Foreign News
Zulu leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi dies aged 95 in South Africa
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a towering figure in South African politics and outspoken Zulu chief, has died at the age of 95.
During the racist apartheid regime, he founded the Zulu Inkatha party after becoming disillusioned with the African National Congress (ANC). Thousands were killed in clashes between supporters of the two parties in the early 1990s. But he was later welcomed back into the fold, serving as President Nelson Mandela’s minister of home affairs.
Chief Buthelezi was a shrewd but controversial politician, who disagreed with the ANC’s tactics of armed action against white-minority rule and trod a moderate path as leader of an ethnic-Zulu homeland. He was opposed to international sanctions on South Africa, arguing that they would only harm the country’s black majority.
During the clashes in the early 1990s, Nelson Mandela’s ANC accused him of collaborating with the white-minority government. Some feared the violence could lead to a civil war and derail the transition to democracy which saw Mandela become president in 1994. Many believed that members of the apartheid security forces were working with the Inkatha movement to fight the ANC but Buthelezi always denied that.
President Cyril Ramaphosa led tributes, describing Chief Buthelezi as a “formidable leader”. He said he had “played a significant role in our country’s history for seven decades”. The president added: “Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle, the transition which secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation.”
He said Chief Buthelezi had died in the early hours of Saturday, two weeks after celebrating his 95th birthday.
(BBC)
Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia for two weeks, has had an “isolated” breathing crisis in hospital, the Vatican has said.
It led to an episode of vomiting and a “sudden worsening of his respiratory condition” on Friday following the coughing “bronchospasm”.
The 88-year-old received gas through a face mask to help him breathe.
In an update on Saturday, the Vatican said the Pope had a “peaceful night and is resting”.
[BBC]
European leaders have rallied behind Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump’s furious exchange with the Ukrainian president in the White House.
The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine – with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.
The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who “retains unwavering support for Ukraine”, Downing Street said.
It comes after extraordinary scenes in the Oval Office on Friday as US President Trump clashed with Zelensky, telling him to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”.
[BBC]
Three people have died in Reunion after Cyclone Garance swept through the French Indian Ocean territory with gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph).
The tropical cyclone left more than 180,000 homes without power and 170,000 without running water after making landfall on Friday morning.
The remote island’s entire population – including emergency services and police – were ordered to stay indoors as the maximum alert level was imposed.
Heavy storm rains were expected to continue on Friday evening, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou warning on X that the cyclone remained a threat.
The “brutal and violent” conditions were worse than Cyclone Belal, which killed four people on the island in January 2024, Prefect Patrice Latron said.
Garance made landfall in the north of Reunion at 10:00 local time (06:00 GMT), before sweeping south and exiting the island by late afternoon, according to weather agency Meteo France.
Local authorities reduced the alert level by midday to allow emergency services and police to leave their shelters.
The top wind speed of 234km/h had not been recorded on the island since Cyclone Hollanda in February 1994.
Vincent Clain, 45, a resident of the island’s northern coast, told news agency AFP: “This is the first time I’ve seen a cyclone this powerful, and also the first time I’ve been afraid.”
Some 100 troops and firefighters were on standby to be dispatched from the French territory of Mayotte nearly 1,500km (930 miles) away when conditions eased, as well as 100 from mainland France.
Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man went missing in nearby Mauritius on Wednesday after going swimming in rough seas.
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Friday that Garance was of a “rare intensity”, while Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said armed forces stood ready to provide assistance.
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