FEEBLY shaded by trees in the blistering heat, desperate civilians throng a displacement camp in tents and ramshackle shelters after fleeing insurgent violence in northeastern Burkina Faso. Abandoning their homes and farms as the militants swooped, thousands have run for their lives to these camps near the town of Dori, where little hope awaits them. Humanitarians call it a “neglected” catastrophe. “They came to our village and threatened us. They stole our cattle. They killed our people,” said one of the survivors, Kirissi Sawadogo. “That is why we had to flee and came here,” she said, preparing a meal of…
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CLAUDIA Sheinbaum has been elected as Mexico’s first woman president in an historic landslide win. Mexico’s official electoral authority said preliminary results showed the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City winning between 58% and 60% of the vote in Sunday’s election. That gives her a lead of about 30 percentage points over her main rival, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez. Ms Sheinbaum will replace her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October. Ms Sheinbaum, a former energy scientist, has promised continuity, saying that she will continue to build on the “advances” made by Mr López Obrador, further building on…
KYLIAN Mbappe has signed a contract to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his Paris St-Germain deal expires on 30 June. The France striker verbally agreed to move to the Bernabeu in February and then announced in May he would leave PSG at the end of the season. Mbappe, 25, has now signed terms with Real Madrid and will move to Spain when the La Liga transfer window opens on 1 July. Madrid are expected to announce the deal next week and could formally present the forward at the Bernabeu before Euro 2024. Mbappe, a World Cup winner…
THE Maldives government will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean archipelago known for white sand beaches and luxury resorts as public anger in the predominantly Muslim nation rises over the war in Gaza. President Mohamed Muizzu has “resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports”, a spokesman for his office said in a statement, without giving details of when the new law would take effect. Muizzu also announced a national fundraising campaign called “Maldivians in Solidarity with Palestine”. Nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives last year, which was 0.6 percent of total tourist arrivals. Official data also shows the number…
NORTH Korea says it will stop sending trash-filled balloons across the border into South Korea, claiming its campaign has been an effective countermeasure against propaganda sent by anti-regime activists in the neighbouring country. Since Tuesday, North Korea floated hundreds of balloons carrying bags of rubbish containing everything from cigarette butts to bits of cardboard and plastic, Seoul’s military said on Sunday, threatening to retaliate if the provocations do not stop. Hours later, North Korea said it would halt the campaign. “We made the ROK [Republic of Korea] clans get enough experience of how much unpleasant they feel and how much…
THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has allocated $9 million to aid refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless individuals in its member nations. The Chair of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative Committee Musa Nuhu said this during the 2024 ECOWAS Ambassadors Retreat held in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. This year’s retreat saw serious business, with all ECOWAS ambassadors from member states in attendance. Organized by UNHCR and ECOWAS, the event began on Thursday and ended on Saturday. The retreat focused on “Enhancing Protection for Refugees,…
SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted his African National Congress (ANC) party has suffered a challenging election result, after the party lost its majority for the first time since apartheid ended 30 years ago. The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, won 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament in Wednesday’s election, down from 230 in the previous assembly. Mr Ramaphosa still described the results as a victory for democracy, calling on rival parties to find common ground – apparently preparing for coalition talks. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has said it is open to coalition talks with Mr…
CARLO Ancelotti etched his name in history books as he led Real Madrid to a thrilling 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, securing his fifth Champions League title as a coach. Nicknamed Carletto” in Italy and “Don Carlo” in Spain, the Italian won the much-coveted trophy twice as a player with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990 when it was still referred to as the European Cup. However, his latest triumph on the 1st of June, 2024, saw him cement his status as the most successful manager in UEFA Champions League history, surpassing the previous record held by…
FAMILY members of Israeli captives held in Gaza have called on their country’s government to accept a ceasefire plan presented by United States President Joe Biden, calling on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly support the proposal. In a weekly press conference held on Saturday, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said that it was calling for the “the citizens of Israel to take to the streets in order to ensure the completion of the deal”. The forum believes that Netanyahu may be obstructing a deal, after Biden said in a news conference at the White House on…
MARIAN Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, who moved into the White House with the first family, helping care for her young granddaughters and providing a stabilizing presence in one of the world’s most stressful residences, died Friday, her family said. “We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all,” her family said in a statement. Robinson was 86. Though she eschewed the spotlight, Robinson was present for some of the Obama family’s most visible moments, often appearing at holiday celebrations or other events alongside the first couple and…
