Headline

Seven Journalists Detained In Ethiopia Over Broadcast Of Rape Allegation

Published

1 year ago

April 10, 2025

At least seven journalists have been detained on terrorism allegations, an international journalism monitor said, after they aired a story accusing men in military uniforms of raping a woman in 2020.

The east African giant of some 130 million people is regularly criticised by human rights NGOs for the repression of dissenting voices.

The country ranks 141st out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2024 press freedom index, which cites “widespread self-censorship”.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said late on Wednesday that seven people were detained in late March after the Ethiopian Broadcasting Service broadcast a woman’s claims “to have been abducted and raped by men in military uniform while she was a student in 2020”.

The woman later retracted her statements on a state-owned channel.

EBS’s founder apologised, saying the station “discovered that the allegations were fabricated after the programme aired”, according to the CPJ.

According to court documents reviewed by the CPJ, police allege that the journalists “sought to incite conflict, threaten the constitutional order, and overthrow the government in coordination with ‘extremist’ groups” in the Amhara region.

The journalists, along with the woman who made the accusations, were remanded in custody pending a 14-day investigation.

“Arresting journalists on terrorism allegations is a disproportionate response to concerns over lapses in journalistic ethics,” said CPJ Africa programme coordinator Muthoki Mumo.

Amhara, the country’s second-most populated region, has recently seen a surge in violence.

In April 2023, a local group called the Fano went from being allies of the federal government to launching an armed rebellion.

Despite the government placing the region under a state of emergency from August 2023 to June 2024, the unrest did not stop, and authorities sent in military reinforcements in September.

Today, a large part of Amhara is beyond the control of the federal authorities, and fighting has intensified in recent weeks.

AFP

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.