Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Tanzania bans foreigners from operating 15 small businesses
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
The government of Tanzania has banned non-citizens from running 15 small-and medium-sized businesses in the country, a move that could jeopardise its relations with neighbouring and international nations.
In a special Gazette notice issued on July 28, 2025, Trade Minister Selemani Jafo explained that the government shall not issue or renew a licence for a foreigner to carry out any of the stipulated businesses.
These include mobile money transfers, electronic repairs, small-scale mining, postal and parcel delivery, tour guiding, establishment and operation of radio and television as well as operation of museum shops.
Others are real estate, clearing and forwarding services, on-farm crop purchasing operations and home, office or environmental cleaning companies.
Salon businesses will also be prohibited unless it is conducted in a hotel or for tourism purposes.
Selling goods on a wholesale and retail basis will also be banned for foreigners. This, however, excludes supermarkets, specialised product outlets and wholesale centers for local producers.
Foreigners also won't be allowed to run gambling machines and small industries.
Non-citizens caught running the businesses stipulated above will be liable to face a fine not less than ten million Tanzania shillings ($3,616.6) or face a jail term not exceeding six months.
The penalty also includes revocation of visa and residence permit.
Further, any Tanzanian citizen who assists a foreigner to carry out any banned business shall be liable to pay 5 million TZsh ($1,808.3) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.
UN warns of rising hunger in Africa amid global decline
NEW YORK, United States
While global hunger is showing signs of decline, a new United Nations report highlights a troubling trend in Africa, where hunger continues to rise.
According to the report, an estimated 512 million people worldwide will remain undernourished by the end of the decade, 60% of them in Africa.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning during the African Union’s Global Food Systems Summit, held in Ethiopia. Speaking via video, Guterres cautioned that food must never be used “as a weapon of war,” as he joined other leaders in calling for urgent action to address the continent’s deepening food crisis.
The numbers are alarming: more than 280 million people across Africa are currently malnourished.
African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf pointed to climate shocks, conflict, and economic disruption as the key drivers of worsening food insecurity.
“Fifty-two million Africans face food insecurity, and nearly 3.4 million are on the brink of famine,” Youssouf said.
Leaders at the summit emphasized the need for stronger investments in agriculture, climate resilience, and social protection systems to reverse the trend.
Without swift, coordinated efforts, the continent risks becoming home to half of the world’s undernourished population within the next five years.
Monday, July 28, 2025
Putin, Netanyahu discuss Syria's integrity, Iranian nuclear issue in call
MOSCOW, Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Russian president "emphasized, among other things, the importance of upholding the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as strengthening its internal political stability through respect for the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic and religious groups in the population," the statement noted.
According to the Kremlin press service, Putin also underscored Moscow's willingness to engage in efforts to seek a negotiated resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
"Against the backdrop of the recent escalation in Iranian-Israeli tensions, Russia has expressed its readiness to provide all possible assistance in facilitating a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue," the statement said.
Trump slashes Russia ultimatum to '10 or 12 days'
EDINBURGH, Scotland
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is "very disappointed" with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that he is considering shortening the 50-day deadline he previously set for a ceasefire deal in Ukraine.
Trump made the remarks ahead of talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland.
Speaking to reporters before heading indoors, Trump said that he may shorten the deadline he had previously imposed.
"We're going to have to look. I'm going to reduce the 50 days ... because I think I already know the answer," he added.
"There is no reason in waiting," Trump said, adding he thought Putin would want to end things quick.
"I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it's going to end he kills people.
"I'm not so interested in talking (to him) anymore," he added.
Ukraine swiftly praised the US president's stand and thanked Trump for "standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength".
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to impose "very severe" tariffs on Russia if a ceasefire deal was not reached within 50 days.
Gaza experiencing 'real starvation', Trump says
ABERDEENSHIRE, Scotland
There is "real starvation" in Gaza, Donald Trump has said, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted there was no such thing.
Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu that it was a "bold-faced lie" to say Israel was fuelling hunger in Gaza, the US president replied: "I don't know... those children look very hungry... that's real starvation stuff."
Speaking during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, Trump said: "Nobody's done anything great over there. The whole place is a mess... I told Israel maybe they have to do it a different way."
His comments came after the UN's humanitarian chief said "vast amounts" of food were needed to stave off starvation.
Tom Fletcher told reporters welcomed Israel's measures over the weekend to allow more aid into Gaza in the form of airdrops, and military pauses to allow food convoys to reach people.
But he said what had been delivered so far was just "a drop in the ocean" of what was required.
"It's the beginning, but the next few days are really make or break. We need to deliver at a much, much greater scale. We need vast amounts of aid going in, much faster," he said.
Israel said 120 lorry loads were collected from crossings on Sunday during the first daily 10-hour "tactical pause" in military operations, and that Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped 28 packages of food.
Hours after Mr Fletcher spoke, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said another 14 people had died as a result of malnutrition over the past 24 hours.
That brought the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since the war begin in October 2023 to 147, including 88 children, according to the ministry.
Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to Gaza, has denied there is starvation in Gaza and rejected accusations of being responsible for food shortages.
On Sunday, the Israeli military began actions that it said would improve the "humanitarian response" in Gaza and disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation".
Israel announced there would be a "local tactical pause" in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, as well the establishment of "designated secure routes" for aid convoys.
The military also allowed aid drops carried out by foreign countries to resume, despite humanitarian agencies warning that the method was ineffective and dangerous.
Israeli military body Cogat, which co-ordinates the entry of aid into Gaza, said more than 120 lorry loads of aid were collected from crossings by the UN and other international organisations on Sunday, and that hundreds more lorry loads were awaiting collection.
Mr Fletcher said the UN had collected fewer than 100 lorry loads in that time, and noted that 600 to 700 loads had entered Gaza daily on average during the two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the start of this year.
Asked to respond to Israel's criticism of UN agencies for not collecting aid from crossings, he said: "We're not going to leave on pallets if we can. But to get to it our drivers face bureaucratic constraints, they face massive security constraints."
He also said that most of the UN's food lorries were looted after entering Gaza on Sunday.
"Most of those lorries... were hit by desperate individual civilians, starving. The flour was taken off those lorries and its very, very dangerous for our drivers."
Nigeria kidnappers kill 38 hostages even after ransom paid
ABUJA, Nigeria
Kidnappers in Nigeria have killed at least 38 people they abducted from a village in northern Zamfara state despite ransoms being paid for their release, a local official said.
In recent years, criminal gangs in the region, known in the country as bandits, have taken to kidnapping people as a means to raise money.
In this incident, 56 people were taken from Banga village, Kauran Namoda local government area in March. The gunmen then demanded a ransom of one million naira ($655; £485) per captive, media in Nigeria report.
Local government chairman Manniru Haidara Kaura said that most of those killed were young people who "were slaughtered like rams".
"What happened was that the bandits demanded ransom money, and after some back-and-forth, they were given what they asked for. They then released 18 people, including 17 women and one young boy, on Saturday," Haidara added.
"Only they [the gunmen] know why they killed them. They are senseless and heartless people. They forget that they are killing their own brothers, and we will all meet before Allah."
Sixteen of those released on Saturday are in the hospital receiving treatment, while the bodies of the 38 killed by the bandits are unlikely to be returned as in these cases corpses are rarely released.
In an attempt to curb the spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was enacted in 2022 making it a crime to make ransom payments. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested on those charges.
It also made abduction punishable by death in cases where victims die.
But families often feel forced to pay to save their loved ones, citing the government's inability to ensure their safety.
Sunday, July 27, 2025
England beat Spain on penalties to win Euro 2025
By Emma Sanders, BASEL Switzerland
England cemented their place in history with a stunning penalty-shootout victory over Spain to retain their European title at Euro 2025.
Chloe Kelly, who scored the iconic winner at Wembley in the final of Euro 2022, was the hero again as she converted the decisive spot-kick to seal victory after Spain had missed three in a row, with Hannah Hampton saving two of them.
It is the first time an England team has won a major trophy on foreign soil and seals manager Sarina Wiegman's status as one of the world's greatest with her third successive European title - achieved with two countries.
The Lionesses also became the first side to win a single-legged Euros final having been behind at half-time, proving they are the ultimate comeback queens.
They looked down and out when they trailed for a fourth time at Euro 2025, having conceded first in all three knockout matches - but they would not allow their story to end in such a feeble manner.
Mariona Caldentey's first-half header had put Spain in control, but it did little to dampen England's unwavering belief and they refused to be beaten.
Substitute Kelly's introduction changed things when she came on for a struggling Lauren James, named in the starting XI by Wiegman despite doubts over an ankle injury in the build-up.
Kelly's whipped cross picked out Alessia Russo, who headed the ball into the far corner to make it 1-1.
The Lionesses then dug deep, putting in endless blocks and playing for a shootout, knowing they had what it took to deliver under pressure and complete the greatest achievement by an England team.
US-EU tariff deal a big Trump win but not a total defeat for Brussels
WASHINGTON, United States
After weeks of tense negotiations between their top trade officials, the European Union and US have finally struck a framework deal - and it comes on the eve of America's latest round of tariff talks with China.
Ultimately it took leaders from Washington and Brussels to sit down face to face to reach Sunday's agreement.
That's something we've also seen with the other deals that President Donald Trump has struck - his personal involvement is what has pushed them over the line – even when the prospects of a breakthrough did not seem bright.
This matters to both sides because so many businesses and jobs depend on what the EU calls "the world's largest bilateral trade and investment relationship".
The Trump administration is celebrating this as a big win and in many ways it is. But it is also not a total defeat for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"The entire European press is singing the president's praises right now, amazed at the deal he negotiated on behalf of Americans," Vice President JD Vance said in a post on social media site X.
"Tomorrow the American media will undoubtedly run headlines like 'Donald Trump Only Got 99.9 Percent of What He Asked For," he added.
The consolation is that the EU now faces a 15% US tariff, rather than the 30% that had been threatened.
But it is still a major climbdown as the rate is a lot higher than before Trump's so-called Liberation Day in April and not as good as the UK's 10% rate.
Brussels can point to the fact that the lower rate applies to many major European exports, including pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.
It is also means EU carmakers will face a 15% US import tax, rather than the 25% global tariff that was brought in at the start of April.
But in return the EU is "opening up their countries at zero tariff" to American exports, Trump said.
EU steel and aluminium will also continue to face a 50% tariff when sold into the US.
The bloc has spent weeks trying to present itself as a tough negotiator as it prepared retaliatory tariffs and warned it could follow through on them.
The threatened measures would have hit €100bn ($117.6bn; £87.5bn) of US goods sold into the EU.
In May, a 217 page list of what could be targeted was published. It included everything from livestock to aircraft parts and whiskey.
But going into the talks Brussels had major challenges to its bargaining position.
The timing is far from ideal to risk a trade war with the world's biggest economy.
Europe's economic growth has been sluggish for some time and just last week the European Central Bank warned that "the environment remains exceptionally uncertain, especially because of trade disputes."
This deal removes some of that uncertainty and ultimately the European Commission, which negotiates on trade for the EU's 27 members, has decided that is worth the price even if President Trump's 15% tariffs do end up reducing the volume of trade because they make its exports to the US less competitive.
Dozens killed in attack on church in the eastern DR Congo
ITURI, DR Congo
Dozens of people were killed on Sunday in an attack on a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo believed to have been carried out by Islamic State-backed rebels.
Civil society leaders said suspected members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) stormed the building in the town of Komanda, armed with machetes and guns.
The attack took place as Catholic Christians attended an overnight prayer vigil at the church, run by the Caritas charity.
Several houses and shops were also burnt down and the search continues for missing people.
Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda in Ituri province, said it was “incredible” that an attack like this could occur in a town where security officials are present.
He has demanded a military intervention as soon as possible saying they had been told that “the enemy is still near our town”.
The ADF, with ties to the Islamic State, a rebel group that operates in the borderland between Uganda and the DRC, has routinely conducted attacks against civilians.
It was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with Yoweri Museveni.
In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the ADF moved its activities to neighbouring DRC and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians.
The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Congo has condemned a recent resurgence in violence in Ituri.
Earlier this month, ADF killed dozens of people in the province in what a UN spokesperson described as a “bloodbath”.
The DRC army has long struggled against the rebel group, and has now been grappling with a complex web of attacks since renewed hostilities with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
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