Author: Editor

ONE by one, the satellites – each of them encrusted with a hodge-podge of solar panels and other gizmos – detached from their mothership. They had blasted off from Earth just an hour earlier, on 16 August. The 116 satellites onboard the launch vehicle were mostly designed and built by Western nations and businesses – but one of them was different. It was the first such spacecraft ever developed by the African country of Senegal. A small CubeSat called GaindeSAT-1A, it will provide earth observation and telecommunications services. Senegal’s president called it a big step towards “technological sovereignty”. The cost…

THE United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon says Israeli tanks have forced entry at one of its positions, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN to evacuate its troops from the area. The incident is the latest in a series of violations and attacks by Israeli forces on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in recent days and comes as Israel expands its bombardment and ground attacks on Lebanon. UNIFIL said in a statement on Sunday that two Israeli tanks “destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the position”. Soon after the tanks left,…

A SENIOR Muslim politician in India’s financial capital Mumbai has been shot dead weeks before a key state election, with police probing the role of a notorious crime gang. Baba Siddique, 66, a three-time legislator and former minister in Maharashtra state, was shot multiple times outside the office of his son, also a legislator, in Mumbai on Saturday night, police said in a statement. He later succumbed to his wounds at the city’s Lilavati Hospital. Siddique was associated with the main opposition Congress party for decades but had recently joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – a regional party that…

THE Sudanese military has carried out an air strike on a marketplace in the capital Khartoum, killing at least 23 people, says a local network of volunteer rescuers. More than 40 others were said to be wounded, the Southern Belt emergency room said on Sunday in a post on Facebook. “Some of them are in critical condition. This is the result of the military air bombing of Khartoum central market yesterday [Saturday] afternoon,” it said, quoting witnesses at the market area. The market is near one of the main camps in the Sudanese capital where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces…

THE first black central bank governor of South Africa, who later went on to become finance minister, has died at the age of 65. Tito Mboweni had suffered a “short illness”, the presidency confirmed on Saturday evening, without specifying further. “We have lost a leader and compatriot who has served our nation as an activist, economic policy innovator and champion of labour rights,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said. Mbwoeni’s family said they were “devastated” and that he had died in a hospital in Johannesburg “surrounded by his loved ones”. A former anti-apartheid activist, Mboweni spent almost a decade in exile in…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored as Portugal beat Poland 3-1 for their third straight Nations League win on Saturday, while European champions Spain put an end to Denmark’s perfect start in the competition. Bernardo Silva volleyed Portugal ahead in the 26th minute in Warsaw as Bruno Fernandes cleverly nodded a cross from Ruben Neves back towards the Manchester City midfielder. Ronaldo then found himself in the right place at the right time to turn in the rebound for Portugal’s second after Rafael Leao’s shot came back off the post following a brilliant surging run by the AC Milan winger. The 39-year-old Ronaldo…

AT least 22 people, including women and children, have been killed in an Israeli attack on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza as Israeli forces press on with their ground assault in the area. As the death toll mounted on Saturday, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza with instructions for residents near Jabalia to evacuate to the south of the enclave. The Israel military launched a deadly offensive in the Jabalia area a week ago which it claims is aimed at stopping Palestinian group Hamas from regrouping. The attacks have trapped thousands of Palestinian civilians, international…

THE powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned Saturday that Seoul would face a “horrible disaster” if unmanned drones reached Pyongyang again, a day after accusing the South of launching such aircraft at the capital. North Korea on Friday said the South had sent drones carrying propaganda leaflets into Pyongyang’s airspace on October 3, and then again on Wednesday and Thursday this week. South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun initially denied the claim, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff later amended that position, saying in a statement that they “cannot confirm whether the North Korean allegations are…

KENYA has appealed for urgent financial support from the international community to sustain a police deployment in Haiti, which has been extended by a year. The multinational security mission, which began in June, is helping fight gangs controlling much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and nearby areas. More than 3,600 people have been killed in the country since January, including over 100 children, while more than 500,000 Haitians have been forced from their homes, the UN said. “We are asking the international community to match their commitment and their pledges with the necessary action for us to be able to complete…

US official advice against non-essential travel to Rwanda in light of the outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus is “not fair”, Africa’s top health official Jean Kaseya has said. The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) added that it was “not the treatment Rwanda and Africa deserve”. In just two weeks, Rwanda has recorded 13 deaths from the disease – most of them among healthcare workers, according to a statement from the country’s health minister. But the outbreak is under control, the authorities say. Nevertheless, those on the front line of dealing with its…

