UNITED States President Donald Trump has warned Hamas of dire consequences if it fails to disarm, while also threatening to “quickly eradicate” and “knock down” any attempts by Iran to rebuild its nuclear programme. Trump issued the threats on Monday, after holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Their discussions focused on advancing the ceasefire deal Trump brokered in Gaza, as well as addressing Israeli concerns over Iran, and over Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump said that Israel has been doing its part in the Gaza ceasefire, despite launching near-daily strikes that have killed…
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KHALEDA Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and a towering figure in the country’s turbulent politics, has died at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness, according to her party. In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said Khaleda died at 6am local time (00:00 GMT). “Our beloved national leader is no longer with us,” the BNP said. “We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul,” it said. Khaleda died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where she was admitted on November 23 with symptoms of…
AT first light in Tanzania’s main city Dar es Salaam, some of its six million residents begin their day with a frantic search for water. Christmas is approaching, but the festive mood is dampened by the dry pipes, as the city experiences serious water shortages. In some homes, plastic containers are stacked outside the door, ready to be carried at a moment’s notice whenever word spreads that a nearby tap is flowing again. City authorities ration water. Homes get it once a week, but the wait can stretch for weeks for some families. The crisis, caused by a drought and…
THERE is growing anger in Malawi over a post-Christmas fortnight trip to the UK that one of the country’s vice-presidents is due to take. Jane Ansah’s visit will be in a private capacity but the reported size of both her entourage and overall cost of the trip has ignited fierce criticism. The details have been disputed by her office. The row began after the circulation of an alleged leaked letter to the Malawi High Commission in London, signed by Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chauncy Simwaka, listing 15 individuals set to accompany Ansah. In power since October, the vice-president’s government has…
ISRAEL has killed at least 706 family members of Palestinian journalists since the start of its genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. The syndicate’s Freedoms Committee said in a report released late on Saturday that Israeli forces are systematically targeting the families of journalists as part of what it called a war aimed at silencing Palestinian reporting. The report said the attacks represent a deliberate strategy rather than deaths as a result of war. Israeli violence against journalists has “evolved to take on a more dangerous and brutal dimension, represented by targeting the…
NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a test launch of long-range strategic cruise missiles and called for the “unlimited and sustained” development of his country’s nuclear combat forces, according to state media. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday that Kim expressed satisfaction as the cruise missiles flew along their orbit, set above the sea west of the Korean Peninsula, and hit their target. The launch, which took place on Sunday, was the latest event Kim attended, in a flurry of activity by the North Korean leader to underscore the country’s military and economic progress before…
NIGER Republic’s military rulers have approved a general mobilisation and authorised the requisition of people and goods as they intensify the fight against armed groups across the country, according to a government statement. The decision followed a cabinet meeting on Friday and marks a major escalation by the military government, which seized power in a July 2023 coup that toppled the country’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. “People, property, and services may be requisitioned during general mobilisation to contribute to the defence of the homeland, in compliance with the legislation and regulations in force,” the government said in a statement…
THE UK is to impose visa restrictions against people arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo after its government failed to agree to measures allowing the return of illegal migrants and foreign national offenders. Ministers say the DRC has not made changes required under the toughening up of the UK’s asylum rules announced in November. Fast-track visa processes will no longer apply to people from the country, while the Home Office said VIPs and politicians would no longer get preferential treatment when coming to the UK. Meanwhile, the Home Office said Angola and Namibia had agreed to step up efforts…
ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been warning of a grave Iranian threat to Israel and the world for more than 30 years. United States President Donald Trump heeded those warnings in June and bombed Tehran’s nuclear facilities. But it appears that Netanyahu is still not satisfied and will be pushing for more military actions against Iran when he returns to the US on Sunday to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. This time, the focus is on Iran’s missile programme. Israeli officials and their US allies are beating the drums of war against Iran once again, arguing…
POLLS have opened in Myanmar’s first general election since the country’s military toppled Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a 2021 coup. The heavily restricted election on Sunday is taking place in about a third of the Southeast Asian nation’s 330 townships, with large areas inaccessible amid a raging civil war between the military and an array of opposition forces. Following the initial phase, two rounds of voting will be held on January 11 and January 25, while voting has been cancelled in 65 townships altogether. “This means that at least 20 percent of the country…
