A COURT in Tunisia has sentenced former Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh to 34 years in prison on a raft of terrorism charges. He is the latest high-profile critic of the president to be jailed as campaigners slam “sham trials” in the country. The 69-year-old is a prominent opponent of President Kais Saied and leader of Ennadha, a moderate Islamist party that holds the largest number of seats in parliament. Along with seven other people, Laarayedh was charged with setting up a terrorist cell and helping young Tunisians travel abroad to join Islamist fighters in Iraq and Syria. “I am not…
Author: Editor
Read More
AT least 57 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza as Israel’s punishing blockade of food, water, and other critical aid to the besieged enclave stretches into its third month amid relentless bombardment. Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Saturday that most of the victims were children, as well as the sick and elderly, condemning the “continued use of food by the Israeli occupation as a weapon of war” and urging the international community to exert pressure on Israel to reopen the borders and allow in aid. Gaza has been under total Israeli blockade since March 2, video obtained by…
SERBIA’s President Aleksandar Vucic was on Saturday admitted to a military hospital in Belgrade on his return from the United States, his office said, without giving a reason. Vucic, who according to Serbian media cut short his trip to visit US President Donald Trump in Florida after feeling unwell, “was admitted to the Military Medical Academy immediately after landing” in Belgrade, his office said. It said it would release more detailed information on Vucic’s health “in good time”. Vucic was originally meant to meet Trump, but cut short his trip after feeling unwell on consultation with a doctor, national Serbian…
A UNITED Nations judge has been jailed for six years and four months for forcing a woman to work as a domestic slave. Lydia Mugambe, 50, was studying for a PhD in law at the University of Oxford when police discovered she had a young Ugandan woman at her home carrying out unpaid work as a maid and nanny. Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after she was found guilty of modern day slavery offences in March. In sentencing, Judge David Foxton told the defendant she “showed absolutely…
SOUTH Africa’s government handed to his family Saturday the exhumed remains of a political activist whose execution by the apartheid regime 40 years ago caused an international outcry. The ceremony for Benjamin Moloise came amid new scrutiny of politically motivated atrocities committed during white-minority rule, which ended in 1994, with President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing last week an inquiry into delays in prosecutions. Apartheid authorities hanged Moloise in 1985 when he was 30 years old for the killing of a security policeman, which he denied. His execution sparked riots in South Africa and protests from several international capitals. The United Nations…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the recently sacked managing directors and some top officials of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company. The officials were arrested over alleged mismanagement of funds earmarked for the rehabilitation of the facilities. The total amount under investigation is $2,956,872,622.36. Findings by this newspaper showed that the EFCC is probing the sum of $1,559,239,084.36 allocated to the Port Harcourt refinery, $740,669,600 released for the Kaduna refinery, and $656,963,938 approved for the Warri refinery. The ex-Managing Director of Port Harcourt Refining Company Ltd is…
AFTER crushing defeats by Arsenal in the Champions League and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid have one remaining ambition — defending their La Liga title. Los Blancos host Celta Vigo on Sunday, aiming to stay hot on league leaders Barcelona’s tail, despite bruises from the cup final fallout this week. Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger was banned for six matches for throwing an object at the referee, and also chose to undergo a knee operation, meaning he is out until the end of the season. Ferland Mendy and David Alaba were also ruled out injured for the…
THE governments of Ireland, Austria, among others, have condemned Israel’s over 60-day blockade of Gaza, as Amnesty International terms the blockage of food and medicine a “war crime”. Also, humanitarian coordinator Amjad Shawa in Gaza warned that more children likely to die from malnutrition as “the whole Strip is starving” due to Israel’s siege. And medical sources say at least 35 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Friday alone, with one strike on Bureij killing nine members of the same family. Meanwhile, a ship carrying aid to Gaza in a bid to break Israel’s blockade has been…
PROSECUTORS said Friday a series of coordinated attacks on French prisons were carried out by drug traffickers, with at least one suspect thought to have ties to a notorious cartel. Attackers in April struck at several jails and other facilities across France, torching cars, spraying the entrance of one prison with automatic gunfire and leaving mysterious inscriptions. A total of 30 people, including four minors, were arrested this week in police raids across France. Seven of them were released without charge. The assaults have embarrassed the right-leaning government whose tough-talking ministers of justice, Gerald Darmanin, and interior, Bruno Retailleau, have…
A SOUTH African court on Friday found a woman guilty of trafficking her six-year-old daughter, who has been missing for more than a year, in a case that has outraged the nation. The two-month trial heard statements from various witnesses that Racquel “Kelly” Smith had revealed to them that she had sold her daughter Joshlin in February 2024, including claims she was paid 20,000 rand ($1,085). Judge Nathan Erasmus said the evidence of 35 state witnesses led him to find that Smith, 35, and her two co-accused — a boyfriend and a mutual friend — were guilty on the charges…
GENERAL Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Uganda’s president, has confirmed the detention of an opposition leader’s bodyguard, who has been missing for five days. Edward Sebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, was reportedly picked up on Sunday by unidentified individuals in both civilian clothes and military fatigues in the central town of Kiwango, sparking public outrage and concern about his safety. In a series of posts on X, Gen Kainerugabai, who is also Uganda’s military chief, said Mr Sebuufu was “in my basement”, attaching the bodyguard’s photo with a clean-shaven head. He also threatened to use violence against Mr Sebuufu. Gen Kainerugabai’s…
MANCHESTER United took a huge step towards reaching the Europa League final as a stunning spell in the first half against 10-man Athletic Bilbao ensured they take a big advantage into the semi-final second leg at Old Trafford. Playing at a vociferous San Mames Stadium, the visitors could have been 2-0 down after Inaki Williams sent a header from a good position over, before Victor Lindelof blocked Alex Berenguer’s shot on the line. But the game turned dramatically in United’s favour in the 30th minute when Harry Maguire produced some good skill on the right before his cross was flicked…
MEDICAL sources tell Al Jazeera that at least 31 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza throughout Thursday and more deaths have been reported from attacks early on Friday morning. Also Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza describes Israel’s 60-day blockade on aid entering the territory as the “deliberate strangulation” of the civilian population. Meanwhile, the Israeli military’s primary goal in the war on Gaza is securing the return of the remaining captives, not the total destruction of Hamas, as claimed by Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, an unnamed Israeli military source has told The Times of Israel. “The…
THE CIA has launched a Chinese-language social media campaign calling on government officials in China to switch sides and leak secrets to the United States. The two videos released on Thursday depict fictional scenes involving Chinese officials who approach the top intelligence agency after becoming disillusioned with the ruling Communist Party of China (CCP). In one of the videos, an actor depicting a senior CCP member describes the fear he feels for his family as he witnesses officials around him being purged like “worn-out shoes”. “This man, who has diligently worked his way to the top throughout his life, now…
A KENYAN member of parliament has been shot dead in the streets of the capital Nairobi by gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected assassination. Police said the attackers had been trailing Charles Ong’ondo Were’s vehicle before one of them got off the motorbike and shot him at close range. “The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and predetermined,” police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement. The opposition MP had two months ago complained about threats to his life, local media reported. After the shooting on late Wednesday, his driver and bodyguard, both unhurt, managed to…
THE authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are seeking to lift former President Joseph Kabila’s immunity from prosecution after accusing him of backing rebels in the east. There was a “substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts” linking Kabila to the M23 armed group, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba said on Wednesday. The M23 currently controls parts of the mineral-rich east of the country after making significant advances earlier this year. Kabila, 53, has not commented on the accusations but has in the past denied any connection with the insurgents. He led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding…
BARCELONA and Inter Milan played out an intense 3-3 draw in their Champions League Semi-Finals clash on Wednesday, delivering a six-goal thriller that kept fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The match at Camp Nou exploded into life within the first minute as Inter’s Marcus Thuram opened the scoring with a clinical finish from a Denzel Dumfries assist, stunning the home side and giving the visitors an early advantage. Inter continued their early dominance, doubling their lead in the 21st minute when Dumfries turned from provider to scorer, slotting home an overhead kick after being…
HEALTH Ministry says 2,308 people, including 595 children, killed across Gaza since Israel broke ceasefire on March 18. Residents of Nuseirat in central Gaza describe an “earthquake” as an Israeli attack on a building killed at least eight people. At least 35 have been killed across Gaza in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry says. Day three of International Court of Justice hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians saw the United States and Hungary defend Israel and discredit the court and the UN as biased. Israel’s total blockade of Gaza has reached its 60th day, as the International…
PAKISTAN said on Wednesday it had “credible intelligence” that India was planning an imminent military strike and vowed to retaliate, as worries of spiralling conflict grew over a deadly attack in Kashmir. Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted since New Delhi blamed its arch-rival Pakistan for last week’s assault on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deadliest attack on civilians there in a quarter of a century. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military “complete operational freedom” to respond to the attack during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, a senior government source told AFP. Pakistan’s government has…
THE United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it had foiled a weapons shipment intended for the Sudanese army, which has accused the Gulf state of backing rival paramilitaries in the country’s two-year war. The announcement comes just days before the International Court of Justice is slated to issue a ruling in a case Khartoum filed against the UAE accusing it of complicity in genocide by supporting the RSF. “The security services succeeded in preventing the transfer of a quantity of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces following the arrest of members of a cell involved in unauthorised mediation, brokering and…