Author: Editor

JEREMY Doku’s stoppage-time strike salvaged a 3-3 draw for Manchester City at Everton, but a second-half collapse handed the destiny of the Premier League title back to Arsenal on Monday. The Gunners now just need to win their final three games to end a 22-year wait to become the champions of England. City remain five points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s team, with a game in hand, and will struggle to recover from the manner of their implosion at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side appeared to be cruising to victory when Doku opened the scoring at the end of…

US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it attacks United States ships as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz push the truce between the two countries to the brink. Hostilities were renewed in the region on Monday as Iran attacked the United Arab Emirates, and Trump said the US military shot down seven small Iranian boats near Hormuz. In an interview with Fox News, Trump underscored Washington’s military power, and he renewed his threats to Iran. “We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we…

AIR defences in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have intercepted missiles and incoming drone attacks from Iran. The UAE Ministry of Defence said late on Monday afternoon that it was intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones across the country. It later reported that three missiles had been intercepted, with a fourth falling into the sea. The strikes came as tension in the Gulf increased, with efforts to extend the ceasefire in the United States-Israeli war on Iran having failed to make a breakthrough, and rhetoric remaining elevated on both sides as they face off regarding the blockades in the…

THE leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, has taken on the role of defence minister following the killing of the previous minister in last week’s uprising by rebel groups. State television channel ORTM reported on Monday that Goita was taking on the post following the death of Sadio Camara in large-scale attacks by an al-Qaeda-linked group working with Tuareg separatists. The report noted the presidential decree that Assimi Goita will remain president while also taking on the new role General Oumar Diarra, who was military chief of staff, has been appointed as delegate minister to the defence ministry. During…

POLICE in South Africa have managed to recover human remains after an officer was lowered from a helicopter into a crocodile-infested river in the search for a businessman swept away by floodwater last week. The reptile suspected to have eaten the missing man had already been killed but Captain Johan “Pottie” Potgieter said it was still a nerve-wracking experience. “The sharp-end of a crocodile is not the best place to approach it,” he told the News24 website. After Potgieter had used a rope to secure the animal, both were hoisted away from the Komati River in the north-east of the…

MANCHESTER United secured Champions League football next season as Kobbie Mainoo’s strike earned a thrilling 3-2 victory over old rivals Liverpool on Sunday. United were 2-0 up inside 15 minutes through Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, but imploded after the break to allow Arne Slot’s men to level with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo before Mainoo secured the win. A return to Europe’s elite competition after a two-year absence and another big game win furthers Michael Carrick’s case to continue as United boss next season. Mainoo has embodied the upturn in United’s fortunes since Carrick took charge in…

IN the shattered neighbourhoods of Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip, the roar of Israeli drones and the concussive thud of controlled demolitions are daily reminders that the war has never really ended. Despite a “ceasefire” in place since October, families continue to pull bodies from the rubble. According to local medical sources, 828 Palestinians have been killed since the “truce” began. Now, families in Gaza are bracing for a renewed offensive as Israeli officials threaten to tear up the fragile agreement to force a surrender. In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly cancelled a scheduled…

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he will review a new Iranian peace proposal, but cast doubt over its prospects as he left open the possibility of future attacks on Iran. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with one round of peace talks to end the more than two-month war having failed in Pakistan. The dour outlook came after Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported Tehran submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Islamabad. Details included ending the conflict on all fronts and enacting a new framework for the…

AT least 18 people have died in flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains in multiple parts of Kenya. The police stated on Sunday that landslides were reported in Tharaka Nithi, Elgeyo-Marakwet, and Kiambu counties in the country’s central and eastern regions. They confirmed that 18 lives had been lost to these incidents and urged caution amid the challenging weather conditions. Mudslides are impacting “multiple families, displacing households, and causing significant damage to property and infrastructure”, the police said, warning residents living in landslide-prone or flood-affected areas to be careful. It’s unclear how many people have been displaced. Reports from…

THREE people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization (WHO) has told the BBC. One case has been confirmed, with five suspected cases under investigation, it said. One British national aged 69 is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hantavirus is usually passed to humans from rodents via their urine or faeces. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Rarely, it can be transmitted between people. The UK Foreign Office told the BBC it was monitoring reports, and ready to support British nationals. The outbreak was reported aboard…

