Author: Editor

MANY Zimbabweans have reacted with astonishment after Mthuli Ncube was named “Best African Finance Minister of the Year” despite the country’s economic turmoil. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said the award was “akin to applauding a captain for steering a ship straight into an iceberg”. Another user called it “the greatest joke of the decade”. Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is as high as 85%, economists say. Up to 80% of transactions are carried out in US dollars because of a lack of confidence in the local currency, according to the Reuters news agency. Reputation Poll International – an…

AWARD-WINNING South African Afro-pop singer Bulelwa Mkutukana, popularly known as Zahara, has died, the country’s culture minister has said. She had been in hospital, reportedly with liver complications, and the government had been assisting the family “for some time”, Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa said. The songstress won fame in 2011 with her album Loliwe, loved across Africa. In 2019, Zahara opened up about her battle with alcohol addiction. “Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact in South African music,” Mr Kodwa posted on X, formerly Twitter. Last month, the family confirmed the musician had been admitted to…

TARABA State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has described as shocking the death of NTA broadcaster, Aisha Bello. He said the loss was coming at a time when the nation greatly needs her mentoring services, adding that her 35 years of dedication to her profession was noteworthy. Kefas, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communications, Emmanuel Bello, added that the world of journalism has lost one of its finest. He described the late Aisha Bello as a passionate television personality who adroitly told the news with her presence. He said she made news more interesting…

TURKISH football bosses suspended all leagues after a referee was punched to the ground by a club president following a top-flight game on Monday. Halil Umut Meler was struck by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca, who ran on to the pitch after his team conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 Super Lig draw with Caykur Rizespor. “The matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely,” Turkish FA [TFF] chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi said in a news conference. “This attack is a night of shame for Turkish football,” he added. Meler received several blows from others as he lay on the…

ISRAEL’s bombardment of Gaza is “narrowing the window” for a new truce, the Qatari prime minister has said. Speaking at the Doha Forum, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar would continue its efforts to pressure both sides into a ceasefire. The Gulf state played a key role negotiating the week-long pause in violence at the end of November, which allowed the release of hostages. The comments come as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. On Sunday afternoon, the Hamas-run health agency in Gaza said almost 18,000 Palestinians had now been killed. In an audio message to Al…

VOTING for the Russian presidential election, which is likely to see Vladimir Putin re-elected, will be held in four Ukrainian regions the Kremlin claimed to have annexed last year, Moscow said on Monday. The Central Elections Commission said voting in March would go ahead in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — regions of Ukraine over which Russia still does not have full military control. “The decision was adopted unanimously,” commission vice-president Nikolay Bulayev said, according to the state-run news agency TASS. The election will be held over a three-day period from March 15 to 17, a move that Kremlin critics…

AT least 100 elephants have died in Zimbabwe’s biggest national park as water holes have dried up, an international animal welfare group said Monday. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said an “extended dry season has reduced once abundant water holes to muddy puddles” in Hwange National Park. “At least 100 elephants are already reported dead due to lack of water,” IFAW said in a statement. Hwange covers more than 14,600 square kilometres (5,600 square miles) and is home to about 45,000 elephants. “Despite having 104 solar-powered boreholes, park authorities say it isn’t enough and no match for extreme…

THE UN mission in Mali officially ended a 10-year deployment in the country on Monday, its spokesperson said, in a pull-out ordered by Mali’s military leaders. The mission, known as MINUSMA, lowered the United Nations flag on its headquarters in the capital Bamako, its spokesperson Fatoumata Kaba told AFP. The symbolic ceremony marks the official end of the mission, she said. A “liquidation phase” will take place after January 1, involving activities such as handing over remaining equipment to the authorities. The withdrawal of the UN stabilisation mission, known as MINUSMA, has ignited fears that fighting will intensify between troops…

GIRONA underlined their La Liga title credentials with a famous victory at Barcelona to move top of the table. Goals from Artem Dovbyk, Miguel Gutierrez, Valery Fernandez and Cristhian Stuani gave the visitors a deserved first ever league win over their Catalan rivals. Robert Lewandowski’s header and Ilkay Gundogan’s late goal were mere consolations for Barca. The result sees Girona open up a two-point gap to Real Madrid. Michel’s side are also seven clear of third-placed Atletico Madrid and Barca, who are fourth. Girona’s rise to the top may have taken many by surprise but on this evidence they have…

MEDIATION efforts are continuing to secure a new Gaza ceasefire and free more hostages held by Hamas despite ongoing Israeli bombardment that is “narrowing the window” for a successful outcome, Qatar’s prime minister said Sunday. “Our efforts as the state of Qatar along with our partners are continuing. We are not going to give up,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum, adding that “the continuation of the bombardment is just narrowing this window for us”. The Israeli offensive has killed at least 17,700 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, many of them women…

