ISRAELI jets have bombed Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after Hezbollah launched what it said was a rocket and drone attack against a military base near Haifa in northern Israel. The Iran-allied Lebanese armed group said early on Monday that its attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions”. “The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the continuation of Israeli aggression and the assassination of our leaders, youth and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the…
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THE US military on Sunday said three service members have been killed and five seriously wounded in the war against Iran, the first casualties announced on the US side. The news, which could have serious political ramifications in Washington, came as President Donald Trump emphasized successes in the operation, announcing that nine Iranian naval ships had been sunk and not referring to the US deaths. The United States and Israel launched massive bombardments against Iran and killed its supreme leader Saturday, with attacks ongoing Sunday. There was no indication from officials about how or exactly where the American casualties occurred.…
THE United States on Friday eased sanctions on several senior Malian officials, following the penalties that were previously imposed over their alleged ties to Russian mercenary group Wagner. The individuals are Defense Minister Sadio Camara, as well as military officials Alou Boi Diarra and Adama Bagayoko, according to a notice by the US Treasury Department. They were previously targeted over accusations that they had facilitated the deployment and expansion of Wagner’s activities in Mali. Wagner had a widespread presence in Africa, deploying military advisors alongside the armies of countries including Libya and Mali. After founder Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a…
THE campaign for next month’s presidential election in Congo-Brazzaville begins on Saturday, with 82-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso seemingly assured of extending his decades in power. The career military officer first led Congo under the one-party system from 1979 to 1992 before losing the country’s first multi-party elections to former prime minister Pascal Lissouba. He overthrew Lissouba in a civil war to return to power in 1997. Earlier this month, he announced he would be seeking a new five-year term, which, according to the constitution, would be his last. Campaigning begins on Saturday on the Atlantic coast in the country’s…
THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has announced flight disruptions to several Middle East destinations following airspace closures triggered by the United States–Israeli strikes on Iran. In a statement sighted by News Point Nigeria on Saturday via its official social media handle and signed by management, FAAN said the closures were already affecting flight operations to and from the region. “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria wishes to inform the travelling public that ongoing airspace closures in parts of the Middle East are currently impacting flight operations to and from the region. “As a result of these developments, flights scheduled…
QUESTION: Salaamu Alaikum, Ya Sheikh, how could the Shaytaan appear to the disbelievers in the battle of Badr when he is chained up during Ramadan and the battle was in Ramadan, right? Aminu Harisu, Jigawa – ANSWER: Amin Alaikum Salaam Wa Rahamatullah. It is well-known in the books of tafseer and seerah that the Shaytaan was present at the battle of Badr and that he appeared in the form of Suraaqah ibn Maalik. That is mentioned in the commentary on the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (remember) when Shaitan (Satan) made…
SUPER Eagles reserve goalkeeper Amas Obasogie has been suspended for three months by his Tanzanian club, Singida Black Stars, over allegations of match-fixing. News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the club announced the suspension in a statement issued through its Disciplinary Committee on Saturday, saying the ban was to allow an investigation into the allegations. No formal charges or detailed evidence were made public, and Tanzanian football authorities have yet to make any official statement on the matter. The suspension comes days after Obasogie was involved in a costly error when Singida Black Stars faced Namungo FC in the Tanzanian…
BOOS could be heard during a brief break in play to allow players observing Ramadan to break their fast during Saturday’s Premier League game between Leeds United and Manchester City. The 17:30 GMT kick-off at Elland Road was paused in the 13th minute as both sets of players came to the side of the pitch to take on fluids. A message was displayed on the big screen inside the stadium stating: “As tonight’s match takes place inside the holy month of Ramadan, play has been paused briefly to allow players to break their fast.” City had three Muslim players -…
A BARRAGE of Iranian strikes caused havoc across the Gulf on Saturday, shattering the aura of peace so highly prized by the oil-rich region’s wealthy rulers. Missiles streaked across clear desert skies as smoke plumed from US bases in Manama and Abu Dhabi, and loud thuds shook high-rise windows in Dubai. In Qatar, dozens of people fled in panic as a falling missile plunged into a residential neighbourhood, erupting in a fireball as it hit the street. And in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital, golfers enjoying a quiet round were stunned to see dozens of projectiles flying overhead.…
AT least 20 people have been killed and more than 30 injured after a Bolivian Air Force Hercules transport plane, carrying a cargo of newly printed banknotes, crashed onto a busy highway while attempting to land in bad weather near the capital, La Paz. The military plane was attempting to land on Friday evening at El Alto International Airport when it skidded off the runway and ploughed into a nearby road, local authorities said. “There are about 20, maybe a few more,” Police Colonel Rene Tambo, head of the police homicide division in El Alto, said of the number of…
