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TUNISIAN opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in separate cases. Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for “conspiring against state security”. Ghannouchi’s defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial. Over the past few years, rights groups have repeatedly denounced the jailing of opposition figures in Tunisia, saying the sentences highlight an aggressive crackdown against critics of President Kais…

CHELSEA reached the final of the Club World Cup as two goals from new signing Joao Pedro helped sink Brazilian side Fluminense. The 23-year-old, making his full debut against his boyhood club, curled home his first goal in the 18th minute after former Blues defender Thiago Silva failed to clear Pedro Neto’s cross. His second, a powerful shot which went in off the bar in the 56th minute, sealed victory. The win ensures Chelsea add £22m to the £60m already earned at the competition, with Joao Pedro quickly helping to repay some of the £55m paid to sign him from…

BRITISH Foreign Secretary David Lammy has decried the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying that the United Kingdom could take further action against Israel if a ceasefire deal to end the war in the Palestinian territory does not materialise. Speaking to the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Lammy also criticised the new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza via a group backed by the United States and Israel, dubbed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). “We’ve been very clear that we don’t support the aid foundation that has been set up,” Lammy said. “It’s not doing a good job. Too many people…

THE death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas rose to more than 100 on Tuesday, as rescuers continued their grim search for people swept away by torrents of water. Among the dead were at least 27 girls and counselors who were staying at a youth summer camp on a river when disaster struck over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Forecasters have warned of more flooding as rain falls on saturated ground, complicating recovery efforts involving helicopters, boats, dogs and some 1,750 personnel. “There is still a threat of heavy rain with the potential to cause flooding,” Texas Governor Greg…

SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has opposed what he calls the “unilateral” higher trade tariffs imposed on his country by the US. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would subject imports from South Africa to a new 30% tariff from 1 August. It is the only country from sub-Saharan Africa that Trump singled out in his announcement, reflecting his strained relationship with Ramaphosa’s government. In a letter to Ramaphosa, Trump said South Africa’s trade relationship with the US “has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal”. In his response, Ramaphosa maintained the 30% tariff “is not an accurate representation…

THE first malaria treatment suitable for babies and very young children has been approved for use. It’s expected to be rolled out in African countries within weeks. Until now there have been no approved malaria drugs specifically for babies. Instead they have been treated with versions formulated for older children which presents a risk of overdose. In 2023 – the year for which the most recent figures are available – malaria was linked to around 597,000 deaths. Almost all of the deaths were in Africa, and around three quarters of them were children under five years old. Malaria treatments for…

EKITI State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Monday dismissed a report claiming he, alongside some leaders and office holders in the state, were being led to the African Democratic Congress by the immediate past Governor of the State, Dr Kayode Fayemi. Oyebanji, who described the report as false and misleading, described it as “Nothing but another tissue of lies from the camp of some disgruntled elements in the state. “But, keeping quiet in the midst of such a bare-faced falsehood would amount to a disservice to the good people of the state, some of whom could be hoodwinked into believing the…

ARSENAL sporting director Andrea Berta has held face-to-face talks with Sporting in Portugal as the Premier League club move closer towards a deal for striker Viktor Gyokeres. BBC Sport revealed last Thursday the Gunners had accelerated their interest in the Sweden international as their well-documented search for a new centre-forward reaches a climax. And well-placed sources have indicated that process saw Berta fly to the Portuguese capital towards the end of last week for key discussions with Sporting counterparts over a deal that could be worth around £70m. It is unclear if he returned to London over the weekend, but…

IRANIAN President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday that Israel, which last month fought a 12-day war with Iran, had attempted to assassinate him. “They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian told US media figure Tucker Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him. “It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting… they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he said according to a translation…

US-BRAZIL relations slid into crisis Monday after President Donald Trump criticized the high-profile coup trial of his right-wing ally, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Trump accused Brazilian authorities of carrying out a “WITCH HUNT” against the 70-year-old firebrand, warning they should “LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE.” His comments drew a quick and sharp rebuke. Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva set diplomatic niceties aside and hit back at Trump’s “interference,” adding that “no one is above the law.” Bolsonaro is facing trial, accused of leading a “criminal organization” that plotted a coup to keep him in power after his 2022 election loss.…

