Author: Editor

ON April 1, Russia began a new conscription drive with the goal of enlisting 160,000 military-age men between 18 and 30. It is the largest such call-up since 2011, aiming to fulfil last year’s presidential decree to boost the armed forces to 2.5 million personnel. And it is making Bogdan, a 21-year-old on the outskirts of Moscow, nervous. Some young men often try to avoid mandatory military service. But as Russia’s war against Ukraine stands at a critical juncture, with the rival sides desperately attempting to appear triumphant amid peace talks, there is a particular urgency to the matter. “I…

SUDAN’s paramilitaries have declared the formation of a rival government to the country’s armed forces, two years into a war that has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, said the group was “building the only realistic future for Sudan”. The announcement came as London hosted an high-level conference to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, where the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for “a pathway to peace”. Fighting raged on, with the army saying it had bombed RSF positions outside the city of el-Fasher, forcing hundreds…

AN American pastor kidnapped by armed men during a church service in South Africa has been freed following a “high-intensity shoot-out” that left three people dead, police say. Josh Sullivan was found unharmed in the township in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday evening – the area where the 45-year-old was taken last Thursday. There were no immediate details on the kidnappers, who had made a ransom demand. There has been a dramatic increase in kidnappings for ransom in South Africa over the past decade. Mr Sullivan’s kidnappers had made a ransom demand, prompting the intervention of South Africa’s…

ASTON Villa threatened to pull off a stunning comeback against Paris St-Germain before going out of the Champions League on a dramatic night at Villa Park. Villa were attempting to overturn a 3-1 deficit to reach the semi-final but their hopes looked in tatters when they were two goals down inside the first half-hour Achraf Hakimi cashed in on Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez’s mistake to put PSG ahead, then Nuno Mendes doubled the French side’s lead to leave Villa needing to score at least four goals. In a thunderous Villa Park atmosphere, Unai Emery’s team refused to yield and launched…

THE United Nations says over 71 civilians have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon since a ceasefire was struck at the end of last year. Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Tuesday that the death toll included 14 women and nine children. He called for investigations into “each and every military action where civilians are killed”. OHCHR raised concerns about recent Israeli military operations hitting civilian infrastructure, including a strike on April 3 that destroyed a newly established medical centre run by the Islamic Health Society in the…

THE X account of a British minister was hacked Tuesday to promote a fraudulent “House of Commons” cryptocurrency, her spokesperson said. “Lucy Powell’s personal X account was hacked this morning,” said a spokesman for the MP, who has been leader of the House of Commons since July. “Steps were taken quickly to secure the account and remove misleading posts,” he added. The verified account, followed by nearly 70,000 people, was used early Tuesday to spread a series of messages promoting the “House of Commons Coin ($HCC)” cryptocurrency, allegedly linked to the lower house of the British parliament. Scammers attempt to…

FOUR men have pleaded guilty in Kenya to trying to smuggle hundreds of highly sought-after ants out of the country. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which is more used to protecting larger creatures, such as lions and elephants, has described this as a “landmark case”. The contraband included giant African harvester ants, which are valued by some UK dealers at up to £170 ($220) each. The case showed a “disturbing shift in trafficking patterns – from iconic mammals to lesser-known species that are vital to ecological balance”, the KWS said. The suspects had concealed the creatures in “specially modified test…

GHANA has banned all foreigners from trading in its local gold market as part of efforts to boost national revenue and streamline the country’s mining sector. It follows the enactment of a new law earlier this month that grants exclusive authority of gold mining to a new state body, the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod). “All foreigners are hereby notified to exit the local gold trading market not later than 30th April, 2025,” said GoldBod spokesperson Prince Kwame Minkah in a statement. Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer and the sixth largest in the world, but it is struggling to address…

REAL Madrid and Croatia legend Luka Modric has become an investor and co-owner with a minority stake in Championship side Swansea City. The 39-year-old midfielder has joined Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt, Nigel Morris and Jason Cohen among the ownership group. That cohort purchased the shares of former majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan last November. “This is an exciting opportunity. Swansea has a strong identity, an incredible fanbase, and the ambition to compete at the highest level,” said Modric. “Playing at the highest level, I believe I can provide my experience to the club. My goal is to support…

EGYPT and Qatar, the leading intermediaries in talks to end the war on the Gaza Strip, have expressed “grave concern” over the escalation of violence and deaths in the Israeli-besieged and -bombarded Palestinian territory, stressing continuing efforts to achieve a ceasefire. In a joint statement released on Monday during a visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Qatar, Cairo and Doha reiterated their support for the Arab-backed Gaza reconstruction plan. The assertion comes in the face of calls by the United States and Israel for depopulating the territory, which critics and rights groups have called ethnic cleansing. The two…

SOUTH Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol denied Monday he had committed insurrection, as the impeached ex-leader appeared in court for the opening of his criminal trial over his martial law declaration. Yoon was formally stripped of his presidential powers this month, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament. He became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in January in connection to the criminal case against him, although he was later released on procedural grounds. Yoon attended the trial at…

AMNESTY International has called on the Ghanaian government to take immediate action to protect hundreds of people, primarily women, who are being subjected to rampant human rights abuses due to accusations of witchcraft. The rights group, in a statement released on Monday, highlighted the severe risks faced by those accused, particularly older women, and urged the government to criminalise such accusations as well as ritual attacks. In 2023, the Ghanaian parliament passed a bill making it a criminal offence to accuse, label, or name someone as a witch. However, the bill has yet to be signed into law, leaving many…

ALGERIA’s decision to expel 12 French consular staff members appears to have put paid to hopes of any imminent rapprochement between the two countries. The order was in response to charges filed in France on Friday against an Algerian consular official, accused with two other Algerians of taking part in the kidnap of an opposition dissident in the Paris suburbs a year ago. Algiers chose to see the arrest of the official as “a flagrant contravention of the immunities and privileges that attach to his (diplomatic) functions”. According to the official Algerian state-run news agency APS: “This unprecedented judicial incident……

IT was the last thing Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim needed. After taking goalkeeper Andre Onana out of the firing line for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle, the Portuguese watched forlorn as replacement Altay Bayindir conceded four goals in a chastening defeat at St James’ Park. To makes matters worse, the Turkey international was to blame for Newcastle’s fourth after a poor pass. “We did a lot of mistakes that made it harder to win a game – that’s all,” said Amorim. “It’s a little bit of everything, it’s hard to point to one thing.” With a crucial Europa League quarter-final…

A PREDAWN Israeli strike on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, the last major hospital providing critical healthcare in northern Gaza, has sparked condemnation in Palestine and across the world as Israel continues to attack healthcare facilities. Israel on Sunday claimed it struck a Hamas command and control centre at the hospital, without providing evidence, while Hamas denied the allegations. The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs al-Ahli Hospital, condemned the attack, saying it occurred on “Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Christian year.” It said the twin strikes demolished the hospital’s two-storey…

AT least 34 people have been killed and 117 injured, including 15 children, after a Russian attack on the centre of Sumy, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two Iskander-variant ballistic missiles struck at around 10:15 local time (08:15 BST), both hitting the area around Sumy State University and its congress centre. Images and videos of the aftermath show bloodied bodies scattered in the streets around the impact of the missiles. At least two children were killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said among the injured was a girl born this year, adding that medics were doing “everything they can” to save as…

SUDAN’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced that it took control of famine-hit Zamzam camp in the western Darfur region, after two days of heavy shelling and gunfire there and in nearby areas that killed at least 100 people, including children and aid workers. The RSF said in a statement on Sunday that it deployed “military units to secure civilians and humanitarian medical workers in Zamzam … after successfully liberating the camp entirely from the grip of” the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The paramilitary group on Friday launched ground and aerial assaults on North Darfur’s besieged capital of el-Fasher…

GABON’s military leader Gen Brice Oligui Nguema – who in 2023 led a coup that ended a near-60-year dynasty – has won Saturday’s presidential election with more than 90% of the vote, provisional results show. Ahead of the vote, critics argued that the new constitution and electoral code were designed to give Oligui Nguema a comfortable pathway to the top job. Some opposition heavyweights who could have posed a serious political challenge were excluded from the race. His election victory consolidates his grip on power, nearly two years after he masterminded the demise of President Ali Bongo, whose family had…

LA LIGA leaders Barcelona extended their unbeaten run to 24 games but were far from their best in a narrow victory at relegation-threatened Leganes. They needed an own goal by Jorge Saenz to get over the line – the home defender forced into the error from Raphinha’s tantalising cross, with Robert Lewandowski lurking ominously behind him for a tap-in. Leganes, who are two points from safety but won the return fixture between the sides in December, had the better chances in the first half – Adria Altimira forcing a good save from Wojciech Szczesny, and Dani Raba twice going close.…

THE Israeli military has said it completed the construction of what it calls the Morag Corridor, which cuts off the city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, as it expanded its attacks on the southern part of the Strip. The Israeli army’s Arabic language spokesperson on Saturday issued new forced displacement orders for several neighbourhoods in Khan Younis, warning of an imminent attack “with great force” in response to alleged Hamas rockets fired at Israel from this area. Residents in Qizan an-Najjar, Qizan Abu Rashwan, al-Salam, al-Manara, al-Qurain, Maen, al-Batn al-Sameen, Jurt al-Lot, al-Fakhari and the southern neighbourhoods of…