ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed to plans announced by the military to hold daily tactical pauses in fighting along one of the main roads into the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip to facilitate aid delivery into the Palestinian enclave. The military had announced the daily pauses from 05:00 GMT until 16:00 GMT in the area from the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then northwards. “When the prime minister heard the reports of an 11-hour humanitarian pause in the morning, he turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this…
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RUSSIAN special forces have freed two prison guards and killed several men who had taken them hostage at a pre-trial detention centre in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. The two guards were taken hostage by six detainees earlier on Sunday, the prison service said, before an operation was launched to free them, Russian media reported. Initially, the prison service said it had entered into negotiations for the guards’ release. But a short time later it issued a statement saying the siege had ended. “The criminals were eliminated,” Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement, which added that a “special…
AN ARMED group linked to al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for what it said was an attack on June 11 that killed more than 100 Burkina Faso soldiers in the Mansila area near the border with Niger, the SITE Intelligence Group said. On Sunday, SITE quoted a JNIM statement as saying that five days ago “fighters stormed a military post in the town, where they killed 107 soldiers and took control of the site”. Several videos shared online by JNIM showed raging gunfire around the army base. Another video showed a display of ammunition and dozens…
TENS of thousands of Malawians have taken part in a funeral service at the national stadium to pay tribute to the vice-president who was killed in a plane crash last week. Saulos Chilima, 51, was considered a breath of fresh air in Malawian politics. He was an eloquent public speaker and energetic campaigner who held huge sway among the youth who account for more than half of Malawians. At the service, President Lazarus Chakwera promised a full investigation into the cause of the crash and said that he had asked foreign governments to help. “I also have the same questions…
PILGRIMS performed Sunday the last major ritual of the hajj, the “stoning of the devil”, in western Saudi Arabia, as Muslims the world over celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday. Beginning at dawn, the 1.8 million Muslims undertaking the pilgrimage this year threw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, located outside Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. The ritual commemorates Abraham’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is said Satan tried to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son. The stoning ritual has been witness…
TODAY, Muslim faithful in Nigeria will join two billion other Muslims throughout the world to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha, known as Eid-Al-Kabir. The festival is rooted in scriptural accounts of both the Islamic and Judeo-Christian theology as evinced in Al Qur’an Kareem and the Old Testament respectively. The scriptural accounts (Qur’an Chapter 37 – Suratul As-Saffaat) highlight how, in a singular act of obedience to divine command, Prophet Ibrahim AS took Prophet Ismail AS, his son who he begot in his old age, to a location and prepared him for ritual of immolation as piety to Allah. As…
SPAIN made a dream start to Euro 2024 as Alvaro Morata scored in a statement 3-0 victory over Croatia in Berlin on Saturday, with Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest player in the competition’s history. The three-time European champions have often been accused of being toothless in attack during recent major tournaments, but produced an eye-catching display at the Olympiastadion to cut apart a disappointing Croatia. Morata broke the deadlock in the 29th minute with his seventh Euros goal, moving joint-third on the all-time list alongside Alan Shearer and Antoine Griezmann. Fabian Ruiz added a second shortly afterwards with a wonderful…
HAMAS fighters killed eight Israeli soldiers traveling in military vehicles in Rafah after firing rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and then ambushing a support force deployed to the scene. The attacks on Saturday marked one of the deadliest days for Israeli soldiers in Gaza in months as its ground invasion of the southern region continues to ramp up. Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said in a statement its soldiers “carried out a complex ambush against enemy vehicles” in the Saudi neighbourhood of Tal as-Sultan district, western Rafah city. The armed group said it fired Yassin-105 RPGs at a D9 military bulldozer, killing…
THE leaders of Italy and Germany have strongly rejected ceasefire terms laid out by Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine, as dozens of countries gathered at a summit in Switzerland to discuss ending the conflict. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the Russian president’s plan “propaganda” which effectively suggested that Ukraine “must withdraw from Ukraine”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed it as a “dictatorial peace”. On Friday, Mr Putin claimed he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew troops from four regions which Russia partially occupies and claims to have annexed. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to…
SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second term on Friday after his humbled ANC cobbled together an unprecedented coalition government. Lawmakers in Cape Town voted overwhelmingly to put Ramaphosa, 71, back in office for another five years after the May 29 general election that produced no outright winner. “I accordingly declare honourable M.C. Ramaphosa duly elected President,” Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said after the votes were counted. Last month’s election marked a historic turning point for South Africa, ending three decades of dominance by the African National Congress of the late Nelson Mandela. The party that led…
