Headlines

• Suspect sent "manifesto" to family before dinner.
• This marks the third serious threat against President Donald Trump’s life. 

Apr. 26 (DPnet).– A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the annual White House Correspondents' Assn. dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, of Torrance, a coastal community in southwestern Los Angeles County. 

The event was attended by President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and all cabinet members, along with journalists, lawmakers, and public figures. The scene at the annual event in Washington turned chaotic when Allen dashed toward the dining area and was met with gunfire. The suspect fired two shots before being taken down by authorities. One officer who was wearing a bulletproof vest was shot and injured.

Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, said the suspect revealed he was targeting President Trump and other members of the Trump administration. Allen wrote a "manifesto" which stated he wanted to specifically target administration officials, according to other law enforcement and White House officials.

Authorities also found anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on the suspect's social media accounts when searcching his home, the official said. Cole Allen sent some of his writings to members of his family before the attempted attack on Saturday, and one of them alerted police about the writings.

Russian influence is replacing French influence in several Central African nations, amid the alarming growth of radical Islamist movements.

Lagos, Apr.25 (DPnet).– In Mali, West Africa, armed groups have launched one of the largest coordinated attacks seen in recent years, targeting multiple cities across the country. The rebel forces include Islamist militants linked to Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, along with Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Boko Haram terrorists affiliated with ISIL (ISIS).

The attacks have affected the capital, Bamako, as well as at least three other locations  –Sevare, Kidal and Gao– with heavy gunfire and explosions reported around government buildings and major military installations, signaling a highly organized offensive.

Randomly selected to represent the population in terms of age, gender, level of education, and place of residence, 45 citizens of Kyiv’s Obolon district are working together to develop recommendations for local authorities on how to support veterans, veteran women, and their families.

Kyiv, Apr. 20 (DPnet).– The first session of the Citizens' Assembly took place in the Obolon District on 18-19 April. This initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen local democracy during wartime, organized with the support of the Council of Europe.

The session commenced with remarks from Gunn Marit Helgesen, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (online), alongside Vitalii Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv; Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine; and Kyrylo Fesyk, Head of the Obolon District State Administration. They underscored the critical need for citizen engagement in crafting inclusive and effective local policies, especially in the vital area of supporting veterans and their families. Their collective insights highlight that an active citizen voice is essential for driving meaningful change in Ukrainian communities.

Tegucigalpa, Apr. 20 (DPnet).– For many small-scal farmers in Central America, a good harvest is never a guarantee of a good living. Many toll in their fields without the business training to turn their had work into a stable income.

That began to change through a new partnership led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) focused on strengthening farmers' organizationmal, business and financial skills – which empowerss groups to transition from subsistence farming to successful enterprises. In the department of Choluteca, in southern Honduras, hundreds of rural women have turned crops into a source of personal income, resilience, and opportunity for their families.

These stories of women producers, workers, and leaders show that women’s economic empowerment drives rural development, reduces labor vulnerability, and creates role models for future generations.