Author: Editor

MALI’s military leader Gen Assimi Goïta has won the backing of key political allies to be declared president for the next five years. The 41-year-old, who has seized power twice, was named transitional president after his last coup in 2021. At the time he promised to hold elections the following year – but has since reneged, in a blow to efforts to restore multi-party rule in the West African state. A national conference organised by the regime – but boycotted by leading opposition parties – has now recommended naming Gen Goïta president until 2030. He has not yet commented on…

PARIS Saint-Germain seized the advantage in their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg on Tuesday. Dembele struck in the opening minutes at the Emirates Stadium and Luis Enrique’s side held on to the lead with a composed display that kept Arsenal at bay. PSG will head into the second leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7 as favourites to reach the final against Barcelona or Inter Milan as they look to win the tournament for the first time. But the French champions should take nothing for granted given…

UNITED Nations rights chief Volker Turk has called on the world to halt Gaza’s descent into a “new, unseen level” of “humanitarian catastrophe”, amid Israel’s total blockade on aid and relentless attacks on the territory. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has begun its second day of hearings into Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians, more than 50 days into Israel’s total blockage on aid entering the Gaza Strip. South Africa’s representative Zane Dangor has told the ICJ that “under the world’s watchful eye, Palestinians are being subjected to atrocity, crimes, persecution, apartheid and genocide” in Gaza. This is as a…

THE leaders of Japan and the Philippines have pledged to deepen their security ties, including increased intelligence sharing, as they grapple with territorial disputes with China. On his first visit to the Philippines since assuming office in October, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday that the two countries oppose “attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea by force or coercion”. Speaking after talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in Manila, Ishiba said the two leaders agreed to begin negotiations on a defence pact formally known as the Acquisition…

LEADING human rights organisations have renewed calls for investigations into the killing of protesters by Kenya’s security forces during demonstrations against a rise in taxes last June. It follows a BBC Africa Eye investigation, exposing members of the security forces who shot dead three protesters at Kenya’s parliament, igniting public outrage and demands for justice. Amnesty International and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said the officers identified in the documentary should “face the law”. Kenya’s government spokesman has responded by saying “every life is important”, the police watchdog is conducting an investigation and criticised the BBC documentary for being…

RWANDA escorted the troops of a Southern African force through Rwandan territory to Tanzania on Tuesday as they pulled out from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda’s foreign minister and army spokesperson said. The Southern African Development Community (SADC), which groups 16 states, said in mid-March it had terminated the mandate of its mission and would begin a phased withdrawal of its force, known as SAMIDRC, from Congo. The force was sent to assist Kinshasa’s fight against rebel groups in Congo’s eastern borderlands in December 2023, prompting protests by the Rwandan government, which said the deployment would aggravate the conflict.…

WHEN Inter Milan drew Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2009-10 Champions League, few backed the Italian side to progress against Pep Guardiola’s world-beaters. Both were chasing their own piece of history. Barcelona were trying to become the first team to claim back-to-back titles in the Champions League era while Inter were seeking a first European Cup final since 1972 and a first win in the competition since 1965. It was a tie tinged with bitterness, with Inter boss Jose Mourinho going up against Guardiola, who had worked together at Barca but were now intense rivals. It was a tie…

AN Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed five children on Sunday, according to official Palestinian news agency WAFA and media affiliated with Hamas. A group of children were playing near a cafe in the Al-Shati area when they were killed by a drone strike, according to WAFA, which cited local sources. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the report. This is as Israeli forces killed at least 44 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn on Monday. Meanwhile, a Palestinian envoy accuses Israel of using humanitarian aid as a “weapon of war” during International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings as…

SENIOR diplomats from the BRICS grouping of nations gathered Monday in Brazil to present a united front in the face of US President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies. The meeting comes at a critical moment for the world economy after the International Monetary Fund this week slashed growth forecasts over the impact of the American leader’s sweeping new tariffs. Foreign ministers from the ten-member trading bloc — which includes current-chair Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — will hold two days of talks in Rio de Janeiro, as a precursor to a July leaders summit. Ahead of the gathering,…

THE Russian Federation has pledged stronger military cooperation with Nigeria in its ongoing fight against terrorism, offering weapons, operational support, and strategic expertise to bolster the country’s counterinsurgency operations. Speaking on behalf of President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Minister of Defence, Lt Gen Averianov emphasized Russia’s readiness to deepen defence cooperation with Nigeria, describing the West African country as a major regional power and critical partner. He noted that Russia, engaged in special operations against 39 adversary nations, had developed new counterterrorism strategies it was eager to share with Nigeria. A statement on Monday by the Director, Defence Media…

AT least 68 African migrants have been killed in a US air strike on a detention centre in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen, the armed group’s TV channel says. Al Masirah reported that another 47 migrants were injured, most of them critically, when the centre in Saada province was bombed. It posted graphic footage showing multiple bodies covered in the rubble of a destroyed building. A US defence official said the US military’s Central Command was aware of the claims of civilian casualties. The strike came hours after Central Command announced its forces had hit more than 800 targets since President Donald…

LIVERPOOL drew level with Manchester United on 20 top-flight titles when they were crowned 2024-25 Premier League champions. The clubs share top spot for most league titles in England. Eighteen of Liverpool’s 20 championships were won before 1992, when the Premier League replaced the First Division as England’s top league. At the time, Manchester United had won seven compared to Liverpool’s 18. The Reds’ dominant era came in the 70s and 80s, with 11 titles from 1973 to 1990. All 13 of Manchester United’s Premier Leagues came under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson – the first in 1993 and…

ISRAEL has carried out an air attack on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, sending huge plumes of smoke into the sky. This is also as Israeli forces intensify attacks across the Gaza Stip, killing at least 50 Palestinians since dawn on Sunday. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the air strike and called for France and the United States, guarantors of the November 27 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, to compel Israel to halt its attacks. Israel has violated that truce multiple times in recent months and weeks with attacks on the capital and across southern Lebanon. Aoun said…

THERE can never be a place for racism and hate in France, President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday after the brutal stabbing to death of a Muslim in a mosque in the south of the country. “Racism and hatred based on religion can have no place in France. Freedom of worship cannot be violated,” Macron wrote on X in his first comments on Friday’s killing, extending his support to “our fellow Muslim citizens”. The attacker, who is on the run, stabbed the worshipper dozens of times and then filmed him with a mobile phone while shouting insults at Islam in…

NAMIBIA’s president has dismissed the southern African country’s agriculture minister, who Namibian media have reported is under investigation for alleged rape, her office said on Sunday. A police spokesperson has confirmed the ongoing investigation into Mac Hengari to the Namibian press, which has reported that a minor has accused the agriculture minister of raping her. “President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has relieved Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari of his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform,” the president’s office said in a statement shared on social media. “The termination of tenure takes effect from Wednesday, 23 April 2025 when Hon.…

A SENIOR figure from South Africa’s ruling ANC party has defended his country’s sovereignty amid growing tensions with the US over race relations and a new land law. “We are a free country, we’re a sovereign country. We’re not a province of the United States and that sovereignty will be defended,” ANC National Chair Gwede Mantashe said on Sunday. US President Donald Trump has hit out at South Africa’s new expropriation law, signing an executive order in February stating it was a means to which the government could “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation”. President Cyril Ramaphosa says…

AS they walked through arrivals at Manchester Airport, a couple seemed to be behaving oddly towards their baby. Something did not sit right with Border Force officers. One worried the relationship between the three was “not genuine”. Officers pulled the couple for questioning. The man, Raphael Ossai, claimed to be the girl’s father. He handed them a birth certificate for the baby, which showed his travelling companion, Oluwakemi Olasanoye, as the child’s mother. But officers found a second birth certificate, hidden in the lining of the couple’s luggage. It named another woman, Raphael’s British wife, as the little girl’s mother.…

BARCELONA edged Real Madrid 3-2 after extra time, with Jules Kounde’s late strike sealing victory in a thrilling 2025 Copa del Rey final on Saturday in Seville. The Catalans, aiming for a quadruple this season, won the first major trophy of Hansi Flick’s reign as coach and a record-extending 32nd Spanish Cup dramatically. Pedri sent Barcelona ahead at La Cartuja, but two Real Madrid goals in seven second-half minutes, from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, pulled the Spanish and European champions level. However, Ferran Torres struck in the 84th minute to take the game to extra time, and Kounde drilled…

A POWERFUL explosion ripped through a key port in southern Iran on Saturday, killing four people and injuring more than 500, state media said, with the cause of the blast not immediately clear. The customs office at the port said in a statement carried by state TV that it probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazmat and chemical materials storage depot. State media reported a “massive explosion” at Shahid Rajaee, the country’s largest commercial port, located in Hormozgan province on Iran’s southern coast. Citing local emergency services, state television reported that “500 people have been injured,…

US President Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal, shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the hush of St Peter’s Basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday. Zelensky said they had discussed a possible unconditional ceasefire with Russia and was “hoping for results” from a “very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic”. This was the two leaders’ first meeting since a noisy White House clash in February, and after leaving Rome, Trump indicated a new approach to the Russian president. “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting…