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Hard Numbers: Italy taps first female PM, judge sentences Bannon, UN sanctions “Barbecue,” Secret Mar-a-Lago papers
Italy's first female PM Giorgia Meloni
Reuters
1: Giorgia Meloni was named Italy’s first female prime minister on Friday after receiving the mandate to form a government. The far-right head of the Brothers of Italy takes the helm amid worsening economic and energy crises. All eyes will be on her ability to keep together a discordant coalition.
4: Former Trump aide Steve Bannon was sentenced on Friday to 4 months in jail and fined $6,500 for contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee overseeing the Jan. 6 investigation. Bannon remains free while the case goes to appeal. This comes as the committee on Friday also dealt former President Trump a subpoena to testify.
16: The UN agreed on Friday to sanction Haitian gang lord Jimmy Chérizier, known as Barbecue, for “severe human rights abuses.” The resolution, sponsored by the US and Mexico, says that Chérizier has contributed to severe economic and political crises currently plaguing the country, including a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 16 people in recent weeks.
13,000: At least some of the 13,000 documents seized from former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate contained secret information relating to US intelligence gathering on China and Iran, including Tehran’s nuclear program, according to a new Washington Post report. The Department of Justice continues to investigate the case.
Algerians are headed to the polls today to elect their next members of parliament. However, hopes for true democracy look more remote than ever.
In addition to the health concerns from the Ebola outbreak, the UN is sounding the alarm on a potential development crisis in Africa sparked by the disease.
The protests in the small Balkan country were touched off by the start of construction on a seaside luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.