UNITED States civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has died “peacefully” at aged 84, according to his family. “His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shake a global movement for freedom and dignity,” his family said in a statement. “Our father was a servant leader not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the statement continued. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.” A close associate of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr (MLK), the Baptist minister…
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DRONE-FIRED missiles have hit a market in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens of others, a rights group says. Emergency Lawyers, a group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement on Monday that drones bombed the al-Safiya market in the town of Sodari in North Kordofan state. The bombing on Sunday occurred when the market was packed with people, “exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy”, it said, adding that the number of casualties is likely to rise. “The attack occurred when the market was bustling with civilians, including women, children and the elderly,” the group…
THE family of ex-Zambian President Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa last June and is yet to be buried, have dismissed allegations he was poisoned. South African police also want custody of his body as part of their investigations, according to the late politician’s family. In a letter to the police, seen by the BBC, their lawyers say the family are co-operating with “criminal proceedings”, but maintain the allegations are “unfounded and unsupported by credible evidence”. It is the latest twist over the fate of Lungu’s body, which remains in a morgue in South Africa and has been subject…
THE Premier League and English Football League (EFL) have confirmed that matches will include brief pauses during Ramadan to allow Muslim players and match officials to break their fast after sunset. According to BBC Sport on Monday, Ramadan, the Islamic holy month during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset, begins this week and will last for about a month. With sunset in the UK typically occurring between 17:00 and 19:00 GMT during this period, the only fixtures likely to see a pause are Saturday 17:30 kick-offs and Sunday 16:30 kick-offs. The EPL explained how the…
THE Israeli government’s decision to approve the land registration process in the occupied West Bank as “state property” has drawn widespread condemnation from regional countries and international organisations. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday the measure would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” and was needed after unlawful land registration in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The decision allows for the revival of the “settlement of land title” processes, frozen since 1967 when Israel occupied the West Bank. The Palestinian presidency condemned the Israeli move, calling it a “grave escalation and…
AT least six passengers have been killed in a bus crash on a highway in southeastern Brazil and another 46 people sent to hospitals for treatment. In a post on X, the Sao Paulo state fire department said the accident took place early on Monday on the BR-153 highway near the city of Marilia. The conditions of the injured passengers were not immediately known. Local newspapers, quoting statements from Brazil’s Federal Highway Police, said the bus was carrying farm workers from the northeastern state of Maranhao to Santa Catarina state in the south to harvest apples. The vehicle skidded off…
REPORTS say at least 20 people were killed on Saturday in the northern town of Titao, Burkina Faso, in attacks claimed by JNIM – an Islamist militant group linked to al-Qaeda. Among the dead were seven Ghanaians “burnt beyond recognition” who have yet to be identified, said Ghana’s Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak. They were part of a team of tomato traders on a supply lorry targeted by the insurgents Road access to the area remains blocked, according to Ghanaian officials trying to evacuate other citizens who survived, making it impossible for embassy staff to visit the area. A spate…
FLIGHTS in and out of Kenya’s main airport are being delayed following a planned strike by aviation industry workers, the national airline and airports authority have said. Departing flights from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – one of Africa’s busiest transport hubs – have been delayed by up to four hours. Some passengers say they have remained seated inside aircraft for extended periods, as pilots wait for clearance to take off. In a statement, Kenya Airways said it was experiencing “air traffic control operational delays affecting certain departures and arrivals”. It added that it was working with authorities to minimise…
ARSENAL scored four goals in the opening 30 minutes as they cruised past Wigan to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in six years. The Premier League leaders dominated the League One strugglers from the outset and opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Eberechi Eze picked up the ball near the halfway line and played a defence-splitting pass for Noni Madueke who finished confidently past Sam Tickle. The hosts doubled their advantage seven minutes later, with Eze again providing an excellent assist – this time for Gabriel Martinelli to finish into the corner. Arsenal extended…
THE Israeli government has approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the territory began in 1967. Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Sunday said the proposal was submitted by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz. “We are continuing the settlement revolution to control all our lands,” Smotrich said. Most Palestinian land is not formally registered because it is a long, complicated process that Israel stopped in 1967. Registration of land establishes permanent ownership. International law states…
