International News
Kenya’s Ex-Prime Minister Raila Odinga Dies In India
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80 during a health visit to India, local police said Wednesday — a political earthquake that could transform politics in the East African nation.
Odinga was the perennial opposition figure of Kenyan politics, running unsuccessfully for the presidency on five occasions, most recently in 2022.
He remained a dominant force, able to rally huge numbers, particularly from his native western Kenya.
Indian police told AFP he was walking with his sister, daughter, and a personal doctor “when he suddenly collapsed”.
“An Indian police security officer and a Kenyan security officer were also with them at the time. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, but was declared dead,” the police source said.
Odinga’s death was also confirmed to AFP by a member of his political team, but they requested anonymity while awaiting an official announcement from the party.
Opposition Leader
Born on January 7, 1945, Odinga spent his early years in politics either in jail or in exile, fighting for democracy during the autocratic rule of President Daniel arap Moi.
A member of the Luo tribe, he entered parliament in 1992 and ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, claiming to have been cheated of victory in the last four elections.
He cast himself as an anti-establishment firebrand despite belonging to one of Kenya’s top political dynasties — his father serving as the country’s first vice president after independence in 1963.
His death leaves a leadership vacuum within the opposition, and it is far from clear if anyone will have the same ability to mobilise opposition forces as the country heads into a potentially volatile campaign period ahead of elections in 2027.
Pan-Africanist, Democrat
Kenya’s former chief justice, and current presidential candidate, David Maraga, said he was “shocked” by news of the death.
Odinga was “a patriot, a pan-Africanist, a democrat and a leader who made significant contributions to democracy in Kenya and in Africa,” Maraga wrote on X.
“Kenya has lost one of its most formidable leaders who shaped the trajectory of our beloved country. Africa has lost a leading voice in pushing for peace, security, and development. The world has lost a great leader,” he added.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was among the first to react, posting on X:
“On behalf of the Government of Ethiopia, I extend my sincere condolences on the passing of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. May he Rest In Peace.”
A spokesman for the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Kerala, India, also confirmed the death.
“He experienced some breathing difficulties and collapsed. He was provided CPR on the spot, and having seen some sign of recovery, he was rushed to the nearest modern hospital. Despite repeated efforts by the medics, his condition deteriorated and the doctors were unable to save him,” the spokesman said.
AFP
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America draws closer, football’s ultimate evergreen superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, is set to etch his name among the oldest players ever to grace the tournament, continuing a legacy of age-defying performances that have defined the competition’s rich history.
Ronaldo, who turned 41 on 5 February 2026, has repeatedly confirmed that this summer’s tournament will be his sixth and final World Cup appearance. The Portugal captain, still playing club football for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has made it clear he intends to lead his nation one last time on the global stage.
Here are some of the world’s oldest players in World Cup history who have graced the global showpiece:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Forward) — 41 years (2026)
Essam El Hadary (Egypt, Goalkeeper) — 45 years (2018 vs Saudi Arabia)
Faryd Mondragón (Colombia, Goalkeeper) — 43 years (2014 vs Japan)
Roger Milla (Cameroon, Forward) — 42 years (1994 vs Russia)
Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland, Goalkeeper) — 41 years (1986 vs Brazil)
Peter Shilton (England, Goalkeeper) — 40 years (1990 vs Italy)
Dino Zoff (Italy, Goalkeeper) — 40 years (1982 vs West Germany, final)
Ali Boumnijel (Tunisia, Goalkeeper) — 40 years (2006 vs Ukraine)
Jim Leighton (Scotland, Goalkeeper) — 39 years (1998 vs Morocco)
Ronaldo’s participation in the 2026 World Cup will not only underline his extraordinary longevity at the top of the game but also place him among an elite group of players whose careers have spanned multiple decades and multiple tournaments.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday it was reintroducing testing for gender to determine eligibility to compete in the female category, preventing transgender women from competing.
The screening will mean Olympic women’s sports at the 2028 Los Angeles Games will be limited to biological females, which would also rule out those with differences in sexual development (DSD) from competing.
The IOC is abandoning rules it brought in in 2021, which allowed individual federations to decide their own policy and implement a policy across all sports.
“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one‑time SRY gene screening,” the IOC said in a statement.
The test will be carried out through a saliva sample, cheek swab or blood sample.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said: “The policy we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts.
“At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat.
“So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
The IOC is bringing in the new policy after the women’s boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics was rocked by a gender row involving Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan.
Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.
However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.
Both boxers went on to win gold medals.
Lin has since been cleared to compete in the female category at events run by World Boxing, the body that will oversee the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Gender testing was first introduced at the 1968 Olympics and last used at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but then scrapped after criticism from the scientific community
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that an Israeli airstrike had killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy.
“Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the naval command,” Katz said in a video statement.
“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated.”
Since the start of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the killing of several top Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic republic’s powerful security chief, Ali Larijani.
In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.
AFP
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