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Artefacts that were recovered after being looted from the National Museum in Khartoum during the country’s long-running war, are displayed during an official ceremony in Port Sudan on January 13, 2026. [AFP] Nearly three years of war have put the Sudanese people through “hell”, the UN’s rights chief said Sunday, blasting the vast sums spent on advanced weaponry at the expense of humanitarian aid and the recruitment of child soldiers. Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a conflict  between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has left tens of thousands of people dead and…

Mbeumo and Dorgu scored a goal each to hand City a blow in title race. Carrick will be hoping his team continues with the same performance against Arsenal next weekend. Published Date: 2026-01-17 19:28:11 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

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Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni waves at supporters as he leaves after casting his ballot in Rwakitura on January 15, 2026 during Uganda’s 2026 general elections. [AFP] Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won a seventh term in office on Saturday after an election marred by violence and an internet shutdown, with African observers saying arrests and abductions had “instilled fear”. Museveni, 81, won 71.65 percent of the vote in Thursday’s election, the Electoral Commission said, amid reports of at least 10 deaths and intimidation of the opposition and civil society. His victory allows him to extend his 40-year rule of the East African…

Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Published Date: 2026-01-18 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

 Members of Uganda’s police force and the Ugandan army patrol the streets two days after the country’s 2026 presidential election as vote counting continues in Kampala on January 17, 2026. [AFP] Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has said that he escaped a police raid on his home and was in hiding as the country braced for the results of a fraught election held under an internet blackout. President Yoweri Museveni, 81, looked set to be declared winner and extend his 40-year rule in an election marred by reports of at least 10 deaths and intimidation of the opposition and civil…

Ugandan military police officers detain a voter on the ground near a polling station in Kampala on January 15, 2026, during Uganda’s 2026 general elections. [AFP] A senior member of the Ugandan opposition told AFP on Friday that security forces stormed his home the previous day as the country held elections, shooting dead 10 members of his campaign team. “Ten were killed inside my house,” Muwanga Kivumbi, member of parliament for the National Unity Platform (NUP) in the Butambala area of central Uganda, told AFP by phone. Uganda held elections under an internet blackout on Thursday, with President Yoweri Museveni…

A woman burns a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after lighting a cigarette during a demonstration in solidarity with Iranian protestors, in Israel’s central city of Holon on January 14, 2026. [AFP] Political instability in Iran, a major oil producer, together with US President Donald Trump’s recent threats against the country have reignited fears of disruptions to crude supplies, sparking price volatility on global markets. AFP explains what’s at stake. Major producer  Iran remains one of the world’s top ten oil producers even though its output has fallen sharply since the 1970s, hit in particular by rounds…

An Anti-Iranian regime protester burns a photo depicting Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, during a gathering outside the US Consulate in Milan, on January 13, 2026. [AFP] An Iranian protester who the United States feared faced imminent execution will not be sentenced to death, the judiciary said Thursday, while Donald Trump said he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action. Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that rights groups say have left at least 3,428 people dead. The demonstrations were sparked by…

Football’s global governing body FIFA said Wednesday it had received more than 500 million requests for tickets to this year’s World Cup Published Date: 2026-01-15 12:57:46 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Liam Rosenior admitted Chelsea paid the price for costly mistakes after Arsenal took advantage of his side’s blunders to win 3-2 in the League Cup semi-final first leg. Published Date: 2026-01-15 12:53:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

This photograph taken on January 13, 2025 in Toulouse shows screens displaying the logo of Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, the American company specializing in artificial intelligence and its founder Elon Musk. [AFP] Elon Musk’s platform X on Wednesday announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualized photos of women and children. The announcement comes after California’s attorney general launched an investigation into Musk’s xAI — the developer of Grok — over the sexually explicit material and multiple countries either blocked access…

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the hero with two saves in the shoot-out as hosts Morocco beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties to set up an Africa Cup of Nations final showdown Published Date: 2026-01-15 07:17:34 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Sadio Mane scored a 78th-minute winner to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over Egypt on Wednesday in their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Tangiers. Published Date: 2026-01-14 22:24:54 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Brentford striker Igor Thiago has already made Premier League history: now the Brazilian hopes to take his unlikely success story to the World Cup. Published Date: 2026-01-14 10:59:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the Champions League. Published Date: 2026-01-14 09:50:38 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

New Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa has insisted he would be himself at the helm of the Spanish giants rather than trying to imitate Jose Mourinho. Published Date: 2026-01-13 17:03:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

India’s Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi gestures during an annual press conference in New Delhi on January 13, 2026. [AFP] India’s army chief accused Pakistan on Tuesday of flying drones into Indian-administered territory in disputed Kashmir, where the nuclear-armed rivals fought a four-day clash last year. “They have been told that this is unacceptable to us, and please put a stop to it,” General Upendra Dwivedi told reporters in New Delhi in an annual briefing to the media. Heads of military operations of both countries spoke to each other earlier on Tuesday, he said. Follow The Standard…

The Nigerians take on AFCON hosts Morocco in Rabat on Wednesday looking to continue the prolific form which has carried them to the last four. Published Date: 2026-01-13 16:26:21 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

President-Elect Nasry Asfura of Honduras participates in a photo-op prior to a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department on January 12, 2026 in Washington. [AFP] The BBC intends to ask a US federal court in Florida to dismiss a $10-billion lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the British broadcaster, according to newly-filed court documents. Trump launched the lawsuit last year over a BBC documentary that edited his 2021 speech ahead of the US Capitol riot, when lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. The programme spliced together two separate sections of Trump’s…

Michael Carrick is in pole position to be named as Manchester United’s interim manager until the end of the season Published Date: 2026-01-13 11:38:11 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Three years after they last appeared together, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah meet again tonight on opposing sides as Senegal and Egypt clash for a place in the AFCON 2025 final. Published Date: 2026-01-13 11:18:20 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Darren Fletcher admitted Manchester United’s “fragile” players have lost their confidence after Sunday’s FA Cup exit Published Date: 2026-01-13 10:54:50 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Real Madrid part ways with Coach Xabi Alonso a day after losing Spanish Super Cup title to rivals Barcelona, appoints former footballer Alvaro Arbeloa new manager. Published Date: 2026-01-12 21:13:13 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Kenya’s former New York marathon champion Albert Korir was provisionally suspended on Monday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Published Date: 2026-01-12 21:04:59 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion, won his third consecutive men’s crown on Saturday at the World Cross Country Championships. Published Date: 2026-01-11 13:57:52 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Victor Osimhen scored one goal and set up another as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 in their AFCON 2025 quarter-final on Saturday to set up a last-four showdown with hosts Morocco. Published Date: 2026-01-10 21:15:23 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

One dead, seven missing after migrant boat sinks off Turkey. [AFP] One person died and seven others were missing Saturday after a migrant boat sank in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey, the Turkish coast guard said. Thirty-seven passengers on a rubber dinghy, which took on water before dawn off the western city of Dikili, north of Izmir, were rescued alive, the coast guard stated. Dikili, a small seaside resort, faces the Greek island of Lesbos, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp “Search operations … are continuing to find the seven missing…

A member of ‘3 Raices,’ a pro-government group known as ‘Colectivos,’ stands guard with an assault rifle at the organization’s headquarters in the working-class neighborhood of 23 de Enero, in Caracas on January 7, 2026. [AFP] The capture by US forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the killing in the operation of 32 Cubans assigned to protect him represent a major blow for the island’s revered intelligence services, experts say. Fearful of betrayal by dissenters within Venezuela’s ranks, the leftist Maduro — like his late mentor Hugo Chavez — sourced his security detail in communist-ruled Cuba. But the Cubans…

Brahim Diaz kept up his remarkable AFCON scoring record and Ismael Saibari was also on target as hosts Morocco beat Cameroon 2-0 in the quarter-final Published Date: 2026-01-10 00:27:55 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Recalled Iliman Ndiaye scored in the first half to give Senegal a 1-0 victory over 10-man Mali in Tangiers on Friday in the first Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final. Published Date: 2026-01-10 00:24:47 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Israeli warplanes killed four Palestinians, including two children from the same family, after targeting a tent sheltering displaced civilians north of the city of Khan Yunis in Gaza, on January 8, 2026. [AFP] Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory on Thursday killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting. Four people, including three children, were killed when a drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. In the north of the Gaza Strip, an 11-year-old girl was killed…

US President Donald Trump speaks during the House Republican Party (GOP) member retreat at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2026. [AFP] US President Donald Trump stated in an interview published on Thursday that his “own morality” was the only constraint on his authority to order military actions worldwide. Trump’s comments to The New York Times came days after he launched a lightning operation to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and threatened a host of other countries, plus the autonomous territory of Greenland. “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only…

