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OXFAM says it will not disclose the personal details of its Palestinian staff to Israel, citing its army’s deadly attacks in Gaza that have killed hundreds of aid workers. As part of a crackdown on NGOs providing life-saving aid to Palestinians, Israel last year demanded that some of the world’s best-known charities working in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem hand over detailed information about their Palestinian and international staff, operations and funding. On January 1, Israel withdrew the licences of 37 aid groups, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee and Oxfam, saying they failed…

IRAN’s foreign minister says the Iranian armed forces are ready to “immediately and powerfully” respond to any possible attack by the United States, hours after US President Donald Trump reiterated a threat to take military action against the country. “Our brave Armed Forces are prepared with their fingers on the trigger to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air, and sea,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media on Wednesday evening. Araghchi said Iran had learned “valuable lessons” from Israel’s days-long military assault on the country in June of last year, which also saw the Trump…

THE UN says it is gravely concerned after a senior military leader in South Sudan urged his troops to “spare no-one” including “children, the elderly, and civilians” when they are deployed to opposition-held areas of the country. “Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians… is utterly abhorrent and must stop now,” said the head of the UN’s mission in South Sudan. South Sudan’s deputy army chief Gen Johnson Oluny made the call as he addressed his Agwelek militia as they prepared to be sent to parts of Jonglei state. The government said this was not an order. Forces aligned to…

SUDAN has moved to the forefront of the global humanitarian landscape, now hosting the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), approximately 14 million people have been forced from their homes within the country. These staggering figures in Sudan are part of a broader global surge in forced displacement. UNHCR estimates suggest the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide exceeded 122 million by the first half of 2025. However, amid geopolitical shifts sweeping the Middle East, a countertrend has emerged. For the first time in a decade, the global number of displaced persons dropped…

A BLOCKBUSTER final day of games in the Champions League’s league phase in rich in dramatic potential, with 30 teams waiting for their fate to be decided. Six English clubs are eyeing top-eight spots, while there are notable familiar faces looking to get the better of their former employers. Arsenal are safely through to the last 16, where they will be joined by Bayern Munich, but just about everybody else still has work to do and major targets to aim for in a congested 36-team table. The table-topping Gunners have been predicted as being best-placed to win the competition for…

TO retrieve one body, the Israeli military mobilised a fleet of tanks, drones, and what locals described as “explosive robots”. They turned a neighbourhood into a “kill zone”, dug up approximately 200 Palestinian graves, and left four civilians dead in their wake. The focus of this overwhelming force was Ran Gvili, an Israeli policeman killed more than two years ago, the last Israeli captive in Gaza after more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave. His successful recovery on Monday was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a triumph of commitment. But just metres…

A PLANE crash has killed the deputy chief minister of India’s Maharashtra state, Ajit Pawar, the country’s aviation regulator has said. The plane, which took off from Mumbai on Wednesday, crash-landed at the airport in Pawar’s constituency of Baramati, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Two members of the prominent politician’s staff and two crew were also reported to have been killed. The cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed. FlightRadar, an online flight tracking service, said the aircraft was attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport when it crashed. The Times of India quoted…

THE Rwandan government has launched legal action against the UK to seek payments it claims it is owed under a scrapped migrant deal between the two countries. Rwanda has filed a case with the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, arguing the UK has failed to honour commitments made in a deal to send some asylum seekers to the African nation. Under the deal, which was signed by the previous Conservative government, the UK agreed to make payments to Rwanda to host asylum seekers and support its economy. But after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer axed the deal in 2024, the…

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has invited his Chadian counterpart to Paris, as both countries seek to renew and improve future relations. The verbal invitation was delivered to President Mahamat Déby by France’s Ambassador to Chad, Éric Gérard, during a meeting at the presidential palace in the capital, N’Djamena, on Monday. In a statement, Chad’s Presidency said Déby accepted the invitation, although it made no mention of when the visit will take place. It follows a sharp downturn in Franco-Chadian military relations, after Chad abruptly ended its defence agreement with France in November 2024. This triggered the withdrawal of French forces…

SENEGAL’s Pape Gueye opened up about his team’s walk-off at the Africa Cup of Nations final and Morocco’s subsequent missed penalty in an interview on French television on Sunday. Gueye scored the winning goal as Senegal edged Morocco 1-0 in extra time in a controversial game in Rabat last week. Morocco were awarded a late penalty, sparking a walk-off by the eventual winners, which led to a 20-minute delay. When Senegal came back, Brahim Diaz fluffed his penalty, while Gueye scored the winner in extra time. “We are only human, we realised our mistake and came back out,” said the…