IRAN is ready to compromise on its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for US sanctions being lifted, its deputy foreign minister said. Majid Takht-Ravanchi’s remarks followed a resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on February 6. Switzerland on Saturday announced that a new round of talks would take place in Geneva next week, but without specifying which day. Iran has not yet officially confirmed the new round of talks, but Takht-Ravanchi, who was in Iran’s Oman delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said they would be on Tuesday, the BBC reported.…
SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he will deploy the army to help the police fight criminal gangs and illegal mining in the country. Gang violence is a major problem in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates. “Organised crime is now the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development,” Ramaphosa said in his annual State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday. “I will be deploying the South African National Defence Force to support the police,” he added. Last month, Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said the country’s police were not…
A NOW-HALTED plan to run a hepatitis B vaccine trial involving thousands of newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been criticised by the World Health Organization as “unethical”. The US-funded study had sought to give one set of babies the vaccine at birth, while another would have had the shot delayed until six weeks of age. The WHO said it had “significant concerns” about the plan, and described the birth-dose vaccine as “an effective and essential public health intervention, with a proven record”. The US health department, headed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has questioned the effects of vaccines, had sought…
MOHAMMED Salah struck as Liverpool cruised into the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-0 win over Brighton on Saturday, while Marc Guehi scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 2-0 victory over fourth-tier Salford. Brighton had beaten Manchester United in round three, but the Seagulls have been in miserable form since and were easily beaten by an improving Liverpool at Anfield. Curtis Jones was forced to start in an unusual role at right-back due to a number of defensive injuries for the English champions and burst into the box to open the scoring from Milos Kerkez’s cross.…
ISRAEL’s more than two-year genocidal war has decimated Gaza‘s health system, as medical personnel and doctors struggle to treat patients with limited and damaged equipment, with a “ceasefire” doing nothing to ease the peril and suffering the ill face. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 1,700 healthcare workers – including doctors, nurses and paramedics have been killed since Israel’s war began. The United Nations has accused Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza’s health facilities and killing medical personnel to destroy the besieged enclave’s healthcare system. All medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed Doctors at Al-Aqsa Hospital, in central Gaza,…
THE Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown Saturday as US lawmakers fight over funding the agency overseeing much of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Thousands of government workers, from airport security agents to disaster relief officials, will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay until funding is agreed upon by Congress. At the centre of the budget dispute is the department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose agents killed two US citizens amid sweeping raids and mass protests in Minneapolis. Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented over how ICE conducts…
BURKINA Faso’s transitional government, led by President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, on Thursday adopted a sweeping decree requiring large companies operating in the country to build their headquarters domestically, officials said following a Council of Ministers meeting in the capital. The measure, ratified during the Feb. 12 cabinet session in Ouagadougou, applies to firms with average annual revenues of at least 5 billion CFA francs (about $8.8 million) over the previous three fiscal years. It is part of a broader push to strengthen economic sovereignty and reinforce the corporate presence on Burkinabé soil. Under the new regulations, companies are divided into…
CHADIAN authorities, in cooperation with international police partners, have arrested a group of suspected killers and thieves linked to a brazen theft of 163 million CFA francs in January 2025, law enforcement officials said in statements this week. The National Police of Chad announced that the suspects were taken into custody in neighboring Cameroon with assistance from the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol. The arrests cap a months-long investigation into the robbery and alleged homicides that occurred on Jan. 13, 2025, in the Mardjandaffack district, a volatile area in the Chadian capital. According to the police, the…
THERE are men who pass through power and there are men who redefine it. Murtala Ramat Mohammed belonged to that rare breed who carried authority lightly and carried conscience heavily. He was a comrade in uniform, a patriot in spirit, a true son of Africa whose love for this nation was not performed for applause but proven through action. He rose to lead the most populous Black nation on earth, yet power never altered his posture or polluted his character. He remained simple in conduct, measured in speech and humble in lifestyle. He never allowed the office to swallow the…
THE 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as planned in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, the Confederation of African Football said on Friday. CAF president Patrice Motsepe denied press reports that the competition could be postponed to 2028 because Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania were not yet ready to host the tournament. “We have done a lot to have AFCON held in east Africa, and our commitment remains to have AFCON in east Africa,” Motsepe said after a CAF executive committee meeting. “I believe we will hold a very successful AFCON among the three countries. “CAF will work closely with…