Published Date: 2026-01-09 06:57:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City cannot think about catching Arsenal in the Premier League title race after their winless run extended to three matches. Published Date: 2026-01-08 16:41:18 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Morocco are on a mission to win the AFCON in front of their own fans but the hosts must avoid buckling under the weight of pressure as they face Cameroon in the quarter-finals on Friday. Published Date: 2026-01-08 16:35:45 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ukrainian soldiers learn how to use a FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile system at an undisclosed location in Zaporizhzhia region on January 7, 2026. [AFP] Russia on Thursday slammed a plan for European peacekeepers to be deployed to Ukraine as “dangerous” and dubbed Kyiv and its allies an “axis of war”, dousing hopes the plan could be a step towards ending the almost four-year-war. US President Donald Trump has been pushing the warring sides to strike a deal to halt the conflict, running shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a bid to get an agreement across…

This photograph shows a airplane from low cost airline company EasyJet covered with snow during heavy snowfalls which cause flight cancellations at Orly Airport, south of Paris on January 7, 2026.[AFP] Around 100 flights were cancelled at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday morning because of snowfall and fierce cold, and a further 40 at the French capital’s Orly airport, France’s transport minister said. The disruption had been predicted late Tuesday, with Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot telling CNews television he was “hoping the situation returns to normal this afternoon”. All public bus services in Paris and the surrounding suburbs…

Demonstrators gather outside the Kennedy Center, to protest U.S. actions in Venezuela, including the detention of President Nicolas Maduro and the U.S. military intervention, in Washington, DC, United States, on January 6, 2026. [AFP] From AI deepfakes to recycled, outdated images, a surge of visual misinformation has inundated social media platforms after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid on his Caracas home. Collectively racking up millions of views, the fake or misleading posts underscore a new digital reality in which hyper-realistic misinformation competes for attention with –- and often drowns out — authentic images and…

Activists gather to protest against US President Donald Trump’s recent action in Venezuela on January 6, 2026 in Pasadena, California, calling on Congress for an immediate end to military action, accountability for President Trump’s actions and diplomacy over war. [AFP] Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, insisted Tuesday that no foreign power was governing her country, even as US President Donald Trump announced Caracas will be swiftly turning over millions of barrels of oil to the United States. Rodriguez, who was vice president under toppled leader Nicolas Maduro, has given mixed signals about how much she is prepared to cooperate with…

US President Donald Trump speaks during the House Republican Party (GOP) member retreat at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2026. [AFP] Oil extended losses Wednesday after Donald Trump said Venezuela would turn over millions of barrels to the United States, while equities were mixed after a record-breaking start to the year. Crude has seen wild swings since the US president ordered the toppling Saturday of Nicolas Maduro, his counterpart in Caracas, and said Washington would run the country while demanding “total access” to its key resource. But both main contracts sank more than one percent Wednesday…

 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomes Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot prior to a meeting at the State Department on January 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. [AFP] Reared in the Cuban exile community of Miami, Marco Rubio grew up dreaming of the downfall of Havana’s communists and, since entering politics, dedicated himself to battling Latin America’s leftists. With the US military’s overthrow and snatching of Venezuela’s firebrand president Nicolas Maduro, Rubio is savoring victory but the outcome came only after compromises that again left many wondering where the old Rubio had gone. Rubio, the first…

Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) gather at the Mea Shearim neighborhood to hold an anti-conscription protest in Jerusalem on September 18, 2025 [AFP] One person was killed and three were injured during a protest in Jerusalem on Tuesday against a law to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli armed forces, emergency crews said. A bus ran over and injured three pedestrians then drove on and struck an 18-year old who got trapped under the vehicle, rescuers said the Magen David Adom emergency service said “Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene,” the agency said. Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews had taken to the…

An Oil refinery is seen from Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela on March 19, 2025. [AFP] Oil extended losses Wednesday after Donald Trump said Venezuela would turn over millions of barrels to the United States, while equities wobbled after a record-breaking start to the year. Crude has seen wild swings since the US president ordered the toppling Saturday of Nicolas Maduro, his counterpart in Caracas, and said Washington would run the country while demanding “total access” to its key resource. But it sank as much as two percent Tuesday and around one percent Wednesday after Trump announced the latest development. “The…

