Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

MARONDERA – Four Zimbabwe National Army soldiers were killed and three others injured when a military vehicle crashed along the Harare–Mutare Road, adding another fatal entry to a grim run of road accidents recorded across Zimbabwe in July and August. The soldiers were travelling from Harare to Mutare in a BAW military vehicle when it […]

The post 4 Zimbabwe National Army soldiers killed, three others injured along Harare-Mutare road (SEE NAMES) first appeared on My Zimbabwe News.

A gunman travelling in a grey Toyota GD6 allegedly targeted the home of Zimbabwean activist and politician Jacob Ngarivhume, vandalising the property and leaving behind abusive and threatening messages, according to a statement issued by the Sungano YeVanhu–Ubumbano Lomphakathi, or People’s Coalition. The incident, reported on 8 August 2026, has raised fresh questions about the […]

The post The Grey Toyota GD6 Hit Squad: Gunman Targets Jacob Ngarivhume’s Home in Night Attack first appeared on My Zimbabwe News.

Nelson Chamisa’s return to Zimbabwean politics is being presented as a fresh beginning. But behind the language of renewal lies a harder question: can the former opposition leader build a movement strong enough to challenge ZANU-PF without recreating the organisational weaknesses that helped destroy his last one? Chamisa announced Agenda 2026 in January after almost […]

The post Agenda 2026: Nelson Chamisa’s secret plan to reclaim the state — and the fear of the “infiltrators” first appeared on My Zimbabwe News.

ALGARVE, Portugal — Kanye West’s concert in Portugal’s Algarve has triggered a diplomatic controversy after Israel’s ambassador to Portugal called for the show to be cancelled, describing the rapper’s past statements as hate speech and accusing Portuguese authorities of allowing an artist with a record of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks to perform.

According to AllHipHop.com, the controversy erupted on Friday as Israeli Ambassador Oren Rozenblat publicly urged authorities in Faro to stop West’s August 7 stadium performance, arguing that Portugal should not provide a platform to an artist who has repeatedly generated international condemnation over his comments about Jews and other groups.

Rozenblat said, according to comments reported by Euronews and quoted by AllHipHop, that West had “glorified Hitler” and promoted antisemitism, while also pointing to his previous remarks on slavery that caused widespread outrage.

“This is not provocation, it is hate speech,” Rozenblat said.

The ambassador said the Israeli embassy had approached Faro’s mayor seeking the cancellation of the concert and called on members of the public to boycott the event.

Rozenblat also sought to frame the controversy as a broader question of consistency in confronting hate speech, asking whether people would purchase tickets for an artist who promoted hatred against Black people, Muslims, Christians or LGBT people.

He subsequently described West’s appearance as “a disgrace for Portugal and for the Portuguese”, while stressing that criticism of Israel should not automatically be equated with antisemitism.

The intervention, however, failed to stop the concert.

Torcato Jorge, the event organiser, rejected calls for cancellation and said there was no security or legal basis for preventing West from performing.

“It is a music event that is going ahead,” Jorge told Euronews, adding that Portuguese security authorities had not identified West as a national-security threat or terrorist.

He argued that authorities would require a formal security assessment establishing that the American performer posed a threat before the state could prevent him from entering or performing in Portugal.

The Algarve controversy is the latest episode in an increasingly contentious European touring cycle for West, whose public statements and political controversies have created significant difficulties for concert promoters and authorities.

Several European dates have been cancelled, restricted or disrupted during 2026. The United Kingdom revoked West’s electronic travel authorisation on public-interest grounds, forcing the cancellation of planned Wireless Festival appearances. France opposed a Marseille performance before the date was postponed, while concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also cancelled or rejected. Italy separately barred a planned Reggio Emilia performance amid security concerns.

West has nevertheless continued to attract enormous audiences elsewhere.

His return to Los Angeles drew a reported 70,000 fans at SoFi Stadium, while his Istanbul appearance reportedly attracted around 118,000 people. A Dutch court also cleared the way for two concerts in Arnhem after legal challenges surrounding his performances.

The contrasting responses across Europe have exposed a complicated tension between freedom of expression, public-order considerations, immigration controls and the commercial interests of the live-entertainment industry.

For promoters, West remains an exceptionally valuable but highly controversial touring act. His global profile can generate stadium-scale audiences, sponsorship interest and significant economic activity, but his history of inflammatory public statements has also created substantial reputational and regulatory risks for venues and organisers.

The Portuguese dispute has consequently placed Faro authorities and the concert organiser in an increasingly familiar position: balancing the economic and cultural appeal of hosting a major international performer against demands that artists accused of promoting hateful or extremist ideas should not be given major public platforms.

West’s continued ability to attract large audiences demonstrates that the controversy surrounding him has not diminished his commercial appeal. If anything, the disputes surrounding his performances have added another layer of international attention to his comeback.

His official touring schedule continues to include dates in Kazakhstan, the United States and Indonesia, with further stadium performances planned later in the year.

The Algarve concert therefore represents more than another stop on West’s tour. It has become another flashpoint in the growing international debate over where the boundaries between artistic expression, political speech, hate speech and public responsibility should be drawn.

The post Kanye West Algarve Concert Sparks Diplomatic Row as Israeli Ambassador Calls Show ‘A Disgrace for Portugal’ appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Jorge Messi, the father of soccer star and Argentina captain Lionel Messi, died Saturday at a hospital in the central Argentina city of Rosario. He was 68.

The Rosario-based Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys announced his death in a social media post that said he had undergone treatment in recent months for an unspecified illness. The post described him as “the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time, alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.”

The South American Football Confederation, CONMEBOL, in a statement also offered its condolences “with respect and affection for Lionel.”

Lionel Messi led Argentina to a runner-up finish in this year’s World Cup. In the team’s first match, against Algeria, he was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals. He said later that he wept for “a reason unrelated to sports.”

“I went through some difficult, complicated days,” he said. “I am grateful to the delegation, to all my teammates, because they were always by my side wishing me strength so that I would be OK.”

Media reports at the time outraged the Messi family, which days later released a statement confirming that “Jorge is experiencing a health issue,” without specifying the nature of his condition.

“A person’s health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest,” according to the statement, which also expressed “discomfort at the lack of sensitivity, respect and scruples with which some people have treated a strictly private and family matter.”

Jorge Messi was a chemical technician and worked as a steelworker. He played soccer as a midfielder and reached the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys but had to abandon the sport to complete his mandatory military service in Argentina.

He played a fundamental role in his third son’s career, serving as his agent and managing his business affairs. He was the one who traveled with a young Messi to Barcelona in the early 2000s for the trial that would open the doors to La Masia, the Catalan club’s youth academy. Lionel Messi made his professional debut in 2005 and went on to win eight Ballon d’Or awards. He led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.

“My dad was always by my side,” Lionel Messi said in a 2007 interview with Radio del Plata. “Sometimes I would lock myself in my room to cry when we arrived in Barcelona, or my dad would do the same without me seeing him, or thinking I didn’t see him. We pretended we were both OK, but we weren’t. My dad even asked me what I wanted to do when we were feeling down, if I wanted to stay or go back, and I wanted to stay, and he stayed with me.”

His father negotiated the contracts with Barça and later his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, while also managing the use of his famous son’s image rights and his numerous investments in real estate, hotels, and restaurants.

In 2016, father and son were convicted in the Spanish courts on tax evasion charges, but avoided prison because the sentence was less than two years.

Source: AP

The post Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s father and longtime agent, dies at 68 appeared first on The Zimbabwe Mail.