HAMAS says four female Israeli soldiers will be released in Gaza as the second exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners under the Gaza ceasefire deal is expected later today. The Palestinian Detainees’ Commission said the release of Palestinians under the terms of the deal will begin at 10am local time (08:00 GMT) from Israel’s Ofer Prison. Meanwhile, Israel’s military has warned Palestinians in Gaza that moving from the south of the war-ravaged territory to the north of the enclave “remains dangerous”, particularly at the Netzarim Corridor in the north, and also towards the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Rafah. Warning again…
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AIR pollution in the Thai capital forced more than 350 schools to close on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years. Bangkok officials also announced free public transport for a week in a bid to reduce traffic in a city notorious for noxious exhaust fumes. Seasonal air pollution has long afflicted Thailand, like many countries in the region, but this week’s hazy conditions have shuttered the most schools since 2020. “It’s hard to breathe… I really feel the burn in my throat,” Benjawan Suknae, 61, a drinks seller, told AFP. “I think (school closures) could help to…
REBELS from the Rwanda-backed M23 have killed a military governor as they advanced through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the army has confirmed. Maj Gen Peter Cirimwami, North Kivu’s Governor, was shot by M23 fighters when visiting the frontline on Thursday. He was airlifted to the capital Kinshasa for possible treatment abroad, but “succumbed to his injuries”, said army spokesperson Gen Sylvain Ekenge. Fighting between the M23 and DR Congo’s army has intensified since the start of the year, with the rebels seizing control of more territory than ever. More than 400,000 people have fled their homes since the start…
MOZAMBIQUE’s police chief Bernadino Rafael has been sacked, following allegations of brutality during October’s disputed election and its aftermath. He has denied claims by prominent opposition figures that he had worked with criminal groups to kidnap and kill civilian protesters in recent months. The country’s new President Daniel Chapo, who took office last week, announced Mr Rafael’s removal on Thursday. It is the first major security shake-up of Chapo’s presidency so far, as he faces immense pressure to win public trust and kick-start the ailing economy after months of unrest. Mozambique is in the throes of one of its worst…
MANCHESTER United skipper Bruno Fernandes scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to give his side victory in their all-British match with Rangers at Old Trafford. Rangers’ fans were still celebrating what they thought was a famous draw after Cyriel Dessers had brilliantly levelled United’s opener with an 88th-minute drive into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. But Fernandes cut those celebrations short when he got on the end of Lisandro Martinez’s angled cross to the far post and drove a first-time shot through Jack Butland’s legs. From his seat in the directors’ box, legendary United boss and former…
THE Lebanese group Hezbollah has demanded that Israeli forces complete a withdrawal from the country’s south in line with terms of the ceasefire deal agreed by the two sides, as the Israeli government said the agreement was not being implemented fast enough. Israel and the Iran-aligned group agreed in November to a ceasefire mediated by France and the United States, bringing an end to more than a year of fighting. Under the deal, Israeli forces were to withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon over a 60-day period ending on Monday. “There have been positive…
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday declassifying files on the 1960s assassinations of president John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. “A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House. “Everything will be revealed.” After signing the order, Trump passed the pen he used to an aide, saying “Give that to RFK Jr,” the president’s nominee to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The…
MILITARY governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, yesterday, announced that their common travel passport would come into effect from January 29, the date of their planned departure from the regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). After overthrowing civilian governments between 2020 and 2023, the military leaders in the three West African countries teamed up to form the Confederation of Sahel States (AES). On January 28, last year, the trio announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, which they accused of being subservient to former colonial ruler, France, and failing to support them in their fight against jihadist violence.…
HUNDREDS of South African servicemen, mostly black, who died during World War One have been honoured with a new memorial in Cape Town after going unrecognised for more than a century. The 1,772 men worked in dangerous and gruelling non-combatant roles in East Africa but until now, they had no known grave or commemoration. Individually engraved timber posts now bear each serviceman’s name at the new memorial. Princess Anne, president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), unveiled the memorial at a moving ceremony attended by relatives of the dead. In 2021, the UK apologised after a report blamed “pervasive…
MANCHESTER City’s chances of Champions League progress are in peril after they lost a two-goal lead to slump to defeat against Paris St-Germain at Parc des Princes. On a torrid, rain-lashed night in Paris, all the frailties that have haunted City in a season of decline were laid bare as Pep Guardiola’s side crumbled dramatically in the face of PSG’s pace and creation. City’s defeat means they risk elimination from the Champions League as they stand 25th in the table, having to win their final game at home to Club Brugge next Wednesday. It was pure theatre in Paris after…
