*Evening News Round-up: Sunday 8 June 2025* *Headlines* *Govt Bans Killer Brews as Public Demands Action* *Government, CCZ Set To Launch Digital Platform To Combat Counterfeit Goods* *Rwanda Quits Central African Bloc In Dispute With DRC* *Kenyan Dies In Custody After Arrest For Social Media Post* *Trump Deploys National Guard As Los Angeles Protests Against Immigration Agents Continue* *Ukraine Says Latest POWs Swap With Russia To Go Ahead After Duelling Words* *Trump's Travel Ban On 12 Countries Goes Into Effect Early Monday* *Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Shakes Colombia’s Capital Bogota* *Germany 0-2 France: Kylian Mbappe Scores & Assists In Nations League Third-place Play-off* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *Stories in Detail:* *Govt Bans Killer Brews as Public Demands Action* The government has officially slammed the brakes on the production and sale of lethal homemade alcohol brews such as musombodhiya and kambwa, in a move widely welcomed by communities grappling with substance abuse. Through Statutory Instrument 62 of 2025, gazetted under the Harmful Liquids Act, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe declared the outlawing of what the government terms "unregulated, unauthorised or illegally produced alcoholic beverages containing ethanol." "The Schedule to the Act is amended by the insertion after item 9 (‘Nipa’) of the following item: ‘Any unregulated, unauthorised or illegally produced alcoholic beverages containing ethanol, colloquially referred to by such names as kambwa, musombodhiya or by any other name whatsoever," This stern legislative move comes after growing pressure from the public, with citizens calling for decisive action against not only backyard brews but also the rampant abuse of drugs like methamphetamine—locally known as guka, mutoriro, or dombo. The Herald reported that an inter-ministerial committee has been established to address the spiraling crisis of alcohol and drug abuse—especially among young people. The committee will also oversee the construction of rehabilitation centres across the country. Beyond punitive action, various stakeholders have called on the government to go a step further by empowering vulnerable youth through income-generating projects, citing boredom and joblessness as breeding grounds for substance abuse. *Government, CCZ Set To Launch Digital Platform To Combat Counterfeit Goods* In a bold step towards safeguarding Zimbabwean consumers and ensuring market integrity, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ), in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, is preparing to launch an innovative digital platform aimed at detecting counterfeit products. In a statement to mark World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, observed annually on June 6, CCZ Chief Executive Officer Rose Mpofu revealed that the platform, dubbed CCZ Verified, will serve as a collaborative digital tool for both consumers and businesses to authenticate goods and root out fake products. "World Anti-Counterfeiting Day is a moment to reflect on the growing threat of counterfeit goods and their wide-reaching impact on consumers, businesses, and the global economy. To this end, CCZ is investing heavily in verification processes to protect consumers from unscrupulous business practices," said Mpofu. The CCZ Verified platform is set to become a cornerstone in the country’s fight against counterfeit products, offering real-time authentication for goods and ensuring only genuine items reach the shelves. Mpofu noted that the initiative stems from increasing consumer demand for stricter fraud prevention measures and greater accountability from businesses. "Our platform is designed to meet these expectations. We are already rolling it out in partnership with various brands and working closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure that fake products are eliminated from the market," she said. Mpofu stressed that the rise in counterfeit goods calls for stronger regulatory frameworks and the setting of higher standards across all sectors. She reiterated CCZ’s role not just as a local watchdog, but also as a regional and global player in consumer protection standards. "As a member of the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ), the African Regional Standards Organisation Consumer Committee (ARSOCoCo), and the ISO Consumer Policy Committee (ISO CoPoCo), CCZ ensures that consumer interests are represented when standards are developed—from the national to the international level," she said. With the digital platform, Zimbabwe joins a growing list of countries adopting technology-driven solutions to combat counterfeiting. Authorities hope the initiative will significantly reduce the circulation of fake goods, restore consumer trust, and foster a fairer trading environment. As the fight against counterfeiting gains momentum, consumers are encouraged to remain vigilant and make use of the new platform once it is officially launched. "This is about empowering the consumer. When people know they are buying genuine, safe, and approved products, the entire economy benefits," she said. *New Ziana* *Rwanda Quits Central African Bloc In Dispute With DRC* Rwanda has said it would withdraw from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), underscoring diplomatic tensions in