Last Batch Of French Troops Exit Niger
France on Friday withdrew its last troops in Niger, a move seen as further setback in the anti-jihadist operations in west Africa’s Sahel region. France has in the last ten years participated in the operations. The withdrawal comes days after French said it may consider closing down its embassy in Niger, arising from escalating strained relations after the military toppled President...
Russia Reopens Embassy In Burkina Faso 32 Years After Closure
Russia on Thursday reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso after it was shut down for almost 32 years, the West African nation's government and a Russian diplomat announced. The mission was closed in 1992. The Russian ambassador to Ivory Coast, Alexei Saltykov, said Russian President Vladimir Putin would name the new envoy. The Burkinabe foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that "Russia...
Somalia Recalls Envoy To Ethiopia Over Port Deal With Breakaway Somaliland
Somalia's government on Tuesday said it would recall its ambassador to Ethiopia for urgent consultations following a new port deal entered into between Addis Ababa and the breakaway region of Somaliland which has repeatedly said it is an independent nation. Prime Minister of Somalia, Hamza Abdi Barre also declared that his country would defend its territory by "all legal means...
Fire Kills Four In German Hospital
Four people died after a fire erupted at a hospital in the northern German town of Uelzen, local police said Friday, with the cause of the blaze still unknown. The fire, which occurred on Thursday night, also left “a double-digit number” of people injured, several of them seriously, a Lueneburg police spokesman told AFP. The fire broke out at 10:45 pm...
Saudi Arabia Unveils State-of-the-Art Stadium Amid 2034 World Cup Bid
Saudi Arabia has introduced the impressive Prince Mohammad bin Salman Stadium as part of its ambitious bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The multi-functional stadium, located in Qiddiya City, is poised to become a hub for major sports, entertainment, and cultural events. Designed by the renowned architectural firm Populous, the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Stadium aims to redefine the traditional...
2-Year-Old Baby Starves To Death In UK
A two-year-old toddler, Bronson Battersby, starved to death next to his dead father Kenneth five days after he suffered a heart attack in the United Kingdom, Daily Mail reports. According to the family, Battersby was found curled up in his pyjamas next to his father, 60, who is believed to have suffered a heart attack shortly after he was last...
North Korean Teens Sentenced To Twelve Years Of Hard Labour For Watching K-Drama
Rare footage obtained by BBC Korean shows North Korea publicly sentencing two teenage boys to 12 years of hard labour for watching K-dramas. The footage, which appears to have been filmed in 2022, shows two 16-year-old boys handcuffed in front of hundreds of students at an outdoor stadium. It also shows uniformed officers reprimanding the boys for not “deeply reflecting on their mistakes”. South...
Catholic Bishops Decline To Bless Same-Sex Marriages
Senegal’s Catholic bishops have said they refuse to bless same-sex couples, the latest outcry following the Vatican’s recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples in certain contexts. Last month, the Catholic Church said priests could bless “irregular” and same-sex couples as long as they were not in contexts related to civil unions or weddings. The declaration, published by the Vatican’s faith department...
Police Detain Man For 77 Counts Murder Following South Africa Building Fire
The South Africa Police Service have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of 77 murders after telling a public inquiry he started last August’s deadly fire in a Johannesburg building. Last year fire gutted the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, where many poor people were residing, claiming 77 lives and leaving many injured. The tragedy highlighted the issue of buildings abandoned or...
Senegal Disables Internet Over Political Crisis
Access to mobile internet was cut in Dakar on Monday, AFP journalists saw, as Senegal grapples with a political crisis after President Macky Sall announced a postponement of this month’s election. Many users in the capital said they had been unable to access mobile data on their phones since the morning. Senegal’s parliament is due shortly to begin debating a proposal to postpone...
