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SENEGAL’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Thursday vowed investigations into what he termed “widespread corruption” under the previous administration, accusing it of having fiddled its financial figures. “The policy of unbridled indebtedness (under former president Macky Sall) has led to the use of resources that is not transparent and that is conducive to widespread corruption,” he told journalists, denouncing the “embezzlement of public funds en masse”. Sonko and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye swept to power in March on a pledge of radical change in the West African nation. The pair ran on a ticket of social justice, sovereignty and leftist…

MANCHESTER United stuttered to a 1-1 draw at home to FC Twente in their opening Europa League game on Wednesday as Christian Eriksen scored but then made an error that led to the equaliser. The Denmark international put United ahead with a powerful first-half strike on a soaking wet night at Old Trafford before Sam Lammers equalised for Twente on 68 minutes after Eriksen was caught in possession. United manager Erik ten Hag selected a strong side to take on Twente, a club where the Dutchman came through the youth ranks and had three spells as a player before moving…

LEBANESE Prime Minister Najib Mikati has implored members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to act as Israel’s bombardment of his country has now killed at least 620 people in the three days since Monday. An urgent meeting of the security council was called on Wednesday by France, with the French foreign minister taking the opportunity to unveil efforts with the United States to reach a temporary pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. “Israel is violating our sovereignty by sending their warplanes and drones to our skies,” Mikati told the emergency meeting at UN headquarters in New York. De-escalation…

DONALD Trump has hit out at Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not negotiating with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, claiming that even the “worst deal” would be better than the current level of death and destruction. Speaking at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump said that Ukraine would never be able to replace its “many dead people” and towns and cities destroyed in the war. “Those cities are gone. They’re gone, and we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal, Zelenskyy. There was no deal that he could have…

MORE than 430 people have died from cholera in the past month, Sudan’s health ministry says, as civil war continues to ravage the country. The number of infections has risen to about 14,000, it said in a statement. It said it was doing all it can to “combat cholera in the affected states, amid the rise in infections”. Getting treatment to those affected areas is hugely complicated by the conflict which has killed up to 150,000 people since it began last year, according to the US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that…

ESWATINI main opposition leader has been poisoned as part of an assassination attempt and is being treated in hospital, his party says. Mlungisi Makhanya, 46, has been living in exile in neighbouring South Africa for the last two years, saying he fears for his life at home following a violent crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy. “Our president has been stabilised but he is still in a critical condition,” the People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) said. Eswatini spokesman Alpheous Nxumalo denied state involvement, saying the “government does not kill or poison suspects”. Pudemo says the attempt…

BENIN prosecutors said Wednesday that the Republican Guard commander, a former sports minister and a businessman had been arrested on suspicion of planning a “coup d’etat” in the small West African nation. Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, said the alleged coup was planned to take place on Friday. “It appears the Republican Guard commander in charge of the president’s security was engaged by the minister Oswald Homeky and Olivier Boko in order to carry out a coup by force on September 27, 2024,” the prosecutor said. The court said Homeky was…

THE 2027 Champions League final will be moved away from the San Siro in Milan due to uncertainties over potential renovations, UEFA said on Tuesday. European football’s governing body said that the San Siro had lost the showpiece fixture as the city of Milan could not guarantee the ground and the surrounding area “would not be affected by refurbishment works”. “It was decided not to assign the final to Milan and to re-open the bidding process to appoint a suitable venue, with a decision expected in May/June 2025,” added UEFA. AC Milan and Inter Milan, who both play their home…

TENS of thousands of people flee southern Lebanon with little idea where to find safety as intense Israeli bombardment across Lebanon kills at least 569 people, including 50 children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Hezbollah confirmed that senior leader Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi was killed on Tuesday, hours after Israel claimed it killed a top commander in a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which left six people dead. The Israeli military has said it has conducted a series of air strikes on Lebanon in four waves, one of the largest campaigns in its history, with 250 fighter jets dropping 2,000 munitions.…

THE United States said Tuesday it will waive visa requirements for citizens of Qatar, making the close Gulf partner the first Arab country to clear the hurdle. The energy-rich Gulf monarchy cleared the “stringent security requirements” to become the 42nd member of the visa waiver program, the Department of Homeland Security announced. The agreement “will deepen our strategic partnership and enhance the flow of people and commerce between our two countries,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Qatar — where citizens make up a small minority of residents — has been jockeying with fellow wealthy Gulf Arab…

ZAMBIA’s President Hakainde Hichilema has suspended three top judges over alleged judicial misconduct, prompting accusations of political interference in the judiciary. In 2016, the three Constitutional Court judges dismissed President Hichilema’s petition, in which he challenged the election victory of former President Edgar Lungu. They also took part in a controversial ruling allowing Lungu to stand in the 2021 elections, despite having twice served as Zambia’s president. Political tensions are rising in Zambia ahead of elections in 2026, when Hichilema and Lungu are expected to face each other for a fourth time. The three were due to be part of…

A LONG-DISTANCE bus has come under attack by gunmen in South Sudan on a main road south of the capital, Juba, leaving at least one person dead and several others feared kidnapped, the army has said. The passenger vehicle, heading for the Ugandan capital, Kampala, was targeted on Tuesday morning. Images from the scene show flames engulfing the inside of the bus and black smoke rising up into the sky. Despite a peace deal being in place to end years of civil war in South Sudan, insecurity remains rife in many parts of the country. Army spokesperson Maj Gen Lul…

JIGAWA State Independent Electoral Commission has presided over the inauguration of a judicial panel on electoral malpractices regarding the far approaching October 5, 2024 Local government elections. A statement signed by the Commission’s Public Relation Officer, Malam Habibu Yusuf Yarima, last Friday, showed that, the state Chief Justice,had administered the swearing of 13 judges under the leadership of Justice Musa Ubale, who are to receive complaints from those who felt they were cheated of their victory or any other negativities emerged during the elections across the state. The inauguration was attended by the state’s Attorney General, the chairman of the…

MANCHESTER City and Spain midfielder Rodri could miss the rest of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, according to reports in Spain on Monday. The 28-year-old limped off during City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday after going down holding his right knee. ESPN and Spanish sports daily Marca reported that tests on Monday have confirmed an ACL tear. Rodri’s loss would be a huge blow to City’s hopes of winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title and ambitions of reclaiming the Champions League. The former Atletico Madrid player has lost just one…

ISRAEL’s army has said it launched more than 650 attacks on some 1,300 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon over the past 24 hours. According to the Lebanese health ministry, the attacks have killed 492 people, and wounded 1,645 others. Israeli attacks have caused widespread chaos across Lebanon and have forced scores of people to flee parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as concerns over a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah continue to grow. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has expressed “grave concern” for the wellbeing and safety of civilians residing in southern Lebanon, and reiterated its strong…

A SUSPECTED gunman arrested near Donald Trump’s golf-course wrote a note months earlier saying he intended to kill the former president, a court filing shows. “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” the note says. Prosecutors included the note in a court filing on Monday, and said they would try to charge 58-year-old Ryan Routh with the attempted assassination of a major political candidate. Routh has been in custody since his arrest on 15 September in Florida. US Federal Judge Ryon McCabe ordered that Routh remain behind bars without bail pending his trial, saying that the “weight of the…

AT least 30 decomposing bodies have been found on a boat off the coast of Senegal, military authorities say. The navy was informed of a vessel that was adrift about 70km (45 miles) from the capital Dakar, according to a military statement on X. They brought the wooden canoe, or pirogue, into port on Monday morning. “Recovery, identification and transfer operations are being made extremely delicate by the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies,” the statement said. There has been a recent increase in migrants setting off from Senegal for Spain’s Canary Islands – a journey of more than…

AN Egyptian ship has delivered a significant consignment of military equipment to Somalia, security officials in the capital, Mogadishu, are quoted as saying. Somali Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur thanked Egypt in a social media post without specifically mentioning the weapons. This is the second such delivery from Egypt in a month as relations deteriorate between Somalia and its neighbour and one-time close ally Ethiopia. Egypt, a long-time rival of Ethiopia, has taken the opportunity to move closer to Somalia, stoking concerns about rising tensions in the Horn of Africa. The military cargo, carried on a warship that arrived on…

MANCHESTER City forward Bernardo Silva said only one team came to play football in their 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal, who were accused of employing “dark arts” at Etihad Stadium. But Gunners manager Mikel Arteta claimed it was “a miracle” his side came so close to victory after playing the second half with 10 men. John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser denied Arsenal what would have been a huge victory over the defending champions. After winger Leandro Trossard was controversially sent off in first-half injury time, the Gunners had just 12.5% of possession in the second half. City had 28 shots…

HEZBOLLAH has announced that it launched dozens of rockets at Israel’s Ramat David Airbase, east of Haifa, in response to a series of Israeli attacks, prompting the UN to war of an “imminent catastrophe” if the tit-for-tat violence continues. Sirens were activated across northern Israel in the early hours of Sunday. If confirmed, the assault would be Hezbollah’s farthest-reaching attack inside Israel since the start of the ongoing cross-border clashes in October last year. The Israeli military said more than 100 projectiles were fired early on Sunday from Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands to take cover and prompting school closures…