the region over an offensive this year by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Kigali had expected to assume the chairmanship of the 11-member bloc at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea. Instead, the bloc kept Equatorial Guinea in the role, which Rwanda’s foreign ministry denounced as a violation of its rights. Rwanda, in a statement, condemned Congo’s "instrumentalisation" of the bloc and saw "no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles." It wasn’t clear if Rwanda’s exit from the bloc would take immediate effect. The office of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in a statement that ECCAS members had "acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil." M23 seized eastern Congo’s two largest cities earlier this year, with the advance leaving thousands dead and raising concerns of an all-out regional war. African leaders along with Washington and Doha have been trying to broker a peace deal. Congo, the U.N. and Western powers accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 by sending troops and weapons. Rwanda has long denied helping M23, saying its forces were acting in self-defence against Congo’s army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed around 1 million people, mostly ethnic Tutsis. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration hopes to strike a peace accord between Congo and Rwanda that would also facilitate billions in Western investment in the region, which is rich in minerals including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium. ECCAS was established in the 1980s to foster cooperation in areas like security and economic affairs among its member states. *Reuters* *Kenyan Dies In Custody After Arrest For Social Media Post* Kenya's independent police oversight body has launched an investigation into the death of a man who had been detained "for false publication", the police have said. Albert Ojwang was arrested in the western town of Homa Bay and then driven 350km (220 miles) to the capital, Nairobi, his father Meshack Opiyo told journalists. "While in custody, the suspect sustained head injuries after hitting his head against a cell wall," a police statement said. He was rushed to hospital "where he was pronounced dead on arrival". The director of the Kenyan branch of rights group Amnesty International told the BBC that the death of Mr Ojwang, described in reports as a teacher and blogger, was "very suspicious". Amnesty said in a statement that his death "raises serious questions that must be urgently, thoroughly, and independently investigated". Senior police officer Stephen Okal is quoted by the Star newspaper as saying what happened in the cell was "an attempted suicide". It is not clear what the charge of "false publication" referred to, but Mr Opiyo told online news site Citizen Digital that the arresting police officer said "Albert had insulted a senior person on X", the social media platform. Referring to the circumstances of his arrest, Amnesty International Kenya director Irungu Houghton said it was "quite shocking" that Mr Ojwang was not booked in at the local police station after being detained, but was instead taken on a long journey. He called on the independent investigators to secure what he described as "the crime scene" at the police station in Nairobi. The police said that Mr Ojwang was "lawfully arrested". His detention and death comes at a time of rising concern about how some government critics are being treated. Last week, software developer Rose Njeri - who created a tool to help people oppose a government finance bill - was charged with violating a cybercrime law. *BBC* *Trump Deploys National Guard As Los Angeles Protests Against Immigration Agents Continue* President Donald Trump's administration said it would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert." Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory." He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle," adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Newsom said it was "deranged behavior" for Hegseth to be "threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. *'VIOLENT INSURRECTION'* "Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil," Vice President JD Vance posted on X late on Saturday. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, two U.S. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. One said that National Guard troops can deploy quickly, within 24 hours in some cases, and that the military was working to source the 2,000 troops. The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the U.S. military to enforce the law and suppress events like civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks at the Paramount protest, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. Los Angeles police posted on X that "multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings were issued." It did not give further details. There was no official information of any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organization Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." *TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN* Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day laborers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said in a statement. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." *Reuters* *Ukraine Says Latest POWs Swap With Russia To Go Ahead After Duelling Words* The latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for next week as already agreed with Russian officials, Ukraine’s intelligence chief has said, rebuking Moscow’s allegation that Kyiv had indefinitely postponed the swap. "The start of repatriation activities based on results and negotiations in Istanbul is scheduled for next week, as authorised persons on Tuesday were informed," military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement on Sunday. "Everything is moving according to plan, despite the enemy’s dirty information game". That barbed comment followed Russia’s pointed accusation on Saturday that Ukraine had indefinitely postponed the return of the bodies of 6,000 soldiers on each side and the exchange of wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war and prisoners of war under the age of 25. Ukraine was "carefully adhering to the agreements reached in Istanbul", Budanov countered, referring to a second round of negotiations that took place in the Turkish city on Monday. Meanwhile, Russia said that it brought more than 1,000 bodies of slain Ukrainian soldiers to the exchange point while also handing over to Ukraine a first list of 640 prisoners of war, but that Ukrainian negotiators were not at the swap location. Ukraine denied the allegations and said Moscow should stop "playing dirty games". Melinda Haring, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, told Al Jazeera that it’s a good sign that the process seems to now be back on track. "This is a big deal, because the prisoner exchange will be the largest that Ukraine and Russia have engaged in so far. And in the past, these exchanges have gone off pretty seamlessly," Haring said. "So the fact that there were dual narratives about this in the middle of a big push at getting the Russians and the Ukrainians to agree on a peace negotiation was really troubling. "POW [prisoner of war] exchanges are considered to be low-confidence ways of building trust in a bigger negotiation. So the fact that there was friction over this, and I believe it was on the Russian side, shows that there’s not a lot of interest in an actual peace negotiation on Moscow’s terms," she said. The two sides are no closer to any temporary ceasefire agreement as a concrete step towards ending the conflict despite some initial momentum from the United States, though US President Donald Trump appears to be losing patience in his campaign for a ceasefire, even suggesting the two be left to fight longer like children in a park before they be pulled apart. Nor has Trump followed Ukraine’s European Union and United Kingdom allies in imposing harsher sanctions on Russia. *Fighting continues* The duelling narratives and fading diplomatic momentum remain the backdrop to the grinding war, now in its fourth year, as both sides ratchet up attacks against each other. In the early hours of Sunday, Russia said it shot down 10 Ukrainian drones near the capital, Moscow, forcing two key airports to suspend their activities. That came a week after Ukraine conducted an audacious and unprecedented drone operation targeting nuclear-capable military aircraft in multiple airbases deep inside Russia, including in Siberia. Kyiv claims it destroyed 14 percent of Russia’s strategic bombers. But Ukrainians have also been under heavy attack. In the past days, Russian forces have pounded the country, hitting multiple locations and killing more than a dozen civilians over the weekend, with Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, the worst hit. They have also made significant advances on the ground. Russia says its forces have entered Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the war began three years ago. The Russian Defence Ministry said tank units have reached the western border of the region and are continuing their offensive. The industrial region is home to three million people and includes the major city of Dnipro. Ukraine has not yet commented. "It is significant because the region of Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the regions that Russia sees as now being part of the Russian Federation after the referendums that were held back in 2022," said Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Kyiv. "Putin sees Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia as being part of Russia – Dnipropetrovsk is not part of that plan. So if indeed these forces are crossing over into Dnipropetrovsk, that is hugely significant". *al Jazeera* *Trump's Travel Ban On 12 Countries Goes Into Effect Early Monday* US President Donald Trump’s order banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States goes into effect at 12:01 am ET (0401 GMT) on Monday, a move the president promulgated to protect the country from "foreign terrorists." The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The entry of people from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela -will be partially restricted. Trump, a Republican, said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbour a "large-scale presence of terrorists," fail to cooperate on visa security, have an inability to verify travelers’ identities, as well as inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the United States. He cited last Sunday’s incident in Boulder, Colorado, in which an Egyptian national tossed a gasoline bomb into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators as an example of why the new curbs are needed. But Egypt is not part of the travel ban. The travel ban forms part of Trump’s policy to restrict immigration into the United States and is reminiscent of a similar move in his first term when he barred travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations. Officials and residents in countries whose citizens will soon be banned expressed dismay and disbelief. Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said he had instructed his government to stop granting visas to US citizens in response to Trump’s action. "Chad has neither planes to offer nor billions of dollars to give, but Chad has its dignity and its pride," he said in a Facebook post, referring to countries such as Qatar, which gifted the US a luxury airplane for Trump’s use and promised to invest billions of dollars in the US. Afghans who worked for the US or US-funded projects and were hoping to resettle in the US expressed fear that the travel ban would force them to return to their country, where they could face reprisal from the Taliban. Democratic US lawmakers also voiced concern about the policies. "Trump’s travel ban on citizens from over 12 countries is draconian and unconstitutional," said US Representative Ro Khanna on social media late on Thursday. "People have a right to seek asylum." *Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Shakes Colombia’s Capital Bogota* A powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake has shaken the Colombian capital of Bogota, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS reported on Sunday morning that the quake struck near the city of Paratebueno in central Colombia, about 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of Bogota. The Colombian Geological Service, however, reported that the magnitude of the shock was higher, registering a 6.5 on the Richter scale. Reporters of the AFP news agency on the ground said buildings shook and sirens sounded around Bogota as people rushed out onto the streets for safety. People gathered in parks and outside buildings in their pyjamas as parents tried to calm frightened children while others searched for pets that had run away during the tremor. One elderly woman told AFP that the shake was "very strong" as she made her way down several flights of steps. Al Jazeera’s Sanad verified the following videos filmed in the immediate aftermath: These are some images of citizens evacuating in Bogotá after the strong 6.4 earthquake felt around 8:00 a.m. this Sunday, June 8. The Mayor of Bogota, Carlos Galan, wrote on X that no one was injured in the earthquake, according to preliminary reports. "At this time, one person is being treated for an anxiety attack and is being transferred to the Central Hospital. So far, minor structural damage and some power outages have been reported, but service has already been restored," Galan added. Central Colombia, a zone of high seismic activity, has experienced a similar earthquake before, which was recorded as a 6.2 magnitude quake in 1999, claiming nearly 1,200 lives. *al Jazeera* *Germany 0-2 France: Kylian Mbappe Scores & Assists In Nations League Third-place Play-off* Kylian Mbappe scored his 50th international goal as France beat Nations League hosts Germany in their third-place play-off. The captain finished well for the 45th-minute opener following a pass from Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni. And Mbappe set up the second goal six minutes from time when he pounced on a mistake from Robin Koch and unselfishly squared the ball for Michael Olise to slot into the empty net. Germany had their chances, though, with both a penalty award and goal overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR). First Karim Adeyemi was awarded a spot-kick after being brought down by France keeper Mike Maignan, but the Germany forward was instead booked for diving after a VAR check. And then Deniz Undav's effort was disallowed after Niclas Fullkrug was deemed to have fouled Adrien Rabiot in the build-up. Adeyemi also had three shots saved by Chelsea target Maignan, while Florian Wirtz struck a post. But France could have added to their goal haul in Stuttgart too. Marcus Thuram's curling strike hit the post, while Mbappe missed the target several times and forced a great save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Julian Nagelsmann's Germany have now failed to win in three games, including Wednesday's semi-final defeat by Portugal. Captain Joshua Kimmich told RTL: "We should have been leading 3-0 after six minutes. Then we went into the break a goal behind. "We lost patience too early and lost our structure in the second half. We made too many mistakes and gave them what they wanted." Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps added: "Mike [Maignan] was a fantastic last line of defence and he kept us in it at the start. "I thought the scoreline at half-time against Spain [2-0] was incredibly severe. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and say that we deserved to go into half-time today in the lead, but it allowed us to go on and become better." Spain, who beat France 5-4 in their last-four tie, and Portugal play in the final later on Sunday (20:00 BST) in Munich. *BBC*