Gunfire shattered the calm at the Philippine Senate on Tuesday, forcing senators to shelter in their offices as a lawmaker sought by the International Criminal Court remained inside the building. At least five shots echoed through the Senate complex, according to AFP journalists inside, moments after soldiers carrying rifles and wearing protective gear moved up the building’s stairs. Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla told reporters no one had been hurt and said authorities were still trying to identify and locate the…

In a move that has sparked widespread outcry, activist and opposition figure Zainab Sheriff was sentenced to four years in prison for incitement. Known not only for her political stance but also as a model and musician, Sheriff was arrested in February after she voiced her criticisms regarding alleged electoral fraud at a political event. The contentious results of the 2023 general elections have ignited fierce debate, with numerous opposition leaders challenging the legitimacy of the polls that allowed President Julius…

By  MOGOMOTSI MAGOMEThursday April 16, 2026 Julius Malema, one of South Africa’s most prominent and polarizing opposition figures, was handed a five-year prison sentence Thursday after being convicted of violating firearm laws for firing a rifle at a political rally in 2018. He was released while he awaits the outcome of an appeal, which will be heard at a later date. If the conviction and sentence are ultimately confirmed, Malema would lose his seat in Parliament. Under South African law, anyone sentenced to more than 12…

South African Firebrand Politician Julius Malema Jailed for Gun-Law Violation CAPE TOWN - South African opposition leader Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years in prison after a court found he fired a rifle into the air at a political rally in 2018. The ruling closes a case tied to an Economic Freedom Fighters celebration held that year. What was the case against Malema? Malema was convicted in October of illegally possessing a firearm and discharging it in a public place. Prosecutors said he fired the rifle into…

COLOMBIA–VENEZUELA BORDER — A Satena passenger plane carrying 15 people crashed near Colombia’s border with Venezuela on Monday, killing everyone on board, the country’s civil aviation authority said. The twin‑propeller Beechcraft 1900 took off from the border city of Cucuta and lost contact with control towers shortly before it was due to land in nearby Ocana around midday (5 p.m. GMT). “There are no survivors,” an official from the aviation authority said. The aircraft was carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.…

Gabriel Kyungu Wa Kumwanza, co-founder of the UDPS with Étienne Tshisekediau in the early 1980s and supported by Félix Tshisekedi, the current resident of the Republic, died on Saturday, August 21 in Luanda, Angola. Gabriel Kyungu was an atypical character who could pass the test of time by changing political camps if necessary.…

Scandal in Senegal after the arrest, between 26 and 28 November, of forty people in "recovery centers" in the marabout SerigneModou Kara Mbacké, religious leader of the Brotherhood of Mourides, and also a political personality. According to the gendarmerie, young people were victims of "kidnapping, assault, even torture" in these centers in Dakar and its suburbs. An investigation is underway.…

Prominent Malian politician Soumaila Cissé, who was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in March, was released on Wednesday after Mali released over 100 alleged or convicted jihadists as part of negotiations to secure his release. Mali also released the prisoners in hopes of getting the release of abducted French aid worker Sophie Pétronin, who was kidnapped by the shooter in December 2016 in the northern city of Gao. "As part of the negotiations for the release of Soumaila Cisséand Sophie Pétronin, more than a hundred…