NEWLY resumed Gaza ceasefire talks are expected to continue on Friday, US and regional officials have said, amid efforts to defuse intensifying tensions across the Middle East. White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that negotiations were under way in Doha with the participation of officials from Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt. “We do not anticipate coming out of these talks today with the deal,” Kirby said. “In fact, I’d expect the talks to continue into tomorrow. This is vital work. The remaining obstacles can be overcome, and we must bring this process to a close.” Egyptian…
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THAILAND’s parliament is set to vote on whether 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra should become the country’s next prime minister after the ruling Pheu Thai party nominated her to replace dismissed leader Srettha Thavisin. Parliament is due to convene in Bangkok at 10am (03:00 GMT) on Friday, two days after the country’s top court sacked Srettha over his decision to appoint a minister who had a criminal conviction. Paetongtarn is the youngest child of billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra and would become the third member of the family after her father and aunt to hold the nation’s top job if she secures parliamentary…
US-LED talks on the 16-month civil war in Sudan opened in Switzerland on Wednesday, with the discussion centring on humanitarian assistance for millions facing hunger, and displacement amid the brutal conflict. Only one of the two warring parties accepted the US invitation to the talks, with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) choosing to shun the meeting. A power struggle between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been raging in the African country, which lies south of Egypt, since April 2023. “Belligerents must respect international humanitarian law and enable humanitarian assistance. “It is high time for the guns…
SOUTH African prosecutors have dropped charges against 95 Libyans who were arrested on suspicion of receiving training at an illegal military camp. The case was withdrawn because of insufficient evidence, said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa. The men have only been charged with breaching South Africa’s immigration laws and will be deported to their home country. The Home Affairs department said in a statement it would ensure “the deportations are conducted swiftly”. One of the men’s lawyers, Nico du Plessis, told Associated Press the group was “happy” the charges had been dropped. The group is expected to be deported…
KYLIAN Mbappe scored on his Real Madrid debut as they beat Atalanta to claim a record sixth Uefa Super Cup in Warsaw. The French forward, 25, was barely involved during the first period as Real struggled to find their rhythm against Gian Piero Gasperini’s well-drilled side. However, Real were transformed after the break and Federico Valverde tapped in Vinicius Jr’s pass to open the scoring. As Atalanta began to fade Mbappe doubled Real’s lead, accelerating onto Jude Bellingham’s pass before dispatching an effort into the top corner. Atalanta had started the contest as the brighter team with Marten de Roon’s…
LAST week more than 100 people were killed after Israel hit a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced Palestinians, as the United Nations accused Israel of intensifying attacks on schools. The targeting of al-Talbin School on Saturday during dawn prayers triggered global outrage. Paramedics at the scene described the carnage as horrific, with “bodies ripped to pieces”. Israel claimed that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters were operating from the school – a claim that was rejected by Hamas. Israel has repeatedly attacked Gaza’s schools, hospitals and universities, claiming the buildings were used for military purposes without providing any proof.…
THE World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), its highest level of alert, due to a new variant of the mpox viral disease in Africa. The WHO on Wednesday said mpox cases have been found in 13 African countries and its new form is spreading. It is the second time in two years the organisation has issued the alert for the disease. It comes after an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has spread to neighbouring countries. “Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that…
SENEGAL President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Wednesday called for “appropriate recovery measures” for the national press, following sweeping strikes by the media industry over perceived economic pressures and threats to press freedom. Faye demanded a “renewed dialogue with the national press” which “deserves the particular attention of the government and appropriate recovery measures”, according to a government statement. The statement did not specify what type of recovery measures nor did it mention the nationwide media blackout held Tuesday by many newspapers, radio and television broadcasters as an act of protest. Faye requested that the government, specifically the communications minister, ensure…
SOUTH Sudan’s President Salva Kiir held talks with political leaders to discuss the feasibility of holding long-delayed elections due to take place in December, his office said, as the United Nations again warned on Wednesday that time was running out. The world’s youngest country has yet to go to the polls, a full 13 years after its hard-fought independence from Sudan, to the frustration of its people and the international community. “The presidency, along with the leaders of major political parties, has resolved to seek technical advice from the electoral institutions on the feasibility of conducting upcoming elections,” Kiir’s office…
MANCHESTER United have signed Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in a move that could cost nearly £60m. De Ligt has signed a five-year contract, and Mazraoui a four-year deal, both with the option to extend for a further year. Mazraoui could be immediately called upon by United to deputise at left-back for the injured Luke Shaw – who is expected to return after the first international break – when they host Fulham in the Premier League on Friday (20:00 BST). United have agreed to pay £38.5m plus £4.3m in add-ons for 25-year-old centre-back De Ligt, who…