A KENYAN magistrate who was shot by a senior police officer earlier this week has died, according to the country’s chief justice. Justice Martha K Koome wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Makadara Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti had “lost the fight” against her “extensive injuries”. Ms Kivuti was shot by a policeman at a court in the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday after she cancelled his wife’s bail due to the woman’s absconding. The policeman, identified as Samson Kipchirchir Kipruto, was himself shot dead by other officers following the attack. Three of these officers were hurt in the attack but are…
GERMANY thrashed 10-man Scotland 5-1 as the Euro 2024 hosts kicked off the tournament in style in Munich on Friday, the start of a journey they hope culminates in a record fourth continental title. Florian Wirtz struck the opening goal 10 minutes in and Jamal Musiala soon doubled Germany’s lead with an emphatic finish. A greatly awaited night for Scotland went from bad to worse before half-time when Ryan Porteous was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Ilkay Gundogan, with Kai Havertz tucking away the resulting penalty. Niclas Fuellkrug powered in a fourth midway through the second half after…
THE United States has imposed sanctions on a “violent extremist” Israeli Military group for blocking and damaging humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza as the risk of famine increases in the besieged Palestinian territory. The administration of President Joe Biden on Friday targeted Tzav 9, a group whose stated aim is to prevent any assistance from entering Gaza. It accused the group of looting and setting fire to aid trucks. “The provision of humanitarian assistance is vital to preventing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from worsening and to mitigating the risk of famine,” the Department of State said in a statement.…
SAUDI Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and a French private equity group will acquire a 38-percent stake in Heathrow, the London airport’s biggest shareholder said Friday. Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports, is owned by the consortium FGP Topco Limited with Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial holding the lead role with a 25-percent stake. In November, Ferrovial said it was planning to offload its stake, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund taking 10 percent and the other 15 percent going to French private equity group Ardian. But the deal had been blocked by a group of small FGP Topco shareholders who…
NIGER Republic’s top court on Friday lifted the immunity of president Mohamed Bazoum, paving the way for a possible trial after his ouster in a July 2023 military coup. “The court orders the lifting of Mohamed Bazoum’s immunity,” said Abdou Dan Galadima, president of the court, created in November by the new military regime. The Niger authorities accuse Bazoum of treason, financing terrorism and plotting to undermine the state. He has been held at the presidential residence with his wife Hadiza since the coup on July 26. After Friday’s hearing, Ould Salem Mohamed, one of Bazoum’s lawyers, said they took…
A BENIN Republic court has jailed three Nigeriens who were detained last week at a port, judicial sources said on Friday, as diplomatic tensions deepen between the two West African neighbours. Ties between Benin and Niger have been strained since last year’s coup that ousted Nigerien President Mohammed Bazoum, and Benin’s port of Seme-Kpodji, which exports Niger’s oil, is a flashpoint. Five Nigeriens were arrested last week at Seme-Kpodji, accused of entering the port illegally. Three of the five, including the deputy general director of the oil company Wapco-Niger, were jailed on Thursday after appearing before a judge, several judicial…
THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will hire an expatriate technical adviser for the Super Eagles after the team’s dismal outing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Nigeria have failed to win a match out of four games in the qualification series, the latest being a shocking loss to the lowly Benin Republic in their last clash. The development triggered a backlash from fans calling for Finidi George’s sack. Days after the loss, the NFF in a Thursday communique following a meeting, said the appointment of the technical adviser would come “in the coming weeks” and apologised to Super Eagles’ fans…
EIGHT-TIME Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has confirmed in an interview with US broadcaster ESPN that he will not attempt to win a second gold medal with Argentina at the Paris Olympics this summer. “I spoke with (Argentinian Olympic coach Javier) Mascherano, and we immediately agreed on the situation,” Inter Miami forward Messi said in the interview broadcast on Wednesday. “It’s a difficult moment, because there’s the Copa America, and that would mean two or three consecutive months away from my club. “At my age, I don’t want to play everything and I need to make the right choices,” added…
VIOLENCE against children caught in multiplying and escalating conflicts reached “extreme levels” in 2023 with an unprecedented number of killings and injuries, including in the occupied Palestinian territory, a United Nations report has found. Children were “killed and maimed in unprecedented numbers in devastating crises”, notably in the Gaza Strip, according to the report released by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday. The annual Children and Armed Conflict report found “a shocking 21 percent increase in grave violations” against children under the age of 18 in an array of conflicts, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,…
US President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not pardon his son Hunter or commute any sentence following Hunter’s conviction on charges of lying about his drug addiction while buying a handgun. “No,” Biden replied when reporters at a G7 summit press conference in Italy asked if he would commute any sentence that 54-year-old Hunter faces. “I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction, he’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” Biden said. “I said I’d abide by the jury decision. I will do that. I will not pardon him,” he said.…