World

Nearly 50,000 people remain unaccounted for after twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela, as rescue teams struggle against time, widespread infrastructure collapse and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Many developing countries entered the latest crisis already burdened by rising debt. Nearly half of the world's poorest countries are either in debt distress or at high risk of it, while interest payments continue to consume a growing share of government budgets.

This comes as thousands of people, mostly from Malawi and Zimbabwe, gathered in Cape Town and Johannesburg, are still waiting for assistance to return to their home countries.

The figures offered the first concrete measure of an evacuation launched this week to rescue some 11,000 mariners stranded aboard 600 vessels since the war pitting Israel and the United States against Iran erupted in late February.

Under the current law, most domestic murders have a 15-year sentencing starting point because they take place in the home with a weapon most likely already at the scene.

In support of these efforts, the executive has further held meetings with the country’s traditional monarchs and other traditional and Khoi-San leaders, with trade union and business leaders, with the religious community, and with other formations in society.

The bloc stressed that reforms should restore constitutional rule and culminate in “a democratically elected government, without delaying the will of the Malagasy people.”

The post–Second World War international legal order is increasingly seen as ineffective in addressing global crises, raising urgent questions about reform, inclusion, and the future of global governance.

The two sides will stand down "for now" and "vessels can move freely" as technical talks are set to continue, a US official was quoted as saying.

New research argues that while unemployment, failing public services and rising living costs have fuelled anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa, migrants are not the primary cause of the country's economic crisis.

Bahrain said Iran launched a drone attack against it after the US struck southern Iran in what Washington said was in response to an earlier Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

The suspect was indicted on 31 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bribery of federal programmes, and money laundering. He left the United States after charges were filed in 2022, before his apprehension in Somalia four years later.

To accelerate the repatriation process, the government has extended the jurisdiction of the Musina Refugee Reception Office in Limpopo Province to conduct verification of undocumented foreign nationals.

The international deployment comes as authorities intensify rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas, where hundreds of people remain missing after the powerful twin earthquakes that struck earlier this week.

Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterised in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration.

As of Saturday morning, more than 900 people have been confirmed killed and at least 3,360 injured, with rescue operations still underway in affected areas after the twin earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck about a minute apart near Venezuela’s Caribbean coast west of Caracas.

US Secretary ‌of ⁠State ⁠Marco ​Rubio has announced ​a trilateral ​framework ‌agreement. Lebanese officials began direct talks with Israel in Washington in April.

In a statement on Saturday, the French foreign ministry expressed regret over the decision and strongly criticised the move, describing it as hostile and unfounded.

Approved community groups, such as charities, faith groups, or local organisations, will be allowed to sponsor the refugees by finding them housing, helping them integrate into the community, and supporting them in finding work.

Tensions are rising ahead of planned anti-migrant protests on June 30, as South Africa's government warns against violence. Analysts say deep social and economic crises are fueling unrest and xenophobia.

The government said that "the conditions essential for promoting relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are no longer in place."

The findings come from an analysis by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), which studies the role of climate change in extreme weather events. Researchers compared current conditions with past climate patterns to understand how much global warming has influenced the severity of the heatwave.

Communities in the Horn of Africa require credible, timely and widely shared information to strengthen climate risk mitigation.

The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck about a minute apart near the Caribbean coast west of Caracas.

According to Hassan, Somalia remains ready to receive all confirmed citizens whose asylum claims have been rejected, but said non-citizens should instead be returned to their countries of origin.

President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated that immigration enforcement remains a state responsibility and warned against individuals taking enforcement into their own hands.

The International Maritime Organisation has suspended its evacuation plan for more than 11,000 stranded seafarers after a commercial vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, raising fresh security concerns in the Strait of Hormuz region.

The state of prisons has, however, pushed back on the role of the facilities in playing their rehabilitation role, as persistent weaknesses in criminal justice and prison systems linger in multiple states.

The back-to-back tremors sent people running into the streets as buildings shook across the capital. Some structures partially collapsed and power and cellphone services were disrupted in several areas.

A total of 14 seafarers have been killed in attacks on shipping in the Strait since the emergency in the Middle East began, while the waterway has seen massive disruption after Israeli-US bombing of Iran began on 28 February. 

US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III on Wednesday argued that Pretoria’s growing engagement with China and Iran reflected a geopolitical choice rather than neutrality.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) urged operators to closely track developments in regional airspace and follow updates from official aviation bodies.

It attributes the contraction to a more than $8 billion (Sh1.04 trillion) reduction in a single year, 2025, driven largely by deep cuts from the United States following the closure of the USAID programme and broader reductions in development spending by Western donors, including Germany.

Gold is one of the country's main exports, shipping more than 22 tonnes of the metal in the first quarter of this year, according to the authorities.

According to the Commission, children account for roughly 30 per cent of those killed in Gaza, describing what it calls a sustained pattern of harm to minors throughout the conflict.

June marks the start of the enforcement period of midday work bans in several Gulf states, their sole heat exposure protection measure, according to HRW, which prohibits outdoor work during certain hours in summer months.

Across several missions, attacks against peacekeepers have increased in number and sophistication, he said. Moreover, peacekeepers are being targeted, often with little accountability. 

Oman, working with the IMO, has issued guidance for a temporary maritime corridor to manage vessel movements during the evacuation.

US Senate passes a narrow 50–48 resolution seeking to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military operations in Iran without congressional approval, in a rare bipartisan rebuke of the war.

In its judgment, the court argued that evidence indicated that Lungu had regarded himself as unwelcome in Zambia and believed he would not receive a dignified burial under the current political leadership.

In a televised address on Sunday, May 7, 2026, the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, outlined various initiatives to lessen the conflicts over migration. But was this a coherent response, or a missed opportunity to make real progress?

Under ICC rules, the exit takes effect 12 months after the UN receives formal notice. During that time, the court will still have authority over any crimes committed in the country.

According to a statement by the military, the massive crackdown targeted "criminal hotbeds exploited by organised groups" involved in weapons and drug trafficking, illegal gold prospecting, and undocumented migration.

While both sides claim "encouraging progress," experts say there's a long way to go to turn the shaky diplomatic framework into a durable agreement.

Today, Muslim Americans hail from all parts of the globe. The largest demographic of Muslims in the US, almost 30 per cent, consists of African Americans, some of whom trace their roots to these enslaved African Muslims.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he will step down after days of mounting pressure and speculation over his future.

A new biography by anthropologist Heike Becker revisits the life of Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, exploring his pivotal yet under-recognised role in Namibia’s liberation struggle and his enduring legacy in the fight for justice and equality.

The real challenge for Africa is navigating this tension between interdependence, economic security, and diversification rather than simply choosing one objective and abandoning the rest. This will be one of the continent’s most important policy tests in the years ahead.

As foreign aid records its steepest decline in history, African nations face mounting debt burdens, climate challenges and a critical choice between continued dependence and greater economic self-reliance.

The vessel is believed to have been ferrying about 61 people, based on testimony from 10 survivors who made it ashore.

The uncertainty of these moving boundaries and “an utter lack of accountability” are the reasons for such a high number of killings, with the Israeli forces responsible for “the vast, vast majority – 90 per cent plus”, the UNICEF spokesperson said.