ISRAEL’s Mossad spy chief and the CIA director have attended talks in the Qatari capital, Doha – the first high-level talks since ceasefire efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza broke down in August. David Barnea and William Burns were joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in efforts to revive talks after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar on October 16. Families of Israeli captives have also built pressure on the Israeli government to sign a deal to secure the release of their relatives. Nearly 100 captives still remain in Gaza…
Author: Editor
Read More
HIS Majesty King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, and His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, signed, Monday at the Royal Office in Rabat, the Declaration on “the reinforced exceptional partnership” between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic, aimed at enabling the two countries to better address shared challenges by mobilizing all relevant sectors of bilateral, regional and international cooperation. See below the full text of this Declaration: “1. His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, and Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic,…
A LEADING member of Malawi’s opposition has been charged with plotting to kill the country’s President, Lazarus Chakwera. Patricia Kaliati, Secretary-General of the UTM party, was arrested last week on suspicion of “conspiring with others to commit a serious offence”. Appearing on Monday at a court in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, the 57-year-old did not speak. But her lawyer argued that the politician maintained her innocence, local media reports. Few details of the alleged plot have been shared and various opposition figures claim the charges against Kaliati are politically motivated. UTM supporters gathered outside the court and sang anti-government songs ahead…
AN attack by the jihadist group Boko Haram killed around 40 Chadian troops overnight near the Nigerian border, prompting an army operation to hunt down the militants, the government and local sources said on Monday. Members of Boko Haram targeted a garrison housing more than 200 Chadian soldiers late Sunday in the Lake Chad region, an area plagued by various armed groups, local sources told AFP. The presidency said in a statement that the attack struck near Ngouboua in the west of the country, “tragically leaving about 40 people dead”.Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno visited the scene early on…
FINALLY, Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag following the club’s poor start to the season. Ten Hag’s final game was Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by West Ham that left the club 14th in the Premier League with just three wins from their opening nine matches. United are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League table, having drawn their three opening fixtures. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined the club as Ten Hag’s assistant last summer, has been named as interim manager. The club said Van Nistelrooy would be in charge “while a permanent head coach is recruited”. Ten…
MOHAMED Salah struck nine minutes from time as Liverpool twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday. A point leaves Arsenal five points adrift of leaders Manchester City and four behind second-placed Liverpool. Liverpool began the weekend on top after winning 11 of their opening 12 games in all competitions under Arne Slot. But a draw sees the Reds fall one point behind Manchester City at the top of the table, with Arsenal now five points adrift of the leaders in third. Bukayo Saka recovered from a hamstring injury to start for Arsenal…
ISRAELI protesters have interrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech during a memorial to remember the victims of the October 7 attack as the Gaza ceasefire talks restarted in Doha, Qatar. Netanyahu stood motionless at a podium during the ceremony on Sunday as audience members in the crowd shouted, interrupting him for more than a minute, according to a live broadcast of the speech. Some people shouted “Shame on you” and made a commotion, forcing Netanyahu to stop his speech shortly after it began. One of the protesters repeatedly shouted, “My father was killed”. According to a Times of Israel…
CHINA has slammed the latest round of United States arms sales to Taiwan, vowing to take “all necessary measures” to assert its sovereignty over the self-ruled island it claims as its own. The US State Department on Friday approved a $2bn arms sale package for Taiwan, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar as part of its efforts to counter China’s growing military power in the Asia Pacific. The administration of US President Joe Biden has made countering China’s increasing military and economic “assertiveness” in the region a key pillar of its foreign policy. It has also sought to shore…
A SENIOR UN official in Sudan says she is deeply troubled by reports of “atrocious crimes” in the central Gezira state, including the mass killing of civilians by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Clementine Nkweta-Salami’s comments came after an activist group said that at least 124 people were killed by the RSF in attacks on villages over the past week. The RSF has denied targeting civilians, saying its fighters are clashing with militias armed by the military. The 18-month conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million. Gezira state turned into…
PROMINENT Kenyan human rights activist Boniface Mwangi has been detained by police on charges of inciting violence after six masked individuals forcibly took him from his home, his wife has told the BBC. His detention comes after he called for an anti-government protest at a marathon in the capital, Nairobi, on Sunday. Police spokesperson Resila Onyango confirmed to local media that Mr Mwangi was in custody, but did not provide further details. Mr Mwangi’s detention has caused outrage among his supporters, who are demanding his release. Mr Mwangi had been rallying people on X (formerly Twitter) to demand the resignation…
