ZIMBABWEAN authorities remanded in custody Tuesday 98 people arrested for taking part in demonstrations called to demand that President Emmerson Mnangagwa leave power. The men and women were rounded up in the capital Harare during small-scale demonstrations on Monday and a ruling on their bail is due on April 10, the courts said. A one-time veteran of the ruling ZANU-PF party called the day of protest to reject moves to keep Mnangagwa, 82, in power beyond the end of his term in 2028. Most of the 98 people in custody were among around 200 who gathered at Harare’s Freedom Square…
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ZAMBIAN President Hakainde Hichilema has warned ministers against dozing off during meetings, attributing their lack of attentiveness to “indulgence” and an absence of self-control. “In cabinet somebody’s sleeping at 10 hours – the question is where were they… if you can start conking there? To me that is a crime, a serous crime,” Hichilema said during a swearing-in ceremony for a new minister. He did not spell out what exactly he meant by “indulgence” but local media have interpreted this as referring to excessive alcohol drinking and late-night partying. The president warned that such behaviour risked exposing state secrets and…
REAL Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Monday superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is capable of becoming a legend at the club like all-time top goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo. Mbappe idolised Ronaldo while growing up and after joining Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, has equalled the Portuguese striker’s tally of 33 goals in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu. “What I wish for Mbappe is that he is capable of achieving what Ronaldo did at Real Madrid — and I think that he can do it,” Ancelotti told a news conference. “That means he will be a legend at Real Madrid,…
ISRAEL has announced new forced evacuation orders for Rafah in southern Gaza, as the military said it plans to expand its renewed assault on the enclave. The military’s Arabic language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, announced on X on Monday morning that the army was returning to “fight with great force” in Rafah, one of Gaza’s largest cities, and surrounding areas. He called on Palestinians to immediately move to shelter in al-Mawasi on the coast. The area has regularly come under Israeli fire during the war in Gaza, despite being designated as a “safe zone”. Shortly after the evacuation order, Al Jazeera…
FRENCH antitrust authorities handed Apple a 150-million-euro ($162-million) fine on Monday over its app tracking privacy feature, which is also under scrutiny in several other European countries. The watchdog said the way Apple implemented its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) software was “neither necessary nor proportionate to the company’s stated goal to protect user data” and also penalised third-party publishers. In addition to the fine, Apple will have to publish the decision on its website for seven days. Authorities in Germany, Italy, Romania and Poland have opened similar probes over ATT, which Apple promotes as a privacy safeguard. The fine is…
POLICE were out in force and businesses and offices closed in key Zimbabwe cities after authorities warned against demonstrations called for Monday to demand that President Emmerson Mnangagwa leave power. Security forces patrolled city centres after warning people to ignore a call by a faction of Mnangagwa’s own ZANU-PF party to demonstrate against the president, who took power in a coup eight years ago. A small group of people tried to assemble at President Robert Mugabe Square in the capital Harare but were dispersed by police, videos on social media showed. “It was announced as a peaceful march but the…
THE head of the junta in Burkina Faso has pardoned 21 soldiers convicted of involvement in a failed coup in 2015, according to an official decree seen by AFP on Monday. The troubled west African country has been run since September 2022 by military leaders following a coup headed by Captain Ibrahim Traore. Traore announced an “amnesty pardon” in December last year for several people convicted over the 2015 attempt to overthrow the transitional government in place after the fall of former president Blaise Compaore. “The following persons, who have been convicted or prosecuted before the courts for acts committed…
AFTER fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They will face title-holders Al Ahly of Egypt in Cairo on Tuesday, with the return match in Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on April 8. Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force in the country. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the United…
ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit Hungary this week, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu’s trip, announced on Sunday by his office, comes at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The visit, scheduled from Wednesday to Sunday, comes as Orban has dismissed the warrant when it was announced in November. Orban, a right-wing nationalist leader often at odds with the European Union over democratic norms, has made clear that Hungary will not enforce the ICC’s decision. According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu will use…
US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was “very angry, pissed off” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, NBC reported, marking a sharp change of tone as Washington seeks to end the war in Ukraine. NBC’s Kristen Welker said Trump had called her to express his fury over Putin questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s future as a leader — something that Trump himself has done. Welker, on her NBC show “Meet The Press” on Sunday, quoted directly from an early-morning telephone conversation with the president. “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine,…
