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Namibia’s president sacks Agricuture Minister over rape allegations

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Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has sacked the country’s Agriculture Minister Mac-Albert Hengari.

“By virtue of the powers vested in the President by Article 32(6) of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has relieved Hon. Dr. Mac-Albert Hengari of his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform,” Namibia presidency said in a statement on X on Sunday.

The former minister was arrested on Saturday over multiple charges including rape, gender-based violence and kidnapping according to local media reports.

There have been conflicting reports that he had resigned on his own before being fired. “I resigned as minister, but l cannot comment further,” he said.

It is alleged that Hengari had raped a 21-year-old woman and later tried to bribe her to withdraw the case she had filed last year.

He was appointed Minister of Agriculture in March after President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah included him among her top eight parliamentary candidates.

Investigations are still ongoing into the case.



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Usyk to fight Dubois again in July for undisputed heavyweight championship

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Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois have confirmed they’ll fight again for the undisputed heavyweight championship in July.

Both fighters posted details on the bout on Instagram on Sunday, confirming an earlier report that the fight will take place on July 19 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

“This is the fight I wanted and demanded and now I get my chance for revenge,” Dubois said.

The British fighter, who holds the IBF belt, had been pushing for a rematch since Usyk stopped him in the ninth round of a controversial first fight between the rivals in Poland in August 2023.

It was halted in the fifth round for what the referee ruled a low blow by Dubois that sent Usyk to the canvas, with replays showing the punch hitting around the Ukrainian’s belt. It was not given as a knockdown, no points were deducted from Dubois, and Usyk was given time to recover.

The 38-year-old Usyk holds the WBA, WBC and WBO belts and is undefeated as a pro.

“Thank you, Daniel, for taking care of my IBF belt – now I want it back,” Usyk said.

Usyk relinquished the IBF title when he chose to fight in a rematch against Tyson Fury in December. He won that bout in Saudi Arabia, like he did their first fight in May, the first fight for the undisputed championship since 2000.

Dubois defeated compatriot Anthony Joshua in his first fight as IBF champ in September, securing a fifth-round knockout in a dominant performance.



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Dozens killed in U.S. bombing on Yemeni detention centre for African migrants

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Yemen’s Houthi authorities on Monday alleged a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The U.S. military had no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country’s decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion

Graphic footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site.

The Civil Defense agency said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack.

Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.

A woman’s voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.

African migrants caught in middle of Yemen’s war

Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border.

Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces, causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.”

Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants.



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Visitors pay their respects at Pope Francis’ tomb

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Roman Catholic faithful began visiting the tomb of Pope Francis on Sunday, filing past the simple white tomb in St. Mary Major Basilica a day after he was bade farewell by the powerful of the world and a crowd of hundreds of thousands.

A single white rose was placed on the tomb that said “Franciscus” — the pope’s name in Latin.

A light cast its warm glow over the tomb and a reproduction of the late pontiff’s pectoral cross on the wall above it.

People filed past, many crossing themselves or snapping photos with their phones.

Ushers urged them to keep moving to accommodate the thousands who flocked to the Rome basilica to see the tomb, forming a long line outside.

The tomb was opened on the second of nine days of official mourning for Francis, after which a conclave will be held to elect the next pope.

Meanwhile, a special Mass was held in St. Peter’s Square led by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state.

Parolin is considered a possible contender to be the next pope due to his prominence in the Catholic hierarchy.

No date has yet been set for the conclave, but it must start by May 10.

Cardinals who traveled to Rome for Francis’ funeral will be meeting regularly this week ahead of the conclave as they start to chart a way forward for the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.

Pope Francis chose his place of burial in St. Mary Major Basilica, near an icon of the Madonna that he revered, because it reflects his “humble, simple and essential” life, the archbishop who administers the basilica said Friday.



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