Israel Issues ‘Last’ Warning for Gazans to Flee Main City

Israel Issues ‘Last’ Warning for Gazans to Flee Main City

Israel issued a final warning Wednesday for people to flee Gaza’s main city, as Hamas weighed US President Donald Trump’s plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory. Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza City, as Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said the army was tightening its encirclement of the city. “This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives isolated in Gaza City,” Katz posted on X, warning that those who remained would “be considered terrorists and terrorist supporters”. Katz said the military had seized the Netzarim corridor, linking central Gaza to the western coast, effectively cutting the north of Gaza off from the south. Anyone leaving Gaza City for the south would have to pass through Israeli military checkpoints, he added. The announcement came hours after the military said it was closing the last remaining route for people to travel from southern Gaza to the north. In Gaza City, 60-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, sheltering in a tent on the grounds of Al-Shifa Hospital, described relentless explosions. “I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the situation in the southern Gaza Strip,” he told AFP by telephone. “All areas are dangerous, the bombing is everywhere, and displacement is terrifying and humiliating,” he said. “We are waiting for death, or perhaps relief from God, and for the truce to come.” Hamas said Katz’s comments were “a prelude to the escalation of war crimes being committed by his army”. – ‘Ceasefire at any cost’ – The International Committee of the Red Cross said intensified military operations had forced it to temporarily suspend activities in Gaza City. Days earlier, the Doctors Without Borders charity halted its work in the city, where some UN agencies and aid organisations still operate. Meanwhile, Hamas was examining a peace plan proposed by Trump and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. A Palestinian source close to Hamas’s leaders told AFP that “no final decision” had been made and that “the movement will likely need two to three days”. “Hamas wants to amend some of the items, such as the disarmament clause and the expulsion of Hamas,” the source said. They added that Hamas wanted “international guarantees” for a full Israeli withdrawal and guarantees Israel would not violate a ceasefire. Gaza’s civil defence agency — a rescue force operating under Hamas authority — said Israeli strikes killed at least 46 people across the territory on Wednesday, including 36 in Gaza City. Asked about a strike on a school-turned-shelter that the agency said killed eight people, the Israeli military said it had “struck a Hamas terrorist” and that “steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible”. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP cannot independently verify casualty figures provided by either side. Fadel al-Jadba, 26, said he would stay in Gaza City. “We want a ceasefire at any cost because we are frustrated, exhausted, and find no one in the world standing with us,” he told AFP. Late on Wednesday, the Israeli military said in a statement that five projectiles were launched from Gaza into Israel, four of which were intercepted and one of which “fell in an open area”. – ‘Two opinions’ in Hamas – Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Hamas had “about three or four days” to accept his 20-point Gaza plan, later warning the Islamist movement would “pay in hell” if it refused. A source familiar with the talks in Doha said, “Two opinions exist within Hamas” “The first supports unconditional approval, as the priority is a ceasefire under Trump’s guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan,” the source told AFP. “The second has serious reservations regarding key clauses, rejecting disarmament and the expulsion of any Palestinian from Gaza. They favour conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas’s and the resistance factions’ demands.” Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,148 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable. Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. AFP

