Author: Editor

ISRAEL has killed eleven people, including a State Security officer, in separate attacks in Lebanon as it continues its assaults on the country since the ceasefire with Hezbollah came into effect last week. The truce agreement was pushed to the brink on Monday as Israel’s air strikes killed two people, and Hezbollah launched an attack against an Israeli military position in retaliation. Israel, then, responded with a series of air raids that killed at least nine people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Hezbollah said on Monday that it carried out a “preliminary defensive response” to the “repeated violations” of…

A COMMITTEE of the United States Congress has backed the theory that a lab leak caused the COVID-19 pandemic. In a report released on Monday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis said it had concluded that the coronavirus “likely emerged because of a laboratory or research related accident”. The 520-page report, which was two years in the making, looked at the federal and state-level response to the pandemic, as well as its origins and vaccination efforts. “This work will help the United States, and the world, predict the next pandemic, prepare for the next pandemic,…

AT least 56 people were killed in “deadly stampedes” at a football match in Guinea’s second-largest city of N’Zerekore, a statement from the junta-controlled government said Monday. “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes” at Sunday’s match, the government statement said, which was published as a news ticker on national television. “Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56.” Earlier report by an eyewitness did not specify the exact number of causalities recorded. “There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital. Others are…

PROTESTS that have led to weeks of clashes with Mozambique’s security forces need to continue for “maybe two to three months”, the country’s opposition leader has told the BBC. Venâncio Mondlane has been calling on his supporters to protest against the results of October’s presidential elections, in which he came second to the candidate from the governing Frelimo party. The weeks-long demonstrations have led to violent encounters with the police and at least 67 people have been killed, local monitoring group Plataforma Decide said. Mondlane, who is now in hiding, told the BBC he thinks pressure from the protests could…

THE Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) reiterated, on Sunday, its constant positions and resolutions in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and in ensuring the security and stability of the Kingdom of Morocco, and preserving its territorial integrity. In the final communiqué issued following its 45th summit held today in Kuwait, the Council praised UN Security Council Resolution 2756 issued on October 31, 2024, regarding the Moroccan Sahara, and insisted on respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Supreme Council also emphasized “the importance of the special strategic partnership…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria is reported to be preparing to retire approximately 1,000 employees as part of a strategic workforce realignment. A severance package worth over N50 billion was said to have been allocated as the payoff for the exercise. According to an insider, the retirement initiative is driven by the need to streamline operations and reduce staff numbers under the leadership of the apex bank’s Governor, Olayemi Cardoso. This newspaper reported on Monday that a circular released three weeks ago by the CBN noted that the application for Early Exit Package (EPP) was open to all cadres of…

LIVERPOOL opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Manchester City’s crisis deepened in a 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday. Cody Gakpo’s 12th-minute goal was scant reward for the Reds’ first-half domination and they sealed an 18th win in 20 games under Arne Slot thanks to Mohamed Salah’s penalty. City are now 11 points off the runaway leaders down in fifth and winless in seven games, including six defeats. Arsenal and Chelsea are Liverpool’s closest challengers as City appear set to lose their crown as English champions after winning an unprecedented four consecutive titles.…

AT least four Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank, according to authorities. The attack occurred in the village of Sir near Jenin on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It said the killings were a result of “the occupation’s aggression”. Israel’s military also confirmed that four Palestinians were killed, describing them as “terrorists”. The Palestine Red Crescent Society, meanwhile, reported that Israeli forces had been “preventing our teams from reaching the bombing site”. Fares Irshaid, a resident of Sir, described the attack to the AFP news agency. “In the morning, the…

US President-elect Donald Trump aims to make loyalist Kash Patel the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he said on Saturday, in a move that would mean replacing the agency’s current leader. Trump announced the former advisor and Pentagon official, who has been critical of the bureau and is known for his controversial views on a so-called government “deep state,” as his choice for the post on his Truth Social network. The FBI’s current director, Christopher Wray, was appointed to a 10-year term in 2017, meaning he would either need to step down or be fired. The FBI…

NAMIBIA’s main opposition party has said it will not recognise results from this week’s general election, where there have been logistical problems and voting was extended in several places. In a statement on Saturday, Panduleni Itula, the presidential candidate for the opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) alleged there had been “glaring and undeniable” electoral malpractices. He had been aiming to defeat the candidate for the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), which has been in power since independence in 1990. Swapo’s flagbearer, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, is seeking to become the country’s first female president. Voting began on Wednesday but in…

