THE Democratic Republic of Congo has restored capital punishment, particularly for treason and “banditry”, as it deals with increased rebel attacks in the volatile east. The decision, communicated in a signed statement by Justice Minister Rose Mutombo on Wednesday, lifts a 2003 ban on the death penalty. For the past two years, DR Congo has been facing an offensive by M23 (March 23 Movement) rebels who have seized swathes of the northeastern North Kivu province. The retreat of the Congolese army and its militias in the face of M23’s advance has aroused suspicions that some soldiers are collaborating with them.…
Author: Editor
Read More
SENEGAL’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and the presidential candidate he is backing in this month’s delayed election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, have been released from prison. The two met thousands of their jubilant supporters in the capital, Dakar, after their release late on Thursday. Their release followed an amnesty announced by President Macky Sall. The elections are due to be held on 24 March after a failed bid to push them to December. “It’s the most beautiful day of my life,” one supporter of the released pair told the BBC. Mr Faye, 44, is one of the 19 candidates contesting the…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, approved the appointment of Dennis Otuaro as Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). In a statement, the President’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said, “The President anticipates that the new Administrator will bring his requisite experience and know-how to this role to revamp the Amnesty Programme and advance the realization of its founding purpose and vision.” “Otuaro holds a PhD in Comparative Politics & Development Studies; an MSc in Public Administration, and a BSc in Education. “He had previously served as a top-level executive of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with a surfeit of experience…
Q – Salaamu Alaikum. Please can Mallam tell me more about the easy acceptance of du’a in Ramadan? Amir Nasir Wamakko, Sokoto A – Abu Saeed Khudri (Radhiyallahu anhu) relates that Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihil Wasallam) said, “Everyday and night of Ramadan Allah sets free a great number of souls from Jahannam. And for every Muslim during everyday and night there is a time when his dua is certainly accepted. Apart from this Hadith, there are many others stating that the dua’s is accepted at the time of if’taar. Unfortunately at that time we are so engrossed in eating…
QATAR will stage the next five editions of the boys’ Under-17 World Cup from 2025 to 2029, while the girls’ tournament is set to be played in Morocco, FIFA announced on Thursday. World football’s governing body said in December that both youth tournaments would be held annually starting next year, with the boys’ event expanding from 24 to 48 teams. The number of girls’ teams involved will also increase, from 16 to 24. FIFA said the decision to choose a single host nation for multiple editions centred on the ability to make “use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest…
MOHAMMED Kudus scored two stunning goals as West Ham thrashed Freiburg 5-0 to progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday, where they will be joined by AC Milan and Benfica. The Hammers trailed 1-0 from the first leg but beat Freiburg twice in the group stages and quickly went about making amends for defeat in Germany a week ago. Lucas Paqueta turned home a corner at the far post before Jarrod Bowen blasted home to turn the tie around before half-time. Aaron Cresswell then arrowed a shot into the far corner and Kudus then took centre stage…
“MY medicine is finished. I’m so tired. I can hardly see in front of me. My chemotherapy ran out a long time ago,” said Siham. The 62-year-old has leukaemia. Before the war broke out she was being treated at the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in north Gaza – the only cancer hospital in the Strip. She’s one of approximately 10,000 cancer patients in Gaza – according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry – who have been unable to get treatment or medicines since the hospital shut down in the first week of November due to fuel shortages. Like other displaced…
NORWAY’s higher education minister, who resigned in January over plagiarism allegations, has had her masters dissertation annulled by her alma mater due to “cheating”, her political party said on Thursday. Sandra Borch, who had been minister since 2023, announced her resignation in January after a student revealed similarities between her 2014 dissertation and other works, notably those of two other students. The University of Tromso decided, after investigating the matter, to annul the dissertation, which focused on safety regulations in the oil industry, the parliamentary group of Borch’s Centre Party said. “Borch cheated and the results of her dissertation have…
MILITANTS from the al-Shabab group have attacked a hotel near the presidential palace in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, security sources and witnesses said. The group has attacked the Syl Hotel before, which is popular with government officials. Witnesses reported blasts and gunfire coming from the hotel, telling Reuters that fighters were still inside. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. “The armed men control the hotel and are shooting workers and officers” of the government in the hotel, al-Shabab said in a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. Resident Farah Ali, who lives near the president’s office, told Reuters:…
A SELF-PROCLAIMED Apostolic prophet who kept 251 children on his property has been charged with exploiting minors. Police said that Ishmael Chokurongerwa, 56, led a sect with more than 1,000 members in Harare. The children were allegedly used for cheap labour. Unregistered graves, believed to be of infants, were also found. Chokurongerwa was arrested on Tuesday “for criminal activities which include abuse of minors”. He appeared alongside seven congregants before a magistrate’s court on Thursday. All eight of them were charged with violating children’s rights and contravening burial and cremation laws. The Zimbabwe Republic Police released a statement on Wednesday…
Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh. There are clothes which are of a design called “cloche”. Some of them are for women and are very loose, and their sleeves are also long and wide, as in the case of dira‘s and jilbaabs. Is it permissible for women to wear them? Also, is it permissible to wear tight sleeves among other women and mahrams? Suwaiba Nasir, Kaduna Praise be to Allah. Firstly: It is permissible for a woman to wear whatever clothes she wants so long as that is not imitating men or kaafir women, or uncovering the ‘awrah in front of those…
SECOND half substitute Olamilekan Adams provided relief for Remo Stars and their fans as his lone goal secured a 1-0 win over Enyimba during their Nigeria Premier Football League match-day 25 game in Ikenne on Wednesday. Off the back of a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Sporting Lagos in the Southwest Derby on Sunday, Remo needed a win to remain in contention for the title while their visitors also needed to prevent them from toppling them. Despite the urgency on both sides, it took 27 minutes to see the first real chance of the game and it was the visitors who…
ON a night when all eyes were on the Champions League, the Premier League witnessed its biggest comeback win in more than 20 years. Away from the television cameras and the drama in Madrid and Dortmund, Bournemouth and Luton played out one of the most extraordinary Premier League matches of this or any recent season. Bournemouth won 4-3, having been three goals down at the break. Dominic Solanke’s exquisite turn and finish started the comeback five minutes after half-time, and after Illia Zabarnyi bundled in a header for 2-3, Antoine Semenyo completed the comeback with a pair of powerful finishes…
THE UN agency for Palestinian refugees says a member of staff was killed and 22 others were injured when Israeli forces hit a food distribution centre in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said attacks on its facilities had “become commonplace in blatant disregard to international humanitarian law”. The health ministry said an Israeli air strike killed five people. Rafah is crammed with an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians who are seeking shelter from Israel’s ground offensive elsewhere in Gaza. The UN’s secretary general has warned that a threatened Israeli assault on the city could “plummet the…
PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lauded Moscow’s nuclear arsenal and warned that he was ready to deploy the weapons if Russia’s sovereignty was threatened. The Kremlin has touted its nuclear prowess throughout its two-year offensive in Ukraine, last month warning Western countries there was a “real” risk of nuclear catastrophe if they escalated the conflict. Putin’s latest comments come just days ahead of elections in Russia that are all but guaranteed to hand him another six years in power and as his military posts gains in Ukraine. “Our triad, the nuclear triad, it is more modern than any other triad.…
A COURT in Rwanda has blocked efforts by prominent opposition figure Victoire Ingabire to lift a ban on her running in July’s presidential election. She was freed in 2018 after spending eight years in prison for threatening state security and “belittling” the 1994 genocide. In Rwanda, people who have been jailed for more than six months are barred from running in elections. Ms Ingabire said the court’s ruling was politicised. “The refusal of my rehabilitation is not merely a personal attack but is emblematic of the broader issues facing our nation, issues that human rights organisations and development partners of…
THREE Egyptian Coptic monks have been “brutally killed” inside a monastery in South Africa, the Church has said. Father Takla Moussa, Father Minah ava Marcus and Father Youstos ava Marcus were murdered early on Tuesday, the South African Archdiocese of the Coptic Orthodox Church said in a statement. An Egyptian member of the Church has been arrested as a possible suspect. The murder has sent shockwaves throughout the Coptic Orthodox community in South Africa and beyond. “Our pain and sadness, no amount [of] words can express, but we know that they rejoice in paradise in the bosom of our Fathers…
Q: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh, what, exactly, does moderation in Islam mean? Marwa Abdallah, Bauchi A: Amin Alaikil Salaam, What Allah requires from a Muslim is not overly burdensome. He prescribes moderation in every walk of life. I remember a conversation I recently had with my neighbor and friend who happens to be a non-Muslim. I had just returned from an Islamic conference. When she came to know about it, she looked worried, and asked: “No one advocates extremism at these sorts of things, do they?” I almost laughed, but realizing the seriousness of her concern, I reassured her that…
STARVATION is being used as a weapon of war in Gaza, the EU’s foreign policy chief has claimed. Josep Borrell described the lack of aid entering the territory as a “manmade” disaster. A Spanish ship carrying desperately needed food supplies has left Cyprus for Gaza, but the UN says this cannot replace the delivery of aid by land. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile vowed to press on with an offensive in southern Gaza. The quickest, most effective way to get aid into the territory is by road, but aid agencies say Israeli restrictions mean a fraction of what…
US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump have both passed the delegate thresholds to clinch their parties’ nominations for the election in November. Four states, one American territory and Democrats living abroad held their primaries on Tuesday. The result means US voters face a rematch of the 2020 presidential election in eight months’ time. The nominations will be made official at party conventions this summer. The 81-year-old president said on Tuesday evening that he was “honoured” voters had backed his re-election bid “in a moment when the threat Trump poses is greater than ever”. Citing positive economic trends,…