Archive November 12, 2025

Trump formally asks Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu after Gaza truce

By in News, World News

United States President Donald Trump has sent a letter to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, slamming the corruption charges against the Israeli prime minister as “political” and “unjustified”.

Trump’s letter on Wednesday comes a month after the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, ushering in a fragile truce amid daily Israeli attacks and aid restrictions.

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In his letter, the US president cited Netanyahu’s leadership in the war, an assault that killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, including at least 20,000 children, and which United Nations investigators have described as a genocide.

“I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister, and is now leading Israel into a time of peace, which includes my continued work with key Middle East leaders to add many additional countries to the world changing Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.

Several Israeli media outlets posted a copy of the letter on Wednesday.

With the letter, Trump inserts himself further into domestic Israeli politics, appearing to push to reward the Israeli prime minister for agreeing to the ceasefire.

The call also highlights Trump’s growing support for fellow right-wing leaders internationally. Earlier this year, the US bailed out the Argentinian economy under President Javier Milei with $40bn.

In Wednesday’s letter, Trump reiterated the false notion that he secured peace in the region for “at least 3,000 years”. Israel was established in 1948, and the Zionist movement to colonise Palestine was founded in the late 1800s.

The US president made a similar call for ending the corruption case against Netanyahu when he spoke to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, last month.

But he was more direct in addressing the Israeli president in the letter.

“Isaac, we have established a great relationship, one that I am very thankful for and honoured by, and we agreed as soon as I was inaugurated in January that the focus had to be centred on finally bringing the hostages home and getting the peace agreement done,” Trump wrote.

“Now that we have achieved these unprecedented successes, and are keeping Hamas in check, it is time to let Bibi unite Israel by pardoning him, and ending that lawfare once and for all.”

The Israeli presidency is mostly a ceremonial post, but the president retains the power to grant pardons.

However, with Netanyahu’s trial ongoing, Herzog cannot issue a pardon until a verdict is reached.

Herzog responded to Trump’s letter on Wednesday, saying that a pardon must be requested through a designated process.

“The president holds great respect for President Trump and repeatedly expresses his appreciation for Trump’s unwavering support of Israel and his tremendous contribution to the return of the hostages, the reshaping of the Middle East and Gaza, and the safeguarding of Israel’s security,” the Israeli president’s office said, according to the Times of Israel.

“Without detracting from the above, as the president has made clear on multiple occasions, anyone seeking a pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures.”

Adam Peaty’s family claims he is ‘ashamed’ of them after banning mother from wedding

By in Entertainment News, News

One of Adam Peaty’s family members has claimed the Olympic swimmer is ‘ashamed’ of his working class clan now that he is marrying into wealth through the Ramsays

Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty has reportedly fallen out with his family ahead of his lavish Christmas wedding to Holly Ramsay, with relatives claiming the gold medallist is now “ashamed” of his working-class roots.

The professional athlete, 29, who is set to marry the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in a grand ceremony at Bath Abbey, is said to have banned his mother, Caroline Peaty, from attending the wedding after a bitter family row.

The rift reportedly began when Holly failed to invite her future mother-in-law to her hen party at Soho Farmhouse. Caroline’s sister, Louise Williams, said the incident had left her sibling “heartbroken,” and claimed Adam had “said the most vile things a son can say to his mother”.

Caroline, who still lives in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, stayed home to care for Adam’s young son George while Holly’s family and friends celebrated in the Cotswolds.

Louise has continued to defend her sister on social media, slamming the new in-laws for being “a group of bullies” and insisting that the Peaty family “place real value on love, friendship and loyalty”. Adam Peaty’s representative has been contacted for comment.

The Olympic champion’s relatives told reporters they feel excluded from Adam’s new, high-profile social circle. Family members have expressed concern about the cost of attending the upcoming ceremony and reception at Kin House, an exclusive country estate near Bath where weekend weddings start from £32,750.

One relative told The Daily Mail : “We were sent a ‘save the date,’ and it’s all these country houses. I’m on Universal Credit — I can’t afford that.”

According to reports from The Daily Mail, only Adam’s sister Bethany, is expected to attend the event, but his other relatives are unable to cover the expense of accommodation and travel.

“Adam has been changed by money, fame and fortune,” the family source added. “He seems to have forgotten where he came from.”

Caroline, who suffers from fibromyalgia, is said to be devastated after being told she was no longer welcome at her son’s wedding. Sources claim Adam told her she would not see his five-year-old son George, or any future grandchildren, again following the dispute.

Before Adam’s rise to stardom, Caroline is said to have made immense sacrifices to support his Olympic dream, including waking up before dawn to drive him to swimming sessions across the UK and even going into debt alongside her husband Mark to fund their son’s training.

Now, those closest to him say they barely recognise the man who once credited his family for his success. A source said: “It’s partly because Adam doesn’t feel his family is good enough for the new one he’s now part of. Caroline is devastated by the rift and doesn’t know what she has done wrong.”

Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay’s wedding is due to take place this December, and celebrity guests such as Sir David and Lady Victoria Beckham are expected to attend.

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Israel is intensifying attacks on Lebanon, is it planning another war?

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For months, Israel has threatened another military escalation against Lebanon, claiming it would be a punishment for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) not moving quickly enough to disarm Hezbollah.

But analysts told Al Jazeera that Lebanon’s government and army have undertaken to disarm the group, which has fought Israel several times since the 1980s, most recently from September to November 2024.

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While there is more to be done on the Lebanese side, it requires international support and a key missing ingredient: Israel’s cooperation.

“There are daily violations of the ceasefire by Israel in Lebanon, and it would be unfair at this stage to pin the blame on the Lebanese government,” Lebanese political analyst Karim Emile Bitar told Al Jazeera.

“The Lebanese government went above and beyond what was required … and took a historic decision to ask the Lebanese Army to disarm Hezbollah,” he said.

The Israelis have not held up their side of the bargain, Bitar said, as was made clear during US special envoy Tom Barrack’s visit to Israel.

“Barrack clearly acknowledged that he could not get … [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu to acknowledge that Lebanon had started implementing this ambitious and long-awaited initiative, and he was unable to extract any concessions that Israel would withdraw from the five [Lebanese] hilltops it continues to occupy.”

A long controversy

Hezbollah, a Lebanese group that formed during the Lebanese civil war (1975 – 1990) to oppose Israeli occupation, has been the strongest political and military actor in Lebanon in the post-civil war period.

But Hezbollah’s weapons have long been controversial in Lebanon, with many critics welcoming the government decision in August to bring them under state control, made despite Israel’s ongoing attacks and ceasefire violations.

Israel killed more than 4,000 people in its war on Lebanon, mostly civilians, and displaced more than a million people. It razed dozens of villages to the ground and invaded, and still refuses to withdraw from at least five points on Lebanese territory.

The ostensible ceasefire that was reached on November 27, 2024, has not stopped Israel from striking Lebanon almost daily, killing more than 100 civilians and preventing thousands of displaced people from returning to their villages in the south.

Shepherds and farmers have been killed while tending to their animals and land, while efforts at reconstruction have also come under Israeli attack. Hezbollah has only responded to Israeli attacks once.

The group and its supporters and allies – including cabinet ministers – responded angrily to the government.

“There is no state or government in the world that confronts the resistance in its own territory while the enemy is still there occupying the land and carrying out aggressions against Lebanon daily,” Hezbollah Political Council Deputy Chief Mahmoud Komati told Al Jazeera Mubasher in August.

In the past, Hezbollah could have collapsed a government for such a decision, but it does not have the same political sway it held before last year’s war.

It is weakened after Israel’s war on Lebanon killed a swath of its leadership, destroyed much of its military infrastructure, and cut off its smuggling routes from Iran, the group’s main benefactor. The fall of its key ally, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in December added to its woes.

‘Israel hellbent on attacking Lebanon’

Israel’s attacks continue despite the LAF’s disarmament efforts. In fact, during a cabinet meeting on November 6, LAF Commander Rodolph Haykal proposed suspending disarmament efforts if the attacks continue, citing how badly they disrupt the army’s efforts.

“Israeli maximalism today provides fodder to the arguments of Hezbollah hardliners who argue that whatever concessions Lebanon makes, Israel is hellbent on continuing its attacks on Lebanon because it has territorial ambitions,” Bitar said, adding that international actors like France, the Vatican – with the Pope visiting Lebanon soon, and Saudi Arabia could apply needed pressure on Israel.

The government will need “more international support and far more structural power to make disarmament work,” Karim Safieddine, a Lebanese political writer and doctoral student in sociology at Pittsburgh University, told Al Jazeera.

“The domestic arena is a bit paralysed,” he added.

In a televised speech on November 11, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the Lebanese government was giving in to pressure from the Israelis and the US without any concessions in return.

“Today, the matter is no longer merely about weapons; it has become a pretext for targeting capabilities and funds, and afterwards, they will claim the problem lies in the very existence of the Resistance – such pretexts will never end,” Qassem said in his speech.

He added that Israel’s northern settlements along the Lebanese border are not under threat from Hezbollah. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from their homes in the north due to Hezbollah attacks, but those attacks stopped with the ceasefire last November.

Will there be war?

Reports in Israeli and Lebanese media suggest Israel may launch a wider war, similar to last year’s. US envoy Barrack has also warned Lebanon that Israel may choose to attack if Hezbollah does not disarm.

But analysts are sceptical, saying a variety of issues, including a lack of attainable goals and military fatigue from the prolonged war on Gaza, may deter such a war, even if Netanyahu wants one.

“There are no more real targets; they’ve hit the ones they have,” Lebanese political analyst Rabih Dandachli told Al Jazeera.

“They hit the entire leadership, they stopped the main smuggling, they’re working on [Hezbollah’s] financing with the Americans, so if there is war, it is costly and useless.”

