THE United Nations has “added Israel to the blacklist of sexual violence in conflict zones”, prompting Israel to cut ties with UN chief Antonio Guterres, the country’s ambassador to the UN says. “We are done with this secretary-general,” Israeli ambassador Danny Danon added in a video posted on X on Thursday, denouncing the upcoming report from Guterres’s office. The UN secretary-general’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence is customarily presented to relevant states before publication. Last August, the report warned that Israel could be added to the list of parties suspected of, or responsible for, sexual violence in situations of…
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THE United States and Iran have reached a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MOU) to extend the ceasefire between the two countries for 60 days and start negotiations for permanently ending the war, according to officials. The US sources told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the framework still needs President Donald Trump’s final approval. If finalised, the agreement would be a major breakthrough after weeks of stalled diplomacy. But details of the tentative deal remain obscure. It is also unclear whether the 60-day extension represents a deadline for the negotiations. The ongoing truce is already open-ended. The MOU would come after…
THE death of 16 students in a fire on Thursday has once again sparked concerns over the safety of Kenya’s boarding schools. The tragedy, which occured at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) north-west of capital city Nairobi, follows a string of deadly fires at boarding schools in recent years. The authorities are still investigating the cause of Thursday’s fire but parents of the students, along with Kenyans on social media, have been questioning how prepared boarding schools are for fires and whether dormitories meet the required safety standards. Roughly 12 hours after the fire, several parents…
ONGOING conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering the Ebola outbreak response, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ituri province in the east of the country was at the centre of a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict”. In a statement posted on X, Tedros said the WHO could not “build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling”. He is due to travel to DR Congo this week to spearhead efforts to contain the virus. Meanwhile Uganda has announced it is temporarily closing its border with…
SUPER Eagles head coach, Éric Chelle, has congratulated Man of the Match Femi Azeez following his impressive goal-scoring debut for Nigeria, while also highlighting areas of the Millwall winger’s performance that still require improvement. News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Azeez enjoyed a dream debut for the Super Eagles after scoring twice in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the Unity Cup semi-final played at The Valley on Tuesday. The Millwall winger opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute after being set up by striker Terem Moffi. Moffi later provided another assist for Azeez, who…
CRYSTAL Palace on Wednesday beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig to win their first European trophy in the club’s history. France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta turned in a rebound early in the second half to send departing manager Oliver Glasner out in style and dash Rayo’s own hopes of their first major trophy. Glasner departs with a third trophy in two years as Palace manager, the most successful period in the club’s history, after dashing Rayo’s hopes of landing their first major silverware. “I feel fantastic,” Mateta told TNT Sports. “First time in Europe, we…
UNITED States President Donald Trump has threatened to use military force against Oman if it collaborates with Iran to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, a reporter asked Trump to weigh in on the idea of Oman and Iran overseeing trade on the strategic waterway, which handles more than 20 percent of the world’s global oil traffic. “Would you accept a short-term deal that allows Iran and Oman to control the strait?” the reporter asked. Trump replied with a seemingly offhand threat. “Nobody is going to control it. It’s international waters, and Oman…
THE UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was “a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis”. With temperatures remaining stubbornly above 30C across much of northern Europe and predicted to go up again Thursday, UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the “main culprit” was humanity’s burning of coal, oil and gas — the primary driver of climate change. “The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme,” Stiell said in a statement. He also noted extreme conditions gripping India, where…
THE first flight of Ghanaian nationals evacuated from South Africa over anti-immigrant tensions was en route to Accra on Wednesday, Ghana’s foreign ministry said. Some 800 Ghanaians in total are expected to leave South Africa after Accra organised repatriation flights in response to a wave of protests and violence targeting foreigners in the country. “The information I have indicates that the flight (was) delayed,” but is currently on its way, Fred Duhoe, an aide to Ghana’s foreign minister, told AFP. An AFP photographer saw hundreds of Ghanaian nationals queuing at the O.R. Tambo International Airport, outside Johannesburg, early on Wednesday.…
SENEGAL’s former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was dramatically sacked on Friday by the president, has been elected Speaker of the national parliament setting up a possible source of conflict at the top of Senegalese politics. The West African nation’s current crisis follows months of tension between Sonko and his one-time ally President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Parliament’s previous Speaker stepped down on Sunday to make way for the former prime minister, who is a popular figure and whose Pastef party has a majority of the seats in the National Assembly. On Monday, Faye appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo to…