VIKTOR Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka starred in Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Fulham on Saturday as the Premier League leaders moved a step closer to their first title in 22 years. Mikel Arteta’s side demolished woeful Fulham with a three-goal first-half blitz at the Emirates Stadium. Gyokeres put Arsenal ahead, and the Sweden striker netted again on the stroke of half-time after Saka had doubled their lead. The Gunners’ second successive league victory lifted them six points clear of second-placed Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s men have two games in hand, with the first of those at Everton on Monday, but Arsenal’s…

ISRAEL has launched multiple strikes across southern Lebanon, killing at least 10 people in further violations of the “ceasefire” declared two weeks ago. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said the latest wave of attacks on Saturday increased the total recorded over the previous 24 hours to 41. The overall death toll since March 2 is 2,659, with 8,183 injured. Quoting the health ministry, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said three people were killed in an Israeli attack on the town of Shoukine in Nabatieh district. An earlier attack on a car in the village of Kfar Dajjal killed two people. Three…

THE United States embassy in London has issued a security alert telling its citizens in the United Kingdom to be cautious after the British government raised the national threat level to “severe”. The embassy advised citizens on Friday to remain “alert in public places” and to stay away from schools, churches, tourist locations and transportation hubs. It also said that US nationals should vary their “travel routes and times” to reduce predictability and to keep a low profile. The UK’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, said on Friday that the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre had raised the threat level from “substantial”…

EGYPTAIR has cancelled its hajj flights to and from crisis-struck Mali, directly impacting more than 4,000 people, the country’s pilgrimage-organizing body said Saturday. The cancellations come as the west African nation faces a dire security situation, with separatist and jihadist rebels targeting its authoritarian junta. Large-scale attacks at multiple junta strongholds last weekend killed the country’s defence minister, and jihadists have since begun blocking certain entry points into the capital, Bamako. The cancellation of the flights was due to “the cost difference related to the increase in kerosene prices, as well as the security situation in Mali”, said the government…

SOMALI pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, according to multiple Somali security officials that spoke with the BBC. The Yemeni coastguard earlier said the tanker MT Eureka had been hijacked and was headed towards Somalia. Sources said it was overrun by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, near the port of Qana. The pirates departed a remote coastal area near the seaside town of Qandala, which sits on the Gulf of Aden, according to three separate security officials from the semi-autonomous Puntland region who spoke with the BBC. It marks the second hijacking of an…

BENFICA coach Jose Mourinho said Friday there has been no contact between him and Real Madrid, despite speculation the Spanish giants could turn to him this summer. The veteran Portuguese coach, who led Los Blancos from 2010 to 2013 in a heated rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s Barca, is reported to be on Madrid’s shortlist for a new coach. Current Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa seems set to be replaced with the team heading for a second consecutive season without a major trophy. “No one from Real Madrid has spoken to me. I can guarantee that,” Mourinho, 63, told reporters. “I’ve been…

DONALD Trump has said that he is “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal to end the war which has killed thousands and triggered a global energy crisis. Speaking to the media on Friday, the US president said he was uncertain whether a deal with Iran would be reached, warning that he would “blast them away” if negotiations failed. “They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said, as a ceasefire in the conflict continued for a third week. The president added that he would prefer to reach an agreement that…

AT least 12 people have been killed, including a child, in southern Lebanon, as Israel continues its strikes despite a ceasefire. Israeli forces killed at least eight people in Habboush in the Nabatieh district on Friday, and wounded at least eight others, including another child and a woman. The Lebanese Civilian Defence searched through the rubble of the “massive set of air strikes that destroyed a residential neighbourhood”, Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reported from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. “The footage coming out of there is really dramatic, with buildings completely flattened.” “We keep seeing this same kind of…

THE US has imposed sweeping sanctions on former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, accusing him of backing the M23 rebel group. Washington alleges he provided financial support, encouraged defections from the Congolese army and even “sought to launch attacks” on the military from outside the country. The 54-year-old ex-president, who led DR Congo for 18 years from 2001, said the measures were “profoundly unjustified, politically motivated and based on unsubstantiated accusations”. The US said these latest sanctions were part of a wider effort to support last year’s peace deal between neighbours DR Congo and Rwanda that it brokered.…

CHINA will scrap tariffs for all African countries from Friday – except Eswatini, which maintains ties with Taiwan. As of December 2024, China had already implemented a duty-free policy for 33 least-developed African nations. The policy now covers 53 countries, and will be in place until 30 April 2028. It is unclear what will happen after that. Beijing has boasted that it is the first major economy to offer unilateral zero-tariff treatment to Africa. But analysts say that while China is seizing the chance to enhance its soft power, they point out that tariffs are rarely the main obstacle for…