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FRESH protests have broken out in the Venezuelan capital Caracas after the disputed result of the country’s presidential election. Thousands gathered in the city centre to show their opposition to President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory. Many said they would not stop until there was a new government, and some said this would only be achieved if the security forces joined opposition protesters. However the military and police have so far remained loyal to Mr Maduro and have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some protesters. Local officials say around 750 people have been arrested. Two leading NGOs in…

THE Democratic Republic of Congo has accused the Rwandan army of jamming satellite navigation systems affecting civilian flights in the conflict-hit east of the country. It said Rwanda, which borders DR Congo, was interfering with aircraft Global Positioning System (GPS) signals through “jamming” and “spoofing” – a type of cyber-crime that involves creating a false identity or impersonation. This posed a “significant risk” to both commercial and humanitarian flights bringing in essential aid for victims of conflict, the government added in a statement. Rwanda has not yet responded to the allegations. A UN report released earlier this month accused Rwanda…

AN arrest warrant has been issued for Liberia’s former finance minister following allegations he was involved in a $500m (£389m) corruption scam. Samuel Tweh, along with four other senior officials in former President George Weah’s administration, have been indicted for allegedly stealing from the government when they were in office. Mr Tweh, who was previously sanctioned by the US for corruption, called the indictment a “politically motivated witch-hunt” against him and other former officials. The Weah adminstration, whose six years in power ended in January, was plagued with allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement. When President Joseph Boakai took over,…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Jalal Arabi, to its headquarters located in Jabi area of Abuja, this newspaper gathered. Arabi, who is expected to be at the office of the anti-graft agency by 12:00pm today (Tuesday), will explain to the crack detectives of the EFCC how his commission spent N90bn subsidy provided for 2024 exercise. Sources within the anti-graft agency, who are familiar with the matter, also confided in Daily Trust that Arabi would provide detailed explanations on how NAHCON shared thousands of dollars allocated…

NOVAK Djokovic crushed Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in their blockbuster Olympics clash on Monday as the two titans met for the 60th and possibly final time. The showdown between the two most successful men’s tennis players in history appeared to be fizzling out before a late fightback from Nadal enabled him to avoid his heaviest-ever defeat by Djokovic. “I’m very relieved,” said Djokovic. “Everything was going my way, I was 6-1, 4-0 up but I played a sloppy service game and gave him chances.” It was 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic’s 31st win in a rivalry that began on the…

IRAN’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday warned Israel against attacking Lebanon as tensions soar over a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights blamed on Tehran-backed Hezbollah. “The Zionist regime (Israel) will make a great mistake with heavy consequences if it attacks Lebanon,” Pezeshkian said during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Iranian president’s website. Pezeshkian assumed official responsibilities on Sunday after official endorsement from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, and is to be sworn into parliament on Tuesday. Israel vowed to hit back after the strike on a football field in Majdal Shams,…

FORMER US president Donald Trump has agreed to meet with the FBI for a “victim interview” about this month’s assassination attempt, bureau officials said Monday. Providing an update on the status of the probe into the July 13 shooting, Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said they have still not determined a motive for the attack by the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks. They said Crooks, who was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight shots during Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, appeared to be a “loner” and they have not identified any co-conspirators. FBI special agent…

SOUTH Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led, after campaigning for a rival party in the 29 May general election. The ANC’s disciplinary committee found Mr Zuma guilty of “prejudicing the integrity” of the party by joining uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and has given him three weeks to appeal against its ruling. “His platform is dangerous, appeals to extremist instincts in our body politic and riles up a political base that may foment social unrest,” the ANC said in a statement. MK has said that Mr Zuma was…

A COMMANDER in a Russian mercenary group has been killed in Mali following an attack by rebel fighters during a sandstorm, the group said. The military regime in the West African state had turned to the notorious Wagner group in 2021, seeking support in fighting insurgents and separatist forces. On Monday the Russian outfit – which has now morphed into a group named Africa Corps – said it had joined Mali’s military in “fierce battles” against separatist rebels and insurgents last week. However, the separatists launched a major attack, killing an estimated 20 to 50 mercenaries, sources close to Africa…

NIGERIA is bracing for nationwide protests this week over economic hardship. Politicians and the army have warned people against taking to the streets, but organisers say government failings have left them little choice. Both sides have made comparisons with recent protests in Kenya that forced the government to withdraw new taxes, but it is not clear what shape the rallies could take in Nigeria. With demonstrations set to start on Thursday, AFP looks at how things stand. What’s the economic backdrop? Nigeria is suffering its worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation following reforms President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought in after…

