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AL JAZEEERA Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi have been killed in an Israeli air attack on the Gaza Strip. The reporters were killed when their car was hit on Wednesday in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, according to initial information. They were in the area to report from near the Gaza house of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas who was assassinated in the early hours of Wednesday in Iran’s capital, Tehran, in an attack the group has blamed on Israel. Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, reporting from Gaza, was at the hospital…

THE United States has announced plea agreements with three men held in Guantanamo and accused of plotting the September 11, 2001, attacks, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The Pentagon did not release full details of the deals involving Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, but US media reported the three would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence rather than the death penalty. They were due to face trial in a military court at the maximum-security facility, but their cases have been bogged down in legal manoeuvring for years. Karen Greenberg, the director of the Center on…

SUDAN’s military leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has survived an assassination attempt, the army spokesman has told the BBC. Nabil Abdallah blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which the army has been battling for the last 16 months for control of the country. He said two drones had struck an army graduation ceremony killing five people at a base in Jabait in the east – territory under the control of the military. But the RSF’s legal adviser told the Reuters news agency that the group, which has agreed to go to US-mediated talks next month, was not responsible. Speaking…

A LEOPARD attacked two men at a South African air force base that borders the world-famous Kruger National Park. One of the men, a uniformed air force member, was attacked while out for a run. The other, a civilian working at the base, encountered the leopard while on a walk, an air force spokesman said. The two individuals were admitted to hospital with scratches but no major injuries, Brig Gen Donavan Chetty told the BBC. One has since been discharged and the other is due to leave on Thursday. On Wednesday, the leopard was captured and relocated to a sanctuary…

TWENTY-FOUR hours before the planned 10-day hunger protest, the Federal Government took some proactive steps to quell the demonstration. Recall that recently, a group, the Take It Back movement called for a nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance in the country. The group tagged the protest, “Days of Rage” which it said would hold nationwide from August 1 to 10. However, there have been calls from top government personalities, groups, and religious bodies, including the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Muslim Student Society of Nigeria (Lagos chapter), and the Muslim Rights Concern, citing a palpable fear that it might…

HAMAS’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Iran’s capital, Tehran, according to a statement from the group that governs Gaza, which blamed Israel for his death. Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed after the building where they were staying was struck, the statement said, adding that Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday. “The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourns to our great Palestinian people, to the Arab and Islamic nation, and to all the free people of the world: Brother, leader, martyr, Mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head…

FRESH protests have broken out in the Venezuelan capital Caracas after the disputed result of the country’s presidential election. Thousands gathered in the city centre to show their opposition to President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory. Many said they would not stop until there was a new government, and some said this would only be achieved if the security forces joined opposition protesters. However the military and police have so far remained loyal to Mr Maduro and have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some protesters. Local officials say around 750 people have been arrested. Two leading NGOs in…

THE Democratic Republic of Congo has accused the Rwandan army of jamming satellite navigation systems affecting civilian flights in the conflict-hit east of the country. It said Rwanda, which borders DR Congo, was interfering with aircraft Global Positioning System (GPS) signals through “jamming” and “spoofing” – a type of cyber-crime that involves creating a false identity or impersonation. This posed a “significant risk” to both commercial and humanitarian flights bringing in essential aid for victims of conflict, the government added in a statement. Rwanda has not yet responded to the allegations. A UN report released earlier this month accused Rwanda…

AN arrest warrant has been issued for Liberia’s former finance minister following allegations he was involved in a $500m (£389m) corruption scam. Samuel Tweh, along with four other senior officials in former President George Weah’s administration, have been indicted for allegedly stealing from the government when they were in office. Mr Tweh, who was previously sanctioned by the US for corruption, called the indictment a “politically motivated witch-hunt” against him and other former officials. The Weah adminstration, whose six years in power ended in January, was plagued with allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement. When President Joseph Boakai took over,…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Jalal Arabi, to its headquarters located in Jabi area of Abuja, this newspaper gathered. Arabi, who is expected to be at the office of the anti-graft agency by 12:00pm today (Tuesday), will explain to the crack detectives of the EFCC how his commission spent N90bn subsidy provided for 2024 exercise. Sources within the anti-graft agency, who are familiar with the matter, also confided in Daily Trust that Arabi would provide detailed explanations on how NAHCON shared thousands of dollars allocated…

