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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 12h

Which made Wednesday's news that the chemist at the University of California, Berkeley was among 2025's class of Nobel winners all the more emotional, Yaghi told journalists as he heralded the US public school system he said he is a product of.

From refugee to Nobel: Yaghi hails science's 'equalizing force'

Nobel chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi was born to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, a quiet, studious child in a "large, rowdy family" that shared a singl

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 12h

The attacker, identified as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police within seven minutes of the attack, in which two Jewish people were killed -- one likely by a stray police bullet.

Manchester attacker pledged allegiance to Islamic State: police

The man who attacked a Manchester synagogue made an emergency call to police during the rampage to "pledge allegiance" to the Islamic State group, UK

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 14h

The South Africans; Nkosi Zwelivelile (Mandla) Mandela, Zukiswa Wanner, Reaaz Moola, Dr Fatima Hendricks, Dr Zaheera Soomar, Basheerah Soomar, and Carolyn A. Shelver (Carrie) landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday morning after they were deported from Israel.

‘We will return’ – Global Sumud Flotilla

The South Africans who formed part of the Global Sumud Flotilla said they will redouble their efforts and return in another attempt to reach Gaza.

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 1d

On Monday the Nobel Prize for Physiology was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries on how the immune system functions and how autoimmune disease work.

LISTEN: Nobel Prize in physiology could be treatment for cancer and autoimmune diseases

On Monday the Nobel Prize for Physiology was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries on how the immune sy

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 2d

Their discoveries have been decisive for understanding how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases. The three were honoured "for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance", the jury said.

US-Japanese trio win medicine Nobel for immune system research

Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell of the United States and Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday for research into how th

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 3d

The escalating crisis across the country pits Trump's increasingly militarized anti-crime and migration crackdown against opposition Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab.

Trump authorizes troops to Chicago as judge blocks Portland deployment

US President Donald Trump authorized deployment of troops to Chicago after a federal agent shot an allegedly armed motorist there on Saturday, while a

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 3d

The demonstrations in the usually stable North African kingdom have bucked the perception of young Moroccans as being politically disengaged, and have been organised since last Saturday by GenZ 212, a group active on the web platform Discord.

Morocco sees eighth straight day of youth protests

Members of a Moroccan online youth collective protested for the eighth consecutive day on Saturday, demanding better public health and education servi

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 3d

The diplomatic moves came after the Palestinian militant group Hamas responded positively to US President Donald Trump's roadmap for freeing the captives and administering post-war Gaza.

Negotiators due in Cairo for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release talks

Negotiators were converging on Cairo on Sunday ahead of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war in Gaza, with Israel's leader expressing hope th

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 4d

Hamas agreeing to release the remaining hostages, albeit subject to negotiations and certain conditions being met, will give real hope to the family members in Israel who have been desperate for this kind of news for a very long time.

Hamas response is significant - but there are key omissions

There is still a huge amount of detail to be worked through around how a ceasefire could be implemented.

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 5d

Machar is a long-standing rival of President Salva Kiir but served as his vice-president under a peace deal that ended their civil war in 2018.

He was suspended from his position last month after being charged with treason and accused of ordering an ethnic militia's attack on an army base in March.

S. Sudan opposition leader Machar claims immunity in treason trial

South Sudan's opposition leader, Riek Machar, on Friday told the court trying him for crimes against humanity his position as vice-president made him

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 5d

The US leader set the deadline -- which would fall at 1:00 a.m. Monday in Gaza -- after an official for the Islamist movement told AFP earlier on Friday that the group still needed time to study the proposal to end nearly two years of devastating war in the Palestinian territory.

Trump sets Sunday night deadline for Hamas to accept Gaza peace plan

US President Donald Trump has given Hamas until 2200 GMT on Sunday to accept his 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, warning the Palestinian militant gro

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 5d

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visited the scene of the car ramming and stabbing spree in the northwest English city, said security would be boosted at synagogues nationwide as calls to protect Britain's Jewish community intensified.

UK on 'high alert' following synagogue attack

Britain was on heightened alert Friday following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue that killed two people, as police said they may have shot vi

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 6d

This comes after an emergency briefing from earlier the same day where members of the flotilla alleged cyber-attacks and dangerous manoeuvres by the Israeli navy against the civilian fleet.

Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s (GSF) spokesperson, Hasina Kathrada, said in a statement released on Wednesday night that the boats of the humanitarian or

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 7d

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo two weeks ago began rolling out a vaccine programme against the often fatal virus.

The highly contagious haemorrhagic fever has killed some 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

WHO says 42 dead in latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

An Ebola outbreak declared in the DR Congo in early September has caused 42 deaths out of 64 confirmed cases but the risk of it spreading in the regio

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 7d

The Global Sumud Flotilla held an emergency media briefing on Wednesday after two of their boats were allegedly the target of an Israeli cyber-attack and had to use evasive manoeuvres to prevent a collision with the Israeli naval ship.

Global Sumud Flotilla claims Israeli cyber-attack, dangerous manoeuvres

The Global Sumud Flotilla held an emergency media briefing on Wednesday after two of their boats were allegedly the target of an Israeli cyber-attack

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 8d

The 58-year-old former cabinet minister was reported missing on Monday. According to reports in the French media outlet Le Parisien, his wife reported his disappearance.

Dirco confirms death of Nathi Mthethwa in Paris

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has confirmed the death of Nathi Mthethwa, the country’s ambassador to France.

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 10d

The measures, which bar dealings linked to the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic missile activities, took effect overnight after Western powers triggered the so-called "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 nuclear accord.

Iran denounces 'unjustifiable' return of UN sanctions

Iran on Sunday condemned as "unjustifiable" the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme, after the collapse of talks with

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 10d

Moldova, an EU candidate country, has long been divided over closer ties with Brussels or maintaining Soviet-era relations with Moscow.

Most polls show the pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), in power since 2021, in the lead in the vote. But analysts say the race is far from certain.

Moldovans vote in tense polls, torn between EU and Russia

Moldovans began voting on Sunday in parliamentary elections that could see the country neighbouring Ukraine swerve from its pro-European path towards

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 10d

The sanctions, three months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran, bar dealings related to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missiles program and are also expected to have wider effects on its troubled economy.

Sweeping UN sanctions return to hit Iran after nuclear talks fail

Widespread UN sanctions against Iran returned into force late Saturday for the first time in a decade, after last-ditch nuclear talks with Western pow

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 12d

The rampage continued after nightfall, prompting police to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew after banks and stores were looted and set on fire. Three pro-government parliamentarians also had their homes torched.

Wreckage strews deserted Madagascar capital after violent protests

The streets were largely deserted in Madagascar's capital Friday as residents took stock of the damage from a day of violent protests over frequent po

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 12d

Netanyahu, in a defiant speech he said was partially broadcast on Israeli military loudspeakers in Gaza, vowed to "finish the job" against Hamas even as President Donald Trump said he thought he had sealed a deal on a ceasefire.

Netanyahu says Palestinian state would be 'national suicide' for Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Friday in an angry UN address to block a Palestinian state, accusing European leaders of pushing his c

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 12d

O'Hanna, 27, had denied the offence, after being charged in May when a video emerged from a November concert in London, in which he was alleged to have displayed a flag of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

UK court drops terror charge against Kneecap rapper

A UK court on Friday threw out a terrorism charge against a Northern Irish singer from the punk rap group Kneecap which had provoked an outcry among t

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 13d

Days after France led a special summit and several Western powers recognized a state of Palestine, the veteran 89-year-old leader was forced to address the UN General Assembly by video after the United States took the unusual step of denying him a visa to come to New York.

Palestinian leader tells UN no role for Hamas in state

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Thursday rejected any future role for Hamas and condemned antisemitism, as he appealed for full global support for

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 13d

The court ordered that Sarkozy should be placed in custody at a later date, with prosecutors given one month to inform the former head of state when he should go to prison.

France's Sarkozy given 5-year sentence, must go to prison

A Paris court on Thursday sentenced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to five years and ordered him to go to prison after finding him guilty of

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Emile Pienaar @emilepienaar.bsky.social · 14d

"Multiple drones, unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed and explosions heard from a number of boats," the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement, without adding whether there were any casualties.

Activists say Gaza aid flotilla attacked by 'multiple drones'

Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said they heard explosions and saw multiple drones targeting boats

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