Author: Editor

WEST African leaders and health experts have called for stronger regional co-operation and African-led solutions to tackle Lassa fever and other emerging infectious diseases. They made the call at the opening of the 2nd ECOWAS Lassa Fever International Conference (ELFIC2025) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Monday. This newspaper reports that the theme of the conference is: “Beyond Borders: Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Combat Lassa Fever and Emerging Infectious Diseases.” It seeks to reaffirm regional commitment, mobilise political will, and drive collective action against Lassa fever and other emerging infectious diseases. The President of Cote d’ Ivoire, Alassane Quattara, expressed the…

MIKEL Merino scored a hat-trick as a majestic Spain thumped Turkey 6-0 away in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, while a brilliant Florian Wirtz free-kick helped Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 to get their bid up and running. European champions Spain were in unstoppable form in the central Turkish city of Konya, claiming their second biggest-ever away win in World Cup qualifying as Arsenal midfielder Merino scored his first professional hat-trick. Barcelona playmaker Pedri Gonzalez opened the scoring inside six minutes and later completed the scoring, with Ferran Torres netting the visitors’ other goal. The quality of Merino’s strikes was…

THE United States has issued a new ceasefire proposal that would quickly end the war in exchange for the release of all captives held in Gaza at once. Hamas said it “welcomes” the effort and is ready to talk. Israel has displaced dozens more Palestinians after destroying another high-rise building in Gaza City, the second such attack in 24 hours. At least 65 people have been killed in strikes on a school, tents and houses across Gaza today. Trump’s latest talk of a ceasefire proposal is a sign that Washington is “getting more anxious about the continuation of the Israeli…

STATGAZERS enjoyed a “Blood Moon” Sunday night during a total lunar eclipse visible across Asia and swathes of Europe and Africa. When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, the shadow cast by the planet on its satellite makes it appear an eerie, deep red colour that has astounded humans for millennia. People in Asia, including India and China, were best placed to see Sunday’s total eclipse, which was also visible on the eastern edge of Africa as well as in western Australia. The total lunar eclipse lasted from 1730 GMT to 1852 GMT. Stargazers in Europe and Africa also…

MORE than two years of armed conflict in Sudan have ravaged the country’s agriculture sector, slashing food production and plunging nearly half of the population into an unprecedented hunger crisis. According to the United Nations, about 24.6 million Sudanese are now facing “severe food insecurity or worse,” with some 637,000 people enduring famine-like conditions, the most catastrophic level of hunger. The World Health Organization on Friday confirmed famine in parts of the country. Agriculture, once the backbone of Sudan’s economy, has been crippled by widespread fighting that destroyed irrigation systems, drove farm workers from their land and left vast areas…

CHINESE technologies shone at the ninth edition of the Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition, which was held in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, from Thursday to Friday, boosting more exploration on China-Africa cooperation in low-altitude economy. Under the theme of “Collaborating to unlock Africa’s growth – How can Africa deliver a sustainable aviation industry?”, the event attracted 1,700 aviation industry professionals who engaged in-depth discussions on challenges facing the African aviation industry and the new opportunities brought about by technologies, as well as more than 100 companies that showcased their cutting-edge products. Opening the summit, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said…

NIGERIA’s Super Eagles boosted their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a narrow but vital 1-0 win over Rwanda in a Group C qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Saturday night. News Point Nigeria Sport repots that Tolu Arokodare emerged the hero of the day, scoring the decisive goal in the second half to hand the three-time African champions all three points in front of a packed home crowd. The result lifts Nigeria to third place in the group, trailing leaders South Africa by six points, with three games left to play. Super…

MANCHESTER United captain Bruno Fernandes has turned down three lucrative approaches from Saudi Arabia this summer including a direct push from Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr but sources suggest this could be his final season at Old Trafford and the skipper is consiedring a Saudi move now. According to talkSPORT, Fernandes was a top target for PIF-owned Saudi Pro League clubs, with Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ittihad all attempting to lure him away from the Premier League. Fernandes, 30, was closest to joining Al-Hilal, who were prepared to pay over £80 million if the midfielder gave the green light. His agent, Miguel Pinho,…

THE Israeli army has bombed another high-rise in Gaza City after threatening Palestinian residents to evacuate or face being killed amid its ongoing siege and imposed mass starvation in the enclave. The Israeli military designated more high-rise towers as targets in a map released on Saturday. Shortly after releasing the map, it bombed the 15-storey Soussi Tower, located opposite a building belonging to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood. “These attacks are causing panic among the people, especially considering the time they are given to evacuate. Half an hour or an hour is…

JAPAN heralded on Saturday the coming-of-age of Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing. The nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to become emperor after his father, the 19-year-old received a black silk and lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life. “Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming of age ceremony,” said Hisahito, clad in the traditional yellow costume for minors, bowing to Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who smiled at him. “I will fulfil my duties,…