ZIMBABWE’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed a new army chief ahead of planned protests on Monday, called by a group of war veterans who want to force the president to resign. The former major general, Emmanuel Matatu, takes over with immediate effect. President Mnangagwa has faced calls from his former supporters to step down citing mismanagement and corruption. Earlier this week Mnangagwa abruptly retired his army chief, Lt Gen Anselem Sanyatwe, appointing him sports, arts and culture minister. Hailing from Mnangagwa’s home province of Midlands, Matatu, reportedly 72 years old, is not a well-known figure but his profile and age…
SOMALIA’s breakaway region of Somaliland has rejected an attempt by the central government to give the US exclusive control of a port and airbase in Berbera. The city lies on the strategic Gulf of Aden, on the northern coast of Somaliland. The territory, which declared independence in 1991 as Somalia descended into civil war, says the facilities are not Mogadishu’s to give away. In a letter to US President Donald Trump, seen by Reuters news agency, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also offered port and airbase within Somalia, saying all four would strengthen US security operations. Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs Minister…
SUPER Eagles of Nigeria could still qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite disappointing results from their qualifiers. Nigeria’s qualification hopes have been given a potential lifeline following reports that South Africa may face points deduction for fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Lesotho. Nigeria, who failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, currently face an uphill battle. The Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, a result that dented their qualification chances. This followed an encouraging 2-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali. The…
BRUNO Fernandes has emerged as a shock £90million target for Real Madrid. Daily Star Sport can reveal that Real, the most-successful club in the world, have been represented at virtually every Manchester United match recently – both at home and away. And the subject of their scouting missions is Old Trafford star Fernandes, 30, creating a major dilemma for the cash-strapped United hierarchy. United boss Ruben Amorim doesn’t want to lose his inspirational captain, but United’s desire to make cuts and raise money means they would have to consider a big offer for the midfielder. Real are planning a squad…
ISRAELI forces launch a new ground assault on Rafah in southern Gaza as the death toll from Israel’s attacks on Saturday rises to 24. This is as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel has submitted a counter-proposal after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire plan put forward by Egypt and Qatar. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza are set to observe another Eid al-Fitr with little to eat, as Ramadan draws to an end nearly one month after Israel blocked all food and other goods from entering the enclave. Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 50,277 Palestinians are…
THE death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,000 on Saturday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors. The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar in the early afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people. “We need aid,” said Thar Aye, 68, a resident of Mandalay. “We…
SOUTH Africa’s former ambassador to the US has told the BBC it was “self-evident” that there was racism within the Trump administration. Ebrahim Rasool, 62, was ordered to leave the US last week after Secretary of State Marco Rubio called him a “race-baiting politician who hates America”. This came after Rasool accused US President Donald Trump of trying to “project white victimhood as a dog whistle”. Asked by the BBC’s Newshour whether he believed the Trump administration was racist, Rasool said: “I think it is self-evident rather than anyone needing to be called out.” The BBC has approached the White…
GUINEA’s ruling junta has pardoned former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara, less than a year into a 20-year sentence for crimes against humanity linked to one of the country’s worst massacres. A decree read on state TV said the pardon had been granted for health reasons. In 2009, troops under his command opened fire during a rally calling for a return to civilian rule, killing more than 150 people. Scores of women were also raped. Camara seized power when long-time President Lansana Conté died in 2008. He fled following an assassination attempt not long after the massacre, but returned in…
THROUGHOUT history, leadership has never been measured by mere occupancy of office but by the ability to act decisively in the face of disorder. From the ancient philosopher-kings of Plato’s Republic, tasked with safeguarding justice, to Sun Tzu’s Art of War, which emphasizes preemptive action against internal threats, it has been clear that governance is not a passive role but an active duty. John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government reminds us that when those entrusted with power begin to subvert the institutions that sustain governance, superior authority must intervene to restore order. It is in this context that President Bola…
Q – A person owns a piece of land and one year has passed since he acquired it. Zakaah is due because it comes under the heading of trade goods (i.e., he bought it in order to sell it). How should he pay zakaah on it? Please note that he only has a little cash, very little? Shaheed Ahmad, Borno A – Zakkaah is due on trade goods according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah. In the Qur’aan this is indicated by the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Spend…