THE Saudi National Center for Meteorology has warned pilgrims participating in the 2026 Hajj exercise to prepare for extreme heat conditions, with temperatures expected to rise as high as 47 degrees Celsius during the pilgrimage period. The agency urged pilgrims to take precautionary measures to avoid heat-related illnesses, particularly during outdoor religious activities in Makkah and the surrounding holy sites. According to the advisory issued by Saudi authorities, pilgrims are encouraged to carry umbrellas while moving between locations and to drink water regularly to remain properly hydrated throughout the pilgrimage. The advisory also urged pilgrims to avoid prolonged exposure to…
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VETERAN Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo will lead his country into the 2026 World Cup this summer after coach Roberto Martinez named the 41-year-old in his squad on Tuesday. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star, now at Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, is set to appear at a record sixth World Cup. Portugal and Ronaldo, the all-time leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 goals, have never won the competition. Ronaldo could face former Barcelona rival Lionel Messi, who is also set to play at a sixth World Cup after leading Argentina to glory four years ago in Qatar. The…
US President Donald Trump says Iran has “two or three days” to reach a deal to end the war or face renewed attacks. An Iranian official says the US threat of a massive assault at any moment will be met “resolutely” and Iran is “prepared to confront any military aggression”. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says “dialogue does not mean surrender”, and Tehran has entered talks with “dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation’s rights”. Trump had earlier said that he stopped his purported attack plan at the urging of Gulf Arab allies, which Iran has threatened with reciprocal attacks…
THE United Nations has said 15,850 people, including 791 children, have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country in February 2022. The “actual figures are likely significantly higher”, Kayoko Gotoh, Europe and Central Asia director of the UN’s Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Peace talks have stalled between Ukraine and Russia. US President Donald Trump has attempted to mediate and announced the most recent three-day ceasefire earlier this month, but fighting has resumed. Tuesday’s Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least six people. A 15-year-old boy…
FEAR has gripped Ebola-hit areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as the suspected number of deaths continues to rise, as officials say they are struggling to catch up to an outbreak that may have previously been spreading undetected. “Ebola has tortured us,” says a taxi rider in his late twenties in the gold-mining town of Rwampara. “I am scared because people are dying very fast… We are really afraid.” Following a visit to Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, over the weekend, Congolese Health Minister Dr Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged health teams are playing catch-up with the virus,…
TRANSPORT operators in Kenya have suspended their nationwide strike following talks with the government over rising fuel prices. The operators say the suspension will remain in place until next Tuesday to allow for further negotiations with the government. The move comes after the nationwide strike, which brought the capital Nairobi and other cities to a standstill, entered a second day on Tuesday. At least four people were killed and 30 injured in Monday’s protests, with more than 700 arrested nationwide, according to the authorities. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the deal to end the strike came after consultations…
ARSENAL are on the brink of ending a 22-year wait to win the Premier League after beating Burnley 1-0 on Monday to open up a five-point lead at the top. Kai Havertz headed in the only goal but was also lucky to avoid a second-half red card that could swung the title race back in Manchester City’s favour. The Gunners could be crowned champions as early as Tuesday should City fail to win at Bournemouth. Even if City do end the Cherries’ 16-game unbeaten run and beat Aston Villa, Arsenal will secure the title with victory at Crystal Palace on…
PAKSITAN is scrambling to keep channels of diplomacy open between the United States and Iran, amid escalating rhetoric from both sides, and growing signals from Washington that it is prepared to restart attacks that have been on pause since an April 8 ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day visit, meeting President Masoud Pezeshkian, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as Islamabad scrambled to prevent ceasefire negotiations from collapsing altogether. Ghalibaf has also been Iran’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the US…
AUTHORITIES in the United States say three people have been killed at a complex housing a mosque and an Islamic school in San Diego in a suspected hate-motivated attack. San Diego Police chief Scott Wahl said the two shooters in the incident at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) in southern California on Monday were also found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. “Because of the Islamic centre location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,” Wahl told reporters. The suspects were to males, believed to be aged 17 and 19, according to the police chief.…
AT least four people have been killed and 30 injured in Kenya amid nationwide protests over sharply rising fuel prices. At least 348 people were arrested on Monday, according to Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, as people gathered in the streets to show support for a nationwide public transport strike. The government will likely be wary, given that protests over the past two years have threatened to become uncontrollable, despite brutal crackdowns that killed dozens. “We lost four Kenyans in today’s violence, which also saw more than 30 people injured,” Murkomen said during a televised press conference. The streets leading towards…
