Oil prices fall on hopes of fresh Iran peace talks

NEW YORK, United States 

Oil prices fell on Friday after it appeared a second round of Middle East talks was back on, bolstering prospects for an end to a war that has crippled energy shipments from the Gulf.

Equities traded mixed, however, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rising in New York thanks to a surge in stocks of chip manufacturing firms like Intel, which saw its shares rocket 25 percent higher after it smashed quarterly earnings expectations.

Oil prices had been climbing earlier as investors worried about a lack of progress in ending the Middle East crisis, with Tehran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the US maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports.

But they dropped on reports Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night.

Brent crude, the international benchmark contract, fell back below $100 a barrel.

"Investors are anchoring themselves to this good news and seem to be happy to buy risky assets, as it suggests a de-escalation of the situation ahead of the weekend," said Kathleen Brooks, head of research at trading platform XTB.

The Pakistan capital has been gearing up for an anticipated second round of talks between the United States and Iran, but it was not clear whether Araghchi and the delegation accompanying him would meet any US officials.

Sentiment was also boosted by Israel and Lebanon agreeing to extend their ceasefire for three weeks.

Wall Street's three main indices climbed as trading got underway in New York, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rising 0.7 percent.

Global stock markets have recently managed to recover the heavy losses they suffered at the start of the war, with first-quarter earnings in many cases beating estimates and helping the S&P 500 and Nasdaq set fresh records.

Chipmakers in particular continue to outperform thanks to continued optimism about growth in the artificial intelligence sector.

"There has been a record 17-day rally in semiconductor stocks, which is a record," said Brooks.

The jump in Intel shares came after the chipmaker, which was late to the AI game, forecast rising revenue on continued strong demand for its chips used in data centres.

Shares in Meta dipped while those in Microsoft rose after the companies announced layoffs as they pour massive sums into AI.

Meta plans to cut a tenth of its workforce, or 8,000 people, and Microsoft will offer buyouts to 8,750 employees in the United States, or seven percent of its US workforce.

"It is worth noting that these job cuts have more to do with overhiring during Covid rather than an AI revolution," Brooks said.

"The cost reductions from these job cuts is a drop in the ocean compared to what Meta and Microsoft are spending in AI investment, and the market may not be too impressed with this news for long," she added.

Investors were also looking to position themselves ahead of next week's slew of earnings from US tech titans Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple.

European stocks were mostly lower in afternoon trading.

Frankfurt's DAX managed to hold steady despite data showing that German business morale had fallen to the lowest level since the Covid pandemic.

"The German economy is being hit hard by the Iran crisis," said Ifo president Clemens Fuest. "Companies are considerably more pessimistic about the coming months."

Appeals court rules that Trump’s asylum ban at the border is illegal

WASHINGTON, United States 

An appeals court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending asylum access at the southern border of the U.S., a key pillar of the Republican president’s plan to crack down on migration.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that immigration laws give people the right to apply for asylum at the border, and the president can’t circumvent that.

The court opinion stems from action taken by Trump on Inauguration Day 2025, when he declared that the situation at the southern border constituted an invasion of America and that he was “suspending the physical entry” of migrants and their ability to seek asylum until he decides it is over.

The panel concluded that the Immigration and Nationality Act doesn’t authorize the president to remove the plaintiffs under “procedures of his own making,” allow him to suspend plaintiffs’ right to apply for asylum or curtail procedures for adjudicating their anti-torture claims.

“The power by proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of specified foreign individuals into the United States does not contain implicit authority to override the INA’s mandatory process to summarily remove foreign individuals,” wrote Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden.

“We conclude that the INA’s text, structure, and history make clear that in supplying power to suspend entry by Presidential proclamation, Congress did not intend to grant the Executive the expansive removal authority it asserts,” the opinion said.

The administration can ask the full appeals court to reconsider the ruling or go to the Supreme Court.

The order doesn’t formally take effect until after the court considers any request to reconsider.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, said she had not seen the ruling but called it “unsurprising,” blaming politically-motivated judges.

“They are not acting as true litigators of the law. They are looking at these cases from a political lens,” she said.

Leavitt said Trump was taking actions that are “completely within his powers as commander in chief.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the Department of Justice would seek further review of the decision. “We are sure we will be vindicated,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

The Department of Homeland Security said it strongly disagreed with the ruling.

“President Trump’s top priority remains the screening and vetting of all aliens seeking to come, live, or work in the United States,” DHS said in a statement.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 25/04/2026

 

Nigeria sets up court martial over alleged 2025 coup plot

ABUJA, Nigeria 

Nigeria has inaugurated a military court to try officers accused of involvement in a failed coup attempt, the country's Defence Headquarters said on Friday.

The move marks a significant step in the government’s response to a plot that authorities say could have ended decades of democratic rule.

The Defence Headquarters "inaugurated a General Court Martial to try 36 serving military personnel over alleged mutiny, aimed at overthrowing the government of the day," spokesman Major General Samaila Uba said in a statement.

The statement did not specify a timeline for the trials, but said that "proceedings of the court will be conducted with the highest standards of fairness."

Judges were sworn in on Friday, the Defence Headquarters said. Proceedings are being conducted behind closed doors.

State media reported that more than 30 accused officers were transported to a military facility in Abuja on Friday morning.

The identities of those facing trial have not yet been disclosed.

Authorities initially denied any knowledge of a coup attempt late last year.

