THE authorities in Chad have said the country’s delayed presidential elections will take place in May. The vote is supposed to mark the end of a political transition that began in 2021, when former President Idriss Déby died after three decades in power. In defiance of the constitution, his son Gen Mahamat Déby was named his successor and promised to return the country to civilian rule. The transition was delayed and Mr Déby is expected to stand as a candidate. Analysts say the electoral commission is far from neutral and the opposition fears an extension of the Déby dynasty in…
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PROMINENT Zimbabwean opposition politician and former finance minister Tendai Biti has been given a $300 (£236) fine and suspended six-month jail sentence after a magistrate found him guilty of verbal assault. The court said he had shouted at a Russian businesswoman in 2020. During the four year-long trial, witnesses testified that Biti – a top lawyer – advanced towards Tatiana Aleshina after a court hearing in 2020, and called her “stupid” and pointed a finger at her in a manner she believed was threatening. Biti denied the accusation and had argued that the charge was not valid. Biti’s lawyer Alec…
EVERTON’s penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules has been reduced from 10 points to six following an appeal, the English top flight announced on Monday. The club were hit with the punishment in November after an independent commission found they had exceeded permitted losses under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules over an assessment period ending with the 2021/22 season. But an independent appeal board has cut that by four points, which moves the club up to 15th place. The club were hit with the punishment in November after an independent commission found they had exceeded permitted losses under…
PALESTINIAN prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced Monday the resignation of his government, which rules parts of the Israeli occupied West Bank, citing the need for change after the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ends. Shtayyeh submitted the resignation to the leader of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, president Mahmud Abbas, 88, whose office later said he accepted it. The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack. Shtayyeh cited “developments related to the aggression against the Gaza Strip and…
AN ACTIVE member of the US Air Force has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington over the weekend in protest of the war in Gaza, the Pentagon said Monday. Emergency responders on Sunday had rushed to the scene just before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) in response to a “call for person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy,” according to a message on X, formerly Twitter, by the capital city’s fire department. They arrived to find that officers from the Secret Service — the US law enforcement agency tasked with protecting embassies in Washington —…
DOZENS of people have been shot dead at a mosque on the same day that a church was attacked, say the authorities in Burkina Faso. It was during early-morning (Subhi) prayers that the gunmen surrounded the mosque in Natiaboani town. “The victims were all Muslims, most of them men,” a local resident told the AFP news agency. More than a third of Burkina Faso is currently under the control of Islamist insurgents. Local media describe (in French) a huge invasion by hundreds of machine gun-wielding militants on motorbikes. Unverified reports on social media suggest the death toll from the mosque…
SENEGAL’s President, Macky Sall has proposed an amnesty for those convicted in connection with political protests in the past three years. He said this would make it possible “to pacify the political arena and further strengthen our national cohesion”. He was speaking at talks which have been largely boycotted by the opposition and civic groups. The beleaguered president has been widely criticised for postponing elections which were due to take place on Sunday, without setting a new date. The Constitutional Court has ruled that the vote should be held as soon as possible. The suggested amnesty bill – which Mr…
THE Nigerian Guild of Editors has commended the Kogi State Government for what it described as a highly impressive performance in infrastructure, education and health. The Guild gave the commendation during a tour of some of the projects initiated and completed under the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello. The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba, who briefed journalists at the end of the project tour, specifically said, from what he and other editors had seen, first-hand, the former governor had left a legacy worthy of emulation in critical sectors. He, however, added that the current Governor…
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp called his side’s Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea the “most special trophy” he has ever won. The German lifted his 10th trophy as Liverpool boss at Wembley after captain Virgil van Dijk headed a late winner for the injury-hit Reds. It gave the Anfield side a record-extending 10th EFL Cup triumph in Klopp’s last season with the club. “In my 20 years, this is easily the most special trophy,” said Klopp. “I couldn’t care less about my legacy. I was not here to create one. This was so special.” Liverpool were without several key players…
A SEVERE famine in the Gaza Strip can be averted if aid is allowed in, the commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Sunday. “The last time UNRWA was able to deliver food aid to northern Gaza was on 23 January,” Philippe Lazzarini said on X. “Since then, together with other UN agencies, we have warned against a looming famine, appealed for regular humanitarian access, and stated that famine can be averted if more food convoys are allowed into northern Gaza on a regular basis,” he added. “Our calls to send food aid have been denied and…