SUPER Eagles interim head coach, Austin Eguavoen, has offered insights into Victor Boniface’s current form, emphasising the striker’s potential while acknowledging his challenges in front of goal for the national team. Speaking after Nigeria’s narrow 1-0 victory over Libya in their AFCON 2025 qualifier, Eguavoen said, “You know, Boniface is a clinical striker, clinical finisher, but he is struggling in national colours. You see, sometimes these chances don’t come.” Eguavoen noted that decision-making in key moments has been a factor for the young forward. “I remember in Rwanda, today also, when you get half a chance, likes like Romario, they…

COMOROS shocked Tunisia 1-0 on Friday to end a run of 16 consecutive home victories by the Carthage Eagles in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. Premier League sharpshooters Mohamed Salah and Bryan Mbeumo struck key goals, South Africa hit a record-equalling five and Nigeria snatched a late win in other matches. French second-tier league forward Rafiki Said scored midway through the second half in Rades to lift Comoros to second in Group A, one point behind former champions Tunisia. Comoros, a tiny island nation off the south-east coast of Africa, have a habit of causing upsets, most notably when beating…

THE United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon confirms that its headquarters in Naqoura was hit by explosions for the second time in 48 hours, a day after Israeli forces struck the same position. Two peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower, the UN mission said in a statement on Friday. “This is a serious development, and UNIFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times,” it added.…

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has met Iran’s new president as concerns grow over escalating attacks between Israel and Iran along with its network of aligned armed groups. Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the situation in the Middle East on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Turkmenistan on Friday, Russian state media reported. They met before their two countries are expected to sign a strategic partnership agreement. Pezeshkian said on Friday that he hoped the agreement could be finalised at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit, which Putin invited him to, in Russia on…

THE Cameroonian authorities have banned the media from discussing the health of President Paul Biya, following rumours of his death. Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji told regional governors that these stories “disturb the tranquillity of Cameroonians”. “Any debate in the media about the president’s condition is therefore strictly prohibited,” he insisted, threatening that “offenders will face the rigour of the law.” The 91-year-old leader – in office for more than four decades – has not been seen in public since 8 September, when he attended a China-Africa forum in Beijing. Several officials have pushed back against speculation around Biya’s condition,…

SOUTH African prosecutors say they will not pursue criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa in relation to the controversial farm theft scandal that nearly brought down the president two years ago. A former spy chief laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, accusing him of committing irregularities in trying to hide the theft of $4m (£3.25m) in cash at his game farm in the north-eastern Limpopo province. The president denied any wrongdoing, saying that the money stolen from his sofa in 2020 came from the legitimate sale of buffaloes at his Phala Phala farm. The decision not to bring any charges…

BUKAYO Saka suffered an injury to his right leg during England’s 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley on Thursday. The Arsenal forward was replaced in the 51st minute by Chelsea winger Noni Madueke. Saka, 23, was seen stretching and holding the back of his right leg before eventually sitting on the turf after Greece opened the scoring through Vangelis Pavlidis. England interim head coach Lee Carsley said: “He’s being assessed. Obviously in the build-up to the first goal, you can see he felt something in his leg.” The Three Lions were without injured duo Harry Kane and Jack Grealish for…

THE Palestinian Red Crescent said an Israeli air strike on a Gaza school killed at least 28 people Thursday, while the Israeli military reported it struck a Hamas command centre. “Palestine Red Crescent teams responded to 28 fatalities and 54 injuries following the Israeli occupation army’s targeting of Rafida School,” the organisation said, referring to a school in Deir el-Balah. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry issued the same death toll in a statement. The Israeli army said in a statement the strike targeted Palestinian combatants operating from a command-and-control centre “embedded inside a compound that previously served as the (Rafida) School”.…

CATHERINE, Princess of Wales and Prince William on Thursday made their first joint public engagement since she ended a course of chemotherapy for cancer, Kensington Palace announced. The couple visited Southport in northwest England, “to show support to the community and hear how local people have come together as the town recovers” from a July knife attack that killed three children, the palace said. The princess, better kalso known as Kate, and William met members of the emergency services who attended after the stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, which also left eight children and two adults wounded.…

AWAY from the bustling corridors of Bahri Hospital, the only functioning hospital left in Sudan’s city of Khartoum North, Alsuna Issa sits perched on the edge of a small cot next to her toddler son in a patient room. The young boy, Jaber, dressed in distressed jeans and a Spiderman t-shirt that grazes his enlarged belly, is malnourished. Under the whirring fans of the hospital, patients in similar situations wait their turn, hoping to be attended to in a country reeling from more than 18 months of fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The hospital…