South Africa’s firebrand opposition leader on Saturday vowed to keep using controversial chants that featured in a contentious White House meeting between the US and South African presidents. During talks in Washington on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump ambushed his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa by showing a four-minute-long video in support of his claims of a “white genocide” in the country that overcame decades of apartheid. Julius Malema, a 44-year-old opposition politician, was the main character in the video, seen in several clips wearing the red beret of his populist, Marxist-inspired Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party and chanting calls…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Billionaire Elon Musk said he needs to be “super focused” on his companies, pointing to issues at X as evidence of a need for “major” improvement at the social network. “Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” Musk wrote in a post on X on Saturday replying to news of outages on the platform. “I must be super focused on X/xAI and Tesla (plus Starship launch next week), as we have critical technologies rolling out.” Users reported problems with X Friday and Saturday, according to DownDetector. A post from the company’s engineering team also said it…
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation went to Washington this week hoping for a boost and a reset after months of acrimony with the Donald Trump administration. Instead they got brutal, high-stakes diplomacy, peppered with insults, and played out to millions across the world in real time. It was like a painful job review carried out by a boss on a loud hailer. Praised by many for remaining composed and reconciliatory in the face of an exercised Trump, while also criticised by some for not responding more forcefully to Tump’s accusations, reality awaits Ramaphosa back in South Africa…
South Africa’s latest crime statistics debunk claims that a genocide is being committed against white people, the country’s police minister has said. The widely discredited allegation was amplified by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, in an extraordinary meeting with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump told Ramaphosa that white farmers in South Africa were being killed and “persecuted”. On Friday, South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that between January and March, five out of the six people killed on farms were black and one was white. The white victim lived on a farm, while the black people…
Joseph Kabila, the ex-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has lashed out at the government of his successor – calling it a “dictatorship”. The 53-year-old made a 45-minute speech live on YouTube on Friday evening from an unspecified location a day after the Senate lifted his immunity from prosecution. DR Congo’s authorities intend to charge the former president with treason and war crimes, linking him to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have taken control of several towns in the east. Kabila, in power between 2001 and 2019, said he had broken his silence because he felt the unity of…
Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been inaccessible for thousands of US users early Saturday, according to Downdetector.com, which tracks internet disruptions. Users in the United States began reporting issues on DownDetector at about 8 a.m. ET on Saturday. By 8:26 a.m., more than 25,000 US users reported issues with the X platform on the mobile app and website. Users also reported issues with the server connection. More than 11,000 users in the United Kingdom and hundreds in other countries have also reported issues. DownDetector tracks user-reported issues, so the numbers may not reflect the full scale…
In the landscape of global cinema, few cultural connections are as unexpected and enduring as the bond between Albanian films and Chinese audiences. During the Cold War, when China was cut off from most of the world, Albania’s films (film shqiptar) became not only popular but deeply influential across Chinese society. Today, long after the fall of communism and the end of the Cultural Revolution, Chinese viewers continue to watch, quote, and even study Albanian films. How did this unlikely cultural exchange begin, and why has it lasted? A Political Alliance Turned Cultural Pipeline The roots of this cinematic bridge…
American buyout firm RedBird has agreed a deal to take control of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph after a two-year ownership vacuum. RedBird Capital will buy the stake owned by Emirati royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Sultan al-Nahyan who had bankrolled an earlier bid. That bid was rejected by the previous government, which passed a law preventing foreign governments owning British newspapers or news magazines. The current proposed deal will need regulatory approval. Both Telegraph titles and the Spectator magazine were put up for auction by Lloyds Bank, who seized them from the Barclay family for non-payment of outstanding debts.…
Actor Jussie Smollett agreed to pay $50,000 (£37,000) to a charity in Chicago, settling a lawsuit the city had filed against him over accusations of lying about a hate crime. Chicago police had wanted Smollett to pay $130,000 to cover the investigation costs, but on Thursday, Chicago’s law department confirmed that the donation will be made instead. The money will go to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, an organisation that supports Chicago’s underprivileged youth. In 2019, Smollett said he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. But in a case that has seen many twists and…
Felix Osano has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Nairobi Hospital, taking over from James Nyamongo, who held the position until December 2024. The Kenya Hospital Association (KHA) chairman Dr. Barcley Onyambu said the hospital’s board expressed confidence in Osano’s industry expertise that spans over 17 years across Africa and Asia. The board also acknowledged that Osano, who has served in an acting capacity since last year, is the right individual to steer the hospital into its next chapter of innovation and patient-centered care. “He has over 17 years of professional experience spanning global private equity investments…
Eight people were found guilty after US reality TV star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint of millions of dollars’ worth of jewellery in Paris nearly a decade ago. The four who took part in the heist were given prison sentences of up to eight years, but most of these terms were suspended. Two people were acquitted. Nine men and one woman were accused of carrying out or aiding the armed burglary of $10m (£7.55m) worth of jewellery, including a diamond engagement ring, during Paris Fashion Week in 2016. “The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving…
Billy Joel has cancelled all forthcoming tour dates after being diagnosed with a rare brain condition. The 76-year-old singer-songwriter – known for classic hits like Piano Man, Uptown Girl and We Didn’t Start the Fire – is receiving “excellent care” and is “fully committed to prioritising his health”, a statement said. He has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), which is caused by a build-up of fluid in the brain and causes problems with his hearing, vision and balance. After being told by doctors to stop performing live, he has called off 17 dates in 2025 and 2026, including stadium shows at…
A Nigerian senator has told the BBC she only learnt that the government was suing her “on the news” and that she was “shocked” by the action taken against her. The government filed defamation charges against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan after she accused one of the country’s top politicians of plotting to kill her. In April, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former state governor Yahaya Bell wanted to “eliminate” her. Both have denied this accusation. She had previously accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her – an allegation he has also denied. After learning of the charges against her, Akpoti-Uduaghan…
The US will impose new sanctions on Sudan after finding it used chemical weapons last year in the ongoing civil war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the state department has said. US exports to the country will be restricted and financial borrowing limits put in place from 6 June, a statement from spokesperson Tammy Bruce read. A Sudanese government spokesperson described the accusations as “baseless claims with no supporting evidence”. Both the Sudanese military and the paramilitary group the RSF have previously been accused of war crimes during the conflict, which they have denied. More than 150,000 people have…
US President Donald Trump reignited trade tensions on Friday, threatening a 50% tariff on all goods sent to the United States from the European Union. He also threatened to impose a 25% import tax “at least” on iPhones not manufactured in America. The warning against the EU came just hours before the two sides were set to have trade talks. Trump last month announced a 20% tariff on most EU goods, but had halved it to 10% until 8 July to allow time for talks. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” Trump wrote in a post on social media…