APF

LAGOS – Fifty of the more than 300 children snatched by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria have escaped their captors, a Christian group said on Sunday. Gunmen on Friday raided St Mary’s co-education school in Niger state, taking 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria. The […]

This was the work station for the women, who say their trade turned perilous after US President Donald Trump abruptly cut foreign health aid earlier this year. One of them, Sharon Mukakanhanga, reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of baby socks she used when there was nothing else between her and risk. […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday vowed to carry on fighting in Ukraine if a peace deal cannot be reached, striking a defiant tone a day before Kyiv’s allies gather in Paris to discuss security guarantees. Progress towards settling the three-and-a-half-year war appears to have stalled, despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts by US President […]

KYIV – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies on Thursday to send a “strong joint signal” to Vladimir Putin, after Russia killed 23 people in one of its deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of the war.Russia has rained down aerial strikes on Ukrainian cities despite US President Donald Trump’s push for a […]

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Kylian Mbappe was “sad” after missing another penalty as champions Real Madrid fell to a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Wednesday. A week after the French superstar failed from the spot in the Champions League against Liverpool, he endured further misery from 12 yards as […]

Namibia – The mix of people milling around Windhoek’s Zoo Park reflect the hopes and disappointments of Namibians who head to the polls Wednesday in a test for the party that brought independence 34 years ago but has left many feeling let down. Employees on their lunch break and young homeless people share spots on […]

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said a strike on a displacement camp in the south of the Palestinian territory killed at least 20 people Saturday. More than 90 others were injured in the strike on Al-Mawasi camp, the ministry said, condemning a “brutal massacre.” It came as the Israeli military pursued attacks in central […]

Shai Hope struck a magnificent unbeaten 82 from 39 balls as West Indies crushed the USA on Friday, winning their T20 World Cup Super Eights encounter by nine wickets and with 9.1 overs to spare. The Caribbean side bowled out the USA for 128 in the clash of the tournament co-hosts at Kensington Oval and […]

PRETORIA, South Africa – The electoral court ruled in favour of Zuma, 81, who is fronting uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new opposition party that has become a dark horse in the election race. “The decision of the Electoral Commission… is set aside,” the court wrote in its ruling seen by AFP. It did not […]

The Africa Cup of Nations concludes on Sunday as Ivory Coast aim to complete a remarkable turnaround in fortunes by becoming the first host nation to win the title in 18 years when they meet the Nigeria of Victor Osimhen in the final. The match starts at 10pm SA time at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium […]

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – South Africa has lodged an urgent appeal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Gaza. Israel has dismissed the case as “atrocious” and “preposterous”. “No armed attack on a state territory no matter how serious… can provide justification for or defend […]

Palestinians said they felt “no joy” this Christmas as Israel bombed Gaza on Monday, with no end in sight to the war that Hamas says has claimed more than 20,000 lives. Festivities were effectively scrapped in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, with few worshippers or tourists […]

Japan’s oldest person died on Tuesday at the age of 116, officials said, offering their condolences for Fusa Tatsumi who lived through two world wars and multiple pandemics. Born in 1907, Tatsumi raised three children with her husband, a farmer, in Osaka, local broadcaster MBS reported. “Tatsumi died aged 116 at a care facility in […]

 His name is whispered on the streets of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, or said behind hands cupped over mouths. Five months before the next election in Zimbabwe, many avoid uttering the name “Nelson Chamisa” in public when talking about the main rival to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The southern African country is more and more like […]

Zimbabwe on Monday announced the launch of its first nano satellite into space in a bid to help collect data to monitor disasters, boost agriculture and enhance mineral mapping. A rocket carrying the tiny satellite, dubbed ZIMSAT-1, successfully launched from Virginia in the United States alongside Uganda’s first satellite as part of the Japan Aerospace […]

Pakistan kept their T20 World Cup semi-final hopes alive Sunday by cruising to a first win of the tournament while Bangladesh got their challenge back on track by holding off Zimbabwe in a thriller. Pakistan hammered the Netherlands by six wickets in Perth, reaching their target of 92 off just 13.5 overs to boost their […]

Phnom Penh (AFP) – One person died and more than 20 are missing at sea after a boat carrying Chinese nationals sank off the coast of Cambodia, an official said Friday. The boat with 41 Chinese people on board got into difficulties off Sihanoukville on Thursday, provincial spokesperson Kheang Phearom told AFP. The once-quiet fishing village […]

BERLIN: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told German media on Wednesday (Sep 21) he does not believe Russia will use nuclear weapons, after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would use all means to protect its territory. “I don’t believe that he will use these weapons,” Zelenskyy told the TV station of Germany’s Bild newspaper, referring to nuclear […]

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader announced Monday his party will drop its storied but contested name, sidestepping factional squabbles and a legal dispute. Nelson Chamisa, who narrowly lost elections in 2018 to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, announced he had registered a new party called Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). “We are having citizens coming together. It’s a […]

 Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said Tuesday that police had surrounded his residence and put him under house arrest ahead of a planned campaign rally for a local by-election. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, said police and military officers, deployed overnight, had barred him from leaving his home in Magere, north of the […]

Three white men were found guilty of murder Wednesday for shooting dead an African American man after chasing him in their pickup trucks, following a racially-charged trial in the southern US state of Georgia that gripped the nation. Travis McMichael, who shot Ahmaud Arbery, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, who […]

Austria announced on Friday that it will impose a lockdown for all and make vaccinations mandatory, becoming the first EU country to take such stringent measures as coronavirus cases spiral. Other European countries are also tightening restrictions as Covid-19 cases surge across the continent, but so far none have reimposed full lockdowns and only the Vatican has mandated vaccinations […]

Sudanese security forces shot dead at least 10 anti-coup protesters and wounded dozens more on Wednesday, medics said, in the bloodiest day since the military’s October 25 takeover. The fatalities – all in Khartoum, especially its northern districts – raised to 34 the death toll from unrest since the military seized power, a pro-democracy doctors’ […]

Nigerian security forces Friday rescued six people who had been seized at a university near the capital’s international airport, police said. The victims were kidnapped Tuesday from the University of Abuja in Giri, raising fears for security around the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport some 20 kilometres away. Abuja police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said in a […]