ABOUT 200 members of Afghan special forces, trained and funded by the UK, face imminent deportation to their Taliban-controlled homeland, the BBC has learned. The figures – gathered by a network of Afghan veterans – reveal the scale of what one former UK general calls a “betrayal” and a “disgrace”. The soldiers fled to Pakistan, which now says it will expel Afghan refugees. The UK says it has brought thousands of Afghans to safety. Gen Sir Richard Barrons, who served the British Army in Afghanistan over 12 years, told BBC Newsnight that the failure of the UK to relocate these…

POLLING stations opened Sunday for Egyptians to vote in a presidential election overshadowed by war in neighbouring Gaza and with little doubt that the incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will secure a third term. In a country gripped by the most severe financial crisis in its recent history — inflation has hovered near 40 percent after the currency lost half its value and drove up the cost of imports — the economy is the crux of Egyptians’ concerns. Even before the current crisis, about two-thirds of the country’s nearly 106 million people were living on or below the poverty line. Before…

TWO people have been killed and seven others injured in a “deliberate attack” on an aid convoy in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, the Red Cross has said. The vehicles – which the charity said were “clearly marked with a Red Cross emblem” – were due to evacuate over a hundred civilians. The wounded included three charity staff, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. In a statement they said they were “shocked and appalled”. Sudan’s civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is now in its eighth month. Earlier on Sunday, the East African regional body…

MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag said the humiliating 3-0 home Premier League defeat by Bournemouth left him “annoyed” and “disappointed” and admitted his side were “not good enough to be consistent” as their season lurched into another bout of soul-searching. The latest setback is as bad as any experienced during Ten Hag’s tenure, with skipper Bruno Fernandes calling the performance “not acceptable”. Ten Hag, meanwhile, described United’s start as “no good” and “poor”. Once they had fallen behind to Dominic Solanke’s fifth-minute effort, they never seriously threatened an equaliser. Coming seven days after the performance at Newcastle that was…

JUDE Bellingham continued his remarkable start at Real Madrid by scoring his 16th goal in 18 games – but it was not enough to earn the La Liga leaders victory over Real Betis. England midfielder Bellingham, 20, slotted in after controlling a delightful pass from Brahim Diaz over the Betis defence after 53 minutes. But Aitor Ruibal hit a stunning equaliser from outside the area. It means Girona can go top with victory at third-placed Barcelona on Sunday. Bellingham, who last month became the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League appearances for Real, now…

A SENIOR United Nations (UN) aid official has warned that half of Gaza’s population is starving, as fighting there continues. Carl Skau, deputy director of the UN World Food Programme, said only a fraction of supplies needed have been able to enter the Strip – and nine out of 10 people cannot eat everyday. Conditions in Gaza have made deliveries “almost impossible”, Mr Skau said. Israel says it must continue air strikes on Gaza to eliminate Hamas and bring Israeli hostages home. Israel Defence Forces spokesman Lt Col Richard Hecht told the BBC on Saturday that “any death and pain…

THE family of Mahsa Amini have been banned from flying to France to collect a top human rights prize in her honour. Ms Amini’s parents and brother were stopped from boarding their flight and had their passports confiscated, their lawyer said. They were travelling to Strasbourg to be presented with the EU’s Sakharov Prize – which has been awarded posthumously to Ms Amini. Their lawyer said they were banned from leaving despite having valid visas. Ms Amini’s death last year sparked protests unlike any the country had seen before. She died in hospital in Tehran on 16 September 2022, three…

THE Democratic Republic of Congo’s leader has taken his rhetorical attacks on his Rwandan counterpart to another level by comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Félix Tshisekedi said Paul Kagame was behaving like Hitler, and added: “I promise he will end up like Hitler”. Mr Tshisekedi who is campaigning for re-election, was addressing a rally in Bukavu, close to the Rwandan border. He has often accused Rwanda of backing rebels in the east of his country, which it has always denied. The spokesperson for Rwanda’s government described the Congolese president’s comments as “a loud and clear threat”. With the vote less…

TURKEY has issued an international arrest warrant for the son of Somalia’s president, after he allegedly ran over a motorcycle courier, who later died. A police report said Mohammed Hassan Cheikh Mohamud collided with the courier in broad daylight in Istanbul. Police say he was driving a car which reportedly belonged to the Somali consulate there. Turkey imposed a travel ban on Mr Mohamud but officials believe he has already fled the country. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu shared grainy CCTV footage of the 30 November incident. A car can be seen…

THE Katsina State Police Command on Tuesday said it rescued sixty-nine (69) kidnapped victims and neutralised three suspected kidnappers in the state. This is part of the recent achievements recorded by the command from November 1st – 30th, 2023. The command also recovered 185 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition, 90 rounds of 5.56mm live ammunition, (making a total of 275 live ammunition), 13 AK-47 magazines, and 57 bags of maize. The Police Spokesman, Aliyu Sadiq, in a press briefing held at the Command Headquarters, Katsina explained that, within the period under review, 81 cases of major crimes such as armed…