Author: Editor

MALI’s military government has sought to calm anger over a blockade by Islamist militants on major highways where lorry drivers have been facing ambushes and arson attacks. In a rare acknowledgement of the seriousness of the situation affecting the landlocked country, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga said the authorities were trying to improve security on the routes. The blockade, a potentially serious escalation of Mali’s long-running jihadist insurgency – is particularly affecting the supply of fuel, which could cripple the country. The Sahel region of West Africa is known as the epicentre of global terrorism, accounting for more than 50% of…

GUNMEN on motorbikes have shot dead 22 people, most of them attending a baptism ceremony, in an attack on a village in western Niger, reports say. A resident told the French news agency AFP that 15 people were killed at the ceremony in Tillabéri region, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, before moving elsewhere and killing seven others. “While people celebrated a baptism ceremony, gunmen opened fire, sowing death and terror,” local civil rights activist Maikoul Zodi said on social media. Niger’s military government has struggled to contain jihadist violence in the region, carried out by groups linked to al-Qaeda…

KYLIAN Mbappe scored two penalties as 10-man Real Madrid battled to victory over Marseille in their Champions League opener. Los Blancos were handed an early blow when Trent Alexander-Arnold pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after only three minutes. And they suffered another setback when the England full-back’s replacement, Dani Carvajal, was sent off with 18 minutes left after he faced off with Geronimo Rulli and moved his head towards the Marseille goalkeeper. But the 15-time European champions emerged victorious thanks to Mbappe, who twice stepped up to slam spot-kicks past Rulli, taking his club tally…

ISRAEL has launched its long-planned ground assault on Gaza City, and its troops have pressed deep into the densely populated city, which has been subjected to intense bombardment for weeks, triggering the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The launch on Tuesday came the same day as a United Nations inquiry found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, home to 2.1 million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced multiple times during the 23 months of war, which has killed nearly 65,000 people. Israel’s decision to seize the city, home to more than a million people –…

US President Donald Trump landed in Britain on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit, with the UK government rolling out a royal red carpet welcome to win over the mercurial leader. The 79-year-old Republican and his wife Melania received a guard of honour as they stepped off Air Force One at Stansted Airport near London. “It’s going to be a very big thing,” Trump told reporters during the flight. Trump, who has long been fascinated by the British monarchy, is the first US president to be invited for two state visits, after previously being hosted by Queen Elizabeth II…

AT least 50 people have died after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire near the Libyan coast on Sunday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday that it has provided medical support to 24 survivors. “Urgent action is needed to end such tragedies at sea,” IOM’s Libya chapter posted on X. Last month, at least 68 refugees and migrants died and dozens went missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the IOM. At least 2,452 migrants or refugees died or went missing in the…

A KENYAN High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering a 21-year-old woman more than a decade ago. Agnes Wanjiru was killed in March 2012 and her body later found in a septic tank of a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening partying with British soldiers. Justice Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to request that the suspect appear before a Kenyan court for trial. The lawyer representing Ms Wanjiru’s family, Kamau Mbiu, told the BBC the ruling paved the…

MANCHESTER City have dismissed a bar worker after he was spotted serving fans during Sunday’s derby while wearing a Manchester United shirt. City officials were alerted to the unusual choice of attire after a frustrated home supporter raised concerns on X (formerly Twitter). The ex-bar worker was seen on the concourse behind the bar in a dark United away shirt from the 2018–19 season. A fan posted a photo showing a staff member serving drinks while wearing a Manchester United away jersey from the 2018–19 season, an especially provocative sight on derby day. The supporter tagged the club, calling it…

SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has urged international sporting bodies to ban Israel from competitions, saying its treatment should mirror Russia’s exclusion after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Speaking to his Socialist Party on Monday, Sanchez said Israel’s participation in global events was incompatible with its assault on Gaza. “The sports organisations should consider whether it’s ethical for Israel to keep participating in international competitions. Why expel Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and not expel Israel after the invasion of Gaza?” he asked. “Until the barbarity ends, neither Russia nor Israel should be in any international competition.” His…

QATAR’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has warned against Israel’s expansionist vision of the Arab region as he lambasted the country for last week’s deadly bombing of Doha, calling the attack “blatant, treacherous, and cowardly”. “My country’s capital was subjected to a treacherous attack targeting a residence housing the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating delegation,” the Qatari emir said in his opening speech at the emergency summit of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). “Our citizens were surprised, and the entire world was shocked by the aggression and cowardly terrorist act,” he said,…

