Author: Chronicle Editor

Three people were killed in southwestern France on Friday when a gunman held up a car, opened fire on police and then took hostages in a supermarket, screaming “Allahu Akbar”. Police later stormed the supermarket in the small town of Trebes and Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Twitter that the attacker had been killed. A source at the Interior Ministry said two had died at the hostage-taking in Trebes. “It is a provisional assessment as it could unfortunately get worse. Three people are wounded, including one of them seriously,” the source said. Later, a police union official said the…

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had an affair with President Donald Trump in 2006, has said he tried to pay her for sex. In an interview with CNN, Ms McDougal revealed that she cried on the way home after Mr Trump offered her money during their first encounter. She also apologised to the president’s wife Melania for the alleged 10-month affair, saying: “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want it done to me.” Mr Trump has denied the affair. Ms McDougal signed a deal worth $150,000 to tell her story exclusively to a tabloid newspaper in 2016. However, the…

Today President Muhammadu Buhari met with 107 Government Girls Technical College students released by Islamist sect Boko Haram earlier in the week. Buhari who hosted the Dapchi girls at the Presidential Villa said his government decided to negotiate with Boko Haram because it wanted the safe return of the girls. “I am delighted to formally announce to Nigerians this morning and our international friends and partners that One Hundred and Seven (107) Dapchi students previously abducted have been unconditionally released by their abductors. “This cheery and hearty development signify our commitment to the security and well-being of all Nigerians. “We…

A gunman is holding several people hostage in a supermarket in Trèbes, in the south of France. French media say the man had earlier fired shots at some policemen who were jogging, wounding one of them, but not critically. Elite police have rushed to the Super U shop in Trèbes, near Carcassonne. A prosecutor says the gunman claims to be in the Islamic State group. In January 2015 a jihadist gunman killed four people in a Paris supermarket. READ: Boko Haram steps up use of girls as bombers Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said the situation was “serious”. Local media are…

The United Nations, UN, has noted that Boko Haram fighters have stepped up the use of women and girls for suicide bombings. Noting a progress in the war against the jihadist by the four countries of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, the UN said while children were deployed in 135 such attacks in 2017 – a five-fold increase over the previous year. Therefore, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed, said it was critical to shore up areas of Lake Chad Basin that have been freed from the grip of Boko Haram terrorists. Mohammed, in a video address to the Security…

Spanish police have rescued 39 Nigerian girls and women from a notorious sex trafficking ring who kept them in squalid cave-like houses and forced them into prostitution after threatening them with black magic, Europol announced on Thursday. The operation, carried out with British and Nigerian law enforcement agencies, led to the arrests of 89 people including a well-known Nigerian DJ, according to a Europol statement. It said the Nigerian crime ring was linked to the Eiye Confraternity – a network that Spanish police have previously compared to the mafioso in Chicago in the 1930s. The victims, many under the age…

Paris councillors have rejected a motion targeting a business where clients are charged €89 ($109; £78) to spend an hour with a silicone sex doll. Communist councillors and feminist groups had called on the Council of Paris – the body responsible for governing the city – to study the possibilities of closing Xdolls. They argued it was demeaning to women – and effectively a brothel. Owning or operating a brothel is illegal in France. But police visited the establishment before the council meeting and declared no laws were being broken. In a joint statement, Communist councillors Nicolas Bonnet Oulaldj and…

Russia is supporting and even supplying arms to the Taliban, the head of US forces in Afghanistan has told the BBC. In an exclusive interview, Lt Gen John Nicholson said he’d seen “destabilising activity by the Russians.” He said Russian weapons were smuggled across the Tajik border to the Taliban, but could not say in what quantity. Russia has denied such US allegations in the past, citing a lack of evidence. But the new claims come at a sensitive time in Russia’s ties with NATO powers. Britain and Russia are locked in a dispute over claims that Russia was behind…

Same-sex couples who chose to travel to Africa and other countries across the world risk safety threats, criminal charges, time spent languishing in foreign prisons or even the death penalty. This is because many countries continue to treat homosexuality as a crime especially in Africa and the Middle East. Australia shares increasingly tolerant attitudes towards homosexuality, but it’s not an attitude shared by 72 other countries and territories across the world where identifying as gay can be downright dangerous. A world map, identifying danger zones and national attitudes towards homosexuality, has been released to give LGBTI travellers a safety guide…

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann wants his future resolved before he travels to this summer’s World Cup with France. The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to Barcelona. (L’Equipe via Sky Sports) Tottenham are considering triggering the £3m release clause in Jonny Evans’ West Brom contract if the Baggies are relegated. The 30-year-old Northern Ireland defender could also be a target for Arsenal. (Telegraph) Juventus will not move for Arsenal’s Spanish full-back Hector Bellerin, 23, as they are confident of signing 28-year-old Italian defender Matteo Darmian from Manchester United. (Goal) Arsenal striker Lucas Perez, 29, wants to return to…