KENYAN President William Ruto announced seven days of national mourning and a state funeral for opposition leader Raila Odinga, who died on Wednesday. Ruto described him as “Kenya’s foremost statesman and one of Africa’s greatest sons… a giant of democracy, a fearless freedom fighter, and a tireless warrior of good governance.” Ruto said he would postpone all his public engagements in the coming days “as a mark of respect.” “A king”, “a hero”, “Nelson Mandela” no superlatives were too much for the crowd that came to mourn the death of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga at his Nairobi home on…
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ENGLAND confirmed their qualification for next summer’s World Cup by overwhelming Latvia in Riga. Thomas Tuchel’s side needed victory to assure their place in the showpiece, the outcome never in doubt as England outclassed a Latvian side ranked 137th in the world. Amid the celebrations, it was at times an uncomfortable night for Tuchel, who felt anger and frustration from England’s travelling fans as they chanted sarcastically, and loudly, in response to the head coach’s criticism of “silent” supporters after the friendly against Wales at Wembley. The bigger picture, however, reveals that England qualified with two games to spare after…
ISRAEL has imposed new restrictions on aid entering the besieged Gaza Strip and will not open the Rafah crossing as planned, while Israeli forces killed several people in the Palesitinian territory as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came under growing strain. Israel notified the United Nations on Tuesday that it will only allow 300 aid trucks half of the number it originally agreed to – daily into the Gaza Strip from Wednesday. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, confirmed the UN had received the note from the Coordination of Government Activities…
US President Donald Trump slammed China’s halt of American soybean purchases as an “economically hostile act,” warning on Tuesday that his country could in turn stop buying cooking oil from the world’s second-biggest economy. “We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. His comments online, however, came shortly after he appeared to soothe rising temperatures between Washington and Beijing. “We have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s okay too,” Trump told…
A MADAGASCAR army colonel says the military has taken charge of the African island nation after its parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, following weeks of youth-led antigovernment protests. There were celebrations in the streets of the capital, Antananarivo, following Colonel Michael Randrianirina’s announcement, which came almost immediately after parliament voted on Tuesday to impeach Rajoelina, who fled the country after soldiers joined the mass protests. “We have taken the power,” Randrianirina said, adding that the military was dissolving all institutions except the lower house of parliament. He later told reporters that a committee led by the military would…
A KENYAN police officer stationed at one of the gates of the president’s official residence in the capital, Nairobi, has died after being shot with an arrow, officials have said. Police said that on Monday morning, a 56-year-old man, armed with a bow and arrows, approached officers at the gate of State House and was ordered to surrender. Instead, he moved forward and shot PC Ramadhan Matanka in the ribs. The policeman was immediately taken to hospital but died while undergoing treatment, according to a police statement. The attack has raised questions about possible security lapses as State House is…
RUSSIA has urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to exercise restraint after deadly fighting erupted along the border for two days, killing dozens and halting bilateral trade in what has amounted to the worst clashes in recent memory. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it was closely monitoring the events and that “the situation is stabilising”, following similar statements from China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “We welcome this process,” the ministry added. Tensions rose on Thursday, when the Taliban blamed Pakistan for explosions in Kabul and the eastern province of Paktika. Two days later, on Saturday night, Taliban forces…
FAMILIES of many of the Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel under an exchange deal say their long-awaited freedom is bittersweet after they learned their loved ones would be deported to third countries. At least 154 Palestinian prisoners being freed on Monday as part of the swap for Israeli captives held in Gaza will be forced into exile by Israel, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said. Those to be deported are among a larger group of Palestinians being released by Israel, 250 people held in Israeli prisons along with about 1,700 Palestinians seized from the Gaza Strip during two years…
PRESIDENT Andry Rajoelina has fled Madagascar to protect his life amid nationwide protests, which began late last month. Rajoelina confirmed in a live Facebook address on Monday that he had travelled to a safe location following reports and rumours that he had been flown out of the country on Sunday. The 51-year-old did not disclose his whereabouts. Rajoelina had been due to give a television address on Monday afternoon, but the speech was delayed after “a group of armed forces threatened to take control of the state-owned media”, Rajoelina’s office said on Facebook. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed…
FORTY-TWO Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals have died after a bus taking them home overturned on a South African road, authorities have said. The crash happened on Sunday night as the bus was moving through “a mountainous section” of the N1 highway in South Africa’s Limpopo province, local transport officials said. “It [then] veered off the road along a steep mountain pass and plunged down an embankment,” they added. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa mourned the high death toll, which includes seven children, and said this was not only a tragedy for the country but for “our sister states of Zimbabwe…
