ISRAEL has struck a uranium processing facility in the central Iranian city of Yazd, the Israeli military confirmed, in an escalatory move that comes as regional diplomats have been attempting to broker an agreement to halt the joint US-Israeli war on Iran. The Israeli Air Force said it hit a plant used to extract raw materials essential to the uranium enrichment process, describing it as a “unique facility” in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed the strike, but said there were no casualties or radiation leaks. Friday marked day 28 of the conflict, and the assault on Yazd…
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A GROUP of Iran-linked hackers have said that they successfully gained access to the personal emails of Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), sharing photographs and documents from the United States official online. The Handala Hack Team said on Friday that Patel would “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims”. The news outlets Reuters and CNN confirmed the breach, citing unnamed security officials and people familiar with the matter. The FBI and Department of Justice have yet to comment on the incident. The hacking appears to have released some documents…
SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa has downplayed reports that his invitation to the forthcoming G7 summit in France has been withdrawn, saying non-attendance by a country outside the bloc should surprise no-one. Reports on Thursday claimed the US had put huge pressure on France to rescind Ramaphosa’s invitation to the summit scheduled for June. They claimed US President Donald Trump had threatened to boycott the summit if the South African leader attended. “The invitation to the G7 does not mean that you’re being snubbed if you’re not invited or you’re being ignored,” said Ramaphosa. France has, however, denied yielding to…
THE United Nations General Assembly has voted to recognise the enslavement of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”, a move advocates hope will pave the way for healing and justice. The resolution – proposed by Ghana – called for this designation, while also urging UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. It does not mention a specific amount of money. The proposal was adopted with 123 votes in favour and three against – the United States, Israel and Argentina. Fifty-two countries abstained, including the United…
KYLIAN Mbappe moved to within one goal of equalling France’s all-time top goalscoring record as his side beat Brazil in a friendly at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, USA. Mbappe was sent through on goal by Ousmane Dembele in the 32nd minute and dinked the ball over onrushing Brazil keeper Ederson. It was Mbappe’s 56th goal on his 95th appearances for his country – only Olivier Giroud with 57 goals in 137 caps has scored more for the two-time world champions. The 27-year-old was substituted for Marcus Thuram in the 66th minute having had two further half chances, dragging two shots…
AN Israeli air strike has killed the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Israel’s defence minister says. The assassination of Alireza Tangsiri was carried out on Wednesday night and targeted other “senior officers of the naval command”, Israel Katz said on Thursday in a video statement. “The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated,” he said. Since the start of the United States-Israel war on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the assassination of several top Iranian officials, including…
UNITED States President Donald Trump has pushed back a self-imposed deadline for attacks on Iran’s power grid to April 6, citing progress in negotiations to end the ongoing war in the country. Thursday’s announcement comes as the president continues to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil traffic. “As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 PM, Eastern Time,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Talks are ongoing and,…
ONE of the key military figures convicted of crimes against humanity for his involvement in Guinea’s 2009 stadium massacre has died in custody, authorities say. Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité – also known as Toumba – died early on Wednesday in hospital following a medical emergency, the prison administration said. He was serving a 10-year sentence for his role in one of the darkest episodes in Guinea’s history in which more than 150 people were killed in the capital, Conakry, as they demanded an end to military rule. At least 109 women were also raped. While in custody, Diakité remained a controversial…
ZIMBABWE says that 15 of its nationals have been killed after being recruited to fight for Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine, with more than 60 still trapped on the frontlines. Information Minister Zhemu Soda said the Zimbabweans had been lured by shadowy agencies promising lucrative jobs abroad using “social media platforms as their primary hunting ground”. “It is a sophisticated scheme of deception, exploitation, and human trafficking that has already resulted in the loss of Zimbabwean lives,” he said. The Zimbabwe government says it is in talks with the Russian authorities to ensure the bodies are repatriated and…
MOHAMMED Salah will leave Premier League champions Liverpool at the end of the season, the Egypt forward announced on Tuesday as he started a farewell to what the club called nine “illustrious” years at Anfield. The 33-year-old arrived at Anfield from Roma in 2017 and has made 435 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 255 goals to leave him third on the Reds’ all-time leading scorers chart. He has also won the Premier League Golden Boot award four times while starring for Liverpool in both their 2019/20 and 2024/25 title triumphs and their 2019 Champions League victory. His Liverpool honours also include…
