New Post Africa

Category: International

  • UAE air defences intercept another wave of Iranian missiles and drones

    UAE air defences intercept another wave of Iranian missiles and drones

    INTERNATIONAL — (NPA) March 15 — The United Arab Emirates authorities announced that its air defence system intercepted four ballistic missiles and six drones launched from Iran on March 15, 2026.

    According to a statement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the latest interception adds to a growing tally since the start of Iranian attacks. In total, UAE air defences have dealt with 298 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,606 drones.

    The ministry noted that the Iranian strikes have caused the deaths of six individuals of Emirati, Pakistani, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi nationalities, while 142 others sustained minor to moderate injuries. The injured include people of diverse backgrounds, among them Emirati, Egyptian, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese, Afghan, Bahraini, Comorian, Turkish, Iraqi, Nepalese, Nigerian, Omani, Jordanian, Palestinian, Ghanaian, Indonesian, and Swedish nationals.

    The UAE Ministry of Defence stressed that the country remains on high alert and fully prepared to counter any threats. It reaffirmed its commitment to firmly respond to actions aimed at destabilising the state’s security, while ensuring the preservation of sovereignty, stability, and the protection of national interests and capabilities.

  • NDLEA arrests UK-bound 74-year-old grandfather with 11kg of cocaine

    NDLEA arrests UK-bound 74-year-old grandfather with 11kg of cocaine

    ABUJA, NIGERIA — (NPA) March 15 — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 74-year-old grandfather, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after discovering a large consignment of cocaine concealed in foil papers and balloons inside his luggage.

    According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, the septuagenarian claimed he was travelling to London for vacation and was attempting to board British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow on Saturday, March 14, 2026. “During a search of his luggage, blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilograms were discovered concealed inside food items, including ground dry pepper, carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons,” Babafemi said.

    In a separate operation, the agency, acting on credible intelligence, arrested Mrs Maryam Olalowo at Ikad Hotel and Suites, Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, in the early hours of Monday, March 9. She was caught attempting to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. At the time of her arrest, she was with her three children, including an infant. She confessed that the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was later taken into custody the same day, while she was released immediately.

    Ibrahim admitted ownership of the illicit substances in his statement. Further investigation revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015.

  • 3 Iranian female footballers opt to return home after humanitarian visa offer

    3 Iranian female footballers opt to return home after humanitarian visa offer

    SPORTS— (NPA) March 15, 2026—Three members of Iran’s women’s national football team have chosen to return to their country despite being granted humanitarian visas in Australia.

    According to ABC News, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the decision, noting that the players were given multiple opportunities to explore their options but ultimately decided to rejoin their team in Iran.

    The move comes after seven players and staff sought asylum following the Women’s Asian Cup tournament in Australia. Four of those individuals have now reversed course and left the country.

    Burke emphasised that while the government ensured the women had access to safe alternatives, the broader circumstances influencing their choices could not be removed.

    “The Australian government has done everything it could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia,” he said. “Australians should be proud that it was here they experienced genuine choices and support.”

    The Iranian squad arrived in Australia on March 1, just one day after U.S. and Israeli air strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tensions were evident during the tournament, with some players refusing to sing the national anthem before their opening match against South Korea. Iranian state television later branded the team “traitors.”

    Under Iran’s penal code, charges of treason or corruption can carry severe penalties, including lengthy imprisonment or even execution.

    Initially, five players fled their team hotel on the Gold Coast, fearing persecution if they returned home. They were granted humanitarian visas, followed shortly by another player and a staff member. However, within days, one of the seven asylum seekers had already decided to return to Iran—a choice now echoed by three more teammates.

  • Pope Leo XIV moves into Apostolic Palace apartment from Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio

    Pope Leo XIV moves into Apostolic Palace apartment from Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio

    VATICAN CITY — (NPA) March 15 — The Holy See Press Office has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV has taken possession of the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, moving in with close collaborators on Saturday afternoon.

    Matteo Bruni, Director of the Press Office, said the pontiff had previously resided at the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio since the start of his pontificate, where he had lived while serving as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. The newly renovated apartment, located in the Third Loggia of the Apostolic Palace, includes a private study overlooking St. Peter’s Square, a library, and a small chapel.

