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GHANA’s former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has died at the age of 76. She was the widow of Ghana’s longest-serving leader, Jerry John Rawlings, who died five years ago. He led two coups before twice being elected president in multiparty polls. Social media is awash with tributes to the former first lady, politician and women’s rights advocate, who Ghanaian presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu said had died after a short illness on Thursday morning. Her family visited President John Mahama in the afternoon to officially notify him of her death. The president leads the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party,…

AT least 40 migrants, including children, have died after their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia, in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the region this year, authorities say. The boat sank off the Mediterranean port of Mahdia in central Tunisia while carrying about 70 migrants, an official said. All the people on board were from sub-Saharan Africa, the official added, without providing further details. This is the latest disaster to hit migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe. Over 210,000 people tried to cross the Central Mediterranean in 2023, according to data shared by…

A LATE goal from France condemned Nigeria to defeat in a Group D clash at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. That loss was the Flamingos’ second in a row in the competition. The game was unevenly matched but an 82nd minute strike from the French girls was enough to give them a 1-0 win against the West Africans in Morocco. Maissa Fathallan scored the only goal for the French following Nigeria’s Elizabeth Boniface’s failure to parry the ball to safety. The ball squirmed through her hands, nailing Nigeria to another loss. That defeat was Nigeria’s first back-to-back opening loss…

ISRAEL has ordered the deportation of 32 foreign activists supporting olive-harvesting Palestinian farmers amid mounting Israeli army and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank two weeks into the harvesting season. Israeli news outlet Israel Hayom reported that the activists were arrested last week near the town of Burin, in the Nablus Governorate, as they protested an Israeli general order stating that only those working on the harvest are allowed on the land during the harvesting period. Israeli army and settlers have carried out 158 attacks against olive pickers since the start of the current season, according to the Colonization…

THE Pakistani navy, operating as part of the Saudi-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), has seized nearly $1bn worth of narcotics from two vessels sailing through the Arabian Sea. The CMF, the naval network overseeing the operation, said in a statement on Wednesday that last week, the Pakistani navy intercepted the dhows in two separate operations over 48 hours and seized narcotics worth more than $972m. The crew boarded the first dhow and seized more than 2 tonnes of “crystal methamphetamine (ICE) with an estimated street value of $822,400,000” on October 18, the CMF said in a statement. “Less than 48…

FIVE French citizens have died while on a charitable mission in West Africa after their bus crashed off a bridge in Togo, several sources told AFP on Wednesday. Confirming Tuesday’s road accident in the centre of the coastal nation, the Togolese government gave a toll of five dead and eight wounded, without specifying the victims’ nationalities. “The bursting of the front tyre of a minibus” led to a “loss of control” of the vehicle, which then “crashed under the Yomaboua River bridge,” the Togolese statement added. The victims were members of the Lions Club charity en route to open a…

MORE than 20 civilians were killed by armed men on Sunday in Oromia, an Ethiopian region that has been enduring attacks from armed groups for several years, two local civil servants told AFP on Wednesday. Africa’s second most populous country, home to some 130 million people and multiple ethnic groups, is suffering multiple armed conflicts. Oromia, which surrounds the capital Addis Ababa, has seen clashes since 2018 between federal forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) designated a “terrorist organisation” by authorities and peace talks have made no progress. The traditional “self-defence” Fano militia of the Amhara ethnic group which…

THERE is never a bad time for a striker to score, but Viktor Gyokeres’ relief was obvious as he ended a barren run with two goals in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid. It can be the start of a prolific spell, manager Mikel Arteta believes. After three goals in his first four matches, £64m signing Gyokeres failed to find the net in Arsenal’s next seven games and looked visibly frustrated at times. But his team-mates continued to praise his overall impact and Arteta said he gave the striker a hug after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday…

ISRAEL and Hamas have exchanged the remains of more captives, but the Palestinian group says Israel is failing to uphold the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement by refusing to reopen the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The bodies of two more Israeli captives, one soldier and one civilian, were returned to Israel late on Tuesday, and identified early on Wednesday as those of Aryeh Zalmanovich, 85, and army Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, 38. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had earlier received the bodies in Gaza, in a handover organised by the Qassam Brigades, the armed…

NORTH Korea has fired multiple, short-range ballistic missiles towards waters off its eastern coast, South Korea’s military said, marking its first missile launch in months. The launch of missiles on Wednesday morning comes a week before South Korea hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will see Chinese President Xi Jinping, United States President Donald Trump, and other world leaders gather in the South Korean city of Gyeongju for talks. South Korea’s military said that it “detected several projectiles, believed to be short-range ballistic missiles” fired towards the East Sea, which is also known as the Sea of Japan,…

