A SOUTH African court on Tuesday ruled that former president Jacob Zuma can stand in looming general elections, overturning a decision by electoral authorities to bar him over a contempt conviction. In a surprise verdict, the electoral court ruled in favour of the 81-year-old who is fronting uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new opposition party that has become a potential upsetter in the May 29 election. “The decision of the Electoral Commission… is set aside,” the court wrote in a ruling seen by AFP. It did not provide an explanation of how the verdict was reached. South Africa’s general elections…
Author: Editor
Read More
UK LEADER Rishi Sunak and Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame reiterated Tuesday that they expect Britain to soon start sending undocumented migrants to the African country, despite fresh questions over the controversial scheme. Prime Minister Sunak hosted Kagame at his official residence in London just as a British newspaper reported that properties in Kigali earmarked for the deported migrants had instead been sold to local buyers. A government spokesperson said Sunak updated President Kagame “on the next stages of the legislation in parliament”, which is at the centre of a standoff. “Both leaders looked forward to flights departing to Rwanda in…
THE impeachment of Phillip Shaibu in Edo State has made him the 17th deputy governor to be impeached since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999, Daily Trust reports. Pundits say these developments call for stronger constitutional backing for deputy governors in the country to reserve the sanctity of their offices and democracy as a whole. Shaibu, who has been in a running battle with Governor Godwin Obaseki over his ambition to succeed him, was impeached by the Edo State House of Assembly over allegations of perjury and divulging Edo State government secrets. He has been replaced by 38-year-old Omobayo…
Salaamu Alaikum, Ya Sheikh. I embraced Islam recently without my parent’s knowledge. If they knew they would be very angry and would cut off my study allowance for university. Hence I tried to keep the matter secret. But on the third day of Ramadan, I had no choice but to go to a meeting at the University, and after I arrived I found out that they had prepared dinner that happened to be one and a half hours before Maghrib. The problem was not my refusing to eat with them; rather the problem was that my parents were also present…
MIKEL Arteta has challenged Arsenal to prove their wretched Champions League record against Bayern Munich is ancient history as the Gunners look to seize their “special” opportunity to reach the semi-finals. Arteta’s side have endured a series of chastening defeats against Bayern over the last decade, but Arteta expects them to reverse that trend in Tuesday’s quarter-final first leg. Beaten 5-1 in each of their last three meetings with Bayern, Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League by the German club in the last 16 in 2017, 2014, 2013 and 2005. However, Premier League leaders Arsenal are in superb form,…
TALKS in Cairo towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal have made “significant progress”, Egyptian state-linked media reported Monday, more than half a year into the war started by the October 7 attack. Israel kept up the pressure, warning that it was ready for future military operations against Hamas in Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah, the last area so far spared a ground invasion. Israel on Sunday pulled its forces out of the southern Gaza Strip and the main city there, Khan Yunis, allowing large numbers of displaced Palestinians to return to the devastated urban area. But Defence Minister…
ACROSS Mexico, the US and Canada, inside a ribbon of land stretching 155 miles wide but more than 4,000 miles long, tens of millions of people craned their necks, tilted their heads to the sky and watched in wonder as the day turned to night. What many saw on Monday was a phenomenon like no other: the Moon moving between the Earth and the Sun, extinguishing its light in a total solar eclipse. The path of totality spanned the continent, beginning over the warm sands of a Mexican beach town and darkening the skies above the crashing waters of Niagara…
MORE than 100 people have died in Mali because of an extreme heatwave that hit the country last month, reports say. Last week the south-western town of Kayes recorded a temperature high of 48.5°C. It would be the hottest day in African history recorded in April, according to meteorologists cited by online news website RFI. Gabriel-Toure Hospital in the capital, Bamako, received 102 heat-affected patients who died upon arrival, French RFI news website reported. Most of them were over 60 years of age and chronically ill, Djibo Mahamane Django, the head of anaesthesia department at hospital told local Joliba FM.…
THE death toll from the sinking of a makeshift ferry boat off the north coast of Mozambique has risen to 96, local authorities said Monday. The converted fishing boat, carrying about 130 people, ran into trouble on Sunday as it was trying to reach an island off Nampula province, officials said. “Five more (bodies) have been found in the last few hours, therefore we are talking about 96 deaths,” Silverio Nauaito, the island’s administrator, told AFP. Among them were three children, he added. Rescuers have found 11 survivors and search operations are continuing, the official said. On Sunday, authorities said…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is probing 50 bank accounts, as it recovered N30 billion in the case of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and the ongoing probe of the ministry over alleged money laundering. The latest development was revealed in a bulletin titled, “EFCC Alert,” detailing some major arrests, prosecutions, and recoveries made by the commission within the last month. The document authorised by the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, which was obtained by our correspondent on Monday, revealed that the recovered N30bn is now in the Federal Government’s coffers. The document reads, “Update on Betta…
