Headline
South African Ambassador Found Dead Outside Paris Hotel
South Africa’s ambassador to France, formerly a long-serving cabinet minister, was found dead on Tuesday outside a Paris hotel after the window of his room in the high-rise building was forced open, prosecutors said.
Nkosinathi Emmanuel Nathi Mthethwa, 58, usually known as Nathi Mthethwa, had “reserved a room on the 22nd floor whose secured window had been forced open,” the office of the Paris prosecutor told AFP.
The body of Mthethwa, a close associate of former South African president Jacob Zuma, was found “directly by the hotel”, it added.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, said the ambassador suffered from depression and his death could have been suicide.
READ ALSO:Men Can Take Wives’ Surnames —South Africa’s Top Court Rules
An investigation has been opened.
Mthethwa had been ambassador since December 2023.
In a statement released in Pretoria, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said he had “no doubt that his passing is not only a national loss but is also felt within the international diplomatic community”.
The circumstances of “his untimely death” are under investigation by the French authorities, the statement confirmed.
The ambassador’s disappearance was reported on Monday by his wife, who said she “received a worrying message from him in the evening,” the prosecutor’s office said.
READ ALSO:Egypt, South Africa Universities Beat Nigeria At Global QS Rankings
Mthethwa served as minister of arts and culture of South Africa from 2014 to 2019, and then of sports, arts and culture until 2023, according to his embassy website.
He was also police minister from 2009 to 2014 and security minister from 2008 to 2009.
Mthethwa also served on the board of directors of the 2010 football World Cup local organising committee.
Between 2007 and 2022, he was a senior official in the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party since the first post-apartheid democratic elections in 1994.
He worked underground within the ANC’s military wing during apartheid and was notably arrested during the state of emergency in 1989.
Headline
Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges
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.
READ ALSO:Indian National Arraigned In Lagos Over Alleged N22m Supermarket Fraud
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.
READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts Indian Lady With 72 Parcels Of Heroin ON n Chocolate Wraps
“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
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.
READ ALSO:Strait Of Hormuz: Pakistan Thanks Trump For Pausing ‘Project Freedom’
“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
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.
READ ALSO:US Restricts Entry Routes For Travellers From DRC, Uganda, South Sudan Over Ebola Outbreak
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.
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