SOS Children’s Village said its staff visited its facility, which serves children without parental care, in the southern city of Rafah, only to discover it had been completely destroyed. “The former residential homes have been reduced to rubble,” said Reem Alreqeb, the acting director of SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah, who was among those on the site visit. “No one anticipated such a scale of destruction,” she said. “The children’s representative kept asking, ‘Where is my home? Where are my children’s memories?’… They had hoped to find even a small part of their memories and their children’s memories, but unfortunately,…
US President Donald Trump stepped up the pressure on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to make a peace deal with Ukraine Wednesday, threatening tougher economic measures if Moscow does not agree to end the war. Trump’s warning in a Truth Social post came as the Republican seeks a quick solution to a grinding conflict that he had promised to end before even starting his second term. “If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various…
SOUTH Sudan on Wednesday ordered internet providers to block social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, following violent protests over the deaths of its citizens last week. Demonstrations erupted in the capital Juba last week over reports that clashes in neighbouring Sudan had killed 29 South Sudanese, but turned violent with people looting Sudanese-owned businesses. Anger spread across the impoverished nation, with officers opening fire to disperse crowds and later detaining hundreds of looters. In a letter addressed to the country’s internet providers, the National Communication Authority’s (NCA) director general ordered them “to block access to all social media accounts…
POLICE in Kenya have arrested a man carrying a mutilated corpse in his backpack, which he reportedly said belonged to his 19-year-old wife. Officers came across 29-year-old John Kiama Wambua while patrolling Huruma, a district east of Nairobi, just before dawn. Suspecting Wambua was carrying something illegal, they searched his backpack and “to their shock” found the body parts, said a statement from Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). This is far from an isolated case – Kenya has one of the highest rates of femicide, or killings with a gender-related motivation, in Africa. After police officers interrogated Mr Wambua,…
MOHAMMED Salah scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool as the Reds booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with victory over 10-man Lille at Anfield. Salah’s goal came when he latched onto a brilliant Curtis Jones through ball and slotted over the advancing Lucas Chevalier in the 34th minute. Lille, who were unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, had restricted Liverpool until then but Arne Slot’s side controlled the game after the goal. Salah sent another one-on-one wide, before curling just past the far post in the second half. The visitors were reduced to…
AT least nine Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The Israeli army said earlier on Tuesday that soldiers, police and intelligence services launched a “counterterrorism action”, but gave no further details. The identity of those killed was not immediately clear. The Health Ministry said that more than 35 people have been wounded. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) security forces said in a statement that Israeli forces “opened fire on civilians and security forces, resulting in injuries to several civilians and a…
NETFLIX announced Tuesday it will raise prices on most of its subscription tiers in the US and Canada after the streaming giant reported 19 million new subscribers in the last quarter of 2024. The jump in subscribers, Netflix’s biggest-ever, puts the streaming giant at 302 million globally, solidifying the company’s hold on the top spot in the industry. Netflix attributed the service’s latest success to the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul boxing match in November, which it said drew 108 million viewers worldwide, making it the most-streamed sporting event ever. Netflix later hosted two Christmas Day NFL games, which averaged…
THE head of Libya’s judicial police has been arrested after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant over war crimes allegations, media reports say. Osama Najim, who directs Tripoli’s Mitiga detention centre, was reportedly arrested on Sunday in the Italian city of Turin. Former detainees from various centres have described abuses, such as routine torture and rape. In 2022, the UN said it had uncovered evidence of “serious rights violations”. Mr Najim was arrested in a hotel following a tip from international police body Interpol, Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported. Italian migrant rescue charity Mediterranea Saving Humans said the…
RWANDA-BACKED M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken over the key eastern trading town of Minova, according to various sources. The fall of the city puts the rebels within 40km (25 miles) of provincial capital, Goma, which lies close to the border with Rwanda. It comes two weeks after the M23 captured Masisi, with the Congolese army launching a counteroffensive to retake the town. There has been intense fighting in recent months between the rebels and the government forces in the mineral-rich region, with over 200,000 people being forced from their homes. The Reuters news agency quotes…
ON the first day of his new term, President Donald Trump signed orders ranging from climate to immigration, along with sweeping pardons for many of those who stormed the capital on January 6, 2021. Some of his orders delivered on promises he made during the 2024 campaign. Others, like a withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), had not been expected. Here is a summary of the orders Trump signed at a Washington arena packed with supporters, and later at the White House, after he was sworn in as president. Immigration: Trump signed various orders aimed at reshaping how the…