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If there’s one thing you should pick up this holiday season, it’s a robot vacuum.

Three West African nations led by military juntas met this week to strengthen a newly formed alliance described by some analysts on Friday as an attempt to legitimize their military governments amid coup-related sanctions and strained relations with neighbors. In his first foreign trip since the July coup that brought him into power, Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani held separate meetings Thursday with his Mali and Burkina Faso counterparts. During their meetings, the leaders pledged security and political collaborations under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a partnership the three countries announced in September as a measure to help fight the extremist violence they each struggle with and across the Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert. The alliance provides a “path of sovereignty” for the countries and for their citizens, Gen. Tchiani told reporters after his meeting with Malian leader Col. Assimi Goita. “Through this alliance, the peoples of the Sahel affirm that … nothing will prevent them from the objective of making this area of ​​the Sahel, not an area of ​​insecurity, but an area of ​​prosperity,” Tchiani said. In reality, though, the partnership "is in part an effort to entrench and legitimize (their) military governments” more than to tackle the violent extremism which they have limited capacity to fight, said Nate Allen, an associate professor at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. The violence across the Sahel has contributed to a recent surge of coups in the region and militaries that claimed they took over power to help tackle their country's security challenges have struggled to do so. On Thursday, Gen. Tchiani partly blamed the violence on foreign powers, repeating claims his government has often made against France — which had been influential in the three countries before being forced out after their militaries took over — and against West Africa’s regional bloc of ECOWAS, which has heavily sanctioned Niger as a measure to reverse the surge of coups in the region. The new partnership also offers the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger an opportunity "to say, ‘we are not internationally isolated and we actually have partners that share our ideology and philosophy’,” said James Barnett, a researcher specializing in West Africa at the U.S.-based Hudson Institute. Some analysts, however, believe that by pooling their resources together, those countries are able to reduce individual reliance on foreign countries and tackle the security challenge with one front. “The merit of this new alliance, despite its limited means and capabilities, lies in its initiation by concerned members," said Bedr Issa, an independent analyst who researches the conflict in the Sahel. "Its long-term success depends both on the resources that member countries can mobilize and the support that Africans and the broader international community could provide,” he added. In the Malian capital of Bamako, 35-year-old Aissata Sanogo expressed hope that such a partnership could be useful. “It’s important that we take charge of our own security,” said Sanogo. “That’s what I’m expecting from this alliance.” ____ Associated Press journalist Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali, contributed to this report. ____ Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa Read More Victims in Niagara Falls border bridge crash identified as Western New York couple Mexico's arrest of cartel security boss who attacked army families' complex was likely personal Argentina and Brazil charged by FIFA after fan violence delays World Cup qualifying game at Maracana Germany's economy shrank, and it's facing a spending crisis that's spreading more gloom NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week Putin to boost AI work in Russia to fight a Western monopoly he says is 'unacceptable and dangerous'

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It's the question on every wrestling fan's lips: Will CM Punk join WWE and show up at Survivor Series? The always controversial CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, was fired from All Elite Wrestling in September following a backstage fight with Jack Perry during the All In show at Wembley Stadium. His surprise departure from the company sent shockwaves through the wrestling world with speculation immediately rife that Punk will join AEW's rival and his former employer WWE. Punk hasn't worked for WWE since 2014 when he unceremoniously quit and didn't step foot in a wrestling ring for another eight years, with the man himself being on record about his dislike of the company and those in charge. Now that Punk is effectively a free agent again and with Survivor Series taking place in his hometown of Chicago, speculation is understandably rife amongst WWE fans. So, what's going to happen? Will CM Punk be at Survivor Series? To put it bluntly, it is highly unlikely. Early reports suggested that WWE had no intention of signing Punk at this stage but neither a yes or no answer had been given. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer appeared to back up a previous report from Fightful which stated that Punk will not be at the show. Meltzer wrote: "If WWE was to bring in Punk, this night or Smackdown the night before would be the place to debut him. We’ve seen no evidence this is happening and those close to the situation have denied it, but it is possible it’s a well-kept secret.” Meltzer added: “From the start we were told that while there is negativity about Punk, they are not completely opposed to it if the idea is it’s something they have to do in regard to fan response. "While every creative head has their plan, this creative side is not looking at being combative with the audience like Vince McMahon often was." What if he is at Survivor Series? CM Punk references have been dropped on both WWE and AEW television in recent months but those should possibly be considered as sneak winks and nods to knowing viewers rather than concrete evidence he has signed. One possibility for Punk to be at the show has already been eradicated after the babyface team in the men's WarGames match announced that the returning Randy Orton will be their fifth man. Many felt this was announced early to shut down any expectation that Punk would be in the match Meanwhile, Shinsuke Nakamura has been teasing a match with a mystery opponent and has used Punk's GTS finisher on television in recent weeks. Nakamura does not have a match scheduled for the show but surprise bouts have been added on the night of shows before so it wouldn't be a shock if it were to happen. Whether Punk would be his opponent though remains a doubt. What have WWE Superstars and staff said about a CM Punk return? Punk is one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in all of wrestling. His critical comments in September 2022 about top AEW talent like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and 'Hangman' Adam Page soured him with many hardcore fans of that company. He also left WWE in 2014 with seemingly all his bridges burnt and some of the talent there still appear to hold grudges against Punk. Earlier this year Seth Rollins called Punk a 'cancer' and told him to stay away from WWE. Current WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns also hinted at a dislike of Punk. In a September 2020 interview with Complex Reigns suggested that he didn't like Punk but would be willing to work with him again if it was best for business. With all this in mind, little is still known about Punk's employment status and if he actually wants to return to wrestling (he has been backstage at WWE and TNA shows in the past year) and even if WWE wants him. In terms of Survivor Series, unless something dramatic happens and the card is swiftly changed in the next 24 hours, fans should temper their expectations about seeing him at the show.

ROME The European Commission said on Friday it had given a positive assessment of Italy's proposals to revise

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