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Melania Trump wanted to send full-length mirrors to African children, book says

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  • Melania Trump wanted to send mirrors to children she met in Malawi, former aide Stephanie Grisham writes.

  • Grisham said children asked the Americans to take photos of them because they didn’t know what they looked like.

  • “Children need to know what they look like and see that they are very strong or very beautiful,” Grisham quotes her as saying.

Former First Lady Melania Trump wanted to send full-length mirrors to children she met in Malawi so they could “see that they are very strong or very beautiful,” her former top aide Stephanie Grisham writes in her forthcoming tell-all memoir.

Grisham, serving as Melania’s communications director at the time, recounted her October 2018 trip to Africa, the first lady’s first solo trip abroad, and how moved she was by their visit to the small East African country of Malawi.

While touring the Chipala Primary School, Grisham wrote that the first lady’s entourage was “surprised” that children at the school asked their American visitors to take photos of them on their phones “so they could see what they looked like.”

“As soon as we returned to the United States, she wanted us to send full-length mirrors to the school,” Grisham continued, quoting Melania as saying, “We need to send the school mirrors. Children need to know what they look like and see that they are very strong or very beautiful.”

Grisham wrote that while Melania was “insistent” on it, the request was shot down by the former first lady’s then-chief of staff Lindsay Reynolds, who said, in Grisham’s recounting, that the White House counsel’s office had determined sending the mirrors would be “a liability.”

“Only my opinion of course, but I never really believed that to be true, though, because on more than one occasion Lindsay shared with me that she thought it would be a PR nightmare, a model sending African children mirrors,” Grisham wrote. “Everyone in that White House thought they were an expert in communications; it was the story of my life.”

In the memoir, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now,” due for release on October 5 and obtained by Insider ahead of publication, Grisham reveals new anecdotes about former President Donald Trump and the former first lady. She describes an overall toxic and dysfunctional environment in the White House.

Grisham was one of the few close confidantes of the notoriously private Melania, who pursued a few initiatives as first lady but didn’t seek the limelight. Grisham wrote that she was nicknamed “Rapunzel” by the Secret Service and was largely checked out of the action by the end of her husband’s term.

Spokespeople for Melania have publicly denounced her former top aide in personal terms, calling her a disgruntled former employee seeking a payday.

“The author is desperately trying to rehabilitate her tarnished reputation by manipulating and distorting the truth about Mrs. Trump,” Melania’s office said in a Monday statement. “Ms. Grisham is a deceitful and troubled individual who doesn’t deserve anyone’s trust.”

The former first lady’s office previously called blasted Grisham’s memoir as “an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House,” accusing Grisham of “seeking to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump.”

Grisham told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday that she “expected” the attacks on her credibility but has the “receipts” to back up her claims.

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Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso agree to create a joint force to fight worsening violence

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BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A joint security force announced by the juntas ruling Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to fight the worsening extremist violence in their Sahel region countries faces a number of challenges that cast doubt on its effectiveness, analysts said Thursday.

Niger’s top military chief, Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou said in a statement after meeting with his counterparts Wednesday that the joint force would be “operational as soon as possible to meet the security challenges in our area.”

The announcement is the latest in a series of actions taken by the three countries to strike a more independent path away from regional and international allies since the region experienced a string of coups — the most recent in Niger in July last year.

They have already formed a security alliance after severing military ties with neighbors and European nations such as France and turning to Russia — already present in parts of the Sahel — for support.

Barmou did not give details about the operation of the force, which he referred to as an “operational concept that will enable us to achieve our defence and security objectives.”

Although the militaries had promised to end the insurgencies in their territories after deposing their respective elected governments, conflict analysts say the violence has instead worsened under their regimes. They all share borders in the conflict-hit Sahel region and their security forces fighting jihadi violence are overstretched.

The effectiveness of their security alliance would depend not just on their resources but on external support, said Bedr Issa, an independent analyst who researches the conflict in the Sahel.

The three regimes are also “very fragile,” James Barnett, a researcher specializing in West Africa at the U.S.-based Hudson Institute, said, raising doubts about their capacity to work together.

“They’ve come to power through coups, they are likely facing a high risk of coups themselves, so it is hard to build a stable security framework when the foundation of each individual regime is shaky,” said Barnett.

—-

Associated Press writer Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria contributed.

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Mexican Authorities say they saw a huge increase in migrants from Africa and Venezuela in 2023

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Mexican authorities say they saw a huge increase in the number of migrants from Africa and Venezuela entering the country in 2023.

Those migrants generally enter Mexico from Central America, and cross the country in a bid to reach the U.S. border.

Mexico’s Interior Department said year-end figures showed that nine times more migrants from Africa entered Mexico in 2023, with numbers rising from 6,672 in 2022, to 59,834 in 2023.

The report also showed the number of migrants from Venezuela more than doubled last year, rising from 96,197 in 2022 to 222,994 in 2023.

In part, that may reflect more rapid and more numerous movements of migrants through the jungle-clad Darien Gap that connects South America to Panama.

Smugglers are moving migrants more quickly through the dangerous route, which last year was traversed by over half a million migrants. Once in Panama, migrants make their way through Central America to Mexico.

Overall, the number of all irregular migrants found in Mexico in 2023 rose by 77%, going from 441,409 in 2022 to 782,176 last year.

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Nigeria vs South Africa: AFCON prediction, kick-off time, TV, and live stream

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A meeting of two imperious defences will decide the first entrant to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final when South Africa and Nigeria meet on Wednesday.

The Super Eagles have conceded just one goal at this AFCON and dispatched Angola in a tight game to qualify for the semi-finals.

But Bafana Bafana matched their run of four consecutive clean sheets as goalkeeper Ronwen Williams delivered the heroics in their penalty shootout win over Cape Verde.

Only once since their last Cup of Nations title, which came just over a decade ago, have Nigeria reached the last four – and they have lost five of their last six AFCON semi-finals.

South Africa’s wait stretches back even further, with no title since 1996 and this their first run to the last four since 2000.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Nigeria vs South Africa is scheduled for a 5pm GMT kick-off on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.

The match will take place at Stade de la Paix in Bouake.

Where to watch Nigeria vs South Africa

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BBC Two, with coverage starting at 4.30pm GMT, as well as Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.

Live stream: Sky subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app while the game will also be shown for free via the BBC Sport and iPlayer portals.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.

What we know

♦ Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen was taken off late on against Angola with an abdominal injury and he did not join the rest of the squad in flying out to Bouake on Monday evening.

A team statement assured that he could yet be released to travel on Tuesday if he passes medical checks.

Hugo Broos has a settled line-up for South Africa, with the defence entirely made up of Mamelodi Sundowns players.

However, after failing to score against Cape Verde he could tinker with the attack.

♦ Both teams have been outstanding defensively throughout the tournament and it feels as though a single goal will prove the difference in this game.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong scored an 89th-minute winner when Nigeria knocked Bafana Bafana out of the 2019 Cup of Nations quarter-finals, which was these two sides’ last meeting.

Nigeria wins: 7

South Africa wins: 2

Draws: 5

Nigeria vs South Africa match odds

Nigeria to qualify: 1/2

South Africa to qualify: 7/1

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