Qassem Kassir, a Lebanese political analyst believed to be close to Hezbollah, said, “Israel is exploiting the issue of disarmament to justify aggression.”

When asked if Hezbollah may respond to Israeli attacks, Kassir said: “Anything is possible. Sheikh Naim Qassem says … everything has its limits in the face of Israeli aggression.”

However, there are also domestic political considerations in Israel that could dictate whether another war is on the cards, analysts said.

Bitar pointed out that attacking Iran’s allies in the region, including Hezbollah, is politically popular in Israel and that legislative elections are approaching in 2026.

Neurologists Link Dementia To Heart Health, Physical Inactivity, Others

By in News, Nigeria News

A study by neurologists at the Institute of Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has linked heart health, lack of physical activity, diabetes, and hypertension to dementia in elderly people. 

The study sought to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of neurobiology and mechanisms of vascular brain disorders in a population of African ancestry.

Over the last three years, the project enrolled and followed 1,000 adults aged 50 and above living in the Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

It found high levels of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, and widespread use of non-prescription medicines among participants, with about 14 per cent of the individuals showing signs of memory decline.

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A professor of Geriatric Neurology, Rufus Akinyemi, who led the study, noted that memory function was worse in women than in men, affecting the older population more than the young.

“Physically fit People have better memory functions. We also found that people who had diabetes, hypertension, and people who are socially isolated had poorer memory functions, as well as those on non-prescription medicines,” Akinyemi said.

“Traditional findings also revealed that memory function was worse in women than in men and in older individuals than in younger individuals,” he added.
Dementia is a syndrome characterised by a general decline in cognitive abilities, such as memory, thinking, and reasoning, to the point that it interferes with daily life.

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Lorraine Kelly’s three-word warning to Adam Peaty as he ‘ditches family for fame’

By in Entertainment News, News

Lorraine Kelly has waded in on Adam Peaty’s rumoured feud with his family after it emerged his mum has been uninvited to his upcoming wedding to Holly Ramsay

Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor

Lorraine Kelly has urged Adam Peaty to end his feud with his mother. The six-time Olympian is said to be locked in a bitter feud with his doting mother, Caroline, ahead of his wedding.

The Team GB star, 30, will marry Gordon Ramsay’s daughter, Holly, in just a few weeks, but his family will no longer be by his side. Over the weekend, it became evident that Caroline, who was the driving force behind Adam’s Olympic success, was noticeably absent from Holly’s hen party at Soho Farmhouse.

Her mother, Tana and Victoria Beckham had attended, but sources close to Adam’s mum claimed that he now believes that his working-class family are “not good enough” for his new showbiz circle, and Caroline wasn’t invited as she “might have stuck out a bit”.

Now, TV star Lorraine Kelly has shared her verdict on the situation on her ITV programme. She told entertainment reporter, Rishi Davda: “It’s sad. And they’re saying she [Caroline] might not be going to the wedding, Adam’s mum?”

Looking directly down the camera, the Scottish broadcaster issued a plea, saying: “Adam, if you’re watching, pick up the phone to your mum. You and your mum have to sit down and work that out.

“You cannot, I don’t think, you’ll regret it if you get married and your mum’s not there. Just saying.” Sources close to Caroline have now claimed that Adam, who gained a new fanbase during his time on Strictly Come Dancing, has “changed” since meeting Holly, who counts the Beckham’s as family friends.

Despite his working-class upbringing in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, they believe he has now “changed”. They told the Daily Mail: “She’s from a celebrity world and his parents are not, and his ego and self-importance has just got bigger. He’s not the lovely boy next door that we all remember him as.

“Adam has changed, and he is almost a bully. He has been so horrible to his mum, and he is now trying to exclude her from his life. She is worried sick about all this and can’t believe it is happening.” The source went on to claim that Holly had “triggered” the fallout, citing: “The power of the rich and famous.”

A source claimed of Caroline: “She doesn’t fit the celebrity mold and she doesn’t look like them and dress like them.” Caroline herself has alluded to the feud on social media.

On her Instagram page, she shared a cryptic quote, reading: “When you love someone, you protect them from the pain, you don’t become the cause of it.” She also shared: “Crying is a way your eyes speak when your mouth can’t explain how broken your heart is.”

Louise Williams, Caroline’s sister and Adam’s aunt, also took aim on her social media page, claiming Holly was “divisive and hurtful”. She said: “@hollyramsayy I’m so glad that you had a great hen do. As a bride, you deserve that. However, as a person you were divisive and hurtful towards a woman, who I have loved and continue to love deeply.

“A woman who opened her home and heart to you. You decided, for whatever reason, not to invite her, your prospective mother-in-law to your hen night yet Adam invited his father-in-law, your dad, to his stag night.” Louise added: “You invited your mum (quite rightly) and even your mum’s assistant, your sisters, your friends, my niece, but not my sister, your future mother-in-law.

“I have also seen messages passing between her and Adam about this and other matters and, quite frankly, I expected better of you and definitely of Adam. You have inflicted a hurt on my sister that will take a very long time to heal if ever.”

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