Nigeria Unshaken By Trump’s Tariffs, Trade Policies – Tinubu

Nigeria Unshaken By Trump’s Tariffs, Trade Policies – Tinubu

    President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said his administration will remain resilient and has no fear of the trade policy direction of U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly tariffs targeting Nigerian exports. Tinubu made the remarks when he received in audience members of The Buhari Organisation led by former Governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Tanko Almakura, who paid him a solidarity visit at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The President cited Nigeria’s current economic trajectory and growing non-oil revenues as buffers against external shocks. Tinubu said, “If non-oil revenue is growing, then we have no fear of whatever Trump is doing on the other side.” He highlighted Nigeria’s strengthened fiscal position, having met its 2025 revenue target as of August, and noted a stabilisation in the naira, which has appreciated to around N1,450 per dollar from a previous rate of N1,900 after he unified the exchange rates upon assuming office in May 2023. President Trump’s second term has ushered in sweeping changes to U.S. trade policy, including the imposition of a 10 per cent baseline tariff on nearly all imports, alongside country-specific levies. In his Liberation Day trade policy announcements on April 2, 2025, Trump introduced unprecedented reciprocal tariffs under his “America First” agenda, aiming to rebalance trade deficits. The policy included broad country-specific tariffs ranging from 11 per cent to 50 per cent on top of a 10 per cent baseline. Nigeria, like many sub-Saharan partners, now faces a 15 per cent tariff on its exports, effective August 7, following an initial 14 per cent rate announced in April. However, energy commodities, including oil and gas, have been exempted from the new tariff regime. Nonetheless, reports show that heightened trade tensions and tariff imposition have already dampened energy product exports globally in early 2025, disrupting demand flows for crude oil, gasoline, and diesel. Tinubu also pointed to progress on his administration’s agricultural reform agenda, citing a massive mechanisation programme across regions. “If we remove hunger, we have defeated poverty,” he said, arguing that food security is key to Nigeria’s economic recovery. Meanwhile, Tinubu recounted internal debates during the formative days of the All Progressives Congress, revealing that he clashed with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari over the party’s logo. Recalling the early merger talks that led to the APC creation in 2013, Tinubu said, “We disagreed to agree…We even argued over a symbol. He (Buhari) insisted on parliament, and I insisted on broom.” “He’s so stubborn,” Tinubu said amid laughter. Tuesday’s meeting brought together key northern party leaders, including Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda and former Governor Aminu Masari, and could be a consolidation of party ranks ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle. The APC was officially formed in February 2013 through the merger of four opposition parties: the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. Tinubu, then National Leader of the ACN and former Governor of Lagos State, played a central role in the merger, while Buhari led the CPC. Tinubu said their differing political cultures often clashed in the run-up to registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The broom, ultimately chosen as the party’s logo, symbolised collective action against corruption and poor governance, party leaders say. The coalition helped the APC unseat the long-ruling People’s Democratic Party in the 2015 elections, bringing Buhari to power.     Punch

Rumours of Trump’s Ill Health Spread Online Despite Denial

Rumours of Trump’s Ill Health Spread Online Despite Denial

  From manipulated images to out-of-context photos, false claims that Donald Trump is seriously ill — or even dead — have swirled online, with the misinformation persisting even after the US president publicly rejected it on Tuesday. At a White House press conference, Trump dismissed social media rumours about his health as “fake news,” following the 79-year-old’s noticeable absence from public appearances and press events last week. Since last Friday, there were around 104,000 mentions of the hashtag “Trump dead” on the Elon Musk-owned platform X, generating a cumulative 35.3 million views, according to an analysis from the misinformation watchdog NewsGuard. Some social media users cited online maps purportedly showing road closures near Maryland’s Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre as evidence that Trump was being treated for a serious ailment at the facility. But there were no credible reports of road closures around the medical facility. Other social media users shared an image of an ambulance parked outside the White House, claiming it was taken last month and citing it as evidence of a health crisis involving Trump. It was actually an old photo posted by a journalist on X in April 2023 — while Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, was still in office, according to NewsGuard. Some users claiming that Trump was dead shared an out-of-context image of the White House flag flying at half-staff, a traditional gesture used to honour the death of a prominent official. In reality, Trump had issued a proclamation last week ordering flags at the White House, military posts, and naval stations across the country to be lowered in honour of the victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis. Some users also posted a zoomed-in image of Trump’s face, claiming it showed a deep line above his eye that indicated a recent stroke. But NewsGuard found that the original image was out of focus and showed no signs of a line over Trump’s eye. The image used in the false posts was digitally enhanced using an AI tool. The misinformation — which appeared to originate from liberal anti-Trump accounts on X, Bluesky, and Instagram — persisted even after Trump stated on Truth Social over the weekend: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.” The falsehoods continued to circulate following Trump’s press conference on Tuesday, where he publicly dismissed the health rumours. Shortly after the conference, one Bluesky account falsely claimed that the “White House just announced” the president was dead. The falsehoods highlight how facts are increasingly under assault on a misinformation-filled internet landscape, an issue exacerbated by public distrust of institutions and traditional media. The health of US presidents has always been closely watched, but with the White House seeing its two oldest ever occupants since 2017, the scrutiny is now heavier than ever. Trump — the oldest man ever to be elected US president — has alleged that Democrats covered up the mental and physical decline of Biden, who was 82 when he left office in January. Biden’s health was a key issue in the 2024 election, and the then-president was forced to drop his campaign for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against Trump. AFP