POLICE have physically removed The Gambia’s auditor general, Momodou Ceesay, from his office after he refused to give up the post, in a government reshuffle carried out by President Adama Barrow. Ceesay, who has spent almost three years as auditor general in the West African state, says he had turned down Barrow’s recent offer to become trade minister. Yet the president insists that Ceesay originally agreed, but later changed his mind. The row has angered many Gambians, with some accusing the president of trying to replace Ceesay with someone who will shield him from corruption allegations. The president has promoted…

A COURT in Zambia has sentenced two men to two years in prison for attempting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema. Zambian Leonard Phiri and Mozambican Jasten Mabulesse Candunde were convicted under the Witchcraft Act after being arrested in December with charms in their possession, including a live chameleon. “It is my considered view that the convicts were not only the enemy of the head of state but were also enemies of all Zambians,” magistrate Fine Mayambu said in his ruling. The case has been closely followed in Zambia, as this was the first time anyone was put…

ERLING Haaland struck twice as Manchester City inflicted another damaging defeat on Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim with a comprehensive 3-0 win on Sunday. Phil Foden opened the scoring before Haaland took centre stage with a second-half double, either side of an incredible miss from the Norwegian, as City bounced back from two consecutive Premier League defeats. United went into a derby ahead of City in the table for the first time in five years. But that owed more to City’s early-season struggles than signs of progress for Amorim’s men, who have taken just four points from their opening four…

FOREIGN doctors who have volunteered in Gaza say they have treated more than 100 children shot in the head or chest, clear evidence, they argue, that Israel is deliberately targeting minors. In testimonies collected by the Dutch daily Volkskrant, 15 out of 17 doctors described encountering children under 15 with single bullet wounds to the head or chest. Together, they identified 114 such cases during their missions in Gaza. Many of the children died while others survived with devastating injuries. “This is not crossfire. These are war crimes,” American emergency physician Mimi Syed told Volkskrant. She documented 18 children shot…

NEPAL’s new leader vowed Sunday to follow protesters’ demands to “end corruption” as she began work as interim prime minister, after “Gen Z” youth demonstrations ousted her predecessor. Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with restoring order and addressing protesters’ demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months. Protests, sparked by a ban on social media and feeding into long-standing economic woes, began on Monday and quickly escalated, with parliament and key government buildings set ablaze. “We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her…

MULTIPLE paramilitary drones attacked key army positions and civilian infrastructure in Sudan’s south on Sunday, an army official told AFP, just a week after similar strikes hit the capital. Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a brutal war between the regular armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. Sunday’s strikes targeted the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 18th Division, along with fuel depots on the western bank of the Nile, east of the army-held city of Kosti in White Nile state, the official said. Additional attacks hit the Kenana…

THE king of South Africa’s large Zulu community has challenged a professor and cultural expert to a stick fight, saying he had been insulted, along with the entire Zulu nation. King Misuzulu kaZwelithini issued the challenge to Prof Musa Xulu in front of thousands of people who had gathered at his newly built royal palace for the annual Reed Dance. “We are angry and we will do anything to protect and preserve our cultures,” he said, according to the Timeslive news site. Prof Xulu told the BBC he took the king’s personal challenge as a joke, however he said he…

ARSENAL delivered a commanding performance at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, brushing aside Nottingham Forest 3–0 to maintain their strong start to the Premier League season and prove why their £250 million summer recruitment drive was worth every penny. Manager Mikel Arteta’s side started with five of their eight summer signings, including headline arrivals Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, who both impressed in a display that underlined the Gunners’ strength in depth. The Gunners were without key stars Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and William Saliba, while captain Martin Odegaard was forced off with a shoulder injury inside 20 minutes. Last…

ISRAELI air strikes hit two UN schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City with more than 60 people killed since dawn throughout the war-battered Strip. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani meets US President Donald Trump in New York in the wake of Israel’s deadly strike on Doha. Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the country’s foreign minister, has been engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity in the US since Israel’s attack on a Hamas meeting in Doha on Tuesday, which killed a Qatari security official and five Hamas members who were discussing a new…

HOW did Tyler Robinson, a straight-A student raised Mormon by Republican parents become the alleged assassin of right-wing mega-influencer Charlie Kirk? It’s a question that has gripped Washington, the small town in Utah where the suspect grew up. The 22-year-old arrested late Thursday after a 33-hour manhunt reportedly confessed to killing Kirk, whose popularity among young conservatives helped Donald Trump win the presidential election last November. Robinson grew up the eldest of three boys in a mid-sized house on a winding street with manicured lawns, in a neighborhood that backs up to a church. He was “quiet, respectful, kind of…