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South Africa reacts to US expulsion of ambassador Ebrahim Rasool

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The South African presidency on Saturday said the expulsion of its Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is “regrettable.”

The presidency disclosed this in a short statement published on X on Saturday.It also called for decorum on both sides to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

“The Presidency has noted the regrettable expulsion of South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Ebrahim Rasool,” the statement read.

“The Presidency urges all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.

“South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America.”

The ppolitician was expelled after he was seen as a race-baiting politician” who hates the US and President Donald Trump.

Rubio wrote on X that Rasool was “no longer welcome in our great country”, adding: “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.

”Rubio linked his remarks to an article by the right-wing media outlet Breitbart, wherein Rasool is quoted as saying Trump mobilised a “supremacist instinct” and “white victimhood” as a “dog whistle” during the 2024 elections.

But South African political analyst Sandile Swana said the “core of the dispute” was Pretoria’s decision to form a genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Israel, a close US ally, over its war on Gaza.

In February, Rasool, an anti-apartheid campaigner, told the Zeteo news site that what South Africans experienced during apartheid rule “is on steroids in Palestine”.

Moreover, Swana explained that in the fight against apartheid, the US “supported the apartheid regime”.

“[So] Rasool continues to point out the behaviour of the United States, even now is to support apartheid and genocide,” he added.

Land policy

Still, the decision by Washington to expel the South African ambassador comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries, since Trump cut financial aid to South Africa after citing his disapproval of its land policy that he alleged allows land to be seized from white farmers.

Last week, Trump pushed this further and said South Africa’s farmers were welcome to settle in the US, repeating that the South African government was “confiscating” land from white people.

South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk, a close Trump ally, has also accused the country of having “openly racist ownership laws”.

However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the policy, saying the government was not confiscating land but aiming to level racial disparities in land ownership in the Black-majority nation.

International

At least 28 killed, 25 critically injured after fire engulfs Bangkok bar

Footage posted online shows panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.

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A huge fire tore through a bar in Thailand’s capital Bangkok late on Sunday, killing at least 28 people and leaving 25 critically injured, according to BBC.

The blaze started near the stage of the bar in the popular Chatuchak district, then spread rapidly, cutting power and engulfing the room with smoke, eyewitnesses say.

Footage posted online shows panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.

Firefighters, who arrived at the scene just after midnight, quickly extinguished the fire. They found the bodies of most of the victims in a bathroom, where they had apparently sought shelter.

“Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked.

There were no lights,” national police chief Kitrat Panphet said.

Kaew-udon Poungppany, 24, from Laos, fought back tears as he described trying to reach his younger brother, who did not survive.

“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the door… but I couldn’t go any further. I heard people screaming,” he told journalists.

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General Hydrocarbons Floors FBN as S’Court Sets Aside Appeal Court Ruling

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…..As court Orders Return of Seized Oil Vessel

The Supreme Court has nullified the Court of Appeal’s ruling that permitted the seizure of an oil vessel belonging to General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) to settle a contractual dispute with First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court ordered the immediate return of the seized vessel and the proceeds from the sale of its contents to GHL, its rightful owner.

The Supreme Court dismissed the case instituted by FBN, declaring that the dispute was purely contractual in nature and did not qualify as a maritime matter. It therefore held that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit from the outset.

The apex court faulted both the trial court and the Court of Appeal for assuming jurisdiction over the matter and proceeding to determine it.

The ruling effectively ends the long-running legal battle, delivering a major victory to General Hydrocarbons Limited against the bank.

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International

South Africa Anti-Immigration Peaceful Protests To Continue Weekly Till Demands Are Met

A senior reporter, Channel, Africa, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, reported that the anti-immigration protests held across several South African cities remained largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence and attempted looting.

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The organisers of South Africa anti-immigrant protest have announced that come next week, from Thursday, every Thursday, they will be taking to the streets until the government heeds to their call and ensure that all undocumented nationals leave the country.

A senior reporter, Channel, Africa, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, reported that the anti-immigration protests held across several South African cities remained largely peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence and attempted looting.

She also revealed that organisers intend to continue with weekly demonstrations from next Thursday until their demands are met.

Mahlangu further reported that an inter-ministerial committee comprising ministers within South Africa’s security cluster commended the largely peaceful conduct of the protests while condemning isolated incidents of violence reported across the country.

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