ELEVEN people have been killed nationwide during antigovernment protests in Kenya on the 35th anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising, the country’s police has said. A statement from the police on Monday added that 52 police officers had been injured. Police fired live rounds and water cannon at protesters in the capital Nairobi, as hundreds of people demonstrated in the city, with some blowing whistles while they marched amid heavy police deployment. People rally each year on July 7 to mark the date in 1990 when Kenyans demanded a return to multiparty democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-President Daniel…

POLICE Minister Senzo Mchunu has been accused of having ties to criminal gangs and of meddling in police investigations into politically motivated murders. These explosive allegations were made by KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at a press briefing on Sunday. He said Mr Mchunu was receiving financial support from an allegedly corrupt businessman to fund his “political endeavours”. Mr Mchunu has since denied what he says are “wild allegations” while President Cyril Ramaphosa said they were of “grave national security concern” and “receiving the highest priority attention”. Gen Mkhwanazi detailed a sequence of events he claims led to the “orchestrated”…

ARSENAL have completed the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal worth almost £60m. The Spain midfielder is the Gunners’ second signing of the summer transfer window, following the arrival of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for £5m. They are also in talks to sign Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres for £70m. Zubimendi, who rejected an approach from Liverpool last summer, came through the ranks at Real Sociedad before becoming a regular in their first team. The 26-year-old deep-lying midfielder – who played 236 times for the Spanish club, scoring 10 goals – has signed a five-year deal.…

ISRAELI attacks on Gaza City kill at least 39 today, a day after killing at least 78 Palestinians in attacks across the besieged Strip. At least 61 people have been killed in Gaza today by Israeli attacks across the enclave. The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed at least 743 Palestinians in attacks at sites run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since late May. Meanwhile, the Hezbollah chief says the Lebanese group remains open to peace, but it will not disarm or back down from confronting Israel until it ends its air raids and…

FRENCH military and intelligence officials claim China has deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets following the aerial combat between India and Pakistan in May. The Associated Press news agency, quoting French officials, reported on Sunday that Beijing is working to harm the reputation and sales of France’s flagship fighter aircraft. French officials say they have found that the Chinese embassies are trying to undermine Rafale sales by persuading countries that have already ordered the jets, notably Indonesia, not to buy them and instead choose Chinese-made fighters. The AP report said the findings were…

UGANDA’s long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been declared the governing party’s candidate in next year’s presidential election, opening the way for him to seek to extend his nearly 40 years in power. In his acceptance speech, Museveni said that he had responded to the call and, if elected, would press ahead with his mission to turn Uganda into a “high middle income country”. Museveni’s critics say he has ruled with an iron hand since he seized power as a rebel leader in 1986. He has won every election held since then, and the constitution has been amended twice to…

THE US has deported eight people to South Sudan following a legal battle that saw them diverted to Djibouti for several weeks. The men – convicted of crimes including murder, sexual assault and robbery – had either completed or were near the end of their prison sentences. Only one of the eight is from South Sudan. The rest are nationals of Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos and Mexico. US officials said most of their home countries had refused to accept them. The Trump administration is working to expand its deportations to third countries. It has deported people to El Salvador and…

REAL Madrid survived a dramatic added time period, which featured three goals and a red card, against Borussia Dortmund to qualify for the semi-final of the Club World Cup. Gonzalo Garcia added his fourth goal in the side’s five matches of the competition after volleying in Arda Guler’s cross in the 10th minute and Fran Garcia tapped in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross 10 minutes later. Madrid were coasting towards a 2-0 victory but substitute Maximilian Beier hit the first for Dortmund, sparking a dramatic end to the game. Substitute Kylian Mbappe scored an acrobatic volley shortly after but defender Dean Huijsen…

ISRAEL is sending a negotiating team to Qatar for talks on a Gaza ceasefire proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed. In a statement late on Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said the team would travel on Sunday after the Israeli leader instructed negotiators “to accept the invitation for close talks”. But the statement said that “the changes Hamas is requesting to make to the Qatari proposal were delivered to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel”. It did not elaborate on what changes were being requested. Hamas said on Friday that it had provided a “positive” response to a…

RESCUERS were desperately searching for at least 20 girls missing from a riverside summer camp, officials said Friday, after torrential rains caused a “catastrophic” flash flood that killed at least 24 people as it swept through south-central Texas. “At this point we’re at about 24 fatalities,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told an evening press conference as rescue teams scrambled to locate stranded residents in the region northwest of San Antonio. Some of the dead were children, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at a previous news conference. The county sheriff said there were “kids that are still missing”, adding…