TURKEY IS STEPPING UP ITS INFLUENCE IN WEST AFRICA – WHAT’S BEHIND ITS BID FOR SOFT POWER

Fri 27 June 2025: Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa as the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region shifts. In Senegal, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation has entered a key partnership in the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, Karpowership, a company providing electricity via floating power plants, now supplies energy to eight African countries. But […]

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TRUMP ATTACKS NEW YORK MUSLIM MAYORAL CANDIDATE, CALLS HIM ‘EXTREME COMMUNIST’

Thu 26 June 2025: US President Donald Trump has launched a sharp attack on Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim Democratic candidate and outspoken supporter of Palestine, following his victory in the party’s primary for New York City mayor, describing him as an “extreme communist” and a “communist lunatic”. In a post published on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump […]

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SNOW, FLOODS AND DANGEROUS ROADS: SOUTH AFRICA GRIPPED BY WINTER STORM

Thu 26 June 2025: The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has urged drivers to remain extremely cautious as harsh weather conditions continue to impact parts of the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Northern Cape. This follows a warning from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) earlier this week, advising that a strong cold front would […]

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AMID US-PAKISTAN THAW, TWO KEY CHALLENGES: IRAN AND CHINA

Thu 26 June 2025: Pakistani army chief Munir’s US trip suggests warming ties after past diplomatic friction. But challenges remain. Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has held an unprecedented one-on-one meeting with United States President Donald Trump at the White House, where the two leaders spoke for more than two hours, according to […]

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TRUMP URGES ISRAEL TO CANCEL NETANYAHU’S TRIAL OR GRANT A PARDON

Thu 26 June 2025: US President Donald Trump has called for the immediate cancellation of the corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or for him to be granted a pardon, describing the ongoing legal proceedings during wartime as “unprecedented” and “a ridiculous campaign”. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and […]

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FAITH LEADERS CHALLENGE TEXAS LAW REQUIRING TEN COMMANDMENTS IN CLASSROOMS

 Visitors walk past a monument of the Ten Commandments outside of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, the US. Thu 26 June 2025: The complaint alleges that a law requiring the religious text violates ‘fundamental religious-freedom principles’ in the US. A group of faith leaders in the United States have filed a lawsuit seeking […]

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THAILAND MOVES TO RE-CRIMINALISE CANNABIS IN BLOW TO $1BN INDUSTRY

Thu 26 June 2025: The order to restrict cannabis use for medical purposes only must pass another hurdle before becoming law. The Thai government is moving to tighten rules around the sale of cannabis, just three years after the kingdom decriminalised recreational use of the popular substance. Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday night ordered […]

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