ISRAEL has said it will allow a “limited reopening” of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt when the operation to locate the body of the last remaining Israeli captive in the Palestinian territory is completed. The announcement from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came late on Sunday as Palestinians mourned at least three people killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza. Netanyahu’s office said the Rafah crossing, which was supposed to have opened during the initial phase of a United States-brokered ceasefire in October, would reopen for the passage of people only. It said the move is “conditioned on the…

UNITED States President Donald Trump has suggested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the wealth of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as his administration grapples with the fallout from the killing of demonstrator Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The Republican president also said on Monday that he is sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to the state of Minnesota, which has been witnessing protests since federal immigration officers fatally shot Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, there on Saturday morning. “Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Separately, a major investigation…

UGANDA’s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba has denied claims that soldiers assaulted Barbara Kyagulanyi, the wife of opposition leader Bobi Wine, during a raid at their home. Wine, who is in hiding, alleged on Saturday that his wife was held at gunpoint by military officers who assaulted her, taking away documents and electronic items. He said the house continued to be surrounded by the military. Speaking from hospital, Barbara Kyagulanyi said the officers had demanded to know Wine’s whereabouts and had assaulted her when she refused. It comes after the recent landslide victory of long-serving leader, and Kainerugaba’s father, President Yoweri…

PROMINENT Kenyan opposition figure Rigathi Gachagua has alleged there was an attempt on his life during a Sunday church service. Gachagua, who was sacked as deputy president in an impeachment trial in 2024, claimed in an interview with the BBC that rogue police officers “shot at everybody and tear-gassed the church” in Othaya in the central county of Nyeri. He had previously accused his former ally President William Ruto of ordering the attack but did not provide any evidence. Ruto has not commented but government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura accused Gachagua of staging the attack. The police said an investigation had…

MANCHESTER United dealt a blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title charge as Matheus Cunha’s superb strike clinched a thrilling 3-2 win over the leaders on Sunday. Lisandro Martinez’s own goal put Arsenal ahead at the Emirates Stadium, but Bryan Mbeumo equalised before half-time. Patrick Dorgu’s brilliant blast gave United the lead after the interval, until Mikel Merino’s late leveller looked to have rescued a point for Arsenal. In a dramatic finish, Brazilian forward Cunha bagged the winner with an eye-catching drive three minutes from full-time. It was Arsenal’s first defeat in 13 games in all competitions since losing at Aston…

UNITED States envoy Steve Witkoff says he and his colleague Jared Kushner have held “constructive” talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Israel continues its deadly bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip. In a short statement on Sunday, Witkoff said the “positive” discussion focused on “the continued progress and implementation planning for Phase 2 of President Trump’s 20-Point Plan for Gaza”, which the US and Israel are advancing in “close partnership”. Witkoff added “broader regional issues” were also discussed in the meeting on Saturday, a likely reference to heightened tensions between the US and Iran and speculation that Washington…

DEMOCRATS are demanding federal immigration officers leave the American state of Minnesota after a US Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis and set off clashes with protesters who poured into the frigid streets in a city already shaken by another shooting death weeks earlier. The latest shooting has also sparked a legal fight over control of the investigation and renewed calls by state and city officials for an end to the immigration surge that has swept across Minneapolis and surrounding cities. Federal officials said agents were acting in self-defence by opening fire on Saturday morning, local time,…

RENEWED fighting in South Sudan has displaced more than 180,000 people, with witnesses describing indiscriminate use of barrel bombs and civilians fleeing into swamps as the country’s fragile peace unravels. The world’s youngest country has been beset by war, poverty and massive corruption since it was formed in 2011, but violence is once again on the rise between rival factions, currently focused on Jonglei state north of the capital Juba. “I am stuck and if worse comes, the only safe place for me to go is the swamps,” said Daniel Deng, 35, one of thousands displaced by fighting in Jonglei,…

MLAU and his family, who live near Marracuene – a town 30km (19 miles) north of the capital, Maputo – woke up to find their house inundated after the Inkomati River burst its banks. “When a rescue boat came a few hours afterwards, we did not hesitate to board it and come to safety in Marracuene town,” he said, adding they had to abandon all their belongings and only managed to bring a change of clothes. Mlau, his wife and two children have found refuge at one of six centres – schools and churches – that are so far sheltering…

SENEGAL’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko will begin an official visit to Morocco on Monday, after fans from his country were detained in incidents there at the Africa Cup of Nations football final, officials said. Eighteen Senegalese supporters remain in pre‑trial detention in Morocco, where they face charges of hooliganism at the match, won 1-0 by Senegal against Morocco after time on January 18. Their trial opened Thursday at a Rabat court and was postponed to 29 January. However, the two countries have cooperative relations in sectors including tourism, energy, infrastructure, and transport, and share strong religious ties. Sonko’s trip takes…