– Commends UNICEF, Imo Govt For Partnership THE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on state governments in the South-east and South-south geopolitical zones in the country to jointly tackle the security challenges in their states. Arising from a two-day conference with the theme ‘’The Media as Partners in Regional Development’’ held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, weekend, the conference in a communique signed by NGE President, Eze Anaba and the General Secretary, Dr Iyobosa Uwugiaren, also tasked editors to play down on dissemination of information and messages of identified self-seeking groups in the zones promoting insecurity and…
ROBERT Lewandowski struck twice as Barcelona crushed rivals Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday, inflicting the Spanish champions’ first La Liga defeat in over a year. Teenage winger Lamine Yamal and Raphinha completed the rout, while Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe had two goals ruled out for offside on a frustrating first Clasico appearance for Los Blancos, who now trail league leaders Barcelona by six points. France captain Mbappe was consistently outwitted by the visitors’ high defensive line to the chagrin of the exasperated Santiago Bernabeu crowd, whose mood darkened as Barcelona hit four second half goals. Barcelona snapped Madrid’s 42-match unbeaten…
ISRAELI forces have withdrawn from Kamal Adwan Hospital after detaining dozens of medics and some patients, and causing widespread damage to one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said. The medical facility is in disarray after it was raided and shelled amid Israel’s three-week offensive in the north, with a top Gaza Health Ministry official urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to evacuate the wounded from the hospital considered a lifeline for people in northern Gaza. “The smell of death has spread around the hospital,” Marwan al-Hams, director of field…
THE Prince of Wales says “inspiration and guidance” from his mother, Diana, has been a driving force behind his personal commitment to tackle homelessness. In a forthcoming ITV documentary, Prince William talks about the profound impact of visits he made to The Passage homelessness shelter with his mother when he was a child – and how it helped him see “outside the palace walls”. The prince admits he sometimes feels guilty about not being able to do more – and wants to share with his own children a sense of empathy for those facing hardship. “When I was very small,…
AT least 50 people have been killed in a single attack by Sudanese paramilitaries who have besieged and raided villages in al-Jazira state, activists said. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been at war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023 but have in recent days intensified their violence against civilians in al-Jazira, south of the capital Khartoum, after their commander in the state defected to the army. “The villages of al-Sariha and Azraq have been under attack” since Friday morning, the resistance committee in Hasaheisa, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating aid in Sudan, said in a…
BOTSWANA’s governing party – in power for almost six decades – is trying to pull off a trick in Wednesday’s general election by using a phrase normally associated with long-suffering opposition groups. In its manifesto, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is calling for “change”. “Let’s change together and build prosperity for all,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi – in charge of the country since 2018 – writes in the introduction. It is an acknowledgement that things need to be done differently – the opposition argues that the president’s party is not in a position to do that. Though analysts say the outcome…
ERIK ten Hag has blamed Manchester United’s lengthy injury list for the wretched run that has left the beleaguered boss fighting to save his job. The Dutchman presided over United’s worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1989/90, though last week’s win against Brentford eased the pressure. United are languishing in 12th place in the Premier League as they head to West Ham on Sunday for a match Ten Hag cannot afford to lose. After escaping with a 1-1 draw from Thursday’s Europa League trip to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, United have now won just once in their past seven games…
THE Israeli army has carried out strikes on military targets in Iran in response to what it said were months of attacks by “Iran and its proxies” in the region. Also, Iran’s military confirmed that Israeli strikes targeted military bases in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran, and had caused “limited damage”. Israel had vowed to hit back at Iran following its October 1 missile attack, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying the response would be “deadly, precise and surprising”. Israel has been fighting Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza since the deadliest attack in its history on October 7, 2023,…
ELON Musk, the world’s richest man and an avid supporter of Donald Trump, was plunged into new controversy on Friday after a report that he is in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Wall Street Journal story, which has been denied by the Kremlin, comes days after the US Justice Department sent a letter to Musk’s America PAC warning that its $1 million giveaways to registered voters may violate federal law. Musk, 53, the chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla and the owner of X, formerly Twitter, has thrown his millions, time and considerable influence into sending the…
OUTRAGE has erupted on social media after Somalia’s Family Minister Gen Bashir Mohamed Jama shared photos on X of himself and another male delegate representing Somalia at a UN meeting about women’s issues. “It is tone-deaf for the Somali government to have men on the frontline, representing women at the conference,” Fathiya Absie, a well-known Somali author and human rights activist, told the BBC. A senior civil servant has told the BBC that two women also made up Somalia’s four-member delegation to the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network event in New York, but were not included in the…