UKRAINE’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Speaking at the “Ukraine. Year 2024” forum in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that “each of these losses is a great sacrifice” for Ukraine. He added that “tens of thousands of civilians” had been killed in occupied areas of Ukraine, but said that no exact figures would be available until the war was over. It’s the first time that Kyiv has confirmed the number of its losses since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine on…
AT LEAST 15 people have been killed and two others injured following an attack on a Catholic church in north-eastern Burkina Faso on Sunday. It took place during Sunday worship in Essakane village in Oudalan province – close to the border with Mali. Few details have been given. A church official indicated the gunmen were suspected Islamist militants. There was no immediate response from the authorities in the West African country’s capital, Ouagadougou. A statement by the head of the local diocese, Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, said 12 people were killed instantly, while three others died at the hospital. “In this…
ALGERIA’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday officially opened The Great Mosque of Algiers, the largest mosque in Africa. It is also the third-largest in the world, after the mosques in Saudi Arabia’s Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The massive mosque is spread across 70 acres (28 hectares) and can hold up to 120,000 worshippers at one time. It also has the world’s tallest minaret, which is the tower used to project the Muslim call to prayer. The mosque was constructed over seven years, costing more than $800m (£631m). It is expected to host prayers during the Islamic holy…
HARRY Maguire admitted “naive” Manchester United paid the price for being too attacking in the final minutes of their shock 2-1 defeat against Fulham on Saturday. Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a major blow to their hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League as Alex Iwobi snatched Fulham’s winner seven minutes into stoppage-time. United defender Maguire looked to have rescued a point when his close-range finish in the 89th minute cancelled out Calvin Bassey’s 65th minute opener. But United were caught throwing players forward in search of all three points as Iwobi capped a counter-attack to seal…
OVERNIGHT strikes on Gaza killed dozens, the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said Saturday, as Israel’s spy chief joined talks in Paris seeking to unblock negotiations on a truce. The negotiations come after a plan for a post-war Gaza unveiled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew criticism from key ally the United States, and was rejected by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank. They also come alongside deepening fears for Gaza’s civilians. The United Nations’ main aid body for Palestinians, UNWRA, said Gazans were “in extreme peril while the world watches”. Hamas said on Saturday morning…
THE sea of chanting, nearly-naked men tussle, push and shove towards the shrine. “Washoi! Washoi!” they yell – let’s go, let’s go. It is scene that has barely changed in the 1,250 years the Hadaka Matsuri, or the Naked Festival, has been taking place at the Konomiya Shrine, in central Japan. But this year there is a change – a big one. Away from the men’s huddle, a group are about to become the first women to ever take part. The women gathered here know they are making history. Finding room in traditionally male-dominated spaces is difficult anywhere, but in…
A COURT in Uganda has sentenced more than 100 women to one month of community service each after they confessed to sending their children to beg in the capital, Kampala. The court has also banned the women from returning to the city and ordered that they be sent back to their home district of Napak in northern Uganda, privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper reported. The women pleaded for leniency, with some saying they were widows and others single mothers, state-owned New Vision newspaper reported. “I have listened to their cries and a [jail] sentence would be inappropriate. I have to…
GUINEA’s military junta has protested to Russia’s ambassador after his embassy reportedly warned of possible unrest in the capital, Conakry. The warning was issued after junta leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya dissolved the government on Monday, and ordered the closure of all borders. Ambassador Alexey Popov apologised to the junta for what he called a misunderstanding, Guinean media reported. Col Doumbouya took power in a 2021 coup. He dissolved his government on Monday without offering any explanation. He also ordered the seizure of the passports of sacked ministers, and the freezing of their bank accounts. Guinean media reported that Col Doumbouya’s…
A LONG-RANGE shot from Robert Andrich took Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-1 home win against Mainz on Friday, setting a new German record of 33 games unbeaten. Andrich’s goal was helped by a goalkeeping mistake from Mainz’s Robin Zentner, who allowed the ball to slip through his hands and into the net. Leverkusen were nervy and made a number of uncharacteristic errors, but the victory takes them 11 points clear of Bayern Munich in their bid for a first-ever Bundesliga title. “We have to be honest and say we didn’t play a great game and were a bit…
THE Super Falcons were on Friday held to a goalless draw by Cameroon in the first leg of the final round of qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Nigeria could have returned home with a win but had two goals disallowed during the game in Doula in Cameroon. The return leg of the clash will be on Monday in Abuja with the winner picking one of Africa’s tickets for the Olympics later in the year.