THE African National Congress (ANC) party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. With more than 99 percent of votes counted on Saturday, the once-dominant ANC had received nearly 40 percent in Wednesday’s election, well short of the majority it had held since the famed all-race vote of 1994 that ended apartheid and brought it to power under Nelson Mandela. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.63…
DOZENS of women bring their empty jerry cans to the public fountain in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, to fetch drinking water for their families. But the wait at the fountain can last several hours. The city has been hit by a water shortage due to its adduction system reaching its limits as the city is growing and displaced people fleeing the war are considerably increasing the number of its inhabitants. The population has started to complain more and more about the lack of water. Local resident Angel Chibalonza is at the fountain looking for…
REAL Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti say his players will feel the “fear” of the Champions League final when they face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. The record 14-time winners of the competition will begin Saturday’s encounter (20:00 BST) as the overwhelming favourites against the German side who finished fifth in the Bundesliga this season. However, Ancelotti – the competition’s most successful manager with four titles- knows that nothing is guaranteed. “A Champions League final is the most important game and the most dangerous one,” Ancelotti said. “You have to be a bit lucky, play well and never lower your guard but…
ISRAEL has agreed to a proposal that would lead to a “lasting” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, US President Joe Biden has announced, as he faces mounting pressure and criticism over his support for the Israeli war effort. During a news conference at the White House on Friday afternoon, Biden said Israel has put forward “a comprehensive new proposal” to end the war. “It’s a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire,” the United States president told reporters. Biden said the proposal involves three phases, the first of which would last six weeks and include a full and complete ceasefire, as well…
THE UK ambassador to Mexico reportedly sacked earlier this year after he pointed a gun at a local member of embassy staff. A video posted on social media, originally reported by the Financial Times, purports to show Jon Benjamin aiming a rifle at another man while looking down the weapon’s sights. It was captioned: “In [the] context of daily killings in Mexico by drug dealers, he dares to joke.” Mr Benjamin hasn’t commented so far on what appears to have been a badly misplaced joke. No official announcement about Mr Benjamin’s position has been made by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth…
ZAMBIA’s former first lady has been arrested on money laundering charges, her lawyer said Friday, days after her husband claimed he was being targeted as part of a political vendetta. Esther Lungu, 66, was held Thursday evening alongside her two daughters, after being quizzed for hours about properties the family holds in the capital, Lusaka, lawyer Makebi Zulu told AFP. She has now been released on bail. “The former first lady has been arrested for being found in possession of properties suspected to be proceeds of crime and money laundering charges,” Zulu said. He said the properties, a block of…
FORMER President Jacob Zuma, is emerging as the biggest victor of South Africa’s general elections as his new breakaway uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK) appears poised for major gains at the expense of the country’s governing African National Congress. With more than 90 percent of votes counted on Friday evening, the MK appeared to be on the cusp of grabbing power in KwaZulu Natal, comfortably leading in a province where the ANC has never previously lost since the first post-apartheid elections in 1994. Nationally, as results trickled in, the MK stood third with approximately 13 percent of the vote, behind…
CHELSEA have appointed Leicester’s Enzo Maresca as their new head coach, according to British media reports late Thursday. The Daily Telegraph said the Italian would be joining the Blues on a five-year contract, plus an option of a further year, designed to give the club stability after two years of upheaval under the new regime led by US investors Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly. Maresca, who until last year was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at English champions Manchester City, oversaw an immediate return to the Premier League for Leicester following their relegation 12 months ago. The 44-year-old Italian’s style of football…
ISRAELI tanks have rolled into Rafah’s city centre and its army announced that it now controls the entire Philadelphi Corridor, the strip of land that runs along Egypt’s border with Gaza’s Rafah Governorate. This violates the conditions of its treaty with Egypt that stipulate the strip, also known as the Salah al-Din Axis, is a buffer zone that Egypt oversees from its side of the border. Israel had been threatening a “full-scale” land invasion of Rafah for months, much to the distress of the international community, which warned that such an attack would be a “red line”. Then, a little…
A NEW York jury convicted Donald Trump on all charges in his hush money case Thursday in a seismic development barely five months ahead of the election where he seeks to recapture the White House. The first criminal trial of a former US president ended with the 77-year-old Trump found guilty on each of the 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a payment meant to silence porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump — who was released without bail and is all but certain to appeal — initially sat still in the drab Manhattan courtroom, shoulders dipping. Addressing reporters outside…