Author: Editor

BANGLADESHI police said Tuesday they arrested a lawyer who served as a senior prosecutor at a court that sentenced militant leaders to death under the rule of ousted hardline prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The case is the latest in a string of detentions of people who had held senior positions during Hasina’s rule, who is herself wanted on charges of crimes against humanity for the killing of hundreds of protesters during the unrest that toppled her government last August. Tureen Afroz was arrested on Monday night on charges of attempted murder, in a case linked to the student-led uprising, said…

SOUTH Sudan has said it will now allow the entry of a man deported from the US, in a dramatic climb down aimed at defusing a visa row between the two countries. On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US would be revoking US visas for all South Sudanese. He said it was a response to South Sudan’s refusal to accept the return of its citizens being removed from the US. In its initial reaction, South Sudan’s foreign ministry said the move was based on a case involving someone who had been incorrectly identified as South…

AT least 50 hippos and other large animals have been killed by anthrax poisoning in Africa’s oldest national park, its director has said. Photos shared by the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo show the motionless animals floating along the Ishasha River. Park officials say they first started appearing last week. The exact cause of the poisoning is unknown but tests have confirmed the presence of anthrax. Park director Emmanuel de Merode said work was under way to recover the animals and bury them to prevent further spread, but it was difficult because there were no excavators.…

WE are very encouraged by public reactions, rejoinders and the positive and otherwise feedbacks we have received following our first press release on this subject matter. And, as we promised, in this and the subsequent releases we shall provide more insights and answers to those questions that the National Hajj Commission, NAHCON may not wish the Nigerian public to know. What impresses us most was the advent of new crooked and rent-seeking Associations, defending the Commission probably to be gifted a Hajj seat that would be financed through the hard-earned monies of the same poor pilgrims they claim to be…

REAL Madrid’s attacking superstars need no introduction but behind them lies a soft, vulnerable underbelly which Arsenal aim to exploit on Tuesday in a Champions League quarter-final first leg clash. Carlo Ancelotti’s forwards have not always been able to varnish over the team’s defensive deficiencies, as was the case in a 2-1 defeat by Valencia on Saturday in La Liga. The surprise loss left Real Madrid four points behind leaders Barcelona and was their 10th of the season across all competitions. Last year as Madrid became Spanish and European champions, they suffered just two all season. Ancelotti in part attributes…

ABED Shaat drifted off to sleep on Sunday night, exhausted after covering Israeli air strikes all day. The 33-year-old freelance photographer had returned to a tent in front of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza where he’d been based along with other journalists since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. Then, they were jolted awake. “I woke up to the sound of a huge explosion nearby,” Shaat said. “My colleagues and I immediately rushed out of the tent. [I had] my mobile phone to film. “The strike had directly hit the journalists’ tent across from us. I…

THE European Commission is to discuss with the European Union (EU) member states and its international partners the level of the implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus on April 8. “Tomorrow, April 8, Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, Maria Luis Albuquerque, will chair the seventh meeting of the High-Level Group on Union Restrictive Measures (sanctions). “These meetings assess the EU’s ongoing efforts to ensure that the unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus achieved their objectives.’’ The commission said in a statement on Monday. In the morning, high-level representatives of the EU member states…

ALGERIA has closed its airspace to all flights to and from Mali as the row over a drone that was shot down close to their common border escalates. On Sunday, Mali accused its northern neighbour of being a sponsor and exporter of terrorism after Algeria attacked one of its drones last week. A strongly worded statement from Mali’s foreign ministry challenged Algeria’s earlier explanation that the unmanned surveillance aircraft had violated its airspace. The statement described the downing of the drone as a “hostile premeditated action”. Algeria described the allegations as “lacking in seriousness [and they]… warrant no attention or…

TORRENTIAL rains and floods have killed at least 33 people in Kinshasa – the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo – according to officials. “The republic will not abandon you,” President Félix Tshisekedi promised victims on Monday, saying he had called a government crisis meeting. Desperate residents are trying to flee the floodwaters by wading, swimming or paddling to safety in homemade canoes. The city is home to 17 million people and sits on the Congo river, which is one of the biggest in the world and stretches across the country. Flooding is common – the river recently reached…

PARIS Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa. PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left. Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favour, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play. It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for…