Amad Diallo starred as Ivory Coast beat Burkina Faso 3-0 and became the first AFCON defending champions to reach the quarter-finals since 2010. Published Date: 2026-01-07 06:16:39 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A thunderous strike by substitute Adil Boulbina deep in extra time settled a tense encounter as Algeria beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in their AFCON last-16 tie Published Date: 2026-01-06 22:57:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Liam Rosenior was confirmed on Tuesday as Chelsea’s new head coach on a six-and-a-half-year deal Published Date: 2026-01-06 16:24:35 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

US President Donald Trump takes questions from the press during a meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on November 18, 2025. [AFP] An emboldened US President Donald Trump has hinted that he has other countries in his sights after toppling Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, leaving the world asking: where’s next? Trump took aim at Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico and Iran in the space of a single half-hour exchange with reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One. Trump, who openly campaigned for last…

Real Madrid winger Diaz fires Afcon hosts Morocco into quarter-finals. Published Date: 2026-01-06 10:57:52 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

This photograph taken on December 19, 2025 shows Ali Hossain, who lost his leg to a landmine while collecting firewood, as he walks home at the Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier village of Naikhongchhari in Bandarban district. [AFP] In the dense hill forests along Bangladesh’s border with war-torn Myanmar, villagers are losing limbs to landmines, casualties of a conflict not of their making. Ali Hossain, 40, was collecting firewood in early 2025 when a blast shattered his life. “I went into the jungle with fellow villagers. Suddenly, there was an explosion, and my leg was blown off,” he told AFP. “I screamed at the…

A Japanese nuclear plant operator said it may have presented data underestimating earthquake risks to regulators, as Japan moves to revive nuclear power nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. Chubu Electric Power’s Hamaoka plant — located in an area of central Japan at risk of a potential “megaquake” — is undergoing regulatory safety checks, with the aim of restarting two reactors. But the company’s president said late Monday that the estimated maximum seismic ground motion that the plant could experience during a quake “may have been underestimated”. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp “This incident could seriously affect the…

This courtroom sketch shows deposed President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, at Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse on January 5, 2026 in New York. [AFP] Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges at a defiant appearance in a New York court Monday, two days after being snatched by US forces in a stunning raid on his home in Caracas. Maduro, 63, told a federal judge in Manhattan “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty.” Smiling as he entered the courtroom and wearing an orange shirt with beige trousers, Maduro spoke…

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Nigeria made short work of Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations, cruising into the quarter-finals Published Date: 2026-01-06 00:11:01 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Captain Mohamed Salah scored after 124 minutes to clinch a 3-1 extra-time victory for Egypt over plucky minnows Benin in an AFCON 2025 last-16 thriller in Agadir Published Date: 2026-01-05 22:12:18 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ruben Amorim arrived at Man United as one of Europe’s brightest young coaching talents, but just 14 months on, he leaves the club as the latest man unable to revive their fortunes Published Date: 2026-01-05 22:08:36 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ruben Amorim has been sacked as Manchester United manager 14 months after arriving at Old Trafford, the club announced on Monday. Published Date: 2026-01-05 22:05:27 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A man walks behind a graffiti in support of deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. [Juan Barreto, AFP] The Swiss government said Monday that it had decided to freeze any assets held in Switzerland by the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro or his associates “with immediate effect”. Bern said it had reached its decision after Maduro was seized in Caracas in a shock US military operation, and brought to New York to face narcotrafficking charges. Describing the situation as “volatile”, the Swiss government said in a statement that it wanted “to ensure that any illicitly acquired assets cannot be…

Protesters with flags and and a banner march during a demonstration condemning the US attack on Venezuela and the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, near the US embassy in Manila on January 5, 2026. [ AFP] President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States is “in charge” of Venezuela will be underscored Monday when the oil-rich nation’s deposed leader is hauled before a New York court, while his successor offers to cooperate. Leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, who was also seized and taken out of Caracas in the shock US assault Saturday,…

Goals by Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane took Cameroon through to the AFCON 2025 quarter-finals at South Africa’s expense Published Date: 2026-01-05 00:11:27 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Brahim Diaz maintained his goal-a-game record at the AFCON 2025 by scoring to take Morocco into the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Tanzania Published Date: 2026-01-05 00:08:02 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Protesters demonstrate against the US operation in Venezuela to capture Venezuelan President, in front of the US Consulate in Amsterdam, on January 4, 2026. [AFP] The United States is ready to work with Venezuela’s remaining leaders if they make “the right decision,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday after an audacious US operation removed the oil-rich country’s president, Nicolas Maduro. “We’re going to judge everything by what they do, and we’re going to see what they do,” Rubio told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “I do know this: that if they don’t make the right decision, that the United…

