Archive July 30, 2025

Border clash between Ugandan, South Sudanese troops kills at least four

Local officials claim that as a result of fighting between the South Sudanese security forces and the Ugandan army near the countries’ shared border, there are at least four fatalities.

Major General Felix Kulayigye, a spokesperson for the Ugandan military, reported on Wednesday that three South Sudanese soldiers were shot dead by Ugandan forces on Monday in retaliation for one of their soldiers. However, a local official in the state of Central Equatoria in South Sudan claimed to have received the bodies of five soldiers.

South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir has long benefited from Uganda’s military support, including the deployment of special forces since March.

Major General Lul Ruai Koang, a spokesman for South Sudan’s military, reported on Wednesday that military leaders from Uganda and South Sudan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire in order to launch an investigation into the most recent border conflict.

Local South Sudanese army commander Henry Buri claimed that the Ugandan forces were “heavily armed with tanks and artilleries” and that they were aiming at 19 “joint operation” forces in a statement released by local authorities. The Ugandan government made no comment.

According to local county officials, “both sides lost lives and suffered injuries” in a statement from earlier this year.

What allegedly caused the fighting in Central Equatoria, which South Sudan claims occurred on Monday, to occur, was unknown.

South Sudanese soldiers reportedly entered a remote region of northwest Uganda, known as West Nile, set up camp, and reportedly refused to leave. “We needed to use force,”

However, opposing narratives exist.

Mule referred to the firefight as a “surprising attack” by Ugandan forces on territory that South Sudan considers to be within its borders. The border between Uganda and South Sudan has been contested for years.

A joint border demarcation committee is being established by the two countries, according to Kulayigye, and its work is ongoing. Both government representatives have previously stated that they anticipate a swift decision in 2027.

Although there have been sporadic border conflicts over the years, it is uncommon for the military allies to exchange fire.

When South Sudan fought its first civil war in 2013, Uganda sent troops to support Kiir, two years after Sudan’s independence.

Before a power-sharing agreement was reached in 2018, Kiir and his long-term rival Riek Machar engaged in a five-year civil war that claimed 400,000 lives.

In March of this year, Uganda deployed special forces to avenge Machar’s repeated assault on him, igniting fears of a new civil war.

The power-sharing agreement has been almost overturned, and there has also been a militia from Machar’s Nuer ethnic community at conflict.

What was the best winning Lions tour?

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Third Test: Australia vs. the British and Irish Lions

Date: Saturday, August 2nd, 2018 Accor Stadium Kick-off: 11:00 BST

After defeating Australia 29-26 on Saturday at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the British and Irish Lions put an end to a 12-year wait for a Test series victory.

With this weekend’s series win over Sydney, Andy Farrell’s men’s team has a chance to improve.

They could become the first Lions team to win a tour unbeaten and the first since the legendary 1974 team’s record of 1927 in Argentina.

Former Lions Matt Dawson and Jamie Roberts discuss the best tours in a BBC Sounds podcast series.

Australia – 2013

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The British and Irish Lions won the series’ final test 41-16 in Sydney after a 16-year wait for a series victory in the stunning second-half demolition of Australia.

In a gripping encounter, Warren Gatland’s side almost won the series in the second Test, but the result was 16-15.

Roberts, a centre for Wales, missed Australia’s first two Tests, but he came back for the win and assisted the Lions in scoring 27 points in a stunning second-half display.

Roberts recalls that this was the only tour the Lions had won in the past ten years.

The fan was prepared in “The deciding Test.” But given our current level of excellence, we would have been disappointed if we had lost that series.

1989 – Australia

Battle of Ballymore fight in 1989Getty Images

The Lions’ 1989 tour of Australia, which was their first Test defeat, ended in a loss to Sydney.

A punch-up between scrum-halves Rob Jones and Nick Farr-Jones at the opening test, which sparked a brawl and let the Wallabies off their game, could have helped them win the second Test.

The Lions scored the match-winning try on the opening try with the famous pass from one of the game’s greatest players, David Campese, who famously threw a wild pass on his own tryline.

The Lions won their first series match since 1974.

Dawson: “Australia won the World Cup in 1991.” The Lions won the first Test 2-1, but they won the second.

The Lions “were lost,” he said. I don’t recall knowing anything about the Lions growing up in my single digits.

They have wonderful memories when I talk to the men on that tour. They established the norm for Lions midweek rugby, and that is what they do.

“Lions tours underwent a generational change. A moment of flag-bearing to aid in the Lions’ revival.

1971 – New Zealand

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The Lions won their only series of victories in New Zealand in 1971 with a squad that included Barry John, Gareth Edwards, and JPR Williams.

The Lions won the third Test to take a crucial 2-1 lead into the Auckland final match led by another Welshman named John Dawes and featuring Ireland lock Willie John McBride.

Williams, 74, passed away last year, helping his team draw the Test 14-14, with a long-range drop-goal.

Roberts: “This is the only test series victory in New Zealand.”

1974 – South Africa

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McBride led the infamous “Invincibles” tour to South Africa in 1974, winning just once throughout the 22-game set.

After winning three Tests and drawing the final one, the 1974 team are generally regarded as the best Lions team in history.

If the current crop of Australian cricketers are successful in the third Test on Saturday in Sydney, they will have a chance to do so. Their tour is only nine and they lost to Argentina in a warm-up game in Dublin.

Dawson: “When we arrived for our tour in 1997, the “Invincibles” tour would be broadcast on most of the South African television networks for hours.

Reruns of all the games. The “Invincibles” had a lot to do with where you looked everywhere.

Roberts: “That tour has a history and atmosphere that surrounds it. Yes, they did win in New Zealand three years prior, but their record of winning in South Africa is unparalleled.

1997 – South Africa

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In Durban, Jeremy Guscott scored a late drop-goal from the post to win the second Test against South Africa and win the series.

The Lions’ first professional tour of the year ended with the Lions’ only other attempt to win a series after two Tests.

Unfiltered behind-the-scenes footage of the tour was featured in the legendary Living With Lions documentary in 1997, which saw the series come to an end one-on-one.

In the first Test victory, England scrum-half Dawson, who started all three of them, threw a famous dummy to score a crucial late try.

Dawson: “It was a series-winning tour on and off the field in 1997,” as you might recall from Living with the Lions.

One midweek game against the Bulls and one test match were lost. The fans were pretty much the center of every story from each tour. The sea of red and rugby cult started with the 1997 tour, which went on forever.

Roberts: “It was the first game of its kind and Living with the Lions fans were anticipating it. They defeated the world champions in their own backyard.

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More from the Top 10 series

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‘Dramatic setback’: Will Peru’s new amnesty law put justice out of reach?

surviving accoarca

Approximately 156 convictions and more than 600 ongoing investigations could be wiped out by the pending amnesty law, according to human rights organizations.

It would not only shield police and members of the armed forces from legal action, but it would also grant “humanitarian” amnesty to retired military personnel over the age of 70.

The bill heals many of Peru’s armed conflict’s survivors, healing old wounds.

Particularly affected by marginalization and inequality are rural and indigenous communities, which continue to struggle.

Between 1985 and 2000, an estimated 79 percent of the victims lived in rural areas, and 74 percent, like Quechua, were native speakers of indigenous language.

Ochoa himself currently leads a group that represents the victims’ families in Accomarca. He claimed that the Congress’s actions are “outrageous and betrayed” by its members.

The events of 1985 shattered his life. He attributes his academic obstruction to the trauma he experienced. He continues to be affected by what transpired outside the village the morning of the incident.

Ochoa explained, “The military had arrived and asked people to gather for a town assembly,” evoking his thoughts with protracted pauses.

They separated the women from the men and placed them inside one of the villagers’ huts after they had all gathered. The hut was shot upon and burned with everyone inside, and the men were tortured as well.

A terrified Ochoa and his father fled the area after learning about the bloodshed. They were not safe because the military was still conducting raids in the area.

He currently resides with his partner in Lima, where he works as a construction worker.

Later, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Peru would discover that 62 people had died as a result of the Accomarca massacre, including children, elderly, and women.

Ochoa’s mother, brother, and 6-year-old sister were among them. In the gunfire, he also lost his aunts and cousins.

The military operation Operation Huancayoc, which was meant to target suspected Shining Path members, led to the executions in Accomarca.

However, a military unit led by Second Lieutenant Telmo Hurtado Hurtado carried out their executions despite the lack of any conclusive evidence linking the villagers to the rebel group. Hurtado even assisted in the village’s murder with a grenade.

The operation was also planned and approved by high-ranking army officers in Ayacucho, a nearby city.

Ochoa recalled that the order was to kill everyone. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the military killed seven witnesses in the days that followed.

The commission came to the conclusion that military strategy overall was followed by massacres like those that occurred in Accomarca.

