Alliance announces fall of Goma city to rebels in eastern Congo as regional war looms
Well-trained and professionally armed, M23 – the latest in a long line of Tutsi-led rebel movements – says it exists to protect Congo’s ethnic Tutsi population.
Jordan and Egypt supported by Arab world reject Trump’s call to grant asylum to Palestinians from Gaza
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has repeatedly called for the return of Jewish settlers to Gaza, welcomed Trump’s call as “an excellent idea” and said he would work to develop a plan to implement it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected such notions, advocated by Smotrich.
M23 rebels order UN peacekeepers and national army in eastern Congo to surrender, say they will seize Goma city overnight
The rapidly deepening conflict is aggravating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and has raised fears the fighting could spill over into a broader regional war.
Trump responds to Colombia’s rejection of deported migrants with hefty tariffs, citing ‘legal obligations’ to accept ‘return of criminals they forced into the United States’
Brazil’s foreign ministry late on Saturday condemned “degrading treatment” of Brazilians after migrants were handcuffed on a commercial deportation flight. Upon arrival, some of the passengers also reported mistreatment during the flight, according to local news reports.
As East Africa struggles to host to upgrade six stadia for African Nations Championship, UK backs Man United’s £2 billion new stadium
While the Red Devils would be expected to pay for an upgraded stadium – with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s preference for a new 100,000-capacity build – a ‘development corporation’ could be set up to assist on the surrounding areas. The club believe a re-energised Trafford Park has the potential to deliver an additional £7.3 billion ($9.7 billion) to the local economy and 90,000 job opportunities.
Civilians flee Goma as UN predicts imminent fall of the eastern Congo capital to M23 rebels
Three years into their current insurgency, the rebels, who the United Nations says receive backing from neighbouring Rwanda, now control more Congolese territory than ever before. Kigali denies supporting the group.
How gain-of-function research, pandemics and efforts to push mpox vaccine in Africa contributed to US exit from WHO
President Donald Trump’s move to exit WHO came as no surprise. As early as December 2023, his transition team was pushing for an exit from the WHO on day one of the new administration. US law requires a one-year notice and the payment of any outstanding fees when the country withdraws from the WHO. That means the final full withdrawal will take effect in early 2026.
VP Vance: US spy agencies were out of control, used to weaponise politics and justice system
Gabbard’s selection in November to be director of national intelligence sent shock waves through the national security establishment, adding to concerns that the intelligence community would become increasingly politicised.
Ex-Ambazonian separatist: I fought to close schools in Cameroon; now I teach to open people’s minds
The Ambazonian rebel group believed that destroying schools would weaken the government’s control over the region, a strategy that left a deep scar on the educational landscape. Armed groups enforced boycotts, burned classrooms and killed teachers who defied their orders. Nearly 488,000 children in the affected regions were out of school in 2024, according to UNICEF.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels kill least 14 foreign peacekeepers as they advance towards Goma city in eastern Congo
On Saturday, Congo’s army said it fended off an M23 offensive towards Goma with the help of its allied forces, including UN troops and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission, also known as SAMIDRC.