GHANA became the fifth African nation to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup when Mohammed Kudus’ second-half goal was enough to see off recent nemesis Comoros in their final qualifier. Victory in Accra took the home side to 25 points from their 10 Group I games, six clear of a Madagascar side who needed to win in Mali to have any chance of finishing top only to lose 4-1 in Bamako. Tottenham forward Kudus grabbed the glory as the Black Stars became the first nation on the continent outside of North Africa to qualify for next year’s finals -…
PALESTINIAN journalist famous Saleh Aljafarawi has been killed during clashes in Gaza City, just days after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources told Al Jazeera Arabic that the 28-year-old, who had gained prominence for his videos covering the war, was shot and killed by members of an “armed militia” while covering clashes in the city’s Sabra neighbourhood. Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency verified footage published by reporters and activists showing his body – in a “press” flak jacket – on what appeared to be the back of a truck. He had been missing since…
TORRENTIAL flooding has continued to sweep parts of central and southeastern Mexico, raising the death toll to at least 44 people in less than a week. Heavy downpours caused by two tropical storms have triggered landslides and flooding across five states, including Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, Queretaro and San Luis Potosi, the government said in a statement on Sunday. Floods have killed 18 people in Veracruz state, 16 in Hidalgo, nine in Puebla and one in Queretaro, the statement said. Mexico’s El Universal newspaper put the death toll even higher — at 48 — and reported that dozens remain missing. Around…
A RENEGADE army unit siding with anti-government protesters in Madagascar has installed a new military chief as President Andry Rajoelina denounced an “attempt to seize power illegally”. General Demosthene Pikulas was installed on Sunday by the Army Personnel Administration Centre (CAPSAT) during a ceremony at the military headquarters attended by Armed Forces Minister Manantsoa Deramasinjaka Rakotoarivelo. “I give him my blessing,” the minister said of Pikulas at the ceremony in Antananarivo. The elite CAPSAT army unit, which played a major role in a 2009 coup that first brought Rajoelina to power, joined forces with the youth-led demonstrators on Saturday. Early…
MALI has announced that US nationals visiting the West African country will be required to post a bond of up to $10,000 (£7,500) for business and tourist visas, in response to a similar requirement the Trump administration has imposed on its citizens. The US embassy in Mali said on Friday the fee had been introduced to reinforce Washington’s “commitment to protecting America’s borders and safeguarding US national security”. Mali’s foreign ministry said on Sunday the bond had been imposed unilaterally, and it had decided to “establish an identical visa programme” for US citizens. The visa policy shift comes despite moves…
DONALD Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will chair an international summit to discuss the US president’s proposal to end Israel’s war on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday. The meeting will involve leaders from more than 20 countries, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement on Saturday. It will aim “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”, the statement said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would…
TALIBAN and Pakistani forces have exchanged fire across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, prompting calls for restraint from Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as tensions escalate following an air strike on the Afghan capital, Kabul, earlier this week. Enayatullah Khwarizmi, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Defence, said late on Saturday that Taliban forces had carried out “successful retaliatory” attacks against Pakistani soldiers in response to the neighbouring country’s “repeated violations” of, and air strikes on, Afghan territory. He said on X that the operation had ended at midnight. Pakistani Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked” and…
SOME groups of Madagascan soldiers have defied orders and joined thousands of antigovernment protesters assembled in the capital, Antananarivo, as demonstrations against President Andry Rajoelina’s rule gain momentum. The youth-led protesters entered the capital’s May 13 Square on Saturday for the first time in one of the biggest gatherings since a protest movement inspired by what has become known as the Gen Z protests in Kenya and Nepal erupted on the Indian Ocean island on September 25. After police used stun grenades and tear gas to try to disperse the demonstrators, soldiers arrived at the scene, where they were welcomed…
DOZENS of people have been killed in a drone strike at a displacement shelter in el-Fasher, a besieged Sudanese city on the brink of collapse, activists said. The resistance committee for el-Fasher, made up of local citizens and activists, said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit Dar al-Arqam camp, located within a university, with two drone strikes and eight artillery shells. The RSF has denied it carried out the strike. “Children, women and the elderly were killed in cold blood, and many were completely burned,” a statement from the group said. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as rescuers pulled…
PIERRE-EMERICK Aubameyang scored all four goals in Gabon’s 4-3 away win over The Gambia to extend his nation’s hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time but was then sent off late on. The Panthers remain a point behind Group F leaders Ivory Coast, who thrashed Seychelles 7-0. Only the group winners are assured of a spot at the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the second-placed side could still have a chance to reach the tournament via African and intercontinental play-offs. With the Ivorians expected to cruise past winless Seychelles, Gabon knew they…