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Dangote says Kenya court ruling won't halt refinery launch but may affect site activities

LAMU, Kenya, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Nigeria's Dangote Group said a Kenyan court ruling on a land rights claim would not halt the ​groundbreaking ceremony for its planned 700,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) oil refinery in Lamu  on Wednesday, but ‌that it may affect some site activities. The Malindi Environment and Land Court order said that the "status quo prevailing" on the land should be maintained until a hearing on October 14. The court order ​was dated September 25 but only made public on Monday. The lawsuit was filed ​by 133 residents of Chandavai, an area in Lamu County, who say ⁠the land where the refinery will be built is their ancestral heritage and ​that their families have lived and farmed there for generations. Dangote Group, the business conglomerate  owned by ​Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote, said in a statement: "The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected...

Trump predicts Cuba and US will make a deal

WASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump predicted on Saturday that the US and Cuba will reach an ​agreement and that he does not think military action will ‌be necessary. "I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal. I don't think we'll need the military," Trump told reporters at ​the White House. The Trump administration has openly stated that ​its goal is to change Cuba's government. A US-imposed ⁠oil blockade implemented earlier this year has put the country ​under severe strain as it contends with fuel shortages and ​blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure. "We want to help Cuba," Trump said before departing for Tennessee. "We want to open Cuba up to our people." In an ​address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump called Cuba  ​a failed state and said "freedom will be coming" to the island nation. ‌The ⁠Cuban delegation walked out of the hall during that speech. ...

Trump says he spoke with Venezuela's Rodriguez about elections

WASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that ​he had spoken this week with Venezuela's interim ‌President Delcy Rodriguez about elections. "I did," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I spoke about elections." Rodriguez briefly met ​with Trump on the sidelines of the UN ​General Assembly on Tuesday and praised him ⁠for restarting dialogue with Venezuela. It was her first ​visit to the US since American forces captured then-President ​Nicolas Maduro in a January raid. In her speech ‌to ⁠the United Nations General Assembly, Rodriguez said elections would be held  as part of a transition to "full democracy." She left with photographs of herself alongside Trump but ​no firm ​election date ⁠has been announced. Rodriguez came to power after Maduro's capture. For nine months, Rodriguez has ​avoided giving signals about an election ​while US ⁠officials have tempered expectations by saying it would take t...

China pushes back against US on Iran and Cuba in UN speech

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - China ​pushed back against the United States in its speech at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, ‌saying sovereignty of countries in the Gulf should be respected and urging the "relevant country" to stop threatening Cuba and lift its blockade on it. Vice President Han Zheng did not mention the US by name in his remarks. The US has launched a pressure campaign  on ​Cuba that has largely blocked oil from reaching the island. The US war on Iran  started with ​US-Israeli strikes in February. The comments stood in sharp contrast to the bonhomie on display earlier ⁠this week at the White House, where President Donald Trump feted  Chinese leader Xi Jinping with military flyovers and ​at a lavish state dinner. "Major countries should have special responsibilities for safeguarding international peace and security, and they should take ​the lead in complying with the rules, upholding rule of law, and doing what's right," H...

EU warns of energy price crisis, asks countries to consider curbing demand, letter shows

BRUSSELS, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The European Union ​is facing an energy price crisis as fallout from the Iran war  roils oil and gas markets, the bloc's energy chief said on Friday in a letter seen by Reuters that urged countries to consider measures to curb natural ​gas demand. "We are facing a price crisis linking to a supply ​crisis," EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said in a letter ⁠to EU countries' energy ministers. Europe  is heavily dependent on imported oil and ​gas. Foreign suppliers cover about 80% of the bloc's gas needs, leaving it highly ​exposed to surging global energy prices caused by the Iran war's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, normally a transit route for 20% of the world's oil and liquefied ​natural gas. Europe has not yet faced supply shortages, but is grappling with ​soaring prices, leaving some countries struggling to fill gas storage ahead of winter, when ‌demand ⁠for home heating peaks. EU-wide gas storag...

Mbappé spoils the opening celebration: Zidane begins his France journey with a hard-fought win over Turkey

Zinedine Zidane got his France reign off to a winning start with a hard-fought victory over Turkey. It was the first match for Les Bleus under his leadership after Didier Deschamps spent 14 years at the helm, and it saw Kylian Mbappé score his 67th international goal before limping off injured just minutes after finding the net. France needed time to adapt to their new coach's ideas and settle back into a 4-3-3. Nobody felt it more than Mbappé, shifted out to the left wing, a role he had not played for the national team in two years. The captain found himself double-marked from the off. Ousmane Dembélé struggled to find spaces, and Michael Olise was well below his best. Turkey started the brighter, feeding off the intense pressure they piled on the France players. Mike Maignan denied Yılmaz in the fourth minute before the defence cleared off the line, then the goalkeeper was at it again with a fine save from Kadıoğlu's shot in the 28th minute. Through th...

Haaland pulled from Norway press conference following Manchester City financial verdict

Erling Haaland has been withdrawn from his scheduled media duties with the Norway national team as the fallout from Manchester City's financial case continues. The striker was expected to address the press ahead of a Nations League fixture, but officials have now made a late change to the line-up. Norway shield Haaland from media Manchester City striker Haaland will no longer participate in Norway's upcoming press conference following reports regarding his club's legal battles in England, according to  The Sun . The Norwegian Football Federation had originally listed the 26-year-old forward as a primary participant for the media briefing ahead of their Nations League encounter with Portugal. The decision to remove Haaland from the spotlight comes as the football world reacts to news that Manchester City have reportedly been found guilty of 114 financial violations . These charges span a period between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, creating a massive cloud o...

White House TV pool resumes coverage after CNN’s access is restored

The major networks in the White House TV pool are resuming coverage of presidential events this morning after pausing for several days after President Donald Trump banned CNN. CNN and other networks showed pool footage on Friday morning of Trump greeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping outside the White House South Portico before heading inside for a tea meeting. The pair, along with their wives, later departed to visit the National Archives, where CNN was the TV pool and the networks picked up the feed of Trump briefly speaking to reporters and viewing the Declaration of Independence. It was a noticeable change from Wednesday and Thursday, when major networks did not film or air Xi’s arrival and initial meeting with Trump. The TV pool — made up of NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News and CNN — is the primary way that people around the world watch Trump’s speeches and appearances because it supplies video feeds and information to other news organizations. The pool exists in part because presi...

Nigeria, US Sign Mineral Investment Pact

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly between the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, at the Nigerian Mission House in New York, United States. Speaking during the event, Alake described the agreement as a future-driven framework that opens the way for both countries to collaborate on geological data and exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity. Furthermore, he stated that the framework affirms a shared conviction for both countries that the supply chains for the critical minerals must be secure, resilient, and built on responsible investment. "But  let me be clear about Nigeria’s ambition. We are not here to remain a source of raw material for the value that others create. Our goal is to turn potential into lasting value at home through stronger local processing, new skills, quality jobs, a...