POLICE in Tanzania are investigating the reported kidnapping of opposition youth leader Abdul Nondo. The ACT Wazalendo party said Nondo was abducted by unknown assailants from a bus station in the main city, Dar es Salaam. Police confirmed that a man was taken from the bus station in the early hours of Sunday by two individuals traveling in a white four-wheel-drive vehicle. While the identity of the victim is yet to be officially confirmed, the police said the abducted man left behind a bag containing items which are believed to belong to the youth leader. This incident follows the kidnapping…

BOTAFOGO clinched the first Copa Libertadores in their 123-year history with an incredible victory over Brazilian rivals Atletico Mineiro. The River Plate Stadium in Argentina was stunned just 30 seconds into the final when Botafogo midfielder Gregore was sent off for a high kick to the head of Fausto Vera. After having their hearts in their mouths for 34 minutes, the Botafogo fans were sent wild after a rare foray forward ended in Luiz Henrique smashing home with his left foot inside the box. Buoyed by that, the 10 men ventured forward again and goalscorer Henrique was fouled in the…

THE Israeli military has killed three workers with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) and at least two other people in an air strike on a vehicle in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in what was the third deadly attack on the aid group this year. The US-based charity, which runs community kitchens in Gaza, said it had paused its operations in Gaza after the attack on Saturday. “We are heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza,” WCK said in a statement. “At this time, we are working with…

MORE than 122,000 people have been forced out of their homes as massive floods caused by relentless rains swept through Malaysia’s northern states, disaster management officials said Saturday. The number surpassed the 118,000 evacuated during one of the country’s worst floodings in 2014, and disaster officials feared it could rise further as there was no let-up in torrential downpours. The death toll remained at four recorded across Kelantan, Terengganu and Sarawak. Kelantan state bore the brunt of the flooding, accounting for 63 percent of the 122,631 people evacuated, according to data from the National Disaster Management Agency. Nearly 35,000 people…

MAURITIUS’ new prime minister said he has asked for an independent review of a deal with the United Kingdom over the future of the Chagos Islands. Under the agreement, which has still to be signed, the UK would relinquish sovereignty over the archipelago but maintain a 99-year lease over Diego Garcia, home to a major UK-US military airbase. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that Navin Ramgoolam had “indicated he was open” to the historic deal. Ramgoolam, who was elected prime minister of Mauritius two weeks ago, told the Mauritian parliament he had asked for…

FRANCE has for the first time acknowledged that its soldiers carried out a “massacre” in Senegal in which dozens – perhaps hundreds – of West African troops were killed almost exactly 80 years ago, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has said. Those who died were part of the Tirailleurs Senegalais unit, recruited at the start of World War Two to help defend France, the colonial power. On returning to Senegal in 1944 many protested about their pay, historians say, which led to a brutal response. The killings have been a point of contention between Senegal and France and their reported…

LEICESTER named Ruud van Nistelrooy as the club’s new manager on Friday, just weeks after his departure from Manchester United. The Dutchman left United earlier this month after a short spell as interim boss and previously serving as assistant to Erik ten Hag. Leicester sacked Steve Cooper on Sunday after just 12 Premier League games in charge, with the Foxes 16th in the table and only one point above the relegation zone. “I’m proud, I’m excited. Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic,” said Van Nistelrooy in a club statement. “The recent history of the…

HEZBOLLAH’s leader says he will work with the Lebanese army to enforce the ceasefire the group agreed with Israel, as the shaky truce largely held on its third day after more than a year of fighting. In his first televised address since the truce went into effect, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on Friday that he did not envision “problems or disagreement” with the army, which under the terms of the deal will deploy to southern Lebanon over 60 days as Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces withdraw. “The coordination between the resistance and the Lebanese army will be at a…

SOCIAL media giants on Friday hit out at a landmark Australian law banning them from signing up under-16s, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions”. The UN children’s charity UNICEF Australia warned the law was no “silver bullet” against online harm and could push kids into “covert and unregulated” spaces online. The legislation, approved by parliament on Thursday, orders social media firms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teens from having accounts. It is due to come into effect after a year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the age limit may not be implemented perfectly…

ERITREAN residents in Ethiopia’s capital have reported widespread arrests among their community, sparking fear among refugees and asylum seekers who fled their homes in search of a better life. While not unprecedented, the scale and intensity of the current crackdown in Addis Ababa is significant, with hundreds reportedly detained in recent weeks. The city’s police did not respond to the BBC’s requests for comment but the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission – an independent body set up by the country’s parliament – said it would launch an investigation. Eritrea and Ethiopia share a border and tension between the two neighbours has…