However, in January, the military announced it had thwarted a plot to overthrow the government and would prosecute those involved.

If successful, the coup would have ended a 25-year stretch of democratic governance in Africa’s most populous nation.

In a related case, six civilians appeared before the Federal High Court earlier this week, pleading not guilty to charges linked to the alleged conspiracy.

Among them is retired major general Mohammed Ibrahim Gana.

Prosecutors allege the group conspired to wage war against the state and intimidate the president, Bola Tinubu.

They are also accused of failing to alert authorities about plans by Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma'aji, identified in local media as the plot’s mastermind.

Nigeria has a long history of military takeovers, having spent much of the post-independence period under army rule after gaining independence from United Kingdom in 1960.

Civilian governance was restored in 1999 and has continued since.

Following the initial denial of the coup plot, President Tinubu moved to reshuffle the country’s top military leadership, a decision widely seen as part of efforts to stabilise the armed forces.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 24/04/2026

 

"518 were killed in Tanzania election violence, majority from gunshots" - Report

By Our Correspondent, DAR-ES-SALAAM Tanzania 

A Commission of Inquiry into the post-election violence of October 29, 2025 in Tanzania, has established that 518 people lost their lives during the unrest, the majority from gunshot wounds, according to findings presented to President Samia Hassan at Dar es Salaam State House on Thursday.

Presenting the final report, Commission Chairperson, former Chief Justice Mohamed Othman, said the findings were based on extensive medical and forensic investigations, including interviews with 80 doctors and specialists, as well as post-mortem examinations and hospital records from across the country.

Justice Othman said according to their findings, the death toll stood at 518, comprising 490 males and 28 females; among them were 21 children.

He said 505 of the victims were civilians, and 16 were members of the security forces.

“From the evidence collected, the majority of those who died were civilians caught up in the violence.” He said.

The Commission found that fatalities were concentrated in a few regions, with Dar es Salaam recording the highest number of 182 deaths, followed by Mwanza region with 90 deaths, Mbeya 80 deaths and Arusha 53 deaths.

He said that forensic analysis showed that 197 deaths were caused by gunshot wounds, while about 20 were attributed to other causes, including trauma and related injuries.

Economically, the Commission estimated total economic losses at TSh.125 billion, with the private sector being hardest hit; accounting for TSh.89 billion losses and public institutions suffering about TSh.36 billion in damage.

He named affected government agencies as schools, tax authorities, utilities, transport and security infrastructure.

The Commission also noted significant psychological and social impacts, including trauma, fear and weakened public trust in institutions and communities.

The Commission further identified key drivers behind the unrest that erupted on general election day, citing political tensions, socio-economic pressures, governance failures, weak service delivery and international dynamics.

"Political demands such as calls for a new Constitution, electoral reforms, and the establishment of an independent electoral commission were the factors behind the unrest." He said.

Other factors cited in the report include the burden of taxes and levies and an unfriendly tax system, the rising cost of living, corruption, misuse of public resources, as well as cases of abductions and enforced disappearances.

The commission found that disputes over constitutional reforms, electoral credibility and political competition were central. "Economic challenges, including the high cost of living, unemployment and tax concerns, also fuelled tensions."

Governance issues such as corruption, declining public trust and unresolved disappearance cases were highlighted, alongside poor response to citizen complaints at local government level.

The report further pointed to global geopolitical influences as an indirect factor.

"Based on extensive nationwide evidence, the commission concluded the unrest was the result of accumulated structural challenges rather than spontaneous protests."

Receiving the report, President Hassan said the report belongs to presidency and not otherwise.

"This is the President's report. The President is the one who formed the commission, so other people should not claim ownership of this report, it is the President's report. The previous commissions were being quietly suppressed, I have decided to discuss it, but the report belongs to the President." She said. 

Pope Leo IVX visits one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea 

Pope Leo XIV told inmates at one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons that they are not alone, as he drew attention Wednesday to prison conditions, human rights abuses and injustices that campaigners have denounced for years here.

Leo’s visit to the prison in the Central African port city of Bata followed in the tradition of Pope Francis, who frequently met with inmates on his foreign visits to give them a message of hope.

But Leo’s stop, at the end of his four-nation African tour, took on added significance after it emerged that Equatorial Guinea was one of several African nations that have been paid millions of dollars in controversial deals with the Trump administration to receive migrants deported from the US to countries other than their own.

While none of those migrants are being held at Bata, the visit put the spotlight on Equatorial Guinea’s overall human rights record and its judiciary, which rights campaigners have criticized for its lack of independence, arbitrary detentions and other abuses.

Leo said he had a simple message for the inmates: That they are loved by God and remain precious in his eyes, despite their mistakes, sufferings and errors.

“You are not alone. Your families love you and are waiting for you. Many people outside these walls are praying for you,” Leo told them in Spanish.

“If any of you fear being abandoned by everyone, know that God will never abandon you, and that the Church will stand by your side,” he said.

The inmates, all dressed in new neon orange and beige uniforms, had gathered in a central courtyard of the prison, which appeared to have been recently painted salmon pink.

As soon as Leo started to speak, the heavens opened and a rainstorm poured down, drenching them but providing some relief from the intense humidity and heat.

In his remarks, Leo also reminded authorities that justice is meant to protect society, but that incarceration is not meant to be punishment alone.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 23/04/2026