Hundreds Feared Dead in Devastating Sudan Landslide

Hundreds Feared Dead in Devastating Sudan Landslide

  Sudanese authorities, the United Nations and aid groups scrambled Tuesday to respond to a devastating landslide in Sudan’s Darfur region that buried an entire mountain village, killing hundreds of people. Heavy rain triggered the disaster on Sunday, flattening the village of Tarasin in the remote Jebel Marra range, the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army faction which controls the area said. UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan Luca Renda said in a statement that “the United Nations and our humanitarian partners are mobilising to provide support to the affected population”. Citing sources on the ground, Renda said the death toll from the landslide was believed to be between 300 and 1,000. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the full scale of the disaster remains unclear “as the impacted area is extremely hard to reach”. The SLM faction, led by Abdulwahid al-Nur, had earlier estimated the death toll at more than 1,000 people, with only one survivor. That survivor, according to his nephew Fath al-Rahman Ali Abdelnour, suffered multiple fractures to both legs and a serious head injury. “He is in a coma and unable to speak,” Abdelnour told AFP from the Ugandan capital of Kampala where he lives. Abdelnour, whose father had founded Tarasin in the 1980s, said that in addition to longtime residents, the village has also hosted around 450 people displaced by Sudan’s ongoing war between the army and rival paramilitaries. The war, which began in April 2023, has ravaged Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people and driving millions from their homes, according to UN figures. -‘Masses of mud’ – SLM leader Nur told AFP via a messaging app that “masses of mud fell onto the village.” “Our humanitarian teams and local residents are trying to retrieve the bodies, but the scale of the disaster is far greater than the resources available to us,” he said. Images the SLM published on its website appeared to show vast swathes of the mountainside sheared away, with the village below buried under thick mud and uprooted trees. The African Union called on “all Sudanese stakeholders to silence the guns and unite in facilitating the swift and effective delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance.” On Monday, both the army-aligned government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces called for humanitarian mobilisation in response to the disaster, but neither mentioned any potential ceasefire. The SLM controls parts of the Jebel Marra range and has mostly stayed out of the war. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled into SLM-held territory to escape the violence. Jebel Marra is a rugged volcanic range stretching about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southwest from North Darfur’s besieged state capital El-Fasher, which the RSF is pushing to capture after besieging it for more than a year. The area, known for citrus production, is prone to landslides, particularly during the rainy season which peaks in August. A 2018 landslide in nearby Toukoli killed at least 20 people. -‘Painful disaster’ – The Transitional Sovereignty Council of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan pledged to mobilise all available resources to support those affected by what it described as a “painful disaster”. The paramilitary-backed rival government based in South Darfur state capital Nyala has issued a statement announcing aid efforts. Mohamed Hassan al-Taayshi, the prime minister recently sworn in by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, expressed deep sorrow, saying he had spoken directly with SLM leader Nur to assess needs on the ground. “The lives and safety of Sudanese citizens are above any political or military considerations,” Taayshi said. Much of Darfur — including the area where the landslide occurred — remains inaccessible to international aid organisations due to ongoing fighting, severely limiting the delivery of emergency relief. The disaster also comes during Sudan’s rainy season, which often renders mountain roads impassable. In Sudan’s main war zones like Darfur, infrastructure was already fragile after more than two years of fighting. On Tuesday the army-aligned government, based in Port Sudan on the Rea Sea, announced that it would extend through the end of the year a decision to open the Adre border crossing with Chad — a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid. The move “coincides with the disaster in Tarasin”, the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement.     AFP

Syrian Ex-Leader Assad Faces War Crime Charges For Killing Journalists

Syrian Ex-Leader Assad Faces War Crime Charges For Killing Journalists

  French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six other top former officials over the bombardment of a rebel-held city in 2012 that killed two journalists, lawyers said Tuesday. Marie Colvin, 56, an American working for The Sunday Times of Britain, and French photographer Remi Ochlik, 28, were killed on February 22, 2012, by the explosion in the eastern city of Homs, which is being investigated by the French judiciary as a potential crime against humanity as well as a war crime. British photographer Paul Conroy, French reporter Edith Bouvier, and Syrian translator Wael Omar were wounded in the attack on the informal press centre where they had been working. Assad escaped with his family to Russia after being ousted by Islamist rebels at the end of 2024, although his precise whereabouts have not been confirmed. Other than Assad, the warrants notably target his brother Maher al-Assad, who was the de facto head of the 4th Syrian armoured division at the time, intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, and then-army chief of staff Ali Ayoub. “The issuing of the seven arrest warrants is a decisive step that paves the way for a trial in France for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” said Clemence Bectarte, lawyer for the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Ochlik’s parents. The FIDH said the journalists had clandestinely entered the besieged city to “document the crimes committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime” and were victims of a “targeted bombing”. “The investigation clearly established that the attack on the informal press centre was part of the Syrian regime’s explicit intention to target foreign journalists to limit media coverage of its crimes and force them to leave the city and the country,” said Mazen Darwish, lawyer and director of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM). Colvin was known for her fearless reporting and signature black eye patch, which she wore after losing sight in one eye in an explosion during Sri Lanka’s civil war. Her career was celebrated in a Golden Globe-nominated film, “A Private War”.   AFP

Leave Before Visa Expires, UK Warns Foreign Students

Leave Before Visa Expires, UK Warns Foreign Students

Tens of thousands of international students in the United Kingdom are being directly contacted by the government with a warning: leave the country when your visa expires or face removal, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The Home Office has launched a new campaign aimed at tackling what it describes as an “alarming” rise in student visa holders attempting to stay in the UK by claiming asylum. In a first-of-its-kind move, the government is now proactively contacting students via text and email to issue formal warnings about the consequences of overstaying. The campaign came amid growing concern in Whitehall about students using the asylum system as a way to remain in the country after their studies end. “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” the messages read, as reported by BBC. According to Home Office data, around 15 per cent of asylum applications last year—approximately 16,000—were submitted by people who originally arrived on student visas. While the data does not specify how many of those were made after visas had expired, officials say the pattern is clear enough to warrant immediate action. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some students are “claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country.” She added, “We obviously will do our bit to support genuine refugees, but if nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course.” Cooper also said the growing number of students entering the asylum system is placing added pressure on already overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services. Around 10,000 students whose visas are nearing expiry have already received direct warnings. A further 130,000 students and their families are expected to be contacted in the coming months, coinciding with the busy autumn intake period, according to the BBC. The message being sent reads in full, “If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused. “Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support. “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” as reported by BBC. The crackdown is part of a broader tightening of immigration rules under the Labour government. In May, the Home Office announced that universities would face stricter thresholds on visa refusal and course completion rates to maintain their ability to sponsor international students. While much public attention has focused on small boat arrivals across the Channel, ministers are increasingly concerned about legal entrants—such as students—who later switch to the asylum system. Of the 108,000 asylum applications made in the UK last year, around 40,000 came from people who arrived legally, including on work, study, or visitor visas. By contrast, about 35,000 came from small boat crossings, BBC reported. Among legal entrants, student visa holders made up the largest group seeking asylum, with numbers almost six times higher than in 2020. Although the figure has since fallen by 10 per cent, the Home Office wants further reductions. Cooper acknowledged that student visa asylum claims account for just over 10 per cent of total applications but insisted that “to fix the system, we must tackle every single bit of it.” The government has also moved to reduce the amount of time overseas graduates can stay in the UK after completing their courses, from two years to 18 months. The number of successful asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders has also declined, according to recent Home Office figures. Punch  

UK Bans 100 Occupations From Foreign Recruitment in Bid to Cut Migration

UK Bans 100 Occupations From Foreign Recruitment in Bid to Cut Migration

  The United Kingdom Government has announced sweeping new restrictions on overseas recruitment, barring more than 100 occupations from being filled by foreign workers as part of its drive to cut net migration. The Home Office disclosed the policy shift in a statement on X Saturday morning, saying it was focused on opening up opportunities for British workers while reshaping the visa system. “More than 100 occupations are no longer eligible for overseas recruitment – opening up more jobs for British workers. A fairer, skills-focused system is now taking shape,” the Home Office wrote. This development marks the latest move by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who took office on July 5, 2024, following Labour’s landslide victory, replacing Rishi Sunak. Critics, however, have warned the policy could worsen labour shortages in sectors such as health and social care. The Home Office has not yet published the full list of restricted occupations, PUNCH Online however reports. More details to follow

Court Rejects Trump’s Use of Emergency Power to Impose Tariffs

Court Rejects Trump’s Use of Emergency Power to Impose Tariffs

  A United States federal appeals court ruled that most of former President Donald Trump’s tariffs are unlawful, dealing a significant blow to one of the defining pillars of his economic policy, Reuters reported. The ruling, which came in a 7-4 decision on Friday, from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, found that Trump overstepped his legal authority in imposing broad tariffs using emergency powers. The decision is stayed until October 14, giving the Trump administration time to appeal to the US Supreme Court. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump slammed the ruling, calling the court “highly partisan.” He warned, “If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country,” but added that he remains confident the Supreme Court will overturn the decision. The tariffs in question were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law traditionally used to sanction foreign adversaries or freeze their assets. Trump, however, used the act to justify sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of US trading partners, arguing that persistent trade deficits and the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl posed national emergencies. The court rejected that argument, stating in its ruling, “The statute bestows significant authority on the President to undertake a number of actions in response to a declared national emergency, but none of these actions explicitly include the power to impose tariffs, duties, or the like, or the power to tax.” It continued, “It seems unlikely that Congress intended, in enacting IEEPA, to depart from its past practice and grant the President unlimited authority to impose tariffs.” The ruling covers two sets of tariffs imposed during Trump’s second term: a set of “reciprocal” tariffs introduced in April as part of a broader trade offensive, and another set from February targeting China, Canada, and Mexico. Trump had linked the latter to what he claimed was those nations’ failure to curb the flow of illegal fentanyl across US borders — an assertion all three countries have rejected. Punch

China Set To Unveil First Pregnancy Robot With Artificial Womb

China Set To Unveil First Pregnancy Robot With Artificial Womb

China is on the verge of unveiling a humanoid robot capable of hosting a fully functioning artificial womb, in what could be a revolutionary step for reproductive science. The project, spearheaded by Kaiwa Technology in Guangzhou, is slated for a 2026 debut, Indian Times reports on Monday. The project lead, Zhang Qifeng, revealed at the World Robot Conference in Beijing that the scientific foundation is already solid, with the next stage focused on integrating the artificial womb into a humanoid robot for “interactive pregnancy.” Artificial wombs are not entirely new. They replicate the uterine environment with synthetic amniotic fluid and an umbilical-like tube for nutrient and oxygen delivery. In 2017, US scientists kept premature lambs alive for weeks in such “biobags,” proving the concept’s viability. What makes Kaiwa’s effort groundbreaking is its goal of creating a robot that can manage the entire process from fertilisation to full-term birth. The solution is expected to cost about 100,000 yuan (£11,000), far cheaper than conventional surrogacy, making it a potentially disruptive alternative amid rising infertility rates, particularly in China.  

Monsoon Rains Kill Over 400 In Pakistan, Sweep Away Villages

Monsoon Rains Kill Over 400 In Pakistan, Sweep Away Villages

More than 20 people have died on Wednesday in a torrential spell of monsoon rain in Pakistan, where downpours have swept away entire villages over the last week, killing more than 400. Eleven people died in the touristic northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan and 10 others in Karachi, the financial capital in the south, due to urban flooding that caused house collapses and electrocution, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said. Schools remained closed in the city of more than 20 million, as the meteorological department predicted more rain till Saturday. Amir Hyder Laghari, chief meteorologist of the Sindh province, blamed “weak infrastructure” for the flooding in big cities. As Karachi’s crumbling pipes and sewer system struggled to cope with the downpours, rush-hour drivers were caught in rising waters late Tuesday, and multiple neighbourhoods experienced power cuts. By Wednesday morning, the water had receded, an AFP photographer reported. Between 40 and 50 houses had been400 damaged in two districts, provincial disaster official Muhammad Younis said. “Another (rain) spell is to start by the end of the month,” NDMA chairman Inam Haider Malik. More than 350 people have died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous northern province bordering Afghanistan, since last Thursday. Authorities and the army are searching for dozens missing in villages that were hit by landslides and heavy rain. – ‘Children are scared’ – The floods interrupted communication networks and phone lines in flooded areas, while excavators worked to remove debris clogging drainage channels. “We have established relief camps where we are providing medical assistance. We are also giving dry rations and tents to all the people,” army Colonel Irfan Afridi told AFP in Buner district, where more than 220 people were killed. Authorities have warned that the rains will continue until mid-September. “The children are scared. They say we cannot sleep at night due to fear,” said Anjum Anwar, a medical camp official in Buner. “The flood… has destroyed our entire settlements.” Landslides and flash floods are common during the monsoon season, which typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September. This year, nearly 750 people have died since the season started, according to authorities. Pakistan is among the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and is increasingly facing extreme weather events. Monsoon floods submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022, resulting in approximately 1,700 deaths. AFP