TENS of thousands of Moroccans have taken to the streets to protest against Israel’s punishing assault on Gaza and its people, also directing their anger at the United States and its support for the 18-month-long war. In one of the country’s largest demonstrations in months, protesters filled areas of the capital Rabat on Sunday, trampling on Israeli flags, holding banners of assassinated Hamas leaders, and waving posters combining displaced Palestinians with US President Donald Trump. Organisers denounced Israel’s military campaign, which has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, and displaced hundreds of thousands again, since it shattered a ceasefire with intensive…

A MANHUNT is under way after three bodies were found in a residential building in a village in western Germany. The suspect fled when officers arrived at the scene in Weitefeld, Westerwald, and is on the run, a police spokesperson told the German Press Agency. The victims were a family, police said, and include a 47-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy. Police advised residents in the surrounding area to stay at home, and warned people not to pick up hitchhikers, local media reported. German outlet Bild reported that a special task force was on site and a…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the US is immediately revoking visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders due to the African nation refusing to accept its citizens who have been removed from the US. Rubio, in a statement on Saturday, added that the US will also block any arriving citizens of South Sudan, the world’s newest country, at US ports of entry. He blamed “the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner”. A cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy is removing unlawful migrants…

ZIMBABWE’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced he will suspend tariffs on goods imported from the US in an attempt to build a “positive relationship” with President Donald Trump’s administration. The move comes days after Trump imposed 18% tariffs on Zimbabwean exports to the US. “This measure is intended to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States,” Mnangagwa said on X. Zimbabwe has had strained diplomatic relations with the US since it adopted a controversial land policy about 25 years ago, and because of its…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has withdrawn the invitation extended to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. The police chief, however, directed the Kano State command of the force to obtain the monarch’s statement in the State regarding the incident. Egbetokun, who gave the directive through the spokesman of the police, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the withdrawal became imperative following the intervention of some stakeholders in the country. The top cop also said his resolve was in line with the police’s commitment to ensuring that policing actions are not politicized or misinterpreted. Sanusi was initially summoned to provide his…

FENERBAHCE boss Jose Mourinho has been given a three-match ban for appearing to grab Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk’s nose after their Turkish Cup match. The incident occurred after the final whistle at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Wednesday, when both managers were interacting with match officials following Galatasaray’s 2-1 win. Mourinho approached Buruk from behind and appeared to pinch his nose, with the former Turkey international midfielder, 51, falling to the floor with his hands covering his face. The Portuguese, a former boss of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, was also fined 292,500 Turkish Lira (£5,955). Galatasaray accused Mourinho of “physically…

THE United Nations says at least 100 children have been killed or injured every day in Gaza since the strikes resumed on March 18, even as the United States underscores continued support for Israel. “Nothing justifies the killing of children,” Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), posted on X on Saturday. He said Israel was turning the besieged territory into a “no land” for children and lamented that “young lives” were being “cut short in a war not of children’s making”. “This is a stain on our common humanity,” Lazzarini said. UNICEF said at least…

SOME 1,200 demonstrations are planned across the U.S. on Saturday in what organisers expect to be the largest single day of protest against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk since the administration launched its rapid-fire effort to put a conservative stamp on government. The “Hands Off!” protests will give Trump opponents an opportunity to demonstrate their displeasure en masse in response to Trump’s sweeping makeover of U.S. foreign and domestic policy through executive orders. “This is an enormous demonstration that is sending a very clear message to Musk and Trump and congressional Republicans and all the goose-stepping…

SOUTH Africa’s Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has tried to reassure people that a “thorough investigation” is now “fully under way” into the alleged sexual abuse of a seven-year-old girl that has sparked nationwide protests. Outraged citizens have been calling for justice for Cwecwe – the pseudonym given to the child to protect her identity. The case was first reported to the police six months ago, but a lack of progress in the investigation prompted Cwecwe’s frustrated mother to speak out on the matter. South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world, with rape being…

THE US and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in talks over a minerals deal in the resource-rich central African nation, according to a senior US official. “You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed the Congo’s proposal. I am happy to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development,” US senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, said after meeting Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa. Mr Boulos, who is Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, did not expand further on the proposals, but did indicate the involvement of US firms. “Rest assured, American…