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Key suspect in Tadamon massacre during Syria Civil War arrested16 minutes agoRaffi BergReutersA Syrian interior minister said that a key suspect in one the most notorious killings in the Syrian civil conflict has been arrested. Amjad Youssef had been wanted for the mass killings of civilians which occurred in April 2013 in Tadamon, a district in Damascus. In 2022, footage emerged showing Syrian soldiers leading victims bound and blindfolded to a pit, before shooting them. The video was one of the most direct visual evidences of extrajudicial killings committed by the then government forces.

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Kenyan leader sparks uproar after mocking Nigerians’ spoken English2 hours agoWycliffe MuiaNairobiReutersKenyan President William Ruto has faced a social media backlash after publicly suggesting that Nigerian-accented English was incomprehensible and required a translator. Ruto told Kenyans in Italy that if you listen to Nigerians speak, you won’t understand what they are saying. You need a translator His remarks were harshly condemned by Nigerians and Africans online, who accused him of demeaning another African nation. Hopewell Chin’ono wrote that “English is not a measure for intelligence, capability or national progress, but a colonial-era language.” Both Kenya and Nigeria, as former British colonies, share English as their official language. However, each country has developed its own spoken varieties, with different phonetic structure. “Our education is excellent. Our English is good. We speak some of best English in the World. Listening to a Nigerian, you won’t understand what they are saying. “You need a translator, even when they speak English,” he said. The room laughed. “We have the best human resources anywhere in the globe. Ruto said that we just need to improve it through more training. Many users have condemned the Kenyan leader’s remarks for displaying a “deep inferiority complicated rooted in colonial conditioning”. Shehu Sani, a former Nigerian senator, posted on X that Ruto was mocking the English of his country by a Nobel Prize for The exchanges usually revolve around pop culture, sport, and economic comparisons. More recently, they have also included political remarks. While Ruto didn’t make There has been no official response from Ruto’s government, but some Kenyans have defended him online, arguing that critics have misunderstood the intent of his remarks and missed the humour.You may also be interested in: Women secretly filmed, then ridiculed and abused online’They told me he was dead’: Children born near army base learn truth about UK soldier dadsRationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran warOne ant for $220: The new frontier of wildlife traffickingGetty Images/BBCGo to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafricaBBC Africa podcastsFocus on AfricaThis Is AfricaKenyaNigeriaAfrica

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Two trains collide in Denmark, with four people being critically injured. Egetved is the mayor of Gribskov and said that those with critical injuries were flown to the National Hospital, Copenhagen. She wrote on Facebook that the local track was used by many Gribskov workers, students and residents. Rail accidents are rare in Denmark. One expert suggested that the train driver had overridden a stop sign as the train left the local station. The Gribskov Line is not believed to have an automated safety system. Trine Egetved, a public broadcaster DR, said that it was shocking that the two trains could collide.

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Pentagon: US Navy chief leaves post ‘effectively immediately’ 25 minutes agoSareen HabeshianReutersUS Navy secretary John Phelan will leave the Trump administration on Wednesday. His departure will be “effectively immediately”, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in a post on social media. Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve on an acting basis in the role, which is largely administrative.Phelan is the latest high-ranking military leader to leave the administration in recent months. His departure coincides with the US-Israeli war against Iran and the continuing US blockade of Strait of Hormuz. The Navy has not given a reason. Unconfirmed media reports claim that his departure was due to tensions within the American leadership regarding shipbuilding issues. Parnell wrote: “On behalf the Secretary of war and Deputy secretary of war, we thank Secretary Phelan on behalf of the Department and United States Navy for his service.” “We wish him success in his future endeavors.” “It’s just weeks after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth requested Army Chief of Staff Randy George step down from his position. Gen David Hodne, Maj Gen William Green and two other Army officials were also removed from their posts recently. Phelan lost his job because he also clashed with Hegseth about the implementation of Trump’s shipbuilding initiative. This was according to sources that spoke to several news outlets. Hegseth asks US Army top general to resign. The secretary’s role is largely administration and includes formulating policy, recruiting, equipping and training the Navy, as also overseeing budgeting, logistics, like construction and repair of naval vessels and facilities. Phelan, who was not The businessman was one of the major donors to Trump’s presidential campaign. They appeared together at Mar-a-Lago in December last year when Trump announced the US would commission new, heavily armed Navy battleships named after him as part of a revamped, “Golden Fleet”, which Phe “Eventually, someone was going to be held accountable for the lackadaisical attitude towards this.” Peek said that I would guess that about 30% of the problem is this. “The other 30% – Phelan’s replacement is well known to MAGA base. I would bet that it’s a replacement with someone who he likes or trusts better,” Peek added. Trump unveils plans for “Golden Fleet” battleships named in his honorPhe The AP reported that the Navy’s new leadership will continue the US naval blockade against Iranian ports despite a ceasefire. The White House Press Secretary KarolineLeavitt said that the president was “satisfied with the ongoing US navy blockade of Iranian ports” and “understands Iran’s very weak position”.Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that it is “not feasible” for Subscribe to the UK readers here. Sign up here if you are not in the UK. US Armed ForcesUnited States

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Lebanon Official The Kha Official ” Sala The The The Clayton ” This The According It The Sara Lebanon C C I At According The The IDF said earlier on Wednesday that Hezbollah launched an attack on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.On the same day, Hezbollah issued four statements saying it had struck Israeli targets in south Lebanon, “in response to the Israeli enemy’s violation of the ceasefire”, according to the AFP news agency.Last week, a meeting hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio brought Lebanese and Israeli envoys together for the first direct, high-level contact in three decades between the two countries.Following the talks, their governments agreed to implement a 10-day cessation of hostilities that began on Friday in order to “enable good-faith negotiations toward a permanent security and peace agreement”, the US state department said.Ahead of Thursday’s follow-up talks in Washington, Lebanon’s president confirmed that efforts were under way to extend the ceasefire.Aoun said preserving Lebanese sovereignty over all of its territory was his top priority, and that Lebanese negotiators would seek an end to Israeli attacks, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, release of Lebanese prisoners in Israel, deployment of Lebanese troops along the Israeli border, and the beginning of reconstruction process, according to a statement from his office.A Lebanese official told AFP news agency that Lebanon would request a one-month extension of the ceasefire at the talks.In a speech to Israeli diplomats, Israel’s foreign minister said the two countries should “work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built”.Three Lebanese journalists killed in Israeli strike, say broadcastersIsraeli triple-tap strike kills three paramedics in Lebanon, officials sayAl Jazeera condemns killing of journalist in Israeli strike in GazaMiddle EastIsraelHezbollahLebanonIran war