Armed police officers arrive at the Metropolitan Detention facility in the Brooklyn borough of New York, where ousted president Nicolas Maduro is expected to be held, on January 3, 2026 in New York City. [AFP] The United States, which on Saturday attacked Venezuela and is said to have abducted its president, has a long history of military interventions and support for dictatorships in Latin America. On multiple occasions, the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro — who US leader Donald Trump says is now in US hands — accused Washington of backing coup attempts. Here are…

Venezuelans living in Colombia celebrate in Cucuta, Colombia, on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. [AFP] Some of the nearly eight million Venezuelans who fled economic collapse and repression under Nicolas Maduro gathered in their thousands in cities worldwide Saturday to celebrate the strongman’s ouster by US forces. Thousands massed in the capitals of Chile, Mexico, Argentina and in Miami, dancing and hugging and waving Venezuelan flags. “At last we’ll be able to go back home,” street vendor Yurimar Rojas told AFP, straining to make himself heard over an ebullient crowd gathered in Santiago, many…

Armed police officers arrive at the Metropolitan Detention facility in the Brooklyn borough of New York, where ousted president Nicolas Maduro is expected to be held, on January 3, 2026 in New York City. [AFP] Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail Saturday, hours after American special forces seized and flew him out of his country — which Donald Trump said would come under effective US control. The US president’s announcement followed a lightning pre-dawn attack in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes pounded sites in and around Caracas. Unlock the Full Story…

El Bilal Toure scored the winning spot-kick as 10-man Mali beat Tunisia 3-2 on penalties to reach the AFCON 2025 quarter-finals after their last-16 tie finished 1-1 at the end of extra time. Published Date: 2026-01-04 01:24:43 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Teenager Ibrahim Mbaye scored four minutes after coming off the bench to clinch a 3-1 victory for Senegal over Sudan in Tangiers in the first Africa Cup of Nations last-16 match. Published Date: 2026-01-03 21:33:36 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

An illustration shows an electric car being recharged at a Belib charging station in Paris, France, on December 16, 2025. [AFP] Tesla’s sales fell in 2025, the company reported Friday, ceding its position as the world’s biggest electric vehicle maker for the year to Chinese auto giant BYD. The American company led by Elon Musk logged 418,227 deliveries in the final three months of the year, taking its full-year sales figure to around 1.64 million EVs. This marked a drop in sales of more than eight percent compared with 2024. A day prior, BYD said that it sold 2.26 million…

This photograph shows screens displaying the logo of Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by US artificial intelligence company xAI, in Toulouse, southern France, on January 15, 2025. [AFP] Elon Musk’s Grok on Friday said it was scrambling to fix flaws in the artificial intelligence tool after users claimed it turned pictures of children or women into erotic images. “We’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them,” Grok said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) is illegal and prohibited.” Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp Complaints of abuses began hitting X…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi disembarks from his plane upon his arrival in Muscat on December 17, 2025. [AFP] Sacred ancient gems linked to the Buddha were unveiled on Saturday in India for the first time since their colonial-era removal. The Piprahwa gems, a collection of more than 300 precious stones and ornaments believed to have been buried with relics of the Buddha at a stupa site in northern India, were formally displayed at an exhibition in New Delhi. “This historic event marks the reunification of the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha, repatriated after 127 years,” the Ministry of…

An injured survivor (right) at a makeshift memorial near the site of a fire that ripped through a bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, in Crans-Montana on January 2, 2026. [AFP] Swiss investigators worked Saturday to identify the last victims and exact cause of the blaze that killed 40 New Year’s revellers at a packed bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. Dozens of people badly burnt in the fire early Thursday at the glitzy Alpine town were taken to nearby countries for urgent treatment, while authorities pointed the finger at lit sparklers stuck inside champagne bottles for…

Hugo Broos is hoping to lead South Africa to Cup of Nations glory in Morocco but standing in his team’s way in the last 16 on Sunday are Cameroon. Published Date: 2026-01-03 10:32:11 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 28, 2025. [AFP] Ukraine is hosting security advisers for crunch talks on Saturday as Kyiv insists negotiations are zeroing in on a deal, while Russia claims a deadly New Year strike torpedoed the efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said around 15 countries would attend the talks, along with representatives from the European Union and NATO, with a US delegation joining via video link. Leaders from the so-called coalition of the willing are expected to convene in France next week after Saturday’s…

Police officers and rescuers stand next to a firefighters vehicle on the site of a fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026. [AFP] Dozens are presumed dead after a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana as young revellers rang in the new year Thursday, with witnesses describing scenes of “panic”. Horrified bystanders told of people trying to break through the windows of the bar to escape, as others, covered in burns, poured into the street. Police, firefighters and rescuers rushed to the popular resort, which…

Enzo Maresca has left his role as Chelsea head coach after 18 months in charge, the Premier League club announced Thursday. Published Date: 2026-01-01 15:48:07 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Relatives mourn as the body of Palestinian journalist Ahmad Abu Mutayr, who was killed in an Israeli attack on Deir al-Balah despite the ceasefire, is carried from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for burial in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on October 20, 2025. [AFP] A total of 128 journalists were killed around the world in 2025, more than half of them in the Middle East, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Thursday. The grim toll, up from 2024, “is not just a statistic, it’s a global red alert for our colleagues,” IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger told AFP. The press group voiced…

Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, according to an AFP tally, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year. Analysts have largely attributed the surge in executions to Riyadh’s ongoing “war on drugs” launched in recent years — with many of those first arrested only now being executed, following legal proceedings and convictions. Official data released by the government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in 2025 alone, according to AFP’s tally. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp The figures from 2025 mark the second consecutive…

People celebrate as they watch the traditional New Year’s fireworks from the water at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 1, 2026. [AFP] Revellers around the world toasted the start of 2026 on Thursday, bidding farewell to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on. While a fragile truce took hold in devastated Gaza, violence in Sudan continued unabated. A new American pope was installed at the Vatican, the world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, and Labubu dolls sparked a worldwide frenzy. In Sydney,…

Migrants picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel from France, disembark from Border Force vessel ‘Ranger’ after it arrived at the Marina in Dover, south-east England, on May 21, 2025. [AFP] The second-highest annual number of migrants arrived on UK shores in small boats since records were started in 2018, the government was to confirm Thursday. The tally comes as Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration party Reform UK surges in popularity ahead of bellwether local elections in May. With Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer increasingly under pressure over the thorny issue, his interior minister Shabana Mahmood has…

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for a New Year’s Eve event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 31, 2025. [AFP] An alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa cartel wanted by the United States has been arrested in Mexico on drug and terrorism charges, Mexican government sources said Wednesday. Pedro Inzunza Noriega was accused by the United States in May of trafficking large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin into the country as the second-in-command of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a faction of the cartel now believed to be defunct. He was taken…

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae during a New Year’s concert at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, on January 1, 2025. [AFP] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised his troops fighting abroad as forging an “invincible alliance” with Russia in a new year’s message, state media said Thursday. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies. At least 600 have died and thousands more have sustained injuries, according to South Korean estimates. Follow The Standard channel on…

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech during National Day celebrations at the Presidential Palace in Taipei on October 10, 2025. [AFP] Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed on Thursday to defend the democratic island’s sovereignty in a New Year’s speech, after China carried out military drills. Beijing launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels this week to encircle Taiwan’s main island, in exercises condemned by Taipei as “highly provocative”. China claims democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp “My…

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, state officials said, after surviving a car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. Published Date: 2026-01-01 08:26:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Sudan must face 2022 champions Senegal in the last 16 of the 2025 AFCON after losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in their final group game, while Algeria beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 Published Date: 2026-01-01 08:21:03 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

An Israeli military excavator tears down one of 25 residential buildings earmarked for demolition in the Nur Shams camp Palestinian refugees east of the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, amid an ongoing offensives in the occupied-West Bank on December 31, 2025. [AFP] Israel plans to ban 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they hand over detailed information on their Palestinian staff, despite mounting criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, and humanitarian…

Senegal saw off Benin to go through to the last 16 of the AFCON 2025 as winners of Group D, leaving the DR Congo to settle for second, which means they will play Algeria Published Date: 2025-12-31 08:46:45 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel’s recent announcement recognizing the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia’s territorial unity at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu on December 30, 2025. [AFP] Turkey’s president on Tuesday called Israel’s recognition of Somaliland “illegitimate and unacceptable” as he hosted a visit by his Somali counterpart. “Preserving the unity and integrity of Somalia in all circumstances holds special importance in our view. Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland is illegitimate and unacceptable,” Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference alongside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Israel sparked…

Yemeni members of the Sabahiha tribes of Lahj, during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), in Khormaksar Square, Aden, on December 14, 2025. [AFP] A Saudi-led coalition said it targeted Tuesday a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles destined for separatist forces that were being offloaded from ships at a port in Yemen, coming from the UAE. Yemen has been fighting a crippling war, as armed factions loosely grouped under the government and backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia turn on each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC),…

Shopkeepers and traders walk over a bridge during a protest against the economic conditions and Iran’s embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. [AFP] Iran’s president urged his government to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters, state media reported Tuesday, after several days of demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardships. Shopkeepers in the capital had shut their stores for the second day in a row on Monday, after Iran’s embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. The US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials on Sunday — compared to 820,000 rials a year…

A vendor sells vegetables to a customer at a market in Naypyidaw on December 29, 2025, a day after the first phase of Myanmar’s general election. [AFP] Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday accused rebels of “malicious and brutal” attacks on the day and eve of military-run elections, wounding at least five civilians with drones, rockets and bombs. The armed forces snatched power in a 2021 coup that triggered civil war, but on Sunday, opened voting in a phased month-long election they pledged would return power to the people. Campaigners, Western diplomats and the United Nations’ rights chief condemned the vote, citing…

Taiwan’s national flag is raised following China’s People’s Liberation Army move to conduct live-fire drills in five designated maritime and airspace areas around Taiwan, in Taipei on December 30, 2025. [AFP] China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island’s key ports and assaults on maritime targets. The two-day war games, code-named “Justice Mission 2025”, began Monday and were slammed by Taipei as “highly provocative and reckless”. China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and…

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (centre) and Japan Business Federation Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui during the 14th Keidanren Council Meeting in Tokyo on December 25, 2025. [AFP] Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi may have extra trouble sleeping after she moved into the prime minister’s official residence, where ghosts of Japanese soldiers from a century ago are reputed to reside. Japan’s first woman prime minister transferred on Monday into the stone-and-brick mansion, which adjoins her offices in central Tokyo, more than two months after taking office. Until now she had been staying in accommodation for members of parliament, but drew criticism for taking 35…

Uganda and Tanzania will co-host the 2027 AFCON with neighbours Kenya and the countries are getting a sense of how much progress they must still make on the pitch Published Date: 2025-12-30 08:48:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was in a “stable condition” in hospital after a car accident in Nigeria that killed two close friends and associates Published Date: 2025-12-30 08:42:34 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ayoub El Kaabi scored twice as hosts Morocco eased to a 3-0 victory over Zambia at the AFCON on Monday to secure progress to the last 16 as winners of their group. Published Date: 2025-12-30 08:38:28 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Oswin Appollis converted a late penalty to give South Africa a 3-2 Africa Cup of Nations victory over Zimbabwe in Marrakesh on Monday, and qualification for the knockout stage. Published Date: 2025-12-29 23:00:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Sadio Mane’s equaliser earned 2022 champions Senegal a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in their heavyweight Africa Cup of Nations clash on Saturday. Published Date: 2025-12-27 23:15:28 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

  President Donald Trump calls children as he participates in tracking Santa Claus’ movements with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort on December 24, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. [AFP] Bold Reporting Takes Time, Courage and Investment. Stand With Us. Support Bold Journalism Unlimited access to all premium content Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience Mobile-optimized reading experience Weekly Newsletters MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted Already a subscriber? Log in `; } else { teaserEl.innerHTML = “”; } activeEl.innerHTML = “”; paywallEl.style.display = “block”; } else if (now >= saleStart &&…

Morocco missed the chance to guarantee their spot in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after Lassine Sinayoko’s second-half penalty earned Mali a 1-1 draw with the hosts Published Date: 2025-12-27 01:17:59 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Mohamed Salah scored as 10-man Egypt beat South Africa 1-0 in Agadir on Friday to become the first qualifiers for the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Published Date: 2025-12-27 01:13:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Veteran Knowledge Musona scored as Zimbabwe came from behind to draw 1-1 with Angola in Marrakesh on Friday as the second round of AFCON group matches kicked off. Published Date: 2025-12-27 01:10:05 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard