram, specifically those who expressed financial difficulties or posted about self-harm

Long-haul trucker Keith Hunter Jesperson killed at least eight women across the United States in the 1990s and sent authorities confession letters signed with smiley faces. But the identity of his last known victim remained a mystery for three decades.