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THE US and UK have conducted a fresh series of joint air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The Pentagon said Monday’s strikes hit eight targets, including an underground storage site and Houthi missile and surveillance capability. The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting ships they say are linked to Israel and the West that travel through the important Red Sea trade route. The US and UK said they were trying to protect the “free flow of commerce”. A joint statement issued by the Pentagon confirmed “an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes” against the Houthis. The statement added: “Our…

POLICE in Kenya have recovered a head believed to be that of a 20-year-old student who was murdered and dismembered in the capital, Nairobi, earlier this month. The mutilated remains of Rita Waeni were discovered disposed in trash bags at a short-term rental apartment on 14 January, but her head, along with her phone and other personal items, were missing. Police are yet to confirm whether the head, which was recovered on Sunday in Kiambaa Dam, nearly 15km (nine miles) away from the murder scene, is Ms Waeni’s. “It was decomposing. It was wrapped in a purple blouse and with…

SOME Eritrean migrants have told BBC Tigrinya that they are among more than 100 people, including 13 children, who have been held in detention for the past two months in the Ethiopian town of Yebelo, near the order with Kenya. They said there are living in a makeshift prison surrounded by a thorny fence made of acacia branches, offering no protection from the rain and sun. The group was traveling to seek asylum in Kenya, they said. One of our sources, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they have had to endure harsh conditions. “Initially, we used to buy water…

MITCHELL Weiser stunned his former club with the only goal as Werder Bremen defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 on Sunday, keeping Bayer Leverkusen seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Bayern were last held scoreless in the league in February 2020, when former Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig recorded a 0-0 draw at the Allianz Arena. Bremen’s victory, their first over Bayern in any competition since 2008, broke a 27-game winless run against the German champions, which included 26 losses. Leverkusen’s 3-2 win at RB Leipzig on Saturday, with Xabi Alonso’s men coming from behind twice and scoring the…

PALESTINIAN group, Hamas on Sunday defended its October 7 attacks against Israel but admitted to “faults” and called for an end to “Israeli aggression” in Gaza, where the health ministry said the death toll passed 25,000. Southern Gaza is the latest focus of Israel’s battle to destroy the group responsible for the deadliest attack in the country’s history. In its first public report on the attacks that began the war, Hamas said they were a “necessary step” against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and a way to secure release of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later vowed “complete…

FLORIDA Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Sunday, saying he would throw his support behind frontrunner Donald Trump. In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, DeSantis said that after his second place finish last week in the Iowa caucuses he could not “ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.” His withdrawal from the race comes less than two days before the New Hampshire primary, where polls showed him far behind ex-president Trump and…

KENYA’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi has denied reports of deteriorating relations between the country and its neighbours, despite a number of recent disputes which he insisted were being resolved diplomatically. Kenya has a pending oil distribution case with Uganda and only last week settled an air travel dispute with Tanzania. Earlier this month, Sudan recalled its envoy after Nairobi hosted the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces Mohamed Dagalo, who is engaged in a civil war with the Sudanese army. In December, the Democratic Republic of Congo also recalled its ambassador in Nairobi after a new coalition of Congolese…

EGYPTIAN President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has said a deal granting Ethiopia maritime access through Somaliland “is acceptable to no-one”. Speaking in Cairo next to Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Mr Sisi said Egypt would not allow Somalia’s security to be jeopardised. “We are unwavering in our support for our brothers, and if they call upon us, we will not hesitate to act,” Mr Sisi added. But on Sunday, Ethiopia’s national security affairs adviser Redwan Hussein said the contentious Red Sea access deal was meant for cooperation and partnership, and is not “annexation” or “assumption of sovereignty over the territory of…

BOCHUM and Stuttgart’s Bundesliga match on Saturday was delayed by 40 minutes after fans of the visiting side unfurled flags which blocked fire exits. Referee Bastian Dankert refused to resume the match after half-time as fans chose to ignore stadium announcements and even a plea from Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness. Sky Germany reported that the fire department was even consulted so that a solution could be found to allow the game to continue amid suggestions it may be abandoned. With the players jogging on the pitch to keep warm, play eventually resumed as stadium stewards conducted tests on the exits.…

US President Joe Biden said Friday it was still possible Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could agree to some form of Palestinian state, after the two leaders spoke for the first time in nearly a month amid tensions over the Gaza war. Their call came a day after Netanyahu said he opposes allowing Palestinian sovereignty in the wake of the conflict with Hamas, deepening Israeli divisions with key backer Washington over the conduct of Israel’s offensive and what comes next. But Biden said after the call that it was not impossible Netanyahu might come round to some form of so-called…

