Author: Editor

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THE Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has withdrawn the invitation extended to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.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…

MANCHESTER City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne confirmed on Friday that he will leave the club at the end of the season. De Bruyne, 33, has won 14 major trophies since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023. “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first,” De Bruyne said in a post on social media. “Football led me to all of you – and to this city.…

ISRAEL has now restricted Palestinians’ access to roughly two-thirds of Gaza, either by declaring large areas as no-go zones or issuing forced displacement orders, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Among the restricted areas is a large swath of southern Rafah, where Israel’s military issued a new displacement order on March 31, declaring it was returning to “fight with great force”. The restrictions also cover parts of Gaza City, where Israeli troops launched a new ground offensive on Friday morning to expand their “security zone”. These escalations have triggered one of the largest mass…

UNITED States President Donald Trump has again extended a deadline for owners of the popular video app TikTok to sell to non-Chinese buyers or be banned in the US. The executive order announced on Friday would extend the deadline by 75 days. Trump had previously extended a January deadline set out in the law passed by the US Congress last year. “My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” Trump posted on the Truth Social network, which he owns. He added “the deal requires more work to ensure all…

LIBYAN authorities have accused aid groups of plotting to change the country’s ethnic make-up by encouraging African migrants to stay there, and has ordered them to close their offices. Ten groups have been singled out – including Doctors Without Borders, the UN refugee agency, and Norwegian Refugee Council. “This plan to settle migrants of African origin in our country represents a hostile act. It aims to change the demographic composition of the country and threatens the balance of Libyan society,” said Internal Security Authority spokesman Salem Gheit on Thursday. It echoes a similar announcement made by Tunisia two years ago,…

THE UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said he is appalled at what he described as “credible reports” of extrajudicial killings of civilians by the Sudanese army, after it recaptured the capital Khartoum last week. In a statement Volker Türk called for a full investigation into the allegations. He expressed his concern over the “credible reports of numerous incidents of summary executions of civilians in several areas of Khartoum, on apparent suspicions that they were collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces.” Videos have been circulating for several days on social media of alleged killings of civilians by armed men,…

THE media have already been awash with the news that some licensed tour operators have dumped the slots allocated to them by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and withdrew from further participation in the 2025 Hajj processes. However, we were forced to set the record straight, because from the reports we have read so far, there were sinister attempts aimed at twisting the narrative to turn us against our colleagues and members with whom we sweat day and night to ensure they got a better deal and a more acceptable bargain for their teeming and innocent Pilgrims. WHO…

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Thursday it would be “a bad idea” for FIFA to expand the World Cup to 64 nations for the 2030 tournament. The 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada will already see the format increase from 32 teams to 48. But the head of the Uruguayan football federation, Ignacio Alonso, suggested further expanding the tournament at the last FIFA Council meeting in March. Football’s global governing body said it “had a duty to analyse” the proposal, which European chief Ceferin denounced at UEFA’s congress in Belgrade. “It’s maybe even more surprising for…

AT least 33 Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Israeli air attacks on three schools housing displaced people in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to local officials. Gaza’s Government Media Office said in a statement that 29 people – including 18 children – were killed and more than 100 were injured when Israeli air raids hit the Dar al-Arqam School-turned-shelter on Thursday. The school was hit with at least four missiles, a Civil Defence spokesperson said. Sources told Al Jazeera that at least four people also were killed in an Israeli attack on the…

DESPITE its sophistication as a country, research has shown that the United States of America (USA) is ranked as the country most anxious about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), especially on jobs. This was revealed by a study conducted by ZeroBounce, which ranked the countries most anxious about AI. The research analyzed search volume data for terms related to AI job loss alongside positive AI sentiment percentages across major economies. The AI Anxiety Score combined search volumes for terms indicating concern about AI replacing human workers with inverse positive sentiment measurements. Higher scores indicate greater population concern about AI’s…

A PROTEST march has been held in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, against a recent spate of reports of men raping children. Over the last two months, Zambians have been shocked by several cases of child rape, some of which resulted in death. Among the most horrific reports was that of a father allegedly raping his seven-year-old daughter while she was admitted to hospital for cancer treatment. There have also been reports of a five-year-old allegedly being raped by a gang of four men, while another father was jailed for raping and infecting his six-year-old with genital warts, a sexually transmitted infection.…

CIVILIANS in Sudan’s North Darfur’s capital, el-Fasher, and surrounding towns are starving. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have imposed a siege on them for about a year, yet they managed to forestall an invasion thanks to the Joint Forces – an array of local armed factions backed by the army. The besieged civilians are now pleading for help, but some fear the army has neither the political will nor the capability to rescue civilians, say experts, local journalists and civilians. The nearly 500,000 civilians in Zamzam camp – the largest refugee camp in North Darfur – are already suffering…

LA LIGA said Wednesday Barcelona did not have the financial capacity to register players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor and still lack it, ahead of a decision by Spain’s sports council (CSD) over the duo’s eligibility to play. In January Barcelona announced a deal had been reached to sell VIP boxes at the club’s Camp Nou stadium, currently being rebuilt, worth a reported 100 million euros ($108 million), which gave them the financial fair play room for new licences for the players. La Liga said Barcelona used an unnamed auditor between December 31 and January 3 which recorded the deal…