AN Algerian court on Tuesday sentenced opposition figure Fethi Ghares to two years in prison over a Facebook post judged to have insulted President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, his lawyer told AFP. Advertisement Ghares, a secular leftist opposition figure, was sentenced “to two years in prison for remarks concerning the president”, lawyer Abdelghani Badi said. He said the court did not order Ghares’s immediate detention, adding that the defence team will file an appeal. Badi said Ghares, who is not in custody, did not attend the hearing. Lawyer Fetta Sadat, another member of his defence, wrote on Facebook that Ghares was also…

A DRONE attack has hit an area near the international airport in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, a day before it was set to resume domestic flights for the first time since war broke out in 2023. Residents of the city reported hearing explosions in several districts early on Tuesday morning. Social media images – yet to be verified by the BBC – appear to show a series of blasts. There is no information on casualties or damage, and no-one has claimed responsibility. On Monday, Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority had announced the airport would reopen on Wednesday, months after the army recaptured…

MANCHESTER United, under the stewardship of Ruben Amorim, are intensifying their search for midfield reinforcements as the January 2026 transfer window approaches, with a Sporting CP star high on the shortlist, TEAMtalk understands. The Portuguese manager, renowned for his high-pressing, dynamic system, has pinpointed the engine room as a critical area to bolster a squad aiming to reclaim its place among the Premier League elite. With the directors steering recruitment, United are pursuing a blend of youth, experience, and tactical fit, with Sporting Lisbon’s Morten Hjulmand emerging as a prime target. Sources indicate that Hjulmand, a 26-year-old Danish midfielder, is…

ISRAEL has continued its air strikes and shootings in Gaza, raising fears over the future of its fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas, as United States envoys ramp up diplomacy to get the deal back on track. The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said that four people were killed in two separate attacks, both times “by Israeli gunfire as they were returning to check on their homes” in the al-Shaaf area, east of Tuffah neighbourhood, in eastern Gaza City. Israel’s military claimed it had fired at militants who crossed the so-called yellow line of demarcation and had approached troops in the Shujayea…

THE agency responsible for safeguarding the US nuclear stockpile began placing most staff on enforced leave Monday, US media reported, as the government shutdown dragged into a fourth week. Some 1,400 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were due to receive notices telling them they had been placed on unpaid “furlough,” CNN reported, leaving just 375 at their posts. “Since its creation in 2000, NNSA has never before furloughed federal workers during funding lapses,” Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich told CNN. “We are left with no choice this time. We’ve extended funding as long as we could.” The…

MADAGASCAR’s new head of state on Monday named a civilian prime minister, following a military takeover last week that sent ex-president Andry Rajoelina fleeing. Army colonel Michael Randrianirina, who announced Tuesday that the military had taken power after Rajoelina was impeached for desertion of duty following weeks of protests, was sworn in as president Friday. Randrianirina promised sweeping change and new elections in the poverty-stricken island nation, where anger over chronic power cuts sparked the demonstrations last month that swiftly escalated into a mass anti-government movement. Following consultations with the national assembly, Randrianirina chose Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, a figure of the…

CAMEROON’s influential Catholic Church has called for calm, as fears grow that violence could erupt once official results from the presidential election are declared. Opposition candidate and ex-government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of the 12 October election, saying he defeated 92-year-old President Paul Biya, who is seeking to extend his 43 year-rule by seven more years. Tchiroma’s declaration was criticized by both the government and Biya’s ruling party, with several officials describing it as illegal. Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has not yet released the final results. They have until 27 October to declare the winner. Tchiroma’s…

HARRY Maguire’s late header secured Manchester United’s first win at Anfield in nearly a decade and inflicted Liverpool’s fourth successive defeat. Cody Gakpo’s strike with 12 minutes left looked it would end Liverpool’s losing streak, only for Maguire to head beyond Liverpool keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili six minutes from time. Gakpo scored from close range after earlier hitting the woodwork three times, but Ruben Amorim’s side continued to press forward, with Maguire providing a dramatic finale. United stunned Liverpool by taking the lead inside two minutes, although it was a moment shrouded in controversy, referee Michael Oliver letting the play go…

ISRAEL’s military has launched a wave of air strikes on southern Gaza as the fragile United States-brokered ceasefire intended to end the two-year war comes under threat. The Israeli army said on Sunday that it was conducting a “massive and extensive wave” of strikes on dozens of targets, just hours after it struck the city of Rafah. It claimed its troops had come under fire from Hamas fighters in the area, a charge the Palestinian group denied. An Israeli security official also told news agencies that the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza would be halted “until further notice” after…

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron promised that the thieves who raided the Louvre in Paris Sunday morning would be caught and the items they stole recovered. “Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this, under the leadership of the Paris prosecutor’s office,” he said in a statement on social media. Eight “priceless” items of jewellery were stolen, including an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon gave his wife Empress Marie Louise, the culture ministry said earlier. Thieves raided Paris’s Louvre museum in broad daylight Sunday, taking just seven minutes to grab some of France’s priceless crown jewels, but dropping a gem-encrusted crown as…