STRIKER Rasmus Hojlund and £52m new signing Leny Yoro both suffered first-half injuries as Manchester United lost their opening US tour game against Premier League rivals Arsenal 2-1 in Los Angeles. Hojlund had given his side a 10th-minute lead when he burst onto Marcus Rashford’s first-time pass, outmuscled young defender Ayden Heaven, then beat keeper Karl Hein with a shot through his legs. The Dane turned a low Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross wide from close range before seeming to experience a muscle injury after 15 minutes that meant he could not continue. Yoro’s exit was equally innocuous. The 18-year-old defender, who…

SINCE October, the near-daily cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed militia and political movement in Lebanon, have killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands from their homes on both sides, raising fears that the relatively contained violence could escalate into an all-out conflict. Amid the strikes and counter-strikes, however, there have been indications that they were trying to avoid a major confrontation. But miscalculation was always a risk, and Saturday’s attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, could have been that. Israel accuses Hezbollah of carrying out the strike…

BANGLADESH has restored mobile internet, 11 days after a nationwide blackout was imposed to contain deadly protests over quotas in government jobs. The South Asian nation’s 4G mobile internet services resumed on Sunday, hours after Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the state minister for telecommunications and information communication technology, made the announcement. “We have decided to restore the 4G network connectivity from 3pm [09:00 GMT] today,” the state minister said, following a meeting with internet service providers (ISP) and other stakeholders in the capital Dhaka. Social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, however, remain restricted. The broadband internet connectivity…

A MAINLY Tuareg separatist coalition has claimed a major victory over Mali’s army and its Russian allies following three days of intense fighting in a district on the Algerian border. “Our forces decisively obliterated these enemy columns on Saturday,” said a statement by Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD) alliance on Sunday. “A large amount of equipment and weapons were seized or damaged”, and prisoners were taken, the statement said, adding that seven rebels were killed and 12 wounded in the fighting in the Tinzaouatene district. Mali’s military rulers, led by…

TWELVE Libyan officials have received sentences ranging between nine and 27 years in prison for their role in catastrophic dam collapses that killed more than 4,000 people last September. Entire neighbourhoods in the city of Derna were swept away, and evacuation efforts were botched. The convicted officials were responsible for managing water resources and maintaining the dams. They were charged with crimes including negligence, premeditated murder and wasting public money, Reuters reported. Three of the defendants were also ordered to repay money obtained through illicit means, the public prosecutor’s office said. Four others put on trial were acquitted. An international…

THE Super Falcons will be hoping to get their first win of the women’s football event of the Paris 2024 Olympics when they take on world champions Spain in their second Group C game at the Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes on Sunday (today). Randy Waldrum’s ladies suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brazil in their opening game at the Matmut Atlantique Stadium in Bordeaux on Thursday, with Gabi Nunes scoring the decisive goal in the 34th minute to condemn Nigeria to their first competitive defeat in regulation time since losing to Zambia in the third-place playoff at the 2022 Africa…

REAL Madrid unveiled Brazilian teenager Endrick, who has joined the European champions on a six-year deal, in an event at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Endrick, who turned 18 last week, arrives from the Brazilian club Palmeiras, where he won two league titles and a Super Cup. He made his international debut aged 17 against Colombia last November, going on to score his first goal against England in a 1-0 win in March. He was a member of Brazil’s Copa America squad, making his first international start in the quarter-final with Uruguay which they lost on penalties. “I don’t have…

MORE than 50 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in central and southern Gaza, with one air raid hitting a school where thousands of displaced people were sheltering, according to Palestinian officials. At least 30 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Khadija School in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Saturday. Fifteen children and eight women were among those killed in the attack on the school in Deir el-Balah, Gaza’s Government Media Office said, and more than 100 people were wounded. The Israeli military said in a statement it had targeted a “Hamas…

ISMAEL ‘El Mayo’ Zambada is one of the most notorious names in drug war history, synonymous with the fearsome power and corrosive influence of the most important drug cartel in the world. The last of an original generation of drug cartel leaders, he created the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman from the remnants of the Guadalajara Cartel after it collapsed in 1989. But unlike his infamous partner who was twice jailed and escaped, El Mayo was able to evade capture for some 35 years. Until now. US authorities arrested him in El Paso, Texas on Thursday. He has…

THE lawyer for Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum has told the BBC as the country marks a year since the coup that he fears the former head of state could face the death penalty. Last month Niger’s top court stripped Mr Bazoum of his immunity from prosecution, paving the way for him to be tried for treason – which is punishable by death – and other alleged offences. Mr Bazoum, 64, and his wife Hadiza have been held in detention for the last year with no telephone access and no visits allowed apart from a doctor, lawyer Moussa Coulibaly said.…