Q: Salamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh. Is it permissible to pray in a room when there is someone else in the same room who is watching television, if that person is watching it at a low volume and the program being shown does not contain anything but people who are dressed decently? Sadiya AbduRahman, Abuja A:It is makrooh to pray in a place where the worshipper will be distracted from his prayer. And undoubtedly the television is one of the greatest distractions to people; if a man prays in a place where the television is on, it will undoubtedly distract him…
LIVERPOOL captain Virgil van Dijk said a dramatic 2-2 draw at Manchester United on Sunday felt like a defeat after throwing away two points in the Premier League title race. The visitors dominated the majority of the game but needed a Mohamed Salah penalty six minutes from time to avoid defeat after spectacular strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo. The draw leaves Liverpool behind leaders Arsenal on goal difference and just one point ahead of Manchester City with seven games remaining in the tightest of title races. Despite United’s struggles this season, Liverpool have failed to beat Erik ten…
A GROUP of German civil servants have written to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other senior ministers calling on the government to “cease arm deliveries to the Israeli government with immediate effect”. “Israel is committing crimes in Gaza that are in clear contradiction to international law and thus to the Constitution, which we are bound to as federal civil servants and public employees”, the statement says, citing the International Court of Justice’s ruling in January that Israel’s military actions are “plausible acts of genocide”. According to the organisers of the five-page statement, around 600 civil servants have voiced support for the…
ON Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has revealed. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. While disclosing the information on Sunday, NASA said, “Safety is the number one priority when viewing a total solar eclipse. Be sure you’re familiar with when you need to wear specialised eye protection designed for solar viewing by reviewing…
RWANDA on Sunday paid solemn tribute to genocide victims, 30 years after a vicious campaign orchestrated by Hutu extremists tore apart the country, as neighbours turned on each other in one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century. The killing spree, which lasted 100 days before the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel militia took Kigali in July 1994, claimed the lives of 800,000 people, largely Tutsis but also moderate Hutus. The tiny nation has since found its footing under the iron-fisted rule of President Paul Kagame, who led the RPF, but the scars of the violence remain, leaving a…
SUDANESE paramilitary forces have killed at least 20 people in an attack on a village south of the capital Khartoum, a local activists’ committee said on Sunday. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “attacked the village of Um Adam” 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of the city on Saturday, said a statement from the local resistance committee, one of many pro-democracy groups that coordinate aid. Sudan’s war between the military, under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, began last April 15. Many thousands of people have been killed, including up to…
Q: Salaam Ya Sheikh, people often say, ‘Ramadan Kareem’. So what is the ruling concerning this phrase? Saminu Labaran Inuwa, Gombe A: Shaykh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said : The ruling concerning this is, this phrase Ramadan Kareem is not correct, and the only phrase that should be said is Ramadan Mubarak or what resembles that. Because Ramadan is not the one that gives such that it can be called generous (Kareem), rather it is only Allah the Exalted that put virtue in it and made it a virtuous month and made the time period for performing (the fasting) a pillar from…
ATHLETIC Bilbao ended a 40-year wait to win the Copa del Rey by beating Real Mallorca 4-2 on penalties on Saturday following a 1-1 draw after extra time. The Basque side lifted the trophy for the 24th time, behind only 31-time winners Barcelona, as they edged underdogs Mallorca at La Cartuja stadium in Seville. Dani Rodriguez sent Mallorca ahead in the first half but Oihan Sancet levelled soon after the break and the sides could not be separated until penalties. Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala saved Manu Morlanes’ penalty and Mallorca’s Nemanja Radonjic lashed another spot kick over the bar, with…
ISRAELI forces and Palestinian fighters are engaged in intense combat around Gaza’s Khan Younis, with Hamas claiming it killed 14 Israeli soldiers during an ambush in the southern city. Mediators are expected to resume ceasefire talks in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, on Sunday. Hamas is sending a delegation and the Israeli war cabinet is expected to meet on Sunday to decide if it will also participate in the talks. Meanwhile, the Reuters news agency is reporting fresh Israeli air raids in Lebanon, this time on the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country. Citing two Lebanese security sources, the agency…
REPUBLICAN White House hopeful Donald Trump on Saturday compared himself to South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, sparking quick and virulent criticism from President Joe Biden’s campaign team. The 77-year-old Trump has been indicted in four different criminal cases, all of which could end in jail time for the billionaire real estate mogul. In one of those cases, he stands accused of paying hush money to a onetime porn star before the 2016 presidential election, which he won over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. That trial is set to begin on April 15, and Judge Juan Merchan has imposed a partial…