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LEFT-WING pan-Africanist Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Tuesday became Senegal’s youngest president, pledging systemic change after years of deadly turmoil and announcing his mentor, opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, as prime minister. Faye, 44, has never previously held an elected office. He swept to a first-round victory on a promise of radical reform just 10 days after being released from prison. He took the presidential oath in front of hundreds of officials and several African heads of state at an exhibition centre in the new town of Diamniadio, near Dakar. He then returned to the capital, with his motorcade greeted by hundreds…

ZIMBABWE declared drought a national disaster on Wednesday, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the country needs $2 billion in aid to help millions of people who are going hungry. A severe dry spell induced by the El Nino weather pattern is wreaking havoc across southern Africa. “No Zimbabwean must succumb or die from hunger,” Mnangagwa told a press conference. “To that end, I do hereby declare a nationwide State of Disaster, due to the El Nino-induced drought.” Due to poor rains, more than 2.7 million people will not have enough food to put on the table this year, he warned.…

Q  –  What is the food that is permissible to give for Zakatul-Fitr? Nura Jamilu, Hadejia A  –  It is reported in the hadith that it is to be given from five things. They are wheat, barley, dried dates , raisins and cottage cheese. However, some of the research scholars have mentioned that specifying these five things was done because they were used at that time. Therefore, they permit giving it from whatever is the common food of the land like rice for example, and corn in the land where it is used as food and so forth. Q  -…

MANCHESTER United defenders Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof have both picked up muscle injuries and will be ruled out for at least a month. Martinez has sustained a calf strain in training, having only returned from a seven-week absence with a knee injury in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Brentford. Lindelof suffered a hamstring injury in that game and was replaced by Martinez. Erik ten Hag’s side are already without left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia through injury. Both Martinez and Lindelof are hoping to return this season but a month-long absence would see them miss five Premier League, starting with…

DESPITE a week of tensions with Israel over its conduct of the Gaza War, Washington is reported to have authorised arms transfers to its ally worth billions of dollars. These include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000lb (900kg) bombs and 500 MK82 500lb bombs, as well as 25 F35A fighter jets, The Washington Post and Reuters news agency have said. The larger bombs have previously been linked to air strikes in Gaza causing mass casualties. Washington gives $3.8bn (£3bn) in annual military assistance to Israel. But the latest package comes as the Biden administration has been raising concerns about rising civilian…

A 7.4 MAGNITUDE earthquake struck off Taiwan’s east coast on Wednesday, setting off tsunami warnings on the island and its neighbouring countries. The epicentre is located about 18km (11 miles) south of Taiwan’s Hualien city, according to the US Geological Survey. Multiple buildings have partially collapsed in Hualien and are shown leaning at precarious angles. It is Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years, said seismology officials. Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC said it has evacuated some of its factories in Hsinchu and southern Taiwan for its staff’s safety, but added that its safety systems are operating normally. TSMC is a major…

SOUTH Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday filed an appeal against a decision by electoral officials barring him from running in elections as tensions mount ahead of the May polls. The electoral commission last week excluded the 81-year-old politician, who is campaigning for a new opposition party, over a 2021 contempt of court conviction. But in court papers seen by AFP, lawyers for Zuma and the party argued that the sentence did not disqualify him for it followed civil rather than criminal proceedings. The electoral commission “had no valid reasons to violate the political rights of President Zuma,” the…

KENYA’s largest referral hospital on Tuesday said it would dispose of more than 500 bodies, most of them children, that lay unclaimed. Families have up to seven days to identify and collect the 541 bodies at the Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary, it said in a notice on its website. “Failure to which the hospital will seek authority from the courts to dispose of them,” it said. More than three-quarters of the bodies are of children who died in the middle of last year. While most of the names and ages of the deceased were published, the identities of more than…

BASSIROU Diomaye Faye, a left-wing pan-Africanist, was sworn in Tuesday as Senegal’s youngest president after sweeping to a first-round victory on a pledge of radical reform 10 days after he was released from prison. The 44-year-old has never before held an elected office but several African leaders attended the ceremony in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar. “Before God and the Senegalese nation, I swear to faithfully fulfil the office of President of the Republic of Senegal,” Faye said before the gathered officials. He also vowed to “scrupulously observe the provisions of the Constitution and the laws”…

Q – Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh, is there a specific prayer recited for Ramadan or the last ten days? Aminu Kabiru, Abuja A: Tirmidhee and others report: `A’ishah asked: “O Messenger of Allaah! If I was to know which night is the night of qadr, what should I say therein?” He answered: “Say: ‘O Allaah! Verily, You are One who Pardons (`Afuww) and You love pardoning (`afw), so pardon (`afw) me!’” Al-`Afuww is a Name of Allaah. It is often translated to mean the One who pardons or forgives. `Afuww comes from `afw. `Afw linguistically means to leave or abandon…

UNITED States of America’s men’s U-19 national team coach of Nigerian descent, Michael Nsien, has declared his interest in the vacant Super Eagles coaching job, as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) continues its search for a substantive coach. While addressing a news conference in Abuja on Monday, Nsien says with his qualifications and experience, he remains the best man to succeed Jose Peseiro as the Super Eagles coach. Nsien is one of the contenders for the Super Eagles job with ex-internationals Emmanuel Amuneke and George Finidi as well as other candidates being mooted. The NFF advertised the Super Eagles coaching…

FORMULA One owners Liberty Media have agreed to buy MotoGP on Monday in a deal valued at around $4.5 billion, the American company said. MotoGP said in a statement that Liberty Media would acquire “approximately 86 percent” stake from Spain-based owners Dorna in a deal valued at 4.2 billion euros ($4.5 billion). The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 subject to clearances and approvals by competition and foreign investment law authorities in various jurisdictions. Liberty will not be the first company to own both Formula One and MotoGP. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners had…

ISRAELI air strikes destroyed the Iranian embassy’s consular annex in Damascus Monday, Syrian and Iranian officials said, with a top Revolutionary Guard commander among seven members the force said were killed, amid worsening regional tensions. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps named Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and another high-ranking officer, Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, as among seven of its members killed. Britain-based war monitors the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 people, including several Guards members, were killed when “Israeli missiles… destroyed the building of an annexe to the Iranian embassy”. The toll includes “eight Iranians, two…

FOUR aid workers said to include a Briton, a Pole and an Australian, and their Palestinian driver, have died in what the Hamas-run health ministry says was an Israeli air strike in Gaza. A Palestinian medical source told the BBC the workers had been wearing bullet-proof vests bearing the World Central Kitchen (WCK) logo. The US-based NGO described the reported deaths as a “tragedy”. Israel’s military said it was conducting a “thorough review”. The medical source at al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip told the BBC that the bodies of the four workers had been brought to the hospital…

THE Democratic Republic of Congo’s planning minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Monday became the African nation’s first woman prime minister, state television announced. An economist, she takes over as prime minister from Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, following President Felix Tshisekedi’s sweeping re-election on December 20. Tuluka said on national television that the “task is big, the challenges are immense but together… we will get there”. “I am aware of the great responsibility that is mine,” she added, saying she wanted to work “for peace and development” so that the “Congolese people can benefit from the resources” of the country. Tshisekedi officially…

ETHIOPIA’s largest bank says it has recovered almost three-quarters of the $14m (£12m) it lost in a glitch that allowed customers to withdraw more money than they had in their accounts. Abe Sano, head of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) said on Monday about $10m has been recovered. Thousands of customers returned the cash voluntarily. Mr Sano warned those who had not will face criminal charges. Most of the money was withdrawn by university students. On 16 March, news of the glitch spread across universities – largely via messaging apps and phone calls – and long lines were seen…

IN the closing moments of the electoral campaign, Senegal’s president-elect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, stepped onto the stage holding the hands of both his wives Marie and Absa. It was an unprecedented sight in the national politics of the West African country and a clear choice by the first-round winner who promises radical change. Polygamy is a traditional and religious practice firmly anchored in the culture of Senegal where the overwhelming majority is Muslim. Marie Khone, who until now had never been in the spotlight, comes from the same village as 44-year-old Faye. They married 15 years ago and have four…

Q – Salaamu Alaikum Sheikh. As Fasting draws to an end, what is your message for us all? Mustapha Noor, Abuja A – Many people misunderstand the true nature of fasting, and they make it an occasion for eating and drinking, making special sweets and staying up late at night and watching shows on satellite TV. They make such preparations long before Ramadaan, lest they miss out on some food bargains before food prices go up. They prepare by buying food, preparing drinks and looking at the satellite TV guide so they can choose which shows to follow and which…

NINE-TIME African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria, will open their training camp on Sunday ahead of the African final qualifying fixture for this year’s women’s Olympic football tournament against the Banyana Banyana of South Africa which will be played in Abuja on Friday. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade will be among the early birds and will be joined by home-based goalkeeper Linda Jiwuaku and defender Jumoke Alani. Young defender Shukurat Oladipo; veteran goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi; Japan-based Chidinma Okeke and Spain-based forward Gift Monday are expected in camp early on Monday. South Africa’s delegation, including 24 players, will land in Abuja on…

METRES away from the concrete and steel fence separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt, 11-year-old Malak Ayad flies a paper kite high in the sky – a welcome distraction from the horrors of war. “Every day I play with my brothers and cousins with kites next to the Egyptian border,” said the Palestinian girl, displaced from Gaza City with her family to the southern city of Rafah. “When I do, I feel free and safe,” she added, gently manoeuvering her kite, which she calls “Butterfly”, back and forth across the border with a white string. Her cousins and friends run…