THE Ghetto Kids, a Ugandan dance troupe made up of street children, spoke of their excitement at being invited by music superstar Shakira to perform at the World Cup. The Colombian star last week announced on Instagram that the Ugandan kids were her first selection to join her for the half-time show of the World Cup final in the United States this summer. Unsurprisingly, that has triggered massive excitement at Ghetto Kids — an NGO that started in the Ugandan capital Kampala, using dance and performing arts to help abandoned and orphaned children. “We can’t wait to show the world…
IRAN accused the United States of breaching their ceasefire Tuesday and warned it was ready to retaliate after overnight US strikes targeting Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats threatened a deal to end the war. The Brent benchmark oil price jumped up by more than four percent after US Central Command announced the new wave of bombings, and China urged both sides to respect the truce and to resolve their dispute peacefully. According to the maritime safety monitor UKMTO, a blast damaged a tanker on the waterline off Oman — although the crew and vessel were reportedly safe after what…
AT least 31 people were killed and 40 others injured on Tuesday after Israeli forces intensified attacks across southern Lebanon, targeting towns and villages amid expanding ground operations near the border, the Al Jazeera reported. The fresh wave of strikes came alongside dozens of forced displacement orders issued by the Israeli military for areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, triggering panic and a mass civilian exodus from conflict-hit regions. Residents in southern Lebanon reported scenes of chaos as Israeli ground troops pushed deeper into Lebanese territory, with families fleeing bombardment and seeking shelter in safer areas. The escalation has heightened…
THE countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo are at high risk from Ebola and should act immediately to counter the virus, the World Health Organiation’s head said on Monday. “Countries bordering DRC are at especially high risk and should take immediate action,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that he would travel on Tuesday to the DRC, the epicentre of the current outbreak of the deadly disease. “The outbreak is spreading rapidly,” Tedros told a virtual ministerial meeting on the viral haemorrhagic fever, which spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ…
SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa has started a legal challenge against a report commissioned by parliament that has paved the way for MPs to once again consider impeachment proceedings against him. In 2022, an independent panel said Ramaphosa might have committed serious misconduct relating to the theft of large sums of cash hidden in a sofa at his private farm. The president denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this month a Constitutional Court ruling said parliament had acted unconstitutionally when four years ago it voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry following the report. At that time Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) party…
LAMINE Yamal is the star name in Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup named by coach Luis de la Fuente on Monday, which also included Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino after his recent return from injury. For the first time at a World Cup, the Spain squad will not feature a Real Madrid player with Dean Huijsen dropped and veteran Dani Carvajal also excluded after struggling through an injury-hit campaign. Merino, a favourite of coach De la Fuente, appeared as a substitute for the Gunners against Crystal Palace on Sunday in their final Premier League match, for his first appearance…
SEVEN months after a “ceasefire” was brokered to halt Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the agreement has morphed into a deadly cover for continued Israeli military operations in the enclave. Israeli forces have killed at least 880 Palestinians since then, increasing the total from the war to 72,797, according to Gaza’s health ministry. With Israel’s next national election expected in September, analysts and human rights officials have warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deliberately stalling the peace process to appease his right-wing coalition allies and voters. Mai El-Sheikh, spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office in Palestine, told Al…
AN Iranian delegation has travelled to Qatar as Tehran and the United States strive to agree on a deal to end a war that threatens to rend the Middle East and is roiling the global economy. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati were reported on Monday evening to be in Doha to discuss sticking points related to the potential deal to end the nearly three-month US-Israel war on Iran. The talks in Qatar come after US President Donald Trump said earlier on Monday that an agreement with Iran must be…
THE director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) says there have been 220 suspected deaths in the current Ebola outbreak and that a delay in detecting cases meant responders are now “playing catch-up”. “We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, adding that countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) should take immediate action. Earlier on Monday, Uganda reported two more Ebola cases, taking its total number of confirmed cases to seven. In a post on social media on Sunday, the WHO chief said that…
KENYA’s police chief has ordered a major shake-up of President William Ruto’s security team after a man evaded his protection service to reach the head of state as he was addressing supporters at a thanksgiving event in the east of the country on Sunday. In footage widely shared online, a man holding what appears to be a Bible mounts the stage and briefly puts his left arm around Ruto. A tussle quickly ensued with bodyguards pushing the man to the ground. No-one was hurt but police Insp Gen Douglas Kanja described any security breach involving the president as “unacceptable” calling…