AT least 100 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 390 cases suspected, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has told the BBC. Jean Kaseya warned that with no approved drugs or vaccines people should follow public health measures, including at funerals of Ebola victims. There are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the current strain of Ebola, which is caused by…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has assured that all victims abducted during the attack on schools in Oyo State will be rescued, while condemning the reported killing of one of the kidnapped teachers. This was contained in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Bandits invaded the Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State last Friday, abducting staff, students and pupils of Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. According to the statement, security operatives are working round the clock to rescue…
BRUNO Fernandes equalled the Premier League record of 20 assists in a season as Manchester United secured third place with a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Fernandes, who was recently crowned the football writers’ player of the season, moved alongside Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne when his cross was turned in by Bryan Mbeumo for United’s third goal. Mbeumo was also involved in the game’s most controversial moment when his handball in the build-up to Matheus Cunha’s strike went unpunished despite a VAR review. Both sides had secured their principal targets in recent weeks, with United set to return…
A DRONE strike has sparked a fire on the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), raising fresh concerns over a possible regional escalation despite the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States. In a statement issued on Sunday, authorities in Abu Dhabi confirmed that the fire broke out at an electrical generator located outside the plant’s inner perimeter in the Al Dhafra region, while the UAE Defence Ministry later disclosed that air defence systems had successfully intercepted two drones and that a third drone struck the generator near the facility. Officials said…
AT least five people have been killed after Ukraine launched what Russian officials described as one of the largest drone barrages of the war, sending waves of unmanned aircraft towards Moscow and several other regions overnight. The Indian embassy in Russia said one Indian worker was killed and three others were injured during the drone attacks in the Moscow region. Moscow region’s Governor Andrei Vorobyov added that a woman was killed after a drone slammed into a house in Khimki, north of Moscow. Vorobyov added that apartment buildings and infrastructure sites were damaged in the attacks. Rescue workers were searching…
RESIDENTS in the Ugandan capital have expressed their fears and concerns after officials confirmed a death in the city from Ebola, following a new outbreak in neighbouring Congo. Authorities said on Friday that a Congolese man who died at the Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala earlier in the week, had tested positive for the virus. As visitors arrived at the health facility on Saturday, they were screened with infrared thermometers and provided with hand sanitiser at the building’s entrance. “When I heard them saying they had got one suspect of Ebola, it frightened me,” said Kampala resident Francis Anguzu. “Why?…
OFFICIALS in Ghana said on Friday that the government has wrapped up its International Monetary Fund bailout programme, ending a $3 billion emergency support package. Accra said it had helped restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability ahead of schedule. Ghana’s presidency said inflation has reduced significantly, the currency has strengthened, and public debt has declined sharply. In December, President John Dramani Mahama announced the country would gradually exit the IMF programme thanks to reforms undertaken since 2024 when he start his second, but non-consecutive term in office. At the time, he described the economy as being in a fragile state,…
AN Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 80 as authorities warned there was no vaccine for the strain in a crisis that the World Health Organisation declared an international health emergency on Sunday. A total of 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever have been reported, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) said in an update on Saturday. The Geneva-based WHO said early on Sunday the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola constituted a “public health emergency of international concern” — the second-highest…
SPANIARD Xabi Alonso has reached an agreement in principle on a four-year deal to become Chelsea’s next permanent manager. The appointment of the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss, 44, is expected in the coming days. Chelsea have been keen to secure a replacement for Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month. BBC Sport reported on Monday that Chelsea had started contacting prospective new managers, including Alonso, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner. However, former Real and Liverpool midfielder Alonso emerged as the club’s preferred candidate and talks have now reached a conclusion. The…
FOREIGN Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran remains ready to resume direct military conflict with the United States, if negotiations fail to produce acceptable results. Amid a stream of state-orchestrated messaging to both domestic and foreign audiences, Araghchi also warned that despite the damage the US-Israel war on Iran has done to the region, it is also impacting ordinary American households. US energy and inflation costs have increased significantly since the conflict began on February 28, resulting in the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas is normally shipped. “Americans are…