NOVAK Djokovic crushed Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in their blockbuster Olympics clash on Monday as the two titans met for the 60th and possibly final time. The showdown between the two most successful men’s tennis players in history appeared to be fizzling out before a late fightback from Nadal enabled him to avoid his heaviest-ever defeat by Djokovic. “I’m very relieved,” said Djokovic. “Everything was going my way, I was 6-1, 4-0 up but I played a sloppy service game and gave him chances.” It was 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic’s 31st win in a rivalry that began on the…

IRAN’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday warned Israel against attacking Lebanon as tensions soar over a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights blamed on Tehran-backed Hezbollah. “The Zionist regime (Israel) will make a great mistake with heavy consequences if it attacks Lebanon,” Pezeshkian said during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Iranian president’s website. Pezeshkian assumed official responsibilities on Sunday after official endorsement from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, and is to be sworn into parliament on Tuesday. Israel vowed to hit back after the strike on a football field in Majdal Shams,…

FORMER US president Donald Trump has agreed to meet with the FBI for a “victim interview” about this month’s assassination attempt, bureau officials said Monday. Providing an update on the status of the probe into the July 13 shooting, Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said they have still not determined a motive for the attack by the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks. They said Crooks, who was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight shots during Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, appeared to be a “loner” and they have not identified any co-conspirators. FBI special agent…

SOUTH Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led, after campaigning for a rival party in the 29 May general election. The ANC’s disciplinary committee found Mr Zuma guilty of “prejudicing the integrity” of the party by joining uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and has given him three weeks to appeal against its ruling. “His platform is dangerous, appeals to extremist instincts in our body politic and riles up a political base that may foment social unrest,” the ANC said in a statement. MK has said that Mr Zuma was…

A COMMANDER in a Russian mercenary group has been killed in Mali following an attack by rebel fighters during a sandstorm, the group said. The military regime in the West African state had turned to the notorious Wagner group in 2021, seeking support in fighting insurgents and separatist forces. On Monday the Russian outfit – which has now morphed into a group named Africa Corps – said it had joined Mali’s military in “fierce battles” against separatist rebels and insurgents last week. However, the separatists launched a major attack, killing an estimated 20 to 50 mercenaries, sources close to Africa…

NIGERIA is bracing for nationwide protests this week over economic hardship. Politicians and the army have warned people against taking to the streets, but organisers say government failings have left them little choice. Both sides have made comparisons with recent protests in Kenya that forced the government to withdraw new taxes, but it is not clear what shape the rallies could take in Nigeria. With demonstrations set to start on Thursday, AFP looks at how things stand. What’s the economic backdrop? Nigeria is suffering its worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation following reforms President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought in after…

STRIKER Rasmus Hojlund and £52m new signing Leny Yoro both suffered first-half injuries as Manchester United lost their opening US tour game against Premier League rivals Arsenal 2-1 in Los Angeles. Hojlund had given his side a 10th-minute lead when he burst onto Marcus Rashford’s first-time pass, outmuscled young defender Ayden Heaven, then beat keeper Karl Hein with a shot through his legs. The Dane turned a low Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross wide from close range before seeming to experience a muscle injury after 15 minutes that meant he could not continue. Yoro’s exit was equally innocuous. The 18-year-old defender, who…

SINCE October, the near-daily cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed militia and political movement in Lebanon, have killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands from their homes on both sides, raising fears that the relatively contained violence could escalate into an all-out conflict. Amid the strikes and counter-strikes, however, there have been indications that they were trying to avoid a major confrontation. But miscalculation was always a risk, and Saturday’s attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, could have been that. Israel accuses Hezbollah of carrying out the strike…

BANGLADESH has restored mobile internet, 11 days after a nationwide blackout was imposed to contain deadly protests over quotas in government jobs. The South Asian nation’s 4G mobile internet services resumed on Sunday, hours after Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the state minister for telecommunications and information communication technology, made the announcement. “We have decided to restore the 4G network connectivity from 3pm [09:00 GMT] today,” the state minister said, following a meeting with internet service providers (ISP) and other stakeholders in the capital Dhaka. Social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, however, remain restricted. The broadband internet connectivity…

A MAINLY Tuareg separatist coalition has claimed a major victory over Mali’s army and its Russian allies following three days of intense fighting in a district on the Algerian border. “Our forces decisively obliterated these enemy columns on Saturday,” said a statement by Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD) alliance on Sunday. “A large amount of equipment and weapons were seized or damaged”, and prisoners were taken, the statement said, adding that seven rebels were killed and 12 wounded in the fighting in the Tinzaouatene district. Mali’s military rulers, led by…