UN chief Antonio Guterres called on the United States and Israel on Thursday to end their war with Iran before it spirals “out of control,” warning of “potential tragic consequences” for civilians as well as the global economy. “To the United States and to Israel: it’s high time to end this war that is risking get completely out of control,” Guterres told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels. “To Iran, stop attacking your neighbours. They were never parties to the conflict,” he said. A direct war between the United States, Israel, and Iran is currently ongoing and has escalated…
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THE Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have agreed to take “concrete steps” to ease tensions amid a stalled peace process, after talks hosted by the US in Washington. Conflict in eastern DR Congo has continued despite the two countries signing a peace deal with US President Donald Trump last year. The pledge to ease tensions comes after the US earlier this month sanctioned the Rwandan Defence Forces and four senior officials and accused Rwanda of directly supporting the M23 rebel group, blaming it for escalating the conflict. A joint statement by DR Congo, Rwanda and the US says they…
CHAD’s president has ordered the military to retaliate against future attacks from Sudan following a drone attack that killed at least 17 people and injured several other people attending a funeral. Wearing military uniform, President Idris Mahamat Déby convened an emergency security meeting on Wednesday evening, where he ordered the military to be on high alert. He also ordered a “total closure” of the border with Sudan. He described the attack targeting the border town of Tiné as “outrageous and a blatant aggression” against Chad’s territorial integrity. He said that it had happened despite warnings to the two sides battling…
QUESTION: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh. What should a Muslim do on the day of Eid? Maryam Sadiq Abdullateef (Ummul-Banina), Kano State – ANSWER: Amin Alaikum Salaam Wa Rahamatullah. The days of the two Eids are days of joy and happiness, and these days are singled out for some acts of worship, special practices, and traditions, including the following: 1. Doing ghusl: This is narrated in saheeh reports from some of the Sahaabah. A man asked ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about bathing and he said: Bathe every day if you wish. He said: No, (I mean) bathing in…
SENEGAL football fans Wednesday slammed the decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and give it to Morocco, calling the move a “disgrace for Africa” as their country demands an investigation. Gora Ndiaye, a resident of Dakar who works as a driver, told AFP he felt like he had “been hit over the head” when he heard the news on the radio. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) sensationally stripped Senegal of their title late Tuesday, citing regulations about leaving the field, which players did near the end of the final two months ago.…
IRANIAN President Masoud Pezeshkian has confirmed that Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an overnight attack, marking the third assassination of a high-ranking Iranian official in two days. The announcement on Wednesday comes hours after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed the Iranian minister had been killed. Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, were also killed in Israeli air strikes on Tuesday. Pezeshkian condemned the “cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues”, saying they “left us heartbroken.” In a post on X, he added that their “path will continue stronger than before.”…
SAUDI Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has warned Iran that tolerance of its attacks on his country and those of neighbouring Gulf states is limited, calling on Tehran to immediately “recalculate” its strategy. Warning that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have “very significant capacities and capabilities” that could be drawn on should they “choose to do so”, the foreign minister told a news conference early on Thursday that Iran had carefully planned its strategy for striking regional neighbours, despite denials from Tehran’s diplomats. “The level of accuracy in some of this targeting – you can…
KENYA’s foreign minister says Russia has agreed to stop deploying Kenyan nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine, after talks in Moscow. Sitting beside his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Musalia Mudavadi said both sides had agreed that Kenyans would no longer be recruited through Russia’s defence ministry. “They will no longer be eligible to be enlisted,” he said. Lavrov did not comment on the deal and insisted that all foreign fighters had joined voluntarily ”in full compliance with Russian law”. A Kenyan intelligence report in February warned that more than 1,000 citizens had been recruited to fight for Russia…
A SENIOR Zambian government official has said that some political parties were asking prospective female candidates for sexual favours in exchange for selection ahead of August’s general election. “I am going to appeal to all female aspiring candidates to ensure that they record all these cases,” Mainga Kabika, the civil service head of the gender division in the president’s office, said on Monday. She did not name the political parties involved. Zambia has a big gender imbalance in national politics with around 15% of MPs being women. Their under-representation at leadership level reflects “deep-rooted cultural and structural barriers”, a statement…
Sarafa Isola, Yayi, Isiaka, Adebutu, Lemo Top Discussions ‘We’ll Collect Politicians’ Money, Vote With Conscience’ – Indigenes Pendulum May Not Swing In Power Brokers’ Direction – Analysts The Role Religion May Play Governor Abiodun’s ‘Body Language’ – Aide Timothy, Agbor, Bright, Jacob And Bamidele Lucas AS the race for the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State gathers momentum, stakeholders and grassroot players have indicated that the pendulum may not swing in the direction anticipated by those seen as power brokers. A month-long investigation by THE POINT revealed that the voting pattern across the senatorial districts of the state would be…
QUESTION: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh. What are the signs of Lailatul Qadr and can it be seen with the eye? Hameeda Bello Bagi, Niger State – ANSWER: Laylat al-Qadr may be seen with the eye, for the one whom Allah helps to see it. That is by seeing its signs. The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to recognize it by its signs. But not seeing them does not mean that one will not gain its reward, if one spends that night in prayer out of faith and the hope of reward. The Muslim should strive to seek…
PRINCE Engr. Ahmad Yusuf, popularly known as Babandiga, was named after our grandfather and, out of deep respect, members of the family called him by our grandfather’s nickname, Babangida. As a curious child, I once asked our late grandmother why she was called Yandiga while our brother was called Babandiga. She explained that he had been named after her husband. Still curious, I asked what the name Babandiga meant. She told me that her husband served as a supervisor at a railway construction site during the colonial era. In those days, “Diga” referred to the rail, and because of that…
IRAN says no one can exclude it from the World Cup later this year, in response to President Donald Trump’s warning that their “life and safety” would be at risk in the US. The Iranian team also said in the social media post on Thursday that the United States should not be allowed to co-host the tournament if it could not guarantee the safety of the teams taking part. Trump’s comments came just two days after he told FIFA chief Gianni Infantino the Iranian players would be welcome despite the Middle East war. “The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome…
THE US State Department offered a $10 million reward on Friday for information about Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and other top officials. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Minister of Intelligence and Security Esmail Khatib were among the 10 individuals on the State Department list. “These individuals command and direct various elements of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which plans, organises and executes terrorism around the world,” the State Department said. It urged tipsters to send information via Tor or Signal and said “your information could make you eligible for relocation and a reward.” The State Department’s…
ISRAEL has destroyed a historc bridge in southern Lebanon and dropped leaflets over Beirut warning the country faces the same scale of destruction visited upon Gaza, as its military campaign against Hezbollah enters a devastating new phase. The Zrarieh Bridge spanning the Litani River was struck early on Friday, with the Israeli military claiming Hezbollah fighters were using it to move between the country’s north and south, though it offered no evidence to support this. It marked the first time Israel had openly acknowledged striking civilian infrastructure since the current offensive began. Defence Minister Israel Katz made clear more such…
A CHINESE national has been arrested in Kenya’s main airport accused of attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country. Zhang Kequn was intercepted during a security check at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the capital Nairobi after authorities discovered a large consignment of live ants in his luggage bound for China. He has yet to respond to the accusation but investigators said in court that he was linked to an ant-trafficking network that was broken up in Kenya last year. The ants are protected by international bio-diversity treaties and their trade is highly…
A SACRED drum looted by French forces during its colonial rule in Ivory Coast has been returned to the country, more than a century after it was taken. It was seized by colonial authorities in 1916 before being taken to France in 1929, where it was put on display at the Trocadéro Museum and later at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris The Djidji Ayôkwé (Panther Lion), as the talking drum is called, was welcomed home by members of the Ebrié community, its original owners. It is more than three metres (10 ft) long, weighs about 430kg (68 stone), and…
QUESTION: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh. Lailatul Qadr is on odd night in the last 10 days. Please help clarify this as we have started fasting a day after most northern hemisphere countries? Fatima Ann Alih, Frankfurt, Germany – ANSWER: Amin Alaikum Salaam Wa Rahamatullah. There is no specification of Laylatul Qadr. It could be in any one night of the entire year – Ramadan – last ten days of Ramadan – odd or even. Rasulullah (SAW) advised to search for Laylatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan. The people of every area will calculate…
US president Donald Trump has said Iran’s men’s football team is “welcome” at the 2026 World Cup but that it is not “appropriate” for them to be there “for their own life and safety”. Trump’s comments come after Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, said his country were not in a position to participate in the tournament, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June. Iran are due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 and 21 June respectively, and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. But their…
IRAN’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public, vowed on Thursday to avenge the deaths since the start of the war with the US and Israel, in a statement read out by a presenter on state TV. “A limited amount of this revenge has so far taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities,” Khamenei, said according to the statement. “We will seek compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take as much of their property as we determine, and if that is not…