VOTE counting is underway in Ivory Coast following legislative elections to choose the country’s 255 members of the National Assembly, a vote shaped by deep political divisions and lingering tensions from the recent presidential poll. The parliamentary elections come just two months after President Alassane Ouattara secured a second term with more than 90 percent of the vote. That landslide victory was strongly contested by the opposition, which criticised the exclusion of several major opposition figures from the presidential race following court rulings. Those divisions have carried over into the legislative contest. The African Peoples’ Party (PPA-CI), linked to former…
BRITISH-EGYPTIAN dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah has arrived in London after Egyptian authorities lifted a travel ban that had remained in place despite his release from prison in September. Abd el-Fattah spent nearly a decade behind bars, largely for speaking out against the Egyptian government’s treatment of dissidents. Although he had already completed a five-year sentence, authorities kept him imprisoned for an additional two years, refusing to count his pre-trial detention as time served. A first attempt to leave Cairo for London last November was blocked by security forces. Since then, Abd el-Fattah had been negotiating permission to travel freely, amid…
BADLY depleted Manchester United clung on to climb back into the Premier League’s top five as Patrick Dorgu’s stunning volley proved enough to beat Newcastle at Old Trafford. Missing seven senior players through injury and international duty including skipper Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Amorim’s side also lost Mason Mount at half-time. But despite Newcastle having 66% possession and Lewis Hall’s thunderous strike bouncing down off the underside of the bar, Eddie Howe’s side could not come up with a leveller as their dismal recent form continued. In fairness, Dorgu’s first Manchester United goal was worthy of winning any game. As Diogo…
THE Palestinian economy is undergoing a severe downturn, driven by Israel’s continued assault on Gaza, intensified restrictions on movement and trade in the occupied West Bank, and a sharp decline in both domestic and external financial resources. As the Palestinian government struggles to manage an escalating fiscal crisis, official data and expert assessments warn that the economy is approaching a critical threshold, one that threatens the continuity of state institutions and their ability to meet even basic obligations. A joint report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), published in the Palestinian Economic…
CHINA has sanctioned a group of United States defence companies and senior executives over weapons sales to Taiwan, the latest move against Washington’s support for the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the measures on Friday, targeting 20 US defence firms and 10 individuals. It said the sanctions are retaliation for the US’s newly announced $11.1bn weapons package for Taiwan, one of its largest ever for the territory. “Any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a strong response from China,” said a statement from…
IN Ivory Coast, the opposition PDCI-RDA is accusing supporters of the ruling RHDP of carrying out a fraudulent collection of voters’ personal data ahead of legislative elections. According to the party, individuals claiming to belong to the RHDP have been gathering names, phone numbers, voter card details, and polling station information. The PDCI-RDA says these actions are allegedly accompanied by promises of cash payments of up to 300,000 CFA francs and the distribution of motorcycles, with the aim of influencing the vote. The ruling party has declined to comment on the accusations. The Independent Electoral Commission, or CEI, says it…
ISRAEL has become the first country to formally recognise Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel intended to immediately expand cooperation in agriculture, health, and technology. Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, called the development “a historic moment”. Recognition by Israel could encourage other nations to follow suit, increasing the region’s diplomatic credentials and access to international markets. Somalia’s prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, said his country categorically and unequivocally rejected what he called a deliberate attack by Israel on its sovereignty. Abdullahi said in a statement that Somaliland would join the Abraham…
ORGANISERS at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco are allowing local supporters in for free after kick-off in matches where stadiums are not full, a Confederation of African Football source told AFP. The Group F game between Cameroon and Gabon on Wednesday in Agadir kicked off in front of almost empty stands, but the ground filled up significantly over the course of the first half despite incessant rain. The official attendance was later announced as 35,200 inside a venue that can hold over 45,000. There have been similar scenes at numerous matches across the opening days of the competition,…
MANCHESTER United head coach Ruben Amorim is not willing to let any players leave in the January transfer window unless replacements come in. Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee are both keen for chances to play more regularly over the second half of the season. Mainoo still wants to go out on loan, while Zirkzee has been linked with a return to Italy. However, even when his squad is bolstered in the middle of next month by the return to fitness of skipper Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Amorim…
FIVE Israeli settlers have been arrested over their alleged involvement in an attack on a Palestinian home that wounded an eight-month-old baby in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the infant suffered “moderate injuries to the face and head” in the attack that took place late on Wednesday involving “a group of armed settlers” who were throwing stones at homes and property in the town of Sair, north of Hebron. Israeli police on Thursday said five settlers were arrested after they received reports of “stones being thrown by Israeli civilians toward a Palestinian home”. Israeli…