Bafana Bafana’s departure was delayed due to non-issuance of visas for several players and support staff.

The South African national team members have left for their World Cup training base in Pachuca, Mexico, in advance of their opening game against the tournament cohosts on June 11.

The delegation that left on Monday did not include assistant coach Helman Mkhalele, who has yet to obtain a United States visa.

The charter flight departed Johannesburg following a frantic 24 hours after the squad was originally scheduled to leave on Sunday, but was held back by a delay in obtaining visas in what was described as an administrative bungle by the South African Football Association (SAFA).

Mkhalele, a former international winger who played 66 times for Bafana Bafana, including at their World Cup debut in France in 1998, will have to travel later after his visa application was initially denied.

Blaming the US Consulate General in Johannesburg for the delay, SAFA president Danny Jordaan told the South African Broadcasting Corporation, “They refused the visa, but gave no reasons. It is very difficult to deal with the process where you get no information.”

“We don’t know [why it was denied], we are clutching in the dark, but we hope the matter will be resolved [soon]. All of the players are [on the flight] and 99 percent of the technical staff.”

South Africa are due to play Jamaica in a friendly on Friday before taking on Mexico in the showpiece opening match in Mexico City.

“Now we are very happy that we can go to Mexico,” South Africa coach Hugo Broos said. “The past days have been a little bit stressful with all the problems we had, but those problems are behind us now, and we can focus on what’s coming.”

“These 10 days go very fast. Once we get there, we will start working, focusing on the first game against Mexico, so time will pass very quickly. I think everybody is looking forward to starting the World Cup.”

South Africa are in Group A and will face Czechia in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico, six days later.

They are appearing in their fourth World Cup and looking to advance from the group stage for the first time.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/2/south-africas-world-cup-delegation-departs-for-mexico-without-coach?traffic_source=rss

Russia launches 656 drones and 73 missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force.

Ukrainian authorities say at least 12 people have been killed and dozens wounded in Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow was preparing a major assault.

Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said on Tuesday.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least four people were killed in the Ukrainian capital and 58, including two children, were wounded in the “mass enemy attack”.

“Explosions in the city. Air defence forces are working! Stay in shelters!” Klitschko had warned earlier.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, at least eight people were killed and at least 36 others, including children, were wounded in Russian attacks, Governor Oleksandr Ganzha said.

Ten people, including a child, were wounded in the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey Macalpine said the government had warned Ukrainians about a potential large-scale Russian attack and many had been sheltering in place.

Russia’s military said the bombardment targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.

The “massive strike” using “high-precision weapons” was aimed at targets in Kyiv and the regions of Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk as well as energy and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian military in other regions, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said.

Another drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the southwestern city of Krasnodar, local authorities said on Telegram.

The attacks on Ukraine came after Zelenskyy said on Friday that “we have intelligence information about Russia preparing a new massive strike” as he called on people to heed safety precautions.

“Please pay attention to air alerts. Protect your lives. Our services are working efficiently and are prepared. The air force and other defenders of our skies will be on duty 24/7, as always.”

This major Russian assault comes as United States-led peace efforts to end the war that began in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine have largely been paused as US President Donald Trump’s administration remains focused on conflicts in the Middle East.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/2/at-least-nine-people-killed-dozens-wounded-in-russian-attacks-on-ukraine?traffic_source=rss

China’s tariff-free access for many African products has renewed hopes of industrial growth. But trade remains uneven.

Beijing has recently removed tariffs on many imports from Africa for the next two years.

China wants access to Africa’s resources, and the continent wants to build industries and jobs and move up the value chain.

The trade development has occurred as China is expanding its influence in Africa and the US appears to be pulling back from the continent.

For more than a decade, Chinese money has helped finance roads, railways and ports across Africa. China is also Africa’s largest trading partner.

But Chinese exports to Africa far exceed African exports to China. Many African nations remain heavily reliant on exporting raw commodities while importing manufactured goods.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/counting-the-cost/2026/6/2/china-opens-its-markets-to-african-exports-who-benefits?traffic_source=rss