AN ISREALI strike on Damascus Saturday killed at least 10 people, a war monitor said giving a new toll, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Syria spy chief and his deputy. “The death toll rose from six to 10 after bodies that were still trapped under the rubble had been recovered,” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The British-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria said the targeted neighbourhood is known to be a high-security zone home to leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and pro-Iran Palestinian factions. “They were for sure…

SIERRA Leone’s former president is headed to Nigeria for medical treatment despite being due to stand trial for his alleged role in a coup attempt last year. Ernest Bai Koroma was given permission to leave by the High Court on Wednesday for a maximum of three months. Sierra Leone’s current president has called this a “humanitarian gesture”. But it is widely believed that a deal has been reached allowing Mr Bai Koroma to go into exile. His treason trial is due to start in March. Mr Bai Koroma led Sierra Leone for 11 years until 2018, when current President Julius…

SUDAN is suspending its membership of north-east African bloc Igad over an attempt to mediate the brutal conflict in the country. Igad has been trying to end the nine month-long war between Sudan’s army and rival paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On Thursday Sudan’s government criticised Igad for inviting the RSF’s chief to a summit. Khartoum now says a statement released by Igad was offensive to Sudan. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) was founded in 1996 and is made up of eight states – Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea Sudan and Somalia. Its current vision is to…

TANZANIA coach Adel Amrouche has been banned for eight matches after making insulting remarks about Morocco, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) official told AFP on Friday. “I can confirm that the coach of Tanzania (Adel Amrouche) has been suspended for eight matches after comments he made about Moroccan officials in a TV interview,” said the official. The suspension by the CAF disciplinary committee rules the Algeria-born coach out of the rest of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in the Ivory Coast. Group F outsiders Tanzania lost 3-0 to Morocco on Wednesday and play Zambia and the Democratic Republic…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo insisted Friday that the often derided Saudi Pro League was “more competitive” than French Ligue 1. “To be honest, I think the Saudi championship isn’t worse than the French championship. I think it’s more competitive,” five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo told the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. Ronaldo was the first major star to move to Saudi Arabia when he penned a deal with Al-Nassr last January. The likes of France’s Karim Benzema, Brazilian star Neymar and Senegalese striker Sadio Mane have also left Europe behind for bumper pay packets in the Gulf kingdom. Asked about the level…

A KEY member of Israel’s war cabinet has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not telling the truth about the military goals in Gaza. Mr Netanyahu has publicly rejected the US push for a future Palestinian state and insisted the offensive would continue “until complete victory”. But Gadi Eisenkot said those advocating “absolute defeat” of Hamas were not “speaking the truth”. The retired general’s son was killed fighting in Gaza. He also said Mr Netanyahu shared “sharp and clear responsibility” for failing to protect his country on 7 October and urged fresh elections, saying there was “no trust” in Israel’s…

PRINCE Harry has withdrawn his libel claim against the Mail on Sunday publisher, Associated Newspapers says. The Duke of Sussex, 39, had sued over an article about his publicly-funded security arrangements when visiting the UK after stepping back as a senior royal. In an article on the Daily Mail website the paper said he had “abandoned his case” hours before a court deadline. It said the prince would be liable for the publisher’s £250,000 legal costs. The Mail on Sunday article, published in February 2022, had reported on the prince’s legal challenge against the Home Office over changes to his…

THE Kenyan Court of Appeal has given the go-ahead for a controversial healthcare insurance levy, overturning a previous ban. The Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), one of President William Ruto’s key policies, seeks to provide affordable healthcare to all Kenyans. But it has proved unpopular with many, who see it as a new tax. Critics say the levy will aggravate the cost-of-living crisis, which fuelled a wave of protests last year. The rollout of the SHIF was stopped by the High Court last November following a petition by businessman Joseph Enock Aura, challenging sections of the scheme. This, alongside the…

SOUTH Africa’s government is trying to stop a controversial auction of 70 personal items belonging to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. They include a set of hearing aids, an ID card, gifts from world leaders and some of the first democratic president’s clothing, such as his statement “Madiba” shirts. His eldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, is auctioning the items in the US. But the South African government says the items belong to the nation. Under the country’s law, items considered to be of national heritage cannot be taken out of South Africa. The South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra), a government body…

BEBE scored a 40-yard free-kick as Cape Verde beat Mozambique to become the first team to book their last-16 place at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Rayo Vallecano forward, once of Manchester United, smashed in a strike which keeper Ernan Siluane should have done better with. Captain Ryan Mendes took advantage of a defensive mistake to double their lead. Kevin Pina then hammered a brilliant strike into the top corner from outside the box to seal the win in Abidjan. Mozambique’s best moments came through Geny Catamo. He won a penalty in the first half, which was overturned by…