Iran faces 'greatest financial offensive ever', says US treasury secretary

WASHINGTON, United States 

The United States treasury secretary has threated Iran with "the single greatest financial offensive ever", claiming the US-Israel war with Iran was "entering its endgame".

Scott Bessent said the US would sever all economic ties with the country in "an economic D-Day" and that any nation partnering with Iran financially would also be isolated.

Bessent's threat to the Iranian regime follows several U-turns and extended deadlines from US President Donald Trump's administration on previous threats.

Iran dismissed Bessent's comments and said it would shut down all oil exports from the region "if the war continues", according to news agency Reuters.

The Iranian regime has also issued a new warning to shipping not to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission, the agency reported.

One fifth of the world's oil and gas usually passes through strait, a waterway south of Iran, but the flow has been effectively blocked by the country since the conflict began at the end of February.

Bessent made the comments in an opinion piece for the Financial Times. He did not detail what the economic pressure on Iran would involve, but he is expected to do so in a press conference in the US at 13:00 local time (18:00 BST) on Monday.

"The world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone," he wrote in the piece.

The US has made several threats to Iran over the course of its war with the country, including Trump saying in April that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Iran agreed a deal to end the war and unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

The US eventually climbed down from that position after mediator Pakistan intervened and called for more diplomacy.

The Iranian regime already faces tough economic sanctions from the US.

Zambia closes courts on last day to file election challenge

By Chris Mfula, LUSAKA Zambia 

Zambian authorities closed the country’s top courts on Monday, blocking access to the premises on the last day that the opposition could file a challenge to this month’s disputed election.

A memorandum from the chief administrator of the judiciary, which was seen by our reporter said that “for security reasons, all members of staff are advised not to report for work today”.

Police spokesman Godfrey Chilabi told Reuters that security assessments were ongoing, and declined to give details. A spokesperson for the judiciary could not be reached.

Opposition leader Brian Mundubile said last week that he was planning to file a petition at the Constitutional Court to challenge the results of an August 13 election in which he came second to President Hakainde Hichilema.

The deadline to file such a challenge is seven days after the result was announced, which would be in the early hours of Tuesday.

At the Supreme Court premises in Lusaka, which also includes the Constitutional Court, all of the gates were closed and police could be seen inside.

Hichilema won re-election with about 60% of votes in the Southern African copper producer, but two reports by independent observers found indications the that Hichilema’s vote count was inflated. Hichilema has denied any fraud.

Following the arrests of several of his associates, Mundubile was summoned by police for questioning last week in connection with alleged national security threats, which he says are fabricated.

Analysts and human rights lawyers said they suspected he might be prevented from filing his petition, though Hichilema’s party said that Mundubile was free to use the legal routes available to him.

“We are trying our best to ensure that the petition is filed but we will see how it goes,” said New Heritage Party President Chishala Kateka, whose party belongs to Mundubile’s opposition alliance.

At least 30 killed as deadly landfill collapse in Guinea

CONAKRY, Guinea 

At least 30 people have been killed after a massive pile of rubbish collapsed at Conakry’s largest landfill in Guinea.

The disaster struck early Sunday at the Dar Es Salam waste site, after heavy overnight rain triggered a landslide.

Resident and eyewitness Robert Kamano Sâa said people rushed to the site to search for survivors, but the ground continued to give way.

“The first section gave way. People tried to come to the rescue, shouting, ‘Is there anyone down there? Is there anyone down there?’ They came running and climbed onto the refuse to see if anyone was there. That was when the second section collapsed in three successive stages, cascading down. And that is what poured onto the people.”

Six people were seriously injured and several nearby homes were destroyed, according to authorities.

A search and rescue operation was launched as emergency teams combed through the enormous piles of waste for survivors.

The Dar Es Salam dump had been due to close on Sunday, with residents in the surrounding area already ordered to leave.

But many people were still living nearby when the landfill collapsed, turning a long-standing waste problem into a deadly disaster.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 24/8/2026

 

Former DRC President challenges US sanctions in court

WASHINGTON, United States 

In a suit before a court in Washington, Joseph Kabila who led Congo from 2001 to 2019 wants his name removed from a US Treasury blacklist.

He contends that his sanctioning by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in April was based on unsubstantiated allegations.

Washington accuses Kabila of financing and offering political support to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who seized two Congolese provinces last year.

But Kabila counters that no transfer of funds or political incentive to the rebels from him is specified by the US government.

After years in self-imposed exile, Kabila emerged in Goma last year only months after the city fell to the rebels.

A Congolese military court has sentenced Kabila to death in absentia for treason and other charges over his role with M23.

Even after a peace deaal between Kinshasa and Kigali, violence has persisted in eastern Congo with both sides accusing each other of violations.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 23/8/2026

 

Man United stunned as Hull makes dream return to Premier League

KINGSTON, England 

Hull City made a dream return to the Premier League after a nine-year absence, beating Manchester United 2-0 on Saturday to puncture any preseason optimism surrounding the 20-time champions.

First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy at set-pieces consigned United to a tepid loss away to a team that was promoted via the second-tier Championship playoffs at the end of last season and is widely expected to be among the relegation candidates.

United finished third last season to secure a return to the Champions League, rewarding interim manager Michael Carrick with a permanent contract as well as a new midfield in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. 

Marcus Rashford has come back from a loan spell at Barcelona and entered as a halftime substitute.

They struggled to impress along with many other players in a lackluster team display that showed United — last a Premier League champion in 2013 under Alex Ferguson — still has far to go to recapture its former glories and is unlikely to challenge for the title, at least on this evidence anyway.

“We have a bit to improve on — it was never going to be perfect,” Carrick said.

“One game doesn’t change the direction of everything,” he added. “It doesn’t change the direction of the football club.”

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

CAIRO, Egypt 

Iran on Saturday denounced US plans for new sanctions that could put further strain ​on the Islamic Republic’s economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.

After nearly six months of war since the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28, the sides are not firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks.

Oil shipments are at a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran threatening to strike any unauthorized oil tankers that try to transit the vital waterway, and Iran’s economy is already under immense pressure from sanctions.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to hold a press conference on Monday after threatening “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran.

Bessent has also urged cooperation with Washington by China, which buys more than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped oil, according to 2025 data from ‌analytics firm Kpler. ‌Beijing has urged diplomacy.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Saturday the imminent US announcement ​of ‌new ⁠economic sanctions was ​an “assertion ⁠of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent member state of the United Nations.”

“Such secondary sanctions find no foundation in international law,” he said in a post on X.

The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, promised on Friday that Iran would respond to enemy threats militarily with “crushing, punishing and devastating responses.”

US President Donald Trump, who has warned of economic consequences against any country that provides “any type of lifeline to Iran,” said on Friday that Washington was observing “what happens” in the conflict.

“They would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump said of Iran.

While the US has effectively blockaded Iranian vessels in their ports, the Strait of ⁠Hormuz remained bottled up with thousands of seafarers stranded on hundreds of vessels.

Only four commodity ships ‌sailed along the strait on Thursday, none of them large crude carriers or liquefied ‌natural gas tankers, ship-tracking data showed.

However, Iran has granted permission for a number of ​Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait following repeated requests from ‌Baghdad, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

IRNA said obtaining special permission for Iraqi tankers was one of Baghdad’s main requests ‌during a visit to Iraq by Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US military helped move a seven-day average of 8 million barrels a day of oil through the strait.

That’s down from more than 20 million per day before the war or about one of every five barrels consumed worldwide.

US attacks have severely diminished Iran’s economy and devastated its navy and air force, but Tehran maintains enough missile and drone capability ‌to impede oil tanker traffic and attack regional rivals.

Abdollahi, the armed forces chief of staff, sought to underline Iran’s missile capabilities during a visit to an underground plant manufacturing ballistic missiles that was reported ⁠by state television on Saturday.

“This ⁠plant has been able, much better than in the past, to produce equipment superior both in capacities and quality and in quantity,” he said.

Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, said Tehran had received “numerous messages” from neighboring countries about establishing new regional security arrangements and economic cooperation.

Qalibaf, who did not say which countries he was referring to, accused the US of endangering the security of its allies in the region for the sake of Israel, adding that an independent, “homegrown” regional order would deliver peace and security.

Arsenal rout Coventry in 'perfect start' to Premier League title defense

LONDON, England 

Arsenal made light work of Premier League new arrivals Coventry City as the Gunners began their title defense with a statement 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Mikel Arteta's side backed up their billing as preseason title favorites with a victory that was never in doubt after Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored inside 23 minutes.

Captain Martin Ødegaard added a third goal four minutes into the second half.

"The perfect start," Ødegaard said.

The result gave Arteta his 150th win in 249 games in charge in the Premier League, with only Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson having achieved the feat in fewer games.

After winning their first league title in 22 years last season, Arsenal have their sights on becoming back-to-back English champions for the first time since they won three in a row between 1932 and 1935.

It was an inauspicious start to Coventry's first game back in the Premier League in 25 years.

Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard led Coventry back to the top flight after winning England's second-tier championship last season. But despite spending in excess of £120 million ($163 million) on seven new signings this summer, 

Coventry struggled to seriously threaten the champions and didn't have an effort on goal until the 86th minute.

"It is a big learning curve for the players but the lads kept going right to the end," Lampard said. "The important thing for me is to remain positive because Arsenal away will not define our season, it really won't. Now we have to look to see how we can improve."

Arsenal presented their latest signing, England defender Ezri Konsa, before kickoff, but Arteta named the impressive Christos Tzolis as the one newcomer in his starting lineup. Their biggest signing of the summer, midfielder Bruno Guimarães, missed out after suffering a knock in last week's Community Shield win over Manchester City.

With Guimarães out, Myles Lewis-Skelly, the subject of much speculation over a move away this summer, was named alongside Declan Rice in midfield.

But it was Tzolis who caught the eye as the left winger showed he could give this attack an added dimension by helping to set up both opening goals.

"I love that a player that has been with us just for a few weeks gets this kind of energy every time he's on the ball," Arteta said of Tzolis. "I think he's earned it. I think the way he has performed in the last few games has been phenomenal.

"What he transmits as a player is so direct, so incisive, constantly. He wants to make things happen and he has an incredible variety of actions in the last 30 meters. I think it's up to him to make the right decisions. Even the spaces are sometimes really, really small. I'm very happy with him."

First the Greece international stole possession to feed defender Riccardo Calafiori, who squared the ball for Havertz to slot home in the 15th minute.

Havertz scored only twice in the league last season after he was sidelined for almost five months with a knee injury sustained on the opening weekend. But after he started, and scored, in Arsenal's crushing 3-0 win over Man City five days ago, the Germany international was retained in the lineup -- in favor of former Coventry striker Viktor Gyökeres -- and back on the scoresheet.

Havertz has now scored seven goals in his past eight matches with club and country dating back to last season's Champions League final.

Tzolis then sent a cross in from the left that goalkeeper Carl Rushworth managed to push into the path of Saka, who scored into an empty net in the 23rd.

"Amazing, he played a brilliant game," Ødegaard added of the new signing. "He has been brilliant all preseason. He's so lively, it's hard to defend him. He's a really intelligent player, he always looks up and finds the right pass."

There were question marks over the fitness of Rice and Saka during England's run to the semifinals of the World Cup. And both were, perhaps tellingly, withdrawn after the hour mark here.

Ødegaard added the third shortly after the break after his scuffed shot looped in out of reach of Rushworth. The Norway international gave an apologetic shrug as a celebration.

"It was not the best finish, but I was there," Ødegaard said.

At the other end, the only time Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was troubled was when a speculative overhead kick from Loum Tchaouna from outside the box sailed just high of the bar in the 42nd. 

The visitors' only effort on target came late on, when Jack Rudoni managed only a weak header straight at Raya.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 22/8/2026

 

Tanzanian opposition leader to face trial on treason charges

By Our Correspondent, DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania 

Tanzania’s opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, is to face trial on treason charges after a court on Friday ruled that he has a case to answer.

The head of the opposition Chadema party has been detained since April last year for allegedly inciting the public to boycott the November elections.

Ahead of the polls Lissu's party had conducted an election reform campaign dubbed "No Reforms, No Elections", which led to his arrest.

Tanzania’s faced international criticism for its violent repression of protests around the elections with opposition and rights groups saying thousands were killed by security forces.

Security was tight on Friday as his supporters packed the high court for the ruling which was also attended by foreign diplomats.

Lissu, a long-time campaigner who returned from exile in 2023, has faced multiple arrests over the years and survived an assassination attempt in 2017.

The ruling by a three-judge bench came days after prosecutors presented evidence and 17 witnesses testified against him.

Lissu, who represented himself, said the judges needed to ensure he could meet his lawyers who have not been allowed to visit him in jail.

He also asked them to “summon” several high-ranking government officials - including President Samia Hassan - he intends calling as defence witnesses.

Other witnesses he intends to summon are the former Vice-president, Isdor Mpango, former Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa and leading security officers; the Inspector General of police, Chief of armed forces and the Director of intelligence unit. 

If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.

Lissu's party accuses Hassan, who won the last election with 98 per cent of the vote, of a return to the repressive tactics of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

The government says more than 500 people were killed during the election unrest, without saying who was responsible.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 21/8/2026