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GHANA’s president on Tuesday announced the suspension of the country’s top judge while she is investigated for misconduct. The action against Supreme Court Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo came after three separate petitions called for her removal. Allegations against her include tampering with court records and misuse of public funds. A spokesman for President John Mahama said in a statement he had, “in consultation with the Council of State, determined that a prima facie case has been established” and that Torkornoo would be suspended while she is investigated. Specific details of the allegations that the five-member investigative committee will…

SOUTH Sudan’s opposition accused government forces of attacking one of its military positions near the capital on Tuesday as a fragile power-sharing agreement unravelled further. The southern state of Central Equatoria, which includes the capital Juba, was split into areas controlled by government and opposition forces under a 2018 deal that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war, in which an estimated 400,000 people died. The agreement brought President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Vice-President Riek Machar, together in a unity government. But the deal has become threatened in recent months as Kiir moves to sideline Machar, who was placed…

TWO children, a 13-year-old boy identified as Imam and a six-year-old girl Nasrin, have been reportedly killed in an explosion at Abakpa area of Kaduna State. Three residents also reportedly sustained injuries in the explosion which occurred on Tuesday, two kilometers away from the old site of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna. Our correspondent reports that the cause of the explosion has not been established, but security agencies are at the scene of the incident to investigate the incident. A resident of the area, who did not want to be mentioned, told our correspondent that he was taking his…

POPE Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced Tuesday, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader. The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia. His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Saturday in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Francis’s coffin — which he previously ordered should be of wood…

LEEDS United and Burnley won promotion to the Premier League on Monday as faltering Sheffield United were forced to settle for a place in the Championship play-offs. Leeds, who last played in the top division in the 2022/23 season, humbled Stoke 6-0 at Elland Road, with Joel Piroe scoring four goals. Daniel Farke’s men knew that if Sheffield United failed to beat Burnley in the later kick-off, they would be back in the Premier League. Captain Josh Brownhill scored twice for Scott Parker’s Burnley, who have made an immediate return to the top flight. Leeds and Burnley both have 94…

THE Israeli military has killed at least 29 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn on Monday, with many fatalities in attacks on tent camps for displaced people. Also the Palestinian Civil Defence and the Palestine Red Crescent Society call for an independent investigation into the deaths of 14 Palestinian emergency workers and a United Nations employee, rejecting an Israeli investigation into last month’s brutal killings. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers have attacked a Bedouin family on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Sinjil, near Ramallah, and torched their property. A video shared by local media showed several agricultural shacks gutted by the…

POPE Francis died of a cerebral stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli says in a death certificate. The certificate released on Monday for the 88-year-old pontiff said the pope had fallen into a coma before his death on Monday morning. Francis died of “cerebral stroke, coma, irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse”, the death certificate said. It added that the first Latin American pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church died at 7:35am (05:35 GMT) in his apartment at the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. Just a day earlier, the pontiff made what would be his final…

THE paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have again attacked el-Fasher city in the western Darfur region of Sudan, killing more than 30 people, an activist group has said. The attack by the RSF and allied militias is the latest deadly offensive on the area, the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the war-torn region. The Resistance Committees in el-Fasher said dozens of other people were wounded in the Sunday attack, which involved “heavy artillery shelling”. The RSF renewed the assault on Monday, shelling residential buildings and open markets, according to the activist group, which tracks the war.…

A TOP official in one of South Africa’s biggest political parties has been condemned for visiting a self-proclaimed pastor who fled to Malawi after he was accused of rape and fraud. Floyd Shivambu, secretary-general of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party of former President Jacob Zuma, retweeted footage on X of him attending an Easter service at Shepherd Bushiri’s church. Mr Bushiri, from Malawi, was one of southern Africa’s best known preachers when he was arrested and charged with fraud in 2020. After being released on bail, he managed to flee to his home country in unclear circumstances. South Africa has…

THE death of Pope Francis on Monday sets in motion centuries-old traditions which will culminate in the election by cardinals of a new pontiff — but with a few changes. Here is how the process unfolds: Sede Vacante The Catholic Church enters a period known as “Sede Vacante” (Vacant See) during which a senior cardinal takes over day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected. The cardinal, referred to as the “camerlengo” (“chamberlain”), in this case will be Irish-American Kevin Farrell, appointed to the role by Francis in February 2019. He is the only top official in the Church hierarchy…

CATHOLIC Pontiff, Pope Francis, has died aged 88.He died on Monday at 7:35 am, a day after making a much-hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said in a statement. “Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.” “This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.” His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and…

BUKAYO Saka’s ankle injury is “nothing serious” after he was forced off during Arsenal’s 4-0 Premier League win at Ipswich on Sunday, manager Mikel Arteta said. The winger was injured by a high challenge on the back of his ankle in the 32nd minute by Leif Davis, who was sent off. England international Saka was substituted early in the second half and was pictured with strapping on his ankle. Arteta said the winger was “sore” – but added that the decision to take him off was just a precaution, with Arsenal facing the first leg of their Champions League semi-final…

PALESTINIAN Christians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem have marked a second sombre Easter under punishing conditions and Israel’s war on Gaza. In the Gaza Strip, where no food or aid has been allowed in by the Israeli military for nearly 50 days, people observed Easter on Sunday at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City amid death and destruction. Easter celebrations were limited to religious rituals as families cancelled other gatherings fearing more bombs would be dropped by Israeli warplanes, which killed dozens of people in the besieged enclave on Sunday. Israeli forces bombed…

IRAN and the United States held “constructive” discussions over the Iranian nuclear programme. The second round of Oman-mediated talks in Rome took place on Saturday, a week after the first session in Muscat, the Omani capital. “Technical discussions” are now expected to begin on Wednesday in Oman, after which more high-level meetings will be held to move closer to an agreement. So, what are these technical discussions? And is an agreement likely? Here’s what you need to know: On Wednesday, working-level experts from both sides will begin discussing the inner workings of sanctions relief and how that relates to Iran’s…

THE Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has suspended the political party of former President Joseph Kabila and ordered the seizure of his assets, accusing the 53-year-old of high treason over alleged ties to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group. In a statement late on Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) was suspended for its “ambiguous attitude” towards the M23’s occupation of DRC territory. The M23 rebellion has reignited violence in DRC’s mineral-rich eastern provinces, where conflict rooted in the spillover from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the struggle for control of minerals has…

A 14-YEAR-OLD girl has been killed by a lion on the outskirts of Nairobi, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said. The child was snatched from a residential compound on a ranch next to Nairobi National Park, according to the conservation agency. The alarm was raised by another teenager and KWS rangers followed tracks to the nearby Mbagathi River, where they found the primary school girl’s remains. The lion has not been found but KWS said it had set a trap and deployed search teams to look for the animal. The agency added that additional security measures had been taken to…

PARIS Saint-Germain stayed on course to complete the Ligue 1 season without losing a game as the Champions League semi-finalists beat struggling Le Havre 2-1 on Saturday. Desire Doue and Goncalo Ramos scored the goals for PSG either side of half-time at the Parc des Princes, as coach Luis Enrique changed almost his entire starting line-up following the midweek European clash with Aston Villa. PSG had already secured a fourth successive Ligue 1 title before this game, and their 10th consecutive league win leaves them on 77 points with five matches remaining. No side has ever completed an entire French…

ISRAELI attacks have killed 92 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past two days, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health. The attacks, which took place on April 17-19, have also left at least 219 people wounded and hospitalised, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, with dozens more still trapped under the rubble or in areas that rescuers are unable to reach. The surge in bloodshed comes as Israel presses a six-week aid blockade and demands that Hamas disarm before any truce can be agreed. The armed group has flatly refused the demand and insists a permanent…

THE United States and Iran on Saturday resumed high-stakes talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, a week after an initial round of discussions that both sides described as “constructive”. The Oman-mediated talks in Rome began at around 0930 GMT, according to a US official and Iranian state television. Images broadcast by Iranian state television showed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arriving in the Italian capital, with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff also set to participate in the talks. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the “two delegations are in two different rooms” at the Omani ambassador’s residence, with Oman’s Foreign…

A COURT in Tunisia has sentenced a group of senior politicians, businessmen and lawyers to long prison sentences on conspiracy and terrorism charges. The defendants received sentences of up to 66 years. They include leaders of National Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition, who were arrested in 2023. Human rights groups described the trial as an attempt to stifle dissent. A defence lawyer said it was a “farce”. President Kais Saied suspended parliament after being elected in 2019. Last year he won a second term by a landslide, after jailing dissidents and potential rivals. In the latest case, a total…