Author: Editor

LIBYA’s flood disaster, which killed thousands in the city of Derna, also displaced more than 43,000 people, the International Organization for Migration said Thursday. A tsunami-sized flash flood broke through two ageing river dams upstream from the coastal city after the Mediterranean Storm Daniel lashed the area on September 10. It razed entire neighbourhoods, sweeping untold thousands of people into the sea. The official death toll stands at more than 3,300 — but the eventual count is expected to be far higher, with international aid groups giving estimates of up to 10,000 people missing. “An estimated 43,059 individuals have been…

DESPITE a resounding victory in their last game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and their only game since the last FIFA world rankings in June, Nigeria dropped a place in the latest FIFA men’s rankings for June. The Super Eagles, who were ranked 39th in the rankings released in June, lost three points and dropped to 40th. The Eagles defeated Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in their last game of the AFCON qualifiers but the results turned out not to have any positive effect on their position on the rankings table. Jose Peseiro’s men finished top of…

SAUDI Arabia crown prince Mohammed bin Salman says he does not care about accusations of ‘sportswashing’. The Gulf kingdom has been accused of investing in sport and using high-profile events to improve its international reputation. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) led the takeover of Newcastle United last year and launched LIV Golf. “If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by 1%, then we’ll continue doing sportswashing,” Bin Salman said. He told Fox News: “I don’t care [about the term]. I have 1% growth in GDP from sport and I am aiming for another 1.5%. “Call it what you…

GUNSHOTS were heard late in the evening near the US embassy in Lebanon, a spokesperson told AFP Thursday morning, reporting no casualties. “At 10:37 pm local time, small arms fire was reported in the vicinity of the entrance to the US Embassy,” said embassy spokesperson Jake Nelson. “There were no injuries, and our facility is safe,” he said, adding that the embassy was in “close contact” with law enforcement. The highly-secured embassy complex is located in the northern Beirut suburb of Awkar. US diplomatic and military missions in Lebanon were attacked on a number of occasions during the 1975-1990 civil…

INDIA has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens amid an escalating row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. India said the temporary move was due to “security threats” disrupting work at its missions in Canada. Tensions flared this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India may have been behind the 18 June killing. But Mr Trudeau said on Thursday he was not looking to provoke India with the allegation. India has angrily rejected the allegation, calling it “absurd”. Speaking to reporters in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr Trudeau said:…

SUDAN’s leader has warned the United Nations his country’s war could spill over into neighbouring African nations. In a speech, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also urged the international community to designate his opponents, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a terrorist group. Meanwhile, RSF leader Hamdan Dagalo said he was prepared for a ceasefire. Since April, Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war that has killed thousands of people. Back in 2021, the two generals staged a coup, but in recent months a power struggle between them has led to their men taking up arms against each other. Speaking to…

GUINEA’s junta leader, Col Mamady Doumbouya, has said the Western model of democracy does not work in Africa, as he defended the use of military intervention. He told the UN General Assembly in New York that the continent was suffering from a “model of governance that has been imposed on us” and which was “having trouble adapting to our reality”. “It is time to stop lecturing us and stop treating us with condescension like children,” he added. Col Doumbouya took power in a coup in 2021, ousting President Alpha Condé. He defended taking that action to the UN assembly saying…

NIGERIA have qualified for the 2024 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship after defeating Morocco 28-14 on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the Africa Women’s Youth Handball Championship in Monastir, Tunisia. Nigeria’s U-18 women’s handball team went into the match knowing full well that a win against their North African counterparts would qualify them for the Mundial in Asia and wasted no time to make a statement. The IHF Women champions were dominant in the first half and went into the break with a comfortable 17-5 lead. The Moroccans came back in the second half determined to reduce the deficit but…

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has criticised the behaviour of some players during his time as Manchester United manager, saying they were not as good as they thought they were. Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 after nearly three years in charge. His successor Erik ten Hag has said there was “no good culture” when he arrived at Old Trafford in May 2022. “Some weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves,” Solskjaer, 50, told The Athletic. The former United and Norway forward added: “I won’t name names, but I was very disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to…

AN Indonesian court has sentenced a woman to two years in prison and handed her a heavy fine after she recited an Islamic prayer before eating pork in a viral TikTok video widely criticised in the Muslim-majority country. Lina Mukherjee, 33, was found guilty of “spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups” at a court on Tuesday in the South Sumatra city of Palembang, according to the verdict. It came after a resident reported Mukherjee in March for the video, that amassed millions of views, in which she uttered a Muslim prayer that translates to…