IN the early hours of Saturday morning, 24-year-old Sajida al-Kafarna was sleeping with her family inside a school classroom when they were woken by a huge explosion. “We reassured each other that we were OK, but when I noticed my father’s empty place, panic set in because he had gone to pray dawn prayer,” recounted Sajida. Sajida’s family was among the roughly 2,400 displaced Palestinians sheltering at al-Tabin School. Her father, Abdul Aziz al-Kafarna, 58, was inside the school’s small mosque when Israel bombed the building. Sajida paused, holding back sobs. “My mother, my siblings, and I all rushed to…
UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukrainian forces are now in control of 74 Russian settlements in the Kursk region, the result of a Ukrainian cross-border operation. In an evening address on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces continue to advance into the Kursk region and take Russian prisoners. “There are 74 settlements under the control of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian leader has presented the daring operation as evidence that his country maintains the ability to seize the initiative and direct events, more than two years after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, the Kursk region’s Governor…
SENGALESE commuters hoping to browse the news on their way to work were left disappointed on Tuesday – most national newspapers refused to publish in protest against what they see as shrinking media freedom under the new government. The media is experiencing “one of the darkest days of its history,” the local Council of Press Distributors and Publishers (CDEPS) said. It accuses the government – led by former opposition politicians – of freezing the bank accounts of media companies and seizing their equipment over alleged non-payment of taxes. Officials justify the crackdown by saying they were trying to end practices…
KENYAN journalist Rukia Bulle has won the 2024 BBC News Komla Dumor Award. The 30-year-old, who is the ninth recipient of the award and works for Kenya’s Nation Media Group, specialises in human interest stories. Bulle has also successfully built a strong following on TikTok through her relatable and informative content on the life of a journalist. The award was created to honour Dumor, a Ghanaian journalist and presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014. He had worked tirelessly to bring a more nuanced narrative of Africa to the world, representing a confident, savvy and…
VINICIOUS Júnior is the latest target for the Saudi Pro League, a source told ESPN, and the Real Madrid player is considering a proposal to move to the Gulf country. Vinícius, 24, helped lead Madrid to a Champions League and LaLiga double last season and is among the leading candidates to win the Ballon d’Or this year. There have been talks between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Real Madrid about the move, the source said, although the LaLiga giants do not want the star to leave. The source told ESPN that there has not yet been an official,…
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged Iran to “refrain” from attacking Israel during a phone call with Iran’s new president. Sir Keir told Masoud Pezeshkian there was a “serious risk of miscalculation and now was the time for calm and careful consideration”, Downing Street said. It is the first call between a UK prime minister and an Iranian president since March 2021 when former British leader Boris Johnson spoke to Hassan Rouhani. News of the 30-minute discussion came as the UK issued a joint statement with the US, France, Italy and Germany – urging Iran to end its…
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine is trying to undermine Russian stability with its incursion into the south of the country and warns that Ukraine will receive “a worthy response”. Last week, Ukrainian forces rammed through the Russian border and swept across western parts of the Kursk region. The incursion is Ukraine’s biggest across the border since the start of Russia’s war in the country in 2022. Apparently caught by surprise, Moscow has hit back militarily by deploying its own troops to quash the incursion. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that additional forces and resources had arrived in Kursk,…
THE United Nations chief has called for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to reform its outdated structure and assign Africa a permanent seat at the table, stressing that the continent is underrepresented. Addressing the council on Monday during a high-level debate, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the composition of the UNSC has failed to keep pace with a changing world. “We cannot accept that the world’s preeminent peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent of well over a billion people … nor can we accept that Africa’s views are undervalued on questions of peace and security, both…
THE leader of a Kenyan starvation sect went on trial for manslaughter on Monday over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers in one of the world’s worst cult-related tragedies. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and dozens of other suspects pleaded not guilty in January to multiple counts of manslaughter, one of several cases against them over what is known as the “Shakahola Forest Massacre”. Mackenzie appeared in a magistrate’s court in the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa along with 93 other suspects, prosecutors and court officials said. “There has never been a manslaughter case like this…
THE independent electoral commissions in Kwara and Anambra states have fixed September 21 and 28 respectively for local government (LG) elections. The Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission said it has set machinery in motion to conduct the local government election next month to usher in the democratically elected chairmen for the 16 LG councils in the North Central state. While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said it is ready for the exercise, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed reservation over the planned exercise. For nearly five years, the 16 local government areas in Kwara State have been run…