AID workers on donkeys have delivered the first humanitarian supplies to survivors of a landslide that reportedly killed hundreds of people in a remote mountain village in Sudan’s western Darfur region. Heavy rains and flash floods that hit Tarseen village triggering the disaster on Sunday have continued, meaning donkeys are the only way to reach the affected families. “Families in [Tarseen] have lost everything. It took our team more than a full day on a rocky, muddy, and hilly route to reach this devastated community,” said Francesco Lanino, from aid agency Save the Children. It remains unclear how many people…

AFTER outfoxing Egypt on the diplomatic stage for more than a decade, Ethiopia is set to officially inaugurate one of the world’s biggest dams on a tributary of the River Nile, burying a colonial-era treaty that saw the UK guarantee the North African nation the lion’s share of its water. The dam – built on the Blue Nile at a cost of about $5bn (£3.7bn), with a reservoir roughly the size of Greater London – has led to a surge in Ethiopian nationalism, uniting a nation often polarised along ethnic lines and mired in conflict. “Ethiopians may disagree on how…

MOROCCO trounced 10-man Niger 5-0 in Rabat on Friday to win Group E and become the first African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Ismael Saibari scored twice in the first half after Abdul-Latif Goumey was sent off and second-half goals from Ayoub el Kaabi, Hamza Igamane and Azzedine Ounahi completed the rout. A sixth straight victory lifted Morocco to an unassailable lead with 18 points eight more than Tanzania and sealed a seventh appearance at the global showpiece with two matches to spare. Morocco were semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, topping a group including Croatia and…

ISRAELI forces shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank amid a sharp escalation of violence, following the country’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call this week to take over most of the territory. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead man as Ahmed Shehadeh, 57, saying he was killed on Friday by “occupation bullets” near the al-Murabba’a checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian news agency Wafa cited Amid Ahmed, director of the Red Crescent’s Emergency and Ambulance Centre in Nablus, as saying Israeli soldiers prevented his crew from reaching the site of the shooting.…

HUNDREDS of South Koreans were detained during a major US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the state of Georgia, prompting Seoul to urge Washington Friday to respect its citizens’ rights. South Korea, Asia’s fourth biggest economy, is a key automaker and electronics producer with multiple plants in the United States. Its largest companies, including carmaker Hyundai and tech giant LG, have poured billions of dollars into developing new US factories. On Thursday local time, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided the “site of a (South Korean) company’s battery plant in Georgia”, South Korean foreign…

ZAMBIA’s former Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji has been sentenced to four years in prison with hard labour after being convicted of corruption. Malanji was found guilty on seven counts of acquiring properties and helicopters suspected to be the proceeds of crime, the state broadcaster reports. His co-accused, former treasury secretary Fredson Yamba, received a three-year jail term for approving the transfer of more than $8m (£6m) to Zambia’s diplomatic mission in Turkey without justifying the expense. Several ministers in former President Edgar Lungu’s government have been convicted of various offences, but Malanji is the most high-profile of them. President Hakainde…

SUDAN’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have allegedly committed numerous crimes against humanity during their siege of the city of el-Fasher in Darfur, UN investigators say. The report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission accuses the group of “murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence, forced displacement and persecution on ethnic, gender and political grounds”. It also cited broader evidence of alleged war crimes by both the RSF and the regular army, however both sides have previously denied any wrongdoing in the country’s ongoing civil war. The UN report said the two groups targeted civilians in numerous ways and as…

GERMANY went down to a shock 2-0 defeat in Slovakia in their opening World Cup qualifier on Thursday, while Spain kicked off their bid to reach next year’s finals with a comfortable 3-0 victory in Bulgaria. Atletico Madrid’s David Hancko burst untracked into the penalty box to fire Slovakia into the lead just before half-time against Germany in Bratislava. David Strelec, who has just signed for Middlesbrough in the English Championship, then made it two with a brilliant strike high into the top corner 10 minutes into the second half. The result gives Slovakia a dream start in Group A…

THE UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says “the unthinkable” has arrived in Gaza City, as Israel expands its assault on residential homes and displacement camps. The director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 30 percent of Palestinians killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza have been children, amounting to 28 children killed each day since October 2023. Meanwhile, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has written a letter to executives at major US media outlets ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and Fox, urging them to consistently broadcast footage of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, including the killing of children. “While images of…

RESCUERS have recovered hundreds of bodies from mountainous areas of southeastern Afghanistan, which was hit by a major earthquake at the weekend, taking the death toll to more than 2,200, according to a Taliban government spokesperson. Previous estimates said some 1,400 people were killed. Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said on Thursday that the updated death toll was 2,205. “Tents have been set up for people, and the delivery of first aid and emergency supplies is ongoing,” Fitrat said. A third earthquake struck the region on Thursday, as search and rescue efforts were continuing. No new deaths have yet been reported…