A UNITED States citizen has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls while working at the US embassy in Burkina Faso. The US Department of Justice said 41-year-old Fode Sitafa Mara, from Maryland, was sentenced on Wednesday following a two-week trial in October 2025 in the state’s federal District Court. A jury found him guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, as well as attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted obstruction of justice. The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide…
JEFFREY Epstein tried to buy a multimillion-dollar palace in Morocco the day before his arrest in 2019, according to documents released by the US Department of Justice last month. Epstein had pursued acquiring Bin Ennakhil since 2011, but disputes with the seller over the price and purchase arrangement dragged on for years. The grand palace in the luxury Palmeraie neighbourhood of Marrakech has been described as an architectural masterpiece, built by 1,300 craftsmen and featuring ornate carvings and mosaics. Epstein signed a $14.95m (£11m) wire transfer on 5 July 2019, the day before his arrest, following an agreement to buy…
IRAN’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in Israeli-US attacks, according to Israeli media reports and a senior Israeli official. There was no immediate comment from Iran on Khamenei’s fate. The Reuters news agency, citing a senior Israeli official, reported on Saturday that Khamenei’s body has been located. The United States and Israel launched a wave military strikes on Iran early on Saturday, targeting senior leaders as US President Donald Trump called for the government to be toppled. Iran responded with a wave of counter attacks, targeting Israel and US military assets across the Middle East. Netanyahu said…
THE United States and Israel have launched an attack on Iran, with explosions heard and seen across Tehran and in other parts of the country, as apparent retaliatory explosions are hitting northern Israel and multiple Gulf Arab states. Several missiles struck University Street and the Jomhouri area in Tehran, the Fars news agency reported. Smoke was seen rising in the city, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported that explosions also occurred in Tehran’s northern Seyyed Khandan area. Other Iranian media reported attacks nationwide, including in the western Ilam province, while Israel’s…
QUESTION: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh, what are virtues of Umrah performed in Ramadan? Abu Qunaisa Saleh, Minna – ANSWER: Ibn ‘Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him narrated, “When the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention )returned after performing Hajj (major pilgrimage), he asked Umm Sinaan Al-Ansaariyyah,‘Why did you not perform Hajj?’ She replied, ‘The father of so-and-so [i.e., her husband] had two camels and he went on pilgrimage on one of them, and the second is used for the irrigation of our land.’ The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his…
ARGENTINA captain Lionel Messi was hauled to the ground by a pitch invader during Inter Miami’s friendly win against Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico. Messi, who was brought on as a half-time substitute, was wrestled to the turf by a spectator with two minutes remaining of normal time. Several fans had already invaded the pitch in order to get close to Messi, who was taking a selfie with one when another grabbed the former Barcelona playmaker around his waist. Security were quickly on the scene, with Messi, the fan and one security guard hitting the ground in a clinch.…
ABOUT 100,000 Palestinian worshippers have prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem for the second Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, despite Israel imposing severe restrictions on access to the holy site. Worshippers were subjected to thorough security screening on Friday as they made their way through the Qalandiya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank north of Jerusalem to pray, an Al Jazeera team reported, amid a heavy deployment of Israeli forces around the city. Israeli authorities imposed rules at the start of Ramadan to limit entry for Friday prayers to just 10,000 Palestinian worshippers…
THE United States must drop its “excessive demands” in nuclear talks with Iran to achieve a successful outcome, the Iranian foreign minister has said, as the US embassy in Jerusalem granted permission to nonemergency staff members to leave Israel amid fears of a regional war. Abbas Aragchi made the remarks during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati, according to a report on Friday by the ISNA news agency. Iran’s top diplomat said that “success on this path requires seriousness and realism on the part of the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands”.…
A UNITED Nations investigative body has warned that South Sudan risks “a return to full-scale war” unless it can urgently put an end to entrenched impunity and widespread abuses amid escalating violence in the world’s youngest country. The report by the UN’s Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS), released on Friday at the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, found that civilians were enduring severe abuses including killings and “systematic” sexual violence, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and deprivation amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in one of the world’s most impoverished countries. It said “escalating atrocity risks” and the…
AT least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting in the war in Ukraine, with two others currently held as prisoners of war, Ghana’s foreign affairs minister says. On a trip to Kyiv, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said that about 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into the conflict since 2022, citing Ukrainian authorities. Ablakwa described the figures as “depressing and frightening,” saying Ghana “cannot turn a blind eye to these heartbreaking statistics”. He did not say whose side the Ghanaians had been fighting on but Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that more than 1,700 people from 36 countries…