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Namibia imposes visa on 33 countries, including USA and UK

Africa /

The South African country of Namibia has introduced visa requirements for citizens of 33 countries, including the USA, UK, and EU member states. Namibia’s Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Lucia Witbooi, announced that from April 1, 2025, citizens of 33 countries—including the USA, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Canada, Austria, Ireland, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Azerbaijan—will need a visa to enter Namibia. Witbooi explained that the visa requirement was being implemented because many countries that Namibia had granted visa-free access to for 33 years had not reciprocated, though the reasons for this were unclear. The decision has been met with backlash from representatives of Namibia’s tourism sector, which is a major source of income for the country. Namibia, known for its natural attractions like the Namib Desert and Etosha National Park, is predominantly visited by tourists from Western countries. Currently, Turkey and Namibia also have reciprocal visa requirements. With the new regulation, the visa application fee will increase from $65 to $86, based on the current exchange rate of the Namibian dollar.

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WHO calls for urgent action to reduce alcohol consumption in Europe

Africa /

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia  The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent call to action to halt the rising trend of alcohol consumption in Europe, which is among the highest in the world. The WHO published a report on alcohol consumption in Europe, revealing that it leads to almost 800,000 deaths annually, making it one of the leading causes of death in the region. Every day, 2,200 people in Europe die from alcohol-related causes, accounting for nearly 9% of all deaths in the region. Alcohol consumption significantly impacts domestic violence, accidents and mental health issues. Despite this, many people are unaware of the dangers associated with alcohol use. Despite the health risks, Europeans top the global list with an average annual alcohol consumption of 9.2 liters. According to the latest WHO data, men drink about four times more than women. In Europe, two out of three adults consume alcohol, and one in 10 adults is considered an alcoholic. Doctors say that alcohol consumption can lead to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and liver cirrhosis. But there has been no reduction in alcohol consumption in European Union countries for over a decade. The report also notes that countries like Russia, Ukraine and Türkiye have achieved the WHO’s alcohol reduction targets by increasing taxes on alcohol and reducing its accessibility. mollit anim id est laborum.

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South Africa: DA wants ANC punished for Ramaphosa speech

Africa /

South Africa’s Democratic Alliance took the African National Congress, the party it co-governs the country with, to court Thursday over a preelection speech in May given by President Cyril Ramaphosa. It’s an early sign of friction between the new coalition partners. The court papers were submitted to the Electoral Court by the DA in May before it entered into a coalition with the ANC, but it decided to still go ahead with the case. The DA asked the court to deduct 1% of the vote received by the ANC in the May 29 national election and fine Ramaphosa, the ANC leader, $10,900 and his party $5,450, over what it argues was a presidential address that was used for election campaigning and amounted to an abuse of office. The ANC responded Thursday by calling the DA’s legal action “frivolous and unwarranted” and said the president was following the constitution when he made the speech. Ramaphosa gave the speech three days before the election in his capacity as head of state, but used parts of it to highlight what he said were ANC successes during its 30-year rule as South Africa’s governing party. The DA said that election rules don’t allow him to engage in party politics and campaign for the ANC when he speaks as the president. The ANC lost its long-held majority in the historic election when it received just 40% of the vote. That forced it to create a coalition government for the first time to run Africa’s most industrialized country. The DA — the second biggest party with 21% of the vote — is one of seven parties represented in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet despite previously being the ANC’s fiercest critic. The coalition, referred to as a “government of national unity,” created a new political landscape for South Africa after the ANC had governed since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. The election was the first time in South Africa’s young democracy that more people voted for other parties, stripping the organization once led by Nelson Mandela of its dominance. The left-leaning ANC and the centrist DA are the key parties in the coalition but them working together was seen as unlikely given their stark ideological differences and history of opposition to each other. They have largely managed to project a sense of unity over the last month since the coalition was agreed.

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Head of Zambia’s Independent Broadcasting Authority found dead

Africa /

The head of Zambia’s Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), who had gone missing the day before, was discovered dead on Wednesday with two bullet wounds in the head and back. The government has ordered police to conduct a prompt investigation into the death of Guntila Muleya, for whom the family started searching on Tuesday after he failed to return to his home. “The government has asked the police to quickly and thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate death,” Thabo Kawana, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Media, told reporters in the capital Lusaka. Muleya’s family became concerned on Tuesday night, around 9:00 p.m. local time, when he did not return home, and they began looking for him, Kawana said. “His body was discovered later today (Wednesday) in the Njolwe area with two gunshot wounds,” he said. Separately, Zambia police spokesman Rae Hamoonga said at around 10:30 a.m. local time, police received a phone call from a concerned member of the public in the Njolwe area on Lusaka’s outskirts, who reported that during the night of Tuesday at around 20:00 hours, he saw a jeep with its doors open and then heard two gunshots. “This morning (Wednesday) at approximately 10:00 a.m., on his way to work, he (the caller) discovered the body of a deceased on the ground with two bullet wounds on the back and head. “A closer examination revealed a deep bullet wound in the forehead. Two bullet cartridges were recovered at the scene,” Hamoonga explained. He said a murder case has been registered, and that investigations are currently underway.

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UN: 733 million people globally faced hunger in 2023

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Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published on Wednesday by five United Nations specialised agencies. Hunger affected one out of every eleven people in the world and one out of five in Africa, with the number rising on that continent. The report highlights that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions with around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023. It add that this number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. David Laborde, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s director of agri-food economics, says solving the problem is a political choice, and also depends on “how much money we are ready to put on the table”. “Today we produce enough food on this planet to feed everyone. So if we want to solve the position by 2030, it’s technically feasible,” he says. While there has been some progress in specific areas, hunger in places like Sudan and the Gaza Strip has been dramatically worsened by ongoing conflicts. And the report predicts that if current trends continue, about 582 million people will be “chronically undernourished by 2030″, half of them in Africa. Laborde said chronic hunger was a crisis impacting people not only right now, because its impact would still be felt in the future. “Pregnant women, kids that face malnutrition problem today, will pay the price all of their life. So by not solving the problem today, we are basically impoverishing these countries in the future,” he says. The report says food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. And major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe. These issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger, it says, requires a multi-faceted approach and targeted interventions. This includes transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. The UN agencies are calling for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear and standardised definition of financing for food security and nutrition.

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New Home Secretary condemns failed Rwanda migrant scheme

Africa /

The UK’s new Home Secretary denounced a failed proposal by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to relocate migrants to Rwanda, labeling it a “shocking waste of taxpayer money” amounting to £700 million ($904 million). Keir Starmer, who took office this month following Sunak, promptly terminated the controversial plan. Sunak’s effort, dubbed “stopping the boats,” aimed to curb asylum-seekers crossing the English Channel from France but faced legal challenges and criticism from human rights groups. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper highlighted costs including £290 million paid to Rwanda, expenses for unused charter flights, the detention and subsequent release of hundreds of individuals, and funding for more than a thousand civil servants involved in the initiative. She informed lawmakers that the previous administration had allocated over £10 billion of taxpayers’ money to the project without parliamentary approval. The Rwandan government stated it bore no responsibility to reimburse the disputed funds. The Home Secretary underscored ongoing concerns about dangerous small boat crossings, expected to persist through the summer. She stressed the necessity for enhanced measures against human trafficking but did not provide specifics. Official figures disclosed that nearly 1,500 migrants arrived in the UK via small boats across the English Channel in a single week. Tragically, two individuals lost their lives during rescue operations off the northern French coast. Sunak’s strategy aimed to address the rising global trend of migrants, peaking at 46,000 in 2022, undertaking perilous journeys across the English Channel. The government argued these migrants should not be classified as genuine refugees since they did not seek asylum in the first safe country they reached. In 2022, the UK reached an agreement with Rwanda to transfer migrants who arrived as stowaways or by boat to the East African nation for asylum processing. Critics, including human rights groups, criticized the plan as impractical and unethical, particularly due to the geographical distance involved. Despite legal challenges in UK courts, no deportation flights to Rwanda were conducted. Only four individuals voluntarily relocated to Rwanda, as confirmed by Cooper. In November, the UK Supreme Court ruled the policy illegal, stating Rwanda was not a safe third country for migrant transfers. The justices unanimously agreed that sending claimants to Rwanda could expose them to the risk of mistreatment and potential deportation to their countries of origin.

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300 members of Boko Haram on trial in Nigeria

Africa /

 The mass trial of 300 captured members of the Boko Haram terrorist group has begun in Nigeria. Michael Abu, Director of Strategic Communications and Head of the National Counter-Terrorism Center, shared updates on the judicial process Wednesday. Abu confirmed that the trial adheres to international criminal justice standards and is being overseen by the Federal High Court of Nigeria. He highlighted that five judges are presiding over the trial to ensure swift justice for the 300 defendants. The Nigerian government previously announced plans to prosecute 5,000 Boko Haram members captured in the country’s northeastern region. The terrorists are being tried in groups at the federal court. Since 2009, Boko Haram has been responsible for mass terror attacks in Nigeria, resulting in over 20,000 deaths. The group has extended its attacks to neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad and Niger since 2015, leading to at least 2,000 more deaths in the Lake Chad Basin area. Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are displaced annually due to terror attacks and ongoing conflicts.

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Moroccan fans stormed the pitch during Olympic soccer

Africa /

The men’s Olympic soccer tournament began with a dramatic and tumultuous start on Wednesday, marked by Morocco’s stunning 2-1 upset over two-time gold medalists Argentina. The match in Saint-Etienne unfolded chaotically, culminating in a nearly two-hour suspension due to disorderly conduct by Moroccan fans. The unrest erupted following Argentina’s disputed late goal in the 16th minute of added time, prompting a wave of protests and objects thrown onto the pitch. Confusion ensued regarding the match’s status, initially believed to be concluded before a final three-minute segment was played in an empty stadium. Just before resuming play, VAR intervened to annul Cristian Medina’s contentious goal for offside, solidifying Morocco’s unexpected victory. Argentina’s soccer federation swiftly lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, urging regulatory action in response to the incident. Organizers for Paris 2024 expressed commitment to investigating the causes and implementing necessary measures. Moroccan fans, incensed by what they perceived as an unfair decision depriving their team of a critical win, reacted vehemently. The scene escalated into chaos with security intervening as objects were hurled onto the field, disrupting play and forcing a temporary halt. Despite initial confusion, the match eventually resumed after an extended delay, with Morocco maintaining their lead established earlier in the game. The match, broadcast nationwide in Morocco amid high national fervor following their recent World Cup success, sparked passionate reactions across the country. In a separate match, tensions were palpable as Israel faced Mali amidst heightened security measures at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Israel’s team arrived under heavy police escort amid concerns over safety in a tense international climate. The game itself unfolded amidst mixed emotions, with Israel taking an early lead through an own goal before Mali equalized, prompting jubilant celebrations among their supporters. The match underscored broader geopolitical tensions, evident in the atmosphere both on and off the field. Overall, the opening matches of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament were marred by controversy and geopolitical undercurrents, highlighting the sport’s ability to reflect and amplify global issues beyond the playing field.

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Thousands demonstrate in Washington against Netanyahu visit

World /

Thousands of people, including Jewish Americans, demonstrated in Washington on Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint  session of the US Congress. They had descended on Capitol Hill, the seat of the US government, chanting “Free, Free Palestine” as some tried to block streets ahead of Netanyahu’s speech. Police wearing gas masks blocked the crowd, which was calling for an end to the war that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, from getting closer to the Capitol. Tall steel barriers ringed entrances to the complex, and security officers deployed by the score on foot, bicycle, and with dogs. Overnight, hundreds of protesters organised by a Jewish group staged a sit-in at a congressional office building, crying, “Not in our name.” The prime minister was greeted by Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson, as he arrived in the afternoon at the Capitol, for a speech arranged weeks ago and instigated by the Speaker. “I think people are rageful that the United States government has the gall, after months and months of genocide, not to hold Benjamin Netanyahu accountable, but to continue to roll out the red carpet for him,” said demonstrator Zaid Khatib. Carrying posters saying “Wanted. War Criminal Benjamin Netayahu”, protesters demanded the prime minister’s arrest, as requested by the international criminal court’s chief prosecutor in May. One protester, who travelled from Maryland to take part in the demonstration, said it was important to show that not all US citizens support the government’s policies towards Israel. “They don’t support the policies of our elected officials. We are in a rogue kind of administration that are disconnected from the people,” said Michael Prentice. “I think it’s important to show, come out and show the world that the American people, our policies, are not popular with the American people, if that makes sense.” Inside Congress, dozens of high profile Democratic lawmakers decided not to attend Netanyahu’s speech, expressing their dismay over the civilian deaths and humanitarian crisis as a result of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The most notable absence was behind him. Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as president of the Senate and traditionally would sit behind whatever dignitary is speaking, said a long-scheduled trip would keep her away.

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18 dead bodies recovered after plane crash in Nepal

World /

18 bodies of passengers and crew have been recovered after a plane crashed on Wednesday in Nepal. Captain MR Shakya of the Saurya Airlines airplane was rescued and is under treatment at a hospital. The aircraft “crashed during takeoff” at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in the capital Kathmandu, the daily Kathmandu Post reported. Premnath Thakur, TIA spokesman, said the incident happened at around 11 a.m. (0515GMT). Among the 19 people were crew members as well and the plane was en route to the city of Pokhara in central Nepal. The Nepalese army led the rescue operations that are underway at the accident site.

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