A HIGH-RANKING diplomatic source has confirmed that Iran received a 15-point plan from the United States aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on the country. But the source told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Tehran described the US proposal as “extremely maximalist and unreasonable”. “It is not beautiful even on paper,” the source added, calling the plan deceptive and misleading in its presentation. The comments come as US President Donald Trump has claimed – despite Iranian denials – that negotiations are under way between Washington and Tehran to reach an agreement to end the nearly one-month conflict. The source explained…
DANISH Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has submitted her government’s resignation to the king after her three-party coalition suffered a large defeat in a general election, the royal palace said in a statement. Parties are set to launch potentially tough and long negotiations on Wednesday to determine whether the next government will be formed by Frederiksen or another party leader. Frederiksen’s Social Democratic Party had its worst election since 1903 on Tuesday, winning just 38 seats in the 179-seat parliament – down from 50 four years ago – amid voter concerns over immigration, a cost-of-living crisis and welfare. Her left-wing bloc…
ABOUT 32 bodies, mostly children, have been dug up from a mass grave in the western Kenyan town of Kericho as investigations continue into the shocking discovery. The exhumation was done after the police obtained a court order to retrieve 14 bodies that were initially believed to have been buried at the site. Government pathologist Richard Njoroge told journalists on Tuesday evening that what they found was “quite unusual” with bodies “stacked in gunny bags”, after a day-long process that was interrupted by heavy rains. A post-mortem examination is expected to begin on Wednesday, amid calls to promptly identify the…
THE head of South Africa’s police force has been summoned to appear in court in connection with a health contract that is the subject of a criminal investigation. General Fannie Masemola “was served with a notice to appear in court” on 21 April over his alleged role in the awarding of a controversial $21m (£15.5m) tender, a police spokesperson said. Authorities declined to disclose which charges he will face. Masemola, 62, is the third police boss to face a criminal investigation while in office but there has been no word on his possible suspension – President Cyril Ramaphosa has only…
THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially updated its records to recognise Morocco as the champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with Senegal recorded as runners-up. The update comes after a ruling by CAF’s Appeals Board on 18 March, which overturned the on-field result of the 18 January final held in Rabat. Checks on the CAF website on Monday show that Morocco are now listed as the winners of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025, with Senegal recorded as runners-up. Nigeria retained its position as the third placed team. The ruling grants Morocco its second AFCON title,…
AFTER a United States F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at an airbase in the Middle East last week during the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran, two sources familiar with the matter told US media the jet had been struck by Iran as it returned from a combat mission – a claim Iranian state media also reported. If true, this would be the first time during the war that an F-35, the cornerstone of Washington’s aerial firepower, has been struck by Iran. Here’s what we know about the incident and why it is significant: After the F-35 stealth fighter…
BRITAIN is sending short-range air defence systems to the Gulf to help counter Iranian missile attacks, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday. “We’re deploying short-range air defence systems to Bahrain at speed,” Starmer told a parliamentary committee, adding the UK was “doing the same with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia”. The UK is working with industry to “distribute air defence missiles to Gulf partners,” which have faced waves of Iranian barrages in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, and has embedded airspace specialists there, Starmer said. Defence minister John Healey told parliament the country would be deploying its Rapid Sentry anti-drone system to…
A FORMER teacher accused of historical sex abuse charges in Scotland has been found guilty of indecently assaulting a former pupil in South Africa. Iain Wares, 86, has been accused of abuse by scores of former pupils of Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College, where he taught in the 1960s and 1970s. Wares now lives in Cape Town, where the high court previously ruled he could be extradited to face trial in Scotland – although this was delayed when authorities submitted further charges. In a separate case, a Cape Town court has found him guilty of indecently assaulting a former student…
FORMER Kenyan Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju has been arrested a day after he was reported to have disappeared, leading to fears he may have been abducted. Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin said in a press conference that Tuju was inside his residence the whole time, describing it as a “carefully staged disappearance rather than a genuine case of abduction”. Just before his arrest, Tuju had told local station Citizen TV that he had gone into hiding after being followed by an unmarked vehicle. The former minister has been embroiled in a long-running legal battle contesting the auction and takeover…
IRAN’s Foreign Ministry has firmly denied engaging in any form of dialogue with the United States, contradicting claims by US President Donald Trump that both countries had held “very good and productive conversations” aimed at resolving escalating tensions in the Middle East. The denial, issued on Monday through the semi-official Mehr News Agency, underscores deepening mistrust between the two long-time adversaries at a time when the region is witnessing heightened military confrontation. According to a source quoted by Mehr, there is “no dialogue” between Tehran and Washington, directly challenging Trump’s assertion of ongoing diplomatic engagement. The Iranian source described the…