A FRENCH journalist was held overnight and questioned by police in connection with a 2021 report which alleged that French intelligence was used by Egypt to kill civilians. Police reportedly searched Ariane Lavrilleux’s house on 19 September and later took her into custody. Lavrilleux’s lawyer said she was questioned as part of an investigation into compromising national security. She was released after a night in custody. Amnesty International’s Katia Roux had said she was “very worried” for the journalist at the time of her arrest. “To put in police custody a journalist for doing her job, moreover for revealing information…

THE discovery of ancient wooden logs in the banks of a river in Zambia has changed archaeologists’ understanding of ancient human life. Researchers found evidence the wood had been used to build a structure almost half a million years ago. The findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest stone-age people built what may have been shelters. “This find has changed how I think about our early ancestors,” archaeologist Prof Larry Barham said. The University of Liverpool scientist leads the Deep Roots of Humanity research project, which excavated and analysed the ancient timber. The discovery could transform the current belief ancient…

THE state prosecutor in Gabon says the eldest son of the ousted president, Ali Bongo, and several of his political allies have been charged with corruption. Noureddin Bongo Valentin, who’s 31, was arrested shortly after last month’s coup. National TV showed images of him and some of his father’s close allies in front of suitcases of cash it said had been seized from their homes. They have not commented on the allegations. The military seized power soon after Ali Bongo was declared the winner of Gabon’s presidential election. He had been in office since 2009 when he succeeded his father…

A UNITED States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, has granted the request filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, seeking the release of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records by the Chicago State University. Judge Jeffrey Gilbert, a US magistrate, gave the ruling on Tuesday, ordering CSU to produce “all relevant and non-privileged documents” to Abubakar Atiku, the plaintiff, within two days. “This matter is before the Court on Atiku Abubakar’s Application Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782 for an Order Directing Discovery from Chicago State University for Use in a Foreign…

MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag says he has “never started his best XI” as his injury-hit side prepare to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Ten Hag is without 12 first-team players as United take on the Bundesliga champions in Germany on Wednesday. This includes Raphael Varane, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire, who have not travelled to Munich. “There was always something, but you have to deal with it,” said Ten Hag. “I think I never started the best starting XI. That is football. You have to deal with it. I love these situations. You have to know…

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky in a wartime trip to the United Nations on Tuesday urged the world to stand firm against Russia’s “genocide,” as he told skeptical developing nations they had a stake in Kyiv’s victory. Taking the rostrum of the UN General Assembly in his trademark military fatigues, Zelensky renewed an invitation for world leaders to join a “peace summit” to end the war on Ukraine’s term. “For the first time in modern history, we have the chance to end the aggression on the terms of the nation which was attacked,” Zelensky said in a speech met with applause…

A KILOGRAM of fentanyl was found under a nap mat at a nursery in New York City where one child died and three others were taken to hospital, police say. Nicholas Dominici, one, who had been at the nursery for just a week, died of a suspected drug overdose on Friday. Three other children were admitted to hospital after being exposed to the powerful narcotic at the daycare centre in the Bronx. Drug conspiracy and murder charges have been filed against two people. Police believe the children, ranging in age from eight months to two years old, inhaled fentanyl at…

THE partial suspension was instituted during the 63rd Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss developments in member states. Held on Monday, the meeting was chaired by Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Tourism, of Samoa, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, according to a statement made public on Tuesday. Ministers from Barbados, Canada, Ghana, Mauritius, and Rwanda, and representatives of Belize, Malaysia and Malta, were also in attendance. According to the statement, the ministers expressed the collective concern of the Commonwealth on the political situation in…

RWANDA’s President Paul Kagame has said he will run for a fourth term in next year’s presidential election. “Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” Mr Kagame told French-language magazine Jeune Afrique on Tuesday. Asked about what the West would think about his decision to run again, Mr Kagame said, “I’m sorry for the West, but what the West thinks is not my problem”. “I am happy with the confidence that the Rwandans have in me. I will always serve them, as much when I can.” Mr Kagame had in April said he was looking forward to retiring and handing over…

PEP Guardiola says Manchester City “haven’t done anything special” having won just one Champions League. After winning the Premier League and FA Cup last season, City became just the second English team to complete the Treble when they defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final. City begin their Champions League title defence when they take on Red Star Belgrade at home on Tuesday. “It’ll be easier. The hardest to win is the first one,” Guardiola said. “For our club to win the Champions League is incredible, but in perspective, how many won one Champions League? A lot. “We…