THOUSANDS of antigovernment Israeli protesters have gathered in central Tel Aviv, calling for more efforts to secure the release of captives held in Gaza. The protesters gathered outside army headquarters and other government buildings on Saturday, chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urging him to reach a deal with the Palestinian group Hamas to ensure the return of about 100 captives still held in the war-battered strip. Families of the captives who participated in Saturday’s rally said they are frustrated over the government’s failed negotiations to bring the captives home. Many blamed Netanyahu for not reaching a deal…
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ON Saturday, the US State Department said it had approved the sale of dozens of F-35 fighter jets to its NATO ally Romania, a deal worth $7.2 billion. The contract, which must still be approved by the US Congress, covers Bucharest’s purchase of 32 F-35A aircraft and related equipment, produced by the US aerospace and defence giant Lockheed Martin. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe,” a State Department statement…
THE government of South Sudan is holding an emergency cabinet meeting hours after it announced that long-delayed national elections would be postponed by two years. The polls were due to take place this December. A 2018 peace deal that ended a civil war allowed president Salva Kiir to remain in charge of a transitional government with his former foe Riek Machar serving as his deputy. South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has not held national elections since independence in 2011. The decision to postpone the vote by another two years has not come as a great surprise. The political leaders…
A MAN who attacked Comoros President Azali Assoumani with a knife and injured him slightly has been found dead in prison, the national prosecutor said Saturday, a day after the incident. “He was isolated in a cell so that he could calm down yesterday after his arrest. Investigators found his lifeless body lying on the floor this morning. A doctor declared him dead,” Ali Mohamed Djounaid told a press conference. “An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of his death,” he added. Government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamada said Saturday that 65-year-old Assoumani was at home with his family and…
ENGLAND striker Ivan Toney made his debut for Saudi club Al-Ahli as they drew 1-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. The 28-year-old joined Al-Ahli from Brentford for £40m on 31 August – and started their first game since then, playing the full 90 minutes. Among his team-mates are ex-Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez and ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Franck Kessie, once of AC Milan and Barcelona, scored the opening goal for Toney’s side with a fantastic strike from the edge of the box. But a Bassam al Hurayji own goal deep into injury time gave Al-Nassr…
UNITED Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the Security Council is an “outdated,” “unfair” and “ineffective system” whose failure to put an end to Israel’s war on Gaza has damaged the credibility of the organisation as a whole. Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic in an exclusive interview, the UN chief decried the failures of the council, which was established in the aftermath of World War II to ensure international peace and security but whose permanent members’ veto power has consistently proven to be an obstacle to that goal. The council, Guterres said, “doesn’t correspond to the world of today”. “The truth…
NORTH Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring it as he called for more centrifuges to boost his nuclear arsenal. The country, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under rafts of UN sanctions for its banned weapons programmes, has never publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facility. Such facilities produce highly enriched uranium — which is needed to produce nuclear warheads — by spinning the material in centrifuges at high speeds. Kim toured the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the “production base of…
THIRTY-SEVEN people – including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian national – have been sentenced to death over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The men were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi in May. Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, the suspected leader of the plot, was killed during the attack, along with five others. In total 51 people were tried in a military court, with hearings broadcast on national TV and radio. Malanga’s…
MOROCCO has recorded a case of mpox in the tourist city of Marrakesh, the first in North Africa since the WHO declared an international emergency last month, the Africa CDC said Friday. “Africa CDC confirms the first mpox case in North Africa for 2024, reported by Morocco’s Ministry of Health” on September 12, a statement on the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention website said. With Morocco, 15 African Union member states have reported cases — now across every region of the continent, according to Africa CDC. Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans…
CRISTIANO Ronaldo has made history by becoming the first person to reach one billion followers across his social media platforms. He expressed his gratitude to his fans, acknowledging their unwavering support throughout his career. Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al Nassr, shared a heartfelt message on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday night, emphasising that this milestone is a testament to the shared passion and love for the game between him and his supporters. With over 638 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook, and 113 million on X, 60.7 million subscribers on YouTube, and others, Ronaldo continues to break…
MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag has dismissed Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest criticism and says the outside noise around the club does not bother him. Speaking to former United team-mate Rio Ferdinand on a podcast, Ronaldo said Ten Hag had been wrong to say in a pre-season interview in the manager’s home country of the Netherlands that the club were “a long way away” from winning the Premier League for the first time since 2013. Although Ronaldo went on to say he also thought his old club could not win the championship, he felt, as manager, Ten Hag was sending out…
ISRAEL’s war on Gaza has devastated the Palestinian enclave’s economy, reducing it to less than one-sixth of its 2022 size, while there has also been a “significant downturn” in the occupied West Bank, according to a United Nations report. “Production processes have been disrupted or decimated, income sources have disappeared, poverty has intensified and expanded, neighbourhoods have been eradicated, and communities and towns have been ruined,” a report published on Thursday by the UN Trade and Development agency (UNCTAD) found. Mutasim Elagraa, who coordinates UNCTAD’s Palestinian assistance programme, said it remained unclear how much it would cost to rebuild. “But…
MALAYSIAN authorities have rescued more than 400 children suspected of being sexually and physically abused at charity homes run by a prominent business group, police said. Following coordinated raids on 20 premises across two states on Wednesday, police rescued 402 children and arrested 171 adults – including religious teachers and caretakers, according to Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain. The homes were run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), Razarudin said. Religious authorities in Selangor state on Thursday widened their investigation into GISB, which said it did not run the homes. Those rescued included 201 boys and 201 girls, aged…
THE United States called Thursday for two permanent seats on the UN Security Council to be reserved for African nations, alongside a rotating seat for small developing island nations. The proposals would transform the 15-member top body of the global organization which has been largely unchanged for decades. However the new African representatives would not wield veto power over council resolutions, unlike the current permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — said a top US administration official. “I’m announcing the United States supports three additional changes to the Security Council,” said Washington’s ambassador to the…
SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said he would sign into law a disputed education bill, prompting the first sign of real friction in his unity government when the second-biggest party said the move jeopardised the coalition deal. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson called for restraint in response to the statement from the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday, saying there was no need to threaten the stability of government over a bill. The DA entered into a coalition with Ramaphosa’s African National Congress and other smaller parties, despite strong ideological differences between them, after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority in a May election.…
CRISTIANO Ronaldo says Erik ten Hag’s attitude is too negative, urging the Manchester United manager to target the Premier League title even though the club need to “rebuild from the bottom”. The Portugal star, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, fell out with Ten Hag before his second spell at Old Trafford ended late in 2022. Ronaldo believes his former club needs sweeping changes but that Ten Hag should not rule out winning major trophies in the meantime. The Dutchman has said he is “quite confident” of claiming more silverware this campaign after lifting the League Cup…
ISRAELI strikes Wednesday killed eight Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry and Red Crescent said separately, with the Israeli military confirming air raids in two locations. The military said in a statement that its forces were engaged in a “counter-terrorism operation” in the northern West Bank’s Tubas area and later carried out a separate strike on Tulkarem, both targeted in major Israeli raids last month. In Tubas, a witness told AFP that Israeli forces were “storming the city” and the nearby town of Tamun early on Wednesday. The army reported exchanges of fire and an air…
MINUTES after being hustled by Kamala Harris during their US presidential debate on Tuesday, Donald Trump appeared in front of reporters to get the last word. As the debate drew to a close, cries of surprise went up at the entrance to the press room. Trump had made an unexpected entrance to the “spin room,” where the candidates’ spokespeople and supporters usually hurry to distribute talking points to journalists. Cameras and microphones in hand, dozens of reporters crowded behind thin ribbons to get as close as possible to the former president. “What about black voters?” a reporter asked, managing to…
CASES of the mpox virus have killed two people in Cameroon since April with six further and 40 other suspected cases, the health ministry said Wednesday. “Since the resurgence of this disease in April 2024, the country has recorded 46 suspected cases of mpox, six of which are confirmed, with two deaths reported,” Health Minister Malachie Manaouda said. However, the epidemic is “not linked to the new, more virulent strain (Clade 1b)”, the ministry said. The World Health Organization declared an international emergency over mpox four weeks ago after a surge in cases of the Clade 1b strain in DR…
HUNDREDS of passengers have been stranded at Kenya’s main airport after workers went on strike in protest at a planned takeover by an Indian business group. Large queues formed outside Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday morning as flights were delayed and cancelled. Union leaders on Wednesday evening said they would return to work and that normal operations would resume shortly. Workers launched their protest over proposals to lease JKIA to the Adani group for 30 years. The aviation workers union argues the deal is “opaque” and could lead to job losses. The unions agreed to return to…