    According to the Vatican, Pope Leo removed the seals on the apartment in May 2025, which had been placed following the death of Pope Francis, who chose to reside at Casa Santa Marta. The residence has historic significance, with Saint Pius X (1903–1914) being the first pontiff to occupy the rooms in the Third Loggia.

  • US strikes Iran’s Kharg Island as Trump warns of total destruction of oil assets

    US strikes Iran’s Kharg Island as Trump warns of total destruction of oil assets

    ABUJA, NIGERIA — (NPA) MARCH 14 — The United States Army Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed a large-scale precision strike on Iran’s oil-rich Kharg Island and the epicentre of its oil and industry.

    In a statement on Saturday, CENTCOM said the operation destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile bunkers, and multiple military sites, successfully hitting more than 90 Iranian targets while deliberately preserving the island’s oil infrastructure.

    Following the attack, US President Donald Trump warned that any further Iranian attempt to block vessels in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger the destruction of Iran’s oil and gas assets on Kharg Island. The island, which handles about 90% of Iran’s crude exports, sits near the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic chokepoint through which 20% of global oil flows. Control or disruption of Kharg directly impacts global energy markets and regional security.

    A portion of the CENTCOM statement read: “Last night, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, Iran. The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites. U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure.”

    Iran has vowed to retaliate by targeting energy production facilities across the region if its oil and gas infrastructure comes under attack.

    The escalation between the United States, Israel, and Iran shows no sign of easing. The confrontation began two weeks ago, with Iran launching missile strikes on Gulf nations and energy infrastructure in a bid to drive up global energy costs as part of its war strategy.

    Meanwhile, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has expressed concern over the rising tensions, warning that any prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz or Kharg Island could destabilise global oil supply and trigger sharp price increases. OPEC urged restraint from all parties, stressing the need to safeguard energy infrastructure critical to the stability of international markets.

  • PHOTO REPORT: Pope Leo XIV meets Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as they make their ‘ad Limina Apostolorum’ visit to Rome on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

    PHOTO REPORT: Pope Leo XIV meets Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as they make their ‘ad Limina Apostolorum’ visit to Rome on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

    INTERNATIONAL — (NPA) MARCH 14 —Watch Pope Leo XIV’s message to Catholic Bishops of Nigeria during their ad Limina Apostolorum visit to Rome on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

    Credit: VATICAN News.

  • US places $10 million high-stakes bounty on Supreme Leader and other Iranian leaders

    US places $10 million high-stakes bounty on Supreme Leader and other Iranian leaders

    INTERNATIONAL — (NPA) MARCH 14 — The U.S. State Department has offered $10 million and a pathway to resettlement in America for Iranians who can reveal the whereabouts of ten senior figures in the Islamic Republic’s power structure. The move is part of Washington’s campaign against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

    Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — and Ali Larijani, national security adviser and veteran politician, are the most recognisable names. Not all ten are identified; four positions, including the secretary of the defence council, are listed only by title, reflecting rapid turnover after recent airstrikes and the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February.

    The bounty notably excludes some of Iran’s top leadership. President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi — who assumed collective leadership after Khamenei’s death — are absent. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who joined Friday’s pro-Palestinian march in Tehran alongside Larijani and Pezeshkian, also escaped inclusion.

    The timing coincided with Quds Day demonstrations, where leaders reaffirmed support for the Palestinian cause. Yet beneath the political theatre lies a deeper vulnerability: Iran’s economy has been battered for years by sanctions, mismanagement, and corruption. Inflation and soaring costs have left citizens struggling. Against this backdrop, Washington’s promise of reward and relocation may resonate more strongly, offering not just money but escape from a system many feel has failed them.

    This bounty program continues America’s strategy of targeting the IRGC’s upper ranks — not through battlefield confrontation alone, but by incentivising insider betrayal. Whether Iranians will respond remains uncertain, but the U.S. is betting that economic desperation, coupled with the lure of a new life abroad, could succeed where military strikes and sanctions have struggled.