France’s Marchand smashes 200m medley world record

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Leon Marchand, a sensation in France, won the semi-final of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, breaking the men’s 200-meter world record.

The 23-year-old qualified for the final in style by winning in one minute 52.69 seconds, beating Ryan Lochte’s previous best of 1:154.50 set in 2011.

Marchand, who won four gold medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, “can’t really believe it right now,” he said.

“I was excited to race because I felt really good today and the preparation was good, so I knew I was going to do it.”

Duncan Scott of Great Britain finished third in the race and made it to the championship match in 1:55.51.

In another event, Matt Richards qualified for the men’s 100-meter freestyle final while Briton Freya Colbert placed fourth in the women’s 200-meter freestyle final with a time of 1:55.06, breaking the previous record set by Australian champion Mollie O’Callaghan in 1: 53.48.

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The EU and US agree to a trade deal, but who won the negotiations?

The European Union and the US have reached a tariff-free trade agreement.

Some European leaders have already made their dissatisfaction clear, but the deal avoids the threatened 30% tariffs.

The Polish prime minister acknowledged that the country could lose $ 2 billion.

The deal was deemed a submission and a dark day for Europe, according to France’s prime minister.

Additionally, will the new US cryptocurrency laws make the US the world’s safe haven?

No Plateau Local Government Under Bandits, Gov Mutfwang Declares

According to Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau State, no local government area in the state is under the control of bandits, which underlines his administration’s extensive security reforms and development initiatives.

At the Twin Theatre of the New Government House in Rayfield, Jos., Governor Mutfwang addressed attendees at an interactive media parley with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Plateau Publishers Association, Bloggers, and Social Media Influencers.

“Plateau is safer than a lot of other North-Central states today.” There is no local government in place that bandits can control entirely. The Governor argued that despite persistent opportunistic attacks, our proactive actions have prevented worse outcomes by highlighting his government’s commitment to restoring state peace and investor confidence.

Since taking office on May 29, 2023, the Governor has used the parley as a platform to implement strategic interventions across various sectors. The list was topped by security, with Mutfwang highlighting the revitalization of the state-owned security company Operation Rainbow and the establishment of regional intelligence networks to support traditional security forces.

Beyond security, Mutfwang addressed the economic realities posed by the elimination of fuel subsidies. He explained that instead of distributing short-term palliatives, his government preferred long-term relief by subsidizing transportation through the Metro Bus Scheme. He claims that this initiative is currently saving commuters between 40 and 50 000 dollars per month.

Read more about Bandits annexing 64 Plateau-based communities, according to Governor Muftwang.

He also made mention of the state’s successful resumption of rail transportation services as part of efforts to ease movement and lower transportation costs. Rail is the most affordable mode of transportation on the planet, and it’s back on the Plateau today, he said.

In terms of aviation, the governor announced that Plateau now has three weekly flights to Abuja and seven to Lagos, and that work is being done to convert Yakubu Gowon Airport to a cargo international airport, in response to a Memorandum of Understanding signed with FAAN. He claimed that this would open up opportunities for Plateau farmers and entrepreneurs to export food.

According to Mutfwang, “Tourism is also experiencing a rebound,” citing a rise in hotel occupancy and a resumption of conferences and other major events. “Jos is no longer a “no-go zone.” This is just the start, he said, adding that the NBA Legal Practice Conference and national constitutional consultations have recently taken place.

The administration’s efforts to revitalize the city are reflected in the number of equally distributed road infrastructure projects across all ethnic and religious communities. We don’t make decisions based on taste. Because we believe in inclusive development, he emphasized that our projects are targeted at all groups, including Christians, Muslims, and mixed people.

In terms of rural development, the governor proudly stated that bandit-held Wase regions have been reclaimed, including a significant grazing reserve that is now secure and open for agricultural investments, making a significant improvement to the state’s food security plans.

In addition to a wider plan to turn the hospital into a teaching facility, a state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratory has been completed at the Plateau Specialist Hospital. The revitalization of PLASCHEMA and the Plateau State Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency has given people access to authentic drugs and high-quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas.

Governor Mutfwang also addressed education, noting that Plateau State Polytechnic and other institutions have experienced double-enrolment as a result of targeted interventions, while Plateau State University has reclaimed accreditation for important courses, including its advancing Faculty of Medicine.

The Governor acknowledged journalists and media professionals’ role as “critical partners” in the state’s transformation journey throughout his speech.