Author: Editor

ISRAELI forces have killed more than 120 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, medical sources have told Al Jazeera, including dozens of hungry aid seekers, as Israel continues to relentlessly bombard the besieged territory, with the overall war death toll now surpassing a staggering 55,000 people. Gaza’s Health Ministry said 57 people trying to access aid were killed and more than 363 injured by Israel since Wednesday morning. The distribution points are operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed drive in tightly Israeli-controlled zones. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has described the GHF…

PROTESTS against Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies spread Wednesday across the United States despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles and threats by the hard-right Republican president to use “heavy force.” In Los Angeles, where the unrest began last Friday, an overnight curfew intended to keep people out of the downtown area was largely effective, with police arresting around 25 people who had refused to leave. Officers patrolled near government buildings, and storekeepers boarded up windows to protect against vandalism. But the area was quiet Wednesday. “I would say for the most part everything is hunky dory right here at…

KENYAN President William Ruto on Wednesday condemned the death of a man in police custody that has sparked widespread anger as the country prepares to mark a year since massive protests calling for change. Albert Ojwang, 31, was arrested in western Kenya over posts on social media accusing police deputy inspector-general Eliud Kipkoech Lagat of corruption. He was transferred to the central police station in the capital Nairobi where he died over the weekend, with police initially saying he had hit his own head against the wall of his cell. Kenyan police officers guard the entrance to Central Police Station…

ARRANGING a funeral can be testing at the best of times – let alone for a former head of state. Amid that intense, initial stage of grief, loved ones must juggle cost, the wishes of the deceased and numerous other factors in order to throw a fitting send-off. Add the clashing desires of a national government and its political opponents into the mix, and things become doubly complicated. Edgar Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died last Thursday. His death at the age of 68 has shocked Zambians – and there is genuine sense of grief with all…

AHEAD of the June 12 Democracy Day, the #TakeItBackMovement has insisted on the nationwide protest scheduled for Thursday. The organisers yesterday released a list of designated locations where demonstrators are expected to gather. June 12 was adopted in 2018 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s Democracy Day in honour of the winner of the June 12, 1993, election, Moshood Abiola. This year’s commemoration marks 26-year uninterrupted democratic rule in the country. The organisers said the protest is against hardship, insecurity and a “shrinking civic space” under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The movement’s national…

MANCHESTER United have reportedly reignited their pursuit of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen following the Napoli star’s decision to reject a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia. Osimhen, 26, turned down a staggering €40 million per year offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, despite the club agreeing to a €75 million transfer fee with Napoli. Al-Hilal had initially offered €30 million annually before raising the proposal to €40 million in a final attempt to secure his signature. The Super Eagles striker’s rejection of the Saudi deal has now reopened the door for European clubs, with Manchester United among those closely monitoring…

MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola says the images of children being killed during Israel’s war on Gaza are “painful” and have left him “deeply troubled”. The Spanish manager of the English Premier League club urged the world to speak up instead of choosing to stay silent “in the face of injustice” as he addressed an audience after receiving an honorary degree at the University of Manchester on Monday. “It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts all my body,” Guardiola said. “Maybe we think that when we see four-year-old boys and girls being killed by bombs or being…

THE United States and China began a second day of trade talks on Tuesday, seeking to shore up a shaky tariff truce in a bitter row deepened by export curbs. The gathering of key officials from the world’s two biggest economies began Monday in London, after an earlier round of talks in Geneva last month. Stock markets wavered as investors hoped the talks will bring some much-needed calm on trading floors and ease tensions between the economic superpowers. A US Treasury spokesman told AFP on Tuesday the “talks resumed earlier this” morning. One of US President Donald Trump’s top advisers…

A MINIBUS carrying schoolchildren has been swept away by heavy flooding in South Africa, a spokesperson for the Eastern Cape provincial government has told the BBC. Khuselwa Rantjie said it was unclear how many children were on the bus, but three had so far been found alive. Rescue efforts had been suspended as night had fallen and would resume on Wednesday, she added. In a separate incident, the bodies of seven people carried away by flood water have been found in the province’s OR Tambo district. South Africa has been hit by heavy snow, rains and gale force winds that…

A KENYAN blogger who died in police custody was hit on the head and his death was likely to have been caused by assault, a post-mortem has revealed. This contradicts police claims that Albert Ojwang “sustained head injuries after hitting his head against a cell wall”. His death has sparked widespread outrage in Kenya, with rights groups demanding that police be held accountable. Mr Ojwang, 31, was detained following a complaint by the deputy police chief, who accused him of tarnishing his name on social media. “The cause of death is very clear; head injury, neck compression and other injuries…

SPAIN boss Luis de la Fuente has explained why he took Lamine Yamal off in extra-time after La Roja lost the Nations League final on penalties to Portugal. Yamal was replaced by Yeremy Pino and didn’t look to thrilled at his manager’s decision to take him off. De la Fuente was quizzed afterwards about his decision and says Yamal was tired and his team needed more energy. “We wanted to give the game a bit more energy,” he explained. “The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost,…

GAZA’s healthcare system is “extremely fragile” amid the ongoing Israeli war, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned. The organisation said in a statement on Sunday that the enclave’s hospitals are in urgent need of protection and reinforcement amid Israel’s continued bombardment and blockade. It added that the system is facing growing pressure due to increasing casualty rates from Israeli attacks at aid points. “In the last two weeks, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah has had to activate its mass casualty incident procedure 12 times, receiving high numbers of patients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds,”…

RUSSIA has launched 479 drones against Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the three-year war, according to the Ukrainian air force. The air force said early on Monday that it had downed 460 drones as well as 19 missiles launched overnight. Russia’s continued to step up its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, despite declaring, under pressure from United States President Donald Trump, that it is interested in pursuing peace talks. The record launch came just ahead of the start of a prisoner swap agreed at recent talks between the pair. Of the hundreds of projectiles fired at…

DOZENS of activists have staged a protest outside a mortuary in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, following the death of a 31-year-old man in police custody. Albert Omondi Ojwang’s death has sparked outrage in Kenya. He was arrested following a complaint by the deputy police chief, who accused him of tarnishing his name on social media. In an initial statement, police said that Mr Ojwang “sustained head injuries after hitting his head against a cell wall” while in custody. However, the Ojwang family’s lawyer, Julius Juma, said the body bore signs of severe physical trauma, including swelling on the head, nose and…

LIBERIA’s former speaker and three other members of the House of Representatives have been released from prison after paying a bond of £325,000 ($440,000). Jonathan Fonati Koffa, Abu Kamara, Dixon Seboe and Jacob Debee were charged over their alleged role in the burning of the Capitol building last December. All four men face several charges, including arson, criminal mischief, attempted murder and other alleged offences. The huge blaze broke out at the parliament building a day after plans to remove Koffa as speaker sparked protests in the capital, Monrovia. Police value the damage at $8.6m. On Friday, Liberian police said…

PORTUGAL beat neighbours Spain in a penalty shootout to settle a frantic final in Munich and win their second Nations League trophy. Cristiano Ronaldo pulled Portugal level at 2-2 in the 61st minute, but there was nothing else to separate the two sides when the referee signalled the end of normal time. Subbed off before extra time, Portugal captain Ronaldo dropped to the turf and sobbed tears of joy on the sidelines after Ruben Neves slotted home the winning penalty following Diogo Costa’s save from Alvaro Morata’s spot-kick. Winners of the 2023 edition, Spain had opened the scoring in the…

IRANIAN Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib has said sensitive Israeli documents related to its nuclear facilities, its relationship with the United States, Europe and other countries, as well as its defensive capabilities, will be unveiled soon. Khatib told state TV on Sunday that the documents obtained by Tehran were a “treasure trove” capable of strengthening the nation’s offensive posture, but he did not provide any immediate evidence. The Israeli government, which has never revealed details about its nuclear arsenal, said to comprise substantial atomic weapons, making it the only country in the Middle East with nuclear bombs, has not yet commented…

DONALD Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday in what the White House said was an effort to quell “lawlessness” after sometimes-violent protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids. The US president took federal control of California’s state military to push soldiers into the country’s second-biggest city, where they could face off against demonstrators. It is a rare move that Governor Gavin Newsom said was “purposefully inflammatory.” The development came after two days of confrontations that had seen federal agents shoot flash-bang grenades and tear gas towards crowds angry at the arrests of dozens…

A SENIOR British soldier in Kenya has been arrested on rape allegations, the UK defence ministry said Sunday, confirming a BBC report. “We can confirm the arrest of a service person in Kenya,” a ministry spokesperson told AFP, adding that no further comment would be made while the matter was being investigated. The BBC reported that the alleged rape happened last month in Nanyuki, a town north of Nairobi close to where a large British base is located. According to the BBC report, the soldier who has been arrested went to a Nanyuki bar with fellow soldiers before the alleged…

RWANDA has pulled out of Central Africa’s main economic bloc, accusing the organisation of siding with the Democratic Republic of Congo amid ongoing fighting in eastern DRC. The move came after leaders of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) extended Equatorial Guinea’s presidency of the organisation for another year on Saturday, bypassing Rwanda, which had been next in line for the rotating post. M23 rebels, who UN and US experts say are backed by Rwanda, have seized key towns and swathes of territory in eastern DRC since January in fighting that has killed thousands. An ECCAS commissioner, speaking…