  • US sanctions facilitators of DPRK IT worker $800 million fraud scheme

    US sanctions facilitators of DPRK IT worker $800 million fraud scheme

    LAGOS, NIGERIA (NPA) — March 13, 2026 — The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned six individuals and two entities for their roles in North Korea’s government-orchestrated IT worker schemes that defraud U.S. businesses and generate revenue for its weapons programs. These operations reportedly raised nearly $800 million in 2024.

    On Thursday, in a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “The North Korean regime targets American companies through deceptive schemes carried out by its overseas IT operatives, who weaponize sensitive data and extort businesses for substantial payments.”

    DPRK IT workers use stolen identities and fraudulent documentation to gain employment abroad, with most of their earnings funneled back to Pyongyang to support WMD and missile programs. Some workers have also introduced malware into company networks.

    OFAC’s latest action targets facilitators in North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Spain. Among them are Amnokgang Technology Development Company, which manages overseas IT delegations, and Vietnamese CEO Nguyen Quang Viet, who converted $2.5 million into cryptocurrency for DPRK-linked workers. Others designated include Do Phi Khanh and Hoang Van Nguyen, who assisted sanctioned nuclear procurement facilitator Kim Se Un, and DPRK national Yun Song Guk, who led IT teams in Laos.

    As a result, all property and interests of the designated persons in the U.S. are blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Violations may result in civil or criminal penalties, and foreign institutions risk secondary sanctions if they facilitate significant transactions on behalf of those designated.

    OFAC emphasized that sanctions aim to change behavior, not punish, and outlined procedures for petitioning removal from its Specially Designated Nationals list.

  • ‘Your own scammy existence demarkets Nigeria,’ Mike Arnold blasts Reno Omokri in renewed feud

    ‘Your own scammy existence demarkets Nigeria,’ Mike Arnold blasts Reno Omokri in renewed feud

    LAGOS, NIGERIA (NPA) — March 13, 2026 — Mike Arnold, former mayor of Blanco City, Texas, and now an activist on religious violence in Nigeria, has launched a scathing attack on Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri.

    The clash followed Omokri’s announcement on social media that he had successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, despite predictions from his critics that he would fail. Omokri wrote: “I am back on ground to put the fear of God on any and every person whose desperation to preside over Nigeria pushes them to de-market my country.”

    Responding, Arnold accused Omokri of dishonesty and complicity in Nigeria’s governance failures. “Your own scammy existence demarkets Nigeria,” he wrote, adding: “Nobody respects you. Not your children, not your boss. And certainly not your late father. You are a soulless, demonic jester.”

    The exchange is the latest in a feud dating back to 2025, when Arnold accused Omokri of manipulation and misrepresentation during joint initiatives in Nigeria, Kenya, and the U.S. What began as a dialogue effort quickly devolved into a bitter public dispute, eroding trust and credibility on both sides.

  • UAE intercepts fresh wave of Iranian missiles and drones amid escalating conflict

    UAE intercepts fresh wave of Iranian missiles and drones amid escalating conflict

    LAGOS, NIGERIA (NPA) — March 13, 2026 — The United Arab Emirates’ air defence systems intercepted seven ballistic missiles and 27 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched from Iran, the UAE Ministry of Defence announced Friday.

    The latest strikes bring the total number of attacks on the UAE since the outbreak of war on February 28 to 285 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,567 UAVs.

    According to the ministry, the attacks resulted in six fatalities among Emirati, Pakistani, Nepali, and Bangladeshi nationals, and 141 injuries ranging from minor to moderate. Those injured include citizens of the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia, Sweden, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

    “The Ministry of Defence remains fully prepared to deal with any threats and will firmly confront attempts to undermine state security, ensuring the protection of sovereignty, stability, and national interests,” the statement said.

    The conflict, which erupted between the United States, Israel, and Iran, has seen Iran target Gulf energy infrastructure, contributing to volatility in global oil markets. While Tehran insists its strikes are aimed at U.S. bases and assets, several civilian facilities — including homes and airports — have been hit, raising questions about Iran’s objectives in the region.