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Israel launches strike against Iran, declares state of emergency
The government declared the state of emergency because of the expectation of Iranian retaliation with drones and ballistic missiles.
Global Affairs
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Ghana confirms 55 citizens killed in Ukraine war, two remain detained
The confirmed death toll of 55 Ghanaians is the highest from any African nation involved in the conflict. While local reports in Cameroon suggest 94 of its citizens have died, official authorities have not verified those numbers. In addition, two South Africans and at least one Kenyan are reported to have died in the fighting.
Global Affairs
Trump orders federal agencies to end use of anthropic AI amid military row
The dispute began when Anthropic resisted demands from the US Department of Defense to grant unrestricted access to its systems. Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth described Anthropic as a "supply chain risk," a designation that could be the first of its kind for an American company.
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Bolivia military plane crash kills 11 as banknotes scatter
The aircraft reportedly collided with vehicles on a nearby motorway, causing multiple casualties and prompting the temporary closure of the airport.
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US embassy in Israel says non-emergency staff can leave the country
The New York Times reported that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told embassy staff in an email early on Friday that those wishing to leave "should do so TODAY".
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Pakistan defence minister says country in 'open war' with Afghanistan after strikes
The strikes came after the Afghan Taliban announced a major offensive against Pakistani military posts near the border on Thursday night.
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US-Iran talks in Geneva show progress amid tense military standoff
The discussions, brokered by Oman, have not produced a final deal, yet both sides agreed to continue talks in their capitals before technical meetings resume next week in Vienna.
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Lagos court sets inquest into death of Adichie’s son
Court documents from the family’s lawyers reveal that Nkanu was initially admitted to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos with a mild illness that worsened over time.
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UK Defence Ministry probes Epstein access to RAF bases
Concerns have been raised over a flight taken by Epstein on a Gulfstream jet that reportedly landed at RAF Marham in Norfolk in December 2000. The base is situated about 20 miles from the Sandringham Estate, a royal property.
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14-year-old girl killed in Cape Town school shooting linked to taxi rivalry
Police said an unidentified attacker opened fire on a minibus taxi waiting to pick up learners, striking the driver, another adult, and two students. Responding officers found the 42-year-old taxi operator dead in the vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds
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RSF chiefs face international sanctions as el Fasher horror emerges
The sanctioned officials include RSF deputy commander Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, and Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, commonly called Abu Lulu, who earned the title “Butcher of el Fasher” due to his direct role in the attacks.
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Zimbabwe rejects Sh367 billion US health aid over data access
The decision came to light after a government memo from December was leaked, showing that President Emmerson Mnangagwa considered the arrangement “lopsided.”
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Illegal toxic waste trade costs poor countries Sh2.32 trillion annually
The report, “Waste Crimes and Trafficking,” estimates that the underground hazardous waste market produces as much as $18 billion, or roughly Sh2.32 trillion, in annual illegal earnings.
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Uganda opposition accuses State of ‘Judicial Sabotage’ in Besigye trial
Besigye, a former four-time presidential candidate and once close ally of President Yoweri Museveni, has been in detention since November 2024, after being allegedly abducted in Nairobi and presented in a Ugandan military court on charges of treason and illegal firearms possession, allegations he denies.
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Louvre museum director resigns months after high-profile heist
Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who praised her decision at a time when the museum needed "calm and a strong new impetus to successfully carry out major projects involving security, and modernisation".
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Ghana drops coup leader's name from main airport
Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka was among a group of officers who deposed Nkrumah in 1966. He himself was killed at the airport the following year during a failed counter-coup attempt.
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UN calls for immediate release of Tundu Lissu
According to the statement circulated by the opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, the UN body determined that the treason charges brought against Lissu were politically driven. It stated that the case “is political and has no legitimate legal basis.”
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25 National Guard members kiilled as Mexico battles post-arrest unrest
El Mencho headed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, considered one of the most dangerous criminal organisations in Mexico. Before his death, he was the country’s most wanted criminal, responsible for widespread drug trafficking and violence.
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Burundi reopens Kavimvira border as Congolese refugees begin returning home
The border connects Uvira, a strategic town in South Kivu province, to Bujumbura, Burundi’s main commercial city, and its reopening is expected to ease movement for thousands of people and goods affected by the closure.
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Chad closes border to shield citizens from Sudan conflict
The announcement comes after heavy fighting erupted in the border town of al Tina, where Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces clashed with fighters loyal to the Sudanese army.
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East coast hit by massive snowstorm, thousands of flights cancelled
From Rhode Island to northern Maine, communities faced record snowfall, with cities grappling with dangerous road conditions and authorities urging residents to stay indoors. Airports were overwhelmed, leaving travelers stranded as snow continued to fall through the day.
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Robert Mugabe’s son charged over Johannesburg shooting
Mugabe was taken into custody together with his bodyguard, Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze, 33. Neither of the two has publicly commented on the accusations.
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UN rights chief warns war crimes risk becoming ‘new normal’ worldwide
UN human rights chief Volker Türk warns that war law violations are being normalised, citing civilian suffering in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar, and urges stronger global accountability and support for human rights.
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Nigeria: AU demands release of abducted women, children in Zamfara attack
The Chairperson of the Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, described the attacks as “heinous” and reaffirmed the AU’s firm stance against terrorism and violent extremism targeting civilian populations.
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Kim Jong Un re-appointed leader of North Korea's ruling party
The announcement by the rubber-stamp party congress on Sunday comes as little surprise, given that the Kim family has ruled the dictatorship since the late 1940s.
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Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel
The drug lord was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels, and his death was met with a forceful reaction from the cartel, known by its Spanish initials CJNG.
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New York mayor Mamdani orders citywide travel ban ahead of major snowstorm
The ban will not affect essential workers or New Yorkers needing to travel due to emergencies, according to Mamdani.
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Explosions kill police officer and injure 25 in western Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed "an individual suspected of carrying out the terrorist attack" had been detained.
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Man killed after entering perimeter of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
The man, in his 20s, appeared to be armed with a shotgun and fuel can, according to the Secret Service’s communications chief, Anthony Guglielmi. He was shot at about 1:30am Sunday morning (06:30 GMT).
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Pakistan launches deadly strikes on Afghanistan
Islamabad said the attacks